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Posts tagged ‘Julia_Child’

Jan 6

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Julia Child’s Hollandaise Sauce with Poached Eggs

Poached Eggs with Hollandaise and baguette

As promised after “Cooking with Nick,” I made poached eggs with hollandaise sauce, method and recipe courtesy of Julia Child. I’ll be honest and tell you I don’t like poached eggs or hollandaise (Frank, however, orders it whenever we have breakfast out), so this was a bit of a stretch for me. I liked poaching the eggs right into the simmering pot of water, and spooning the whites around the yolk to give it a shape (you’ll remember that scene if you’ve seen Julie & Julia); Frank even offered advise to swirl the water in one direction to help the whites make a shape, which worked beautifully. Now, for the hollandaise. I think I’ve tried it once or twice in my life and don’t remember is being nearly as…buttery. Julia’s recipe is insanely buttery, and I even cut out a good portion of the butter called for. I also felt it needed some spice, like cayenne, which other recipes I’ve since researched, do call for. My confusion is here, though: As I’m looking up different recipes for hollandaise sauce and eggs benedict hollandaise sauce, I find very similar recipes to that of Julia’s, all seemingly intensely buttery. So when I look at Frank’s eggs benedict across the table from me at a restaurant, with everything drowning in hollandaise sauce and he’s saying it’s delicious and not overly buttery, then what recipe are they using? As you’ll see in the picture above, I clearly thought I had made perfect hollandaise and following suit of diners across America, poured on the sauce. Ooops. We got through one and a half, and then called it quits with a butter-ache.

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Whisk the yolks, water, and lemon juice in the saucepan for a few moments, until thick and pale (this prepares them for what is to come).
  2. Set the pan over moderately low heat and continue to whisk at reasonable speed, reaching all over the bottom and insides of the pan, where the eggs tend to overcook.
  3. To moderate the heat, frequently move the pan off the burner for a few seconds, and then back on. (If, by chance, the eggs seem to be cooking too fast, set the pan in the bowl of cold water to cool the bottom, then continue).
  4. As they cook, the eggs will become frothy and increase in volume, and then thicken. When you can see the pan bottom through the streaks of the whisk and the eggs are thick and smooth, remove from the heat
  5. By spoonfuls, add the soft butter, whisking constantly to incorporate each addition. As the emulsion forms, you may add the butter in slightly larger amounts, always whisking until fully absorbed. Continue incorporating butter until the sauce has thickened to the consistency you want
  6. Season lightly with salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper, whisking in well. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding droplets of lemon juice if needed. Serve lukewarm.

Go here to poach an egg.

Jan 5

Brisket, Pot Roast or Boeuf Bourguignon

My mother has made Brisket once a year for special occasions since I was young, and the smell of roasting beef has a distinct place in my memory. Loving roasted beef, but only really knowing Brisket, I set out to find three types of roasted beef to try and incorporate into my Sunday slow-cook regimen.

First, I made Brisket following the recipe my mom uses, out of The New Basics cookbook, and it is THE recipe for Brisket. For alternative beef roasts, I turned to classic cookbooks: Cook’s Illustrated New Best Recipes Cookbook for Classic Pot Roast, and Julia Child’s MTAFC for Boeuf Bourguignon (recipe links at bottom of post). Generally speaking, the breakdown between these three dishes is the cut, liquids and meat preparation; other than that, they all use a Dutch Oven, take a good few hours to cook, and you’ll need onion, garlic and carrot to get started:

The Cut: Brisket (the dish) is named after the cut of meat (Brisket), and is located between the Chuck and Shank. Pot Roast and Boeuf Bouguignon, however, typically call for a cut of Chuck, which is tougher meat.

Liquids Added: The other point of difference between these three recipes is the amount of liquids used during the roasting period in the oven. The brisket calls only for the natural juices that occur during the browning process; Pot Roast calls for added liquids (beef and chicken stock), but only two cups worth; Boeuf Bourguignon however calls for enough liquids to cover the cut and vegetables.

Preparation: Brisket is one cut of beef, boneless; Pot Roast Chuck calls for one cut of boneless beef chuck or the 7-bone (which I would highly recommend over the boneless chuck); Boeuf Bourguignon needs boneless beef cut into cubes (you can also use what the grocer calls “Stew Meat”).

Overall, the Brisket is tender but meaty, with flavors influenced by the vegetables in the pot; its taste is subtle and should always be accompanied by the gravy made from the Brisket juices. Pot Roast or Boeuf Bourguignon, however, don’t need a gravy…everything you need for flavor is in the meat. Pot Roast, because of the added liquids, is very tender, fall-off-the-bone (if you chose a 7-bone), and nearly melt in your mouth. The taste is a nice blend between the vegetables and the stock flavors. I love this recipe, and how juicy and flavorful a cut of meat can get because of this process. And now to Boeuf Bourguignon: I did not like it. Sounds crazy perhaps (I thought I was crazy as I was eating it and not liking it), but I think I prefer meat and vegetable flavors in a beef dish versus an over-stimulating aroma of red wine and beef broth. It was far more in line with a stew than roasted beef, with a very strong reduction taste.

New Basic’s Cookbook “Nach Waxman’s Brisket of Beef” Recipe

Cooks Illustrated Classic Simple Pot Roast


Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon

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