To the Bone
Page 18
5 pounds (2.3 kilograms) chicken wings, each cut into four 1-inch pieces
1 pound (4 sticks, 453.5 grams) unsalted butter
4 medium Spanish onions, sliced thinly on a mandoline
2 medium heads garlic, separated into cloves, peeled, halved lengthwise, germ removed
½ bunch thyme
5 bay leaves, preferably fresh
20 whole black peppercorns
10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) chicken carcasses (necks and backs)
1 bottle (750 milliliters) robust red wine such as Shiraz
About 8.4 quarts (8 liters) White Chicken Stock
Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat and add the peanut oil and chicken wings. Cook, stirring, until the wings are golden brown all over, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the butter. Cook, stirring, until the butter is nut brown in color and fragrant. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Put the chicken necks and backs on a sheet tray and roast in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and nut brown all over, 35 to 50 minutes. Transfer the necks and backs to a large chinois or very fine-mesh strainer and hold suspended over a bowl for 2 minutes to allow the fat to drip off.
Return the pot with the wings and vegetables to medium heat and pour in the wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off any flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pot and cook until the mixture is syrupy. Add the necks and backs to the pot and pour in enough chicken stock to cover the solids. Simmer the mixture very gently over low heat for 2 hours, continuously skimming fat off the surface.
Remove the pot from the heat and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes. Use a tablespoon to skim off any remaining fat that rises to the surface. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer to remove any stray particles. (The stock can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for one week or frozen for up to four weeks.)
RABBIT-CUTTLEFISH RILLETTES
MAKES 15 RILLETTES
This recipe uses Activa, a popular brand of the additive transglutaminase, which binds proteins. I use it because it seamlessly achieves a binding effect that traditionally called for the use of an ingredient such as egg whites, which added a flavor of their own. These rillettes may be served as stand-alone canapés; extra confit may be refrigerated and tossed in a simple salad dressed with a sherry vinaigrette.
You may need to plan ahead and ask your fishmonger to special order the cuttlefish.
FOR THE RABBIT CONFIT
5 strips of lemon peel, no pith attached
5 strips of orange peel, no pith attached
10 pods green cardamom
10 whole black peppercorns
1 cup (120 grams) fleur de sel
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
6 pieces (1½ pounds, or 700 grams, total) rabbit shoulder
1½ cups (300 grams) duck fat (see Sources)
FOR THE GREEN BREAD CRUMBS
1½ cups (180 grams) panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
7 cups (280 grams) loosely packed flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon (20 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon (10 grams) matcha green tea powder (see Note)
FOR THE RABBIT-CUTTLEFISH RILLETTES
1 tablespoon (5 grams) duck fat (see Sources)
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled, germ removed, and finely diced (5 grams diced)
1 tablespoon (15 grams) capers, salt- or brine-packed, rinsed and patted dry
3 ounces raw cuttlefish, cleaned and finely diced (85 grams diced)
1 teaspoon (2.5 grams) piment d’espelette (see Sources)
7 ounces (200 grams) Rabbit Confit (from recipe above)
1 gram Activa RM (see Sources)
Fleur de sel
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (20 grams) Dijon mustard
MAKE THE RABBIT CONFIT
Put the lemon peel, orange peel, cardamom pods, peppercorns, fleur de sel, and sugar in a large bowl and stir to incorporate. Add the rabbit pieces and toss to coat thoroughly. Line a baking tray with plastic wrap and arrange the pieces on the tray without crowding. Refrigerate for 6 hours to allow the mixture to penetrate the meat.
Remove the rabbit from the refrigerator and rinse under cold running water to wash off the cure. Pat the rabbit dry with paper towels and place in a 12 × 12-inch vacuum bag with the duck fat. Seal the bag at 100 percent vacuum. Bring a water bath in an immersion circulator to 154°F (67.5°C) and add the bag. Cook for 12 hours in the water bath.
Remove the bag from the water, then allow the bags to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Put the room-temperature bags in the ice water and chill for 30 minutes. Drain the ice water and return the bags to the now empty bowl. Cover them completely with ice until the internal temperature of the meat registers 34°F (1.1°C), 1 to 2 hours.
Remove the bags from the ice and cut them open at the top. Remove the rabbit from the bags and pull off all of the meat from the shoulder bones. Discard the bones and use two forks to finely shred the meat. Place the meat in a covered container until ready to use. (The meat can be stored in a container in the refrigerator for up to three days.)
MAKE THE GREEN BREAD CRUMBS
Put the panko, parsley, olive oil, and green tea powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend on high speed until coarse green bread crumbs form; you should have about 2 cups bread crumbs. Wrap the bread crumbs in plastic wrap. (They can be stored, refrigerated, for up to two days.)
MAKE THE RABBIT-CUTTLEFISH RILLETTE
Heat a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the duck fat, tipping the pan to coat it completely. Add the garlic and capers and cook, stirring, until the garlic is tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the cuttlefish. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently with a spatula to make sure the cuttlefish doesn’t brown. Add the piment d’espelette and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to toast the powder.
Remove the pan from the heat, use the spatula to scrape the mixture out into a small, stainless steel vessel, and set aside to cool. Fill a large bowl with ice and set the bowl with the cooled cuttlefish mixture on top. Add the rabbit confit and fold together to incorporate. Dust the mixture with the Activa and fold to incorporate. Season with fleur de sel and pepper to taste.
Spread out a 6 × 6-inch piece of plastic wrap on your work surface and spoon heaping teaspoons of the cuttlefish mixture into the center. Bring all four corners up to meet and twist together to form a tight ball. Repeat until all the mixture is used (you should have about 15 plastic-wrapped balls). Place the prepared balls on a sheet tray and refrigerate for 3 hours to set their shapes.
Remove the balls from the refrigerator and set aside to temper at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bring a water bath in an immersion circulator to 140°F (60°C). Add the plastic-wrapped balls to the water bath and cook for 8 minutes until set. Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove the balls and carefully unwrap them.
Place the balls on a warm baking tray and brush each ball with the Dijon mustard. Place the green bread crumbs in a shallow dish and gently roll the rillettes in the bread crumbs, taking care not to crush them, and evenly coat them. Serve warm. (The rillettes can be stored raw and wrapped in the refrigerator for up to one day.)
Matcha green tea powder is a finely ground Japanese green tea. It can be found in health food stores; see Sources.
Piment d’espelette is a mild pepper popular in Basque cooking.
SQUID-LEMONGRASS VELOUTÉ
MAKES 1 PINT (473 MILLILITERS)
1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) unsalted butter
12 stalks lemongrass, smashed and thinly sliced (600 grams sliced)
2 medium shallots, sliced (50 grams sliced)
1 pinch plus 1 teaspoon (2.5
grams) kosher salt
1 medium clove (7.5 grams) garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (7.5 grams grated)
2 tablespoons (50 grams) Chartreuse (see Sources)
1 cup (500 grams) White Chicken Stock
½ cup (250 grams) heavy cream
3.5 ounces (99 grams) squid (body and tentacles)
6 stems (5 grams) cilantro, with leaves, plus 40 leaves (5 grams) cilantro
1 tablespoon (20 grams) mascarpone
3.5 grams soy lecithin powder (see Sources)
0.5 gram xanthan gum (see Sources)
1 tablespoon (22.5 grams) fish sauce
1 tablespoon (25 grams) fresh lemongrass juice
Heat a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the butter and let melt to coat the pan. Add ½ cup (100 grams) of the lemongrass and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and making sure the lemongrass doesn’t brown. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt. (The salt will help draw out the moisture and prevent browning.) Cook the shallot mixture for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and the ginger and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently so the mixture does not brown.
Pour in the Chartreuse and use a wooden spoon to scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture is dry. Pour in the chicken stock and cream and raise the heat to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the squid and the remaining lemongrass. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cilantro stems and leaves, cover the pot, and set aside for 30 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the solids. Transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender and add the mascarpone, lecithin, and the xanthan gum. Blend on high speed for 1 minute to combine. While the mixture is blending, add the 1 teaspoon salt, the fish sauce, and lemongrass juice. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a pot and pour the mixture through the strainer. Season to taste and keep the velouté warm to serve. (The velouté can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days. Reheat gently before serving.)
TÊTE DE COCHON
MAKES 60 SERVINGS, 2 PIECES PER SERVING
In terms of flavor, this is a very traditional French pig head terrine, but rather than presenting it as an overwhelmingly rich slab of meat, it’s etched as a boudin (sausage). One might serve this with a sucrine lettuce salad dressed with sherry vinaigrette, topped with shaved aged gouda cheese, and accompanied by warm toasted brioche.
FOR THE TÊTE DE COCHON
¼ cup (30 grams) fleur de sel
1 teaspoon (10 grams) pink curing salt (sodium nitrite; see Sources)
10 cups (2,000 grams) cold water
One 5-pound (2.3 kilograms) medium pig head, deboned (special order from your butcher; ask for it to be deboned so you have skin, jowl, and face; reserve everything else for pork stock or soup for another dish)
FOR THE FARCE AND ASSEMBLY
1 large head garlic, separated into cloves, skin intact (50 grams of cloves)
Extra-virgin olive oil
9 ounces (255 grams) pig cheek/neck meat (from recipe above)
1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) thyme leaves
4 ounces (113 grams) brioche bread, crusts removed, soaked for 15 minutes in whole milk, drained, and squeezed out
Fleur de sel
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon (3 grams) Activa RM (see Sources)
MAKE THE TÊTE DE COCHON
Put the fleur de sel, the pink salt, and the water in a container large enough to hold the pig head pieces. Add the pieces and refrigerate for 48 hours. (The skin will soften during this time.)
Remove the brined head pieces and discard the liquid. Dry the meat and skin pieces thoroughly by sandwiching them between paper towels and refrigerating them for 6 hours. Slice the pig skin into 8 × 2-inch strips (you should have 15 pieces). Butterfly the strips.
MAKE THE FARCE
Heat a medium, heavy pot over low heat. Add the garlic and pour in just enough olive oil to cover. Cook the garlic at a simmer (never a boil), until the garlic is soft and fork-tender, about 2 hours. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. Remove the garlic from the oil. (The garlic-infused oil can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four weeks.) Remove and discard the garlic skins and add the garlic to a blender. Puree until a paste forms (you should have about ½ cup) and set aside until needed.
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a medium bowl on top. Grind the pig cheek and neck meat through a grinder fitted with a small disc and place the ground meat in the bowl set over the ice bath. Add the garlic confit, thyme, and brioche and use a spatula to fold the mixture together until just incorporated (do not overmix).
Form a small amount of the mixture into a test patty and add the patty to a small, heavy pan set over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute on each side. Check for seasoning and texture; it should be firm yet tender to the bite, like a good sausage. Based on the flavor of the test patty, season the remaining raw mixture with fleur de sel and pepper as needed (this technique is to avoid tasting raw pork, and is necessary due to variations in fat and other factors in different breeds), and transfer it to a large plastic piping bag. Refrigerate until ready to use.
TO ASSEMBLE THE DISH
Put the pig strips on a baking tray and pipe a very small amount of the farce in a thin line down the center of each strip. Lightly dust the farce with the Activa. Fold the pig strips over the farce to form a cylinder and use a sharp knife to trim the edges. Lightly roll each cylinder to form a tight boudin and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, securing the wrap at each end by twisting the plastic tightly. Place on a baking tray and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the chilled boudins from the refrigerator and set them out at room temperature to temper for 30 minutes. Bring a water bath in an immersion circulator to 178°F (81°C). Put the cylinders in a vacuum bag and seal at 100 percent vacuum. Add the cylinders to the water bath and cook for 8 hours.
Remove the cooked boudins and allow them to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes in the bag. Fill a large bowl with ice water and add the boudins to the ice water for 30 minutes. Drain the ice water and cover the boudins fully with ice until the internal temperature registers 34°F (1.1°C), 1 to 2 hours. Remove the boudins from the bag and wrap tightly with fresh plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours, then slice into 1½-inch discs and serve as desired.
SCALLOP “PASTA”
MAKES 4 BAGS (16 RAVIOLI PER BAG)
This is the “pasta” pictured in the dish on this page. Another fine use for it would be to cut the pasta into larger pieces and layer it with sautéed porcini mushrooms, like a rustic lasagna.
7 ounces (200 grams) diver scallops
Pinch of fleur de sel
1 gram Activa RM (see Sources)
Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Briefly refrigerate the bowl and blade of a food processor to chill, then set up the processor. Put the scallops and fleur de sel in the bowl of the food processor and process on high until they form a smooth paste but are not liquefied, 10 to 15 seconds, sprinkling in the Activa during that time.
Transfer the mixture to a medium stainless steel bowl and set over the ice bath, stirring until the mixture cools. Divide the mixture evenly among 4 vacuum bags. Without sealing the bags, vacuum each bag three times to remove any air from the mixture. While the mixture is still in the bag, press it into a thin, 9-inch square and seal in the machine at 100 percent vacuum.
Fill a large bowl with ice water.
Bring a water bath in an immersion circulator to 135°F (57°C) and add the bags. Cook for 7 minutes, then remove the bags from the water and place in the ice water bath to chill for 30 minutes. Remove the bags from the ice water and cut open the bags. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut each large square of scallop into 16 squares, each 2 × 2-inches. Fold each square into a 1 × 1-inch ravioli, handling the scallops gently as they are extremely fragile. Serve immediately.
“THE GOLD BAR”
SERVES 12
FOR THE PRESSE
½ cup (50 grams) feuilletine (see Sources)
1½ cups (150 grams) sucre (or nut-free) crumbs
2½ ounces (70 grams) white chocolate
½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) fleur de sel
FOR THE CARAMEL
3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (10 grams) glucose syrup (see Sources)
Pinch of fleur de sel
2 teaspoons (4 grams) cocoa butter
¼ cup (50 grams) heavy cream
1 ounce (28 grams) Jivara 40% chocolate (see Sources)
1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) unsalted butter
FOR THE CRÉMEUX
2 sheets (5 grams) gelatin
4 large (80 grams) egg yolks
3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (200 grams) heavy cream
1 cup (200 grams) whole milk
10 ounces (280 grams) Caribe 64% chocolate (see Sources)
FOR THE GLAÇAGE
2 sheets (5 grams) gelatin
1 cup (180 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) black cocoa powder (see Sources)
¼ cup (120 grams) heavy cream
¾ cup (150 grams) water
5 ounces (142 grams) Caribe 64% chocolate (see Sources)
12 small pieces gold leaf (see Sources)
MAKE THE PRESSE
Put the feuilletine and sucre crumbs in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and blend on high speed until the mixture is a fine consistency. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.
Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer over medium heat. Set a heatproof bowl over it to create a double boiler. Add the white chocolate to the bowl and melt the chocolate. Use a rubber spatula to fold the crumb mixture into the chocolate, then fold in the fleur de sel. Remove the bowl from the double boiler.
Lay a large sheet of parchment or waxed paper on a work surface and transfer the mixture to the paper. Top with another piece of parchment or waxed paper, and use a rolling pin to spread the mixture into a 3-millimeter-thick layer. Transfer the sheet to a baking tray and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.