BRAISING.
THIS admirable method of cooking is far too rarely adopted in small establishments: so for the benefit of those who do not understand the process, I had better mention that braising consists in placing meat in a braising- or stew-pan large enough to hold it, with some good broth or stock round it, vegetables cut up, and a judicious allowance of salt and pepper. In this the meat is brought to the boil once, and then, with the pan covered, is very slowly simmered, whilst it is nicely browned externally by live coals placed on the braising-pan lid. There is thus heat from above and below the pan, and the joint is cooked in its own juices, while it derives additional flavour from the vegetables, &c., associated with it.
To braise a medium-sized joint, say a leg of mutton weighing six pounds, successfully, you must first bone it, then trim it, tie it with a string into a neat shape, give it a dust of salt and pepper, and put it on one side, whilst you make the best broth you can from the broken bones you cut out, and the trimmings, assisted by any vegetables that can be spared. This should occupy the cook during the morning. Having obtained all
you can in the time from the bones, strain off your broth, let it get cool, skim off the fat, and now proceed to cook the meat. Melt four ounces of butter or good beef dripping at the bottom of your stew- or braising-pan first, and turn the meat about in it till it begins to take a pale brown colour, then add your broth (a pint and a half—diluted with water if necessary—or there-abouts for a piece of meat six pounds in weight will be found enough), with one carrot, one good-sized onion, one ounce of celery, a teaspoonful each of marjoram and thyme, mignonette pepper, and salt: let it come to the boil, skim, cover the pan closely, then simmer gently for about two and a half hours. Turn the meat, add a couple of onions, and (says Gouffé) half a gill of brandy, let the pan simmer for an hour more—keeping live coals on the closed lid throughout the whole of the simmering process—and the braising will be completed. Lift out the joint, and keep it on a hot dish, whilst you strain off and skim the fat from the gravy remaining in the stew-pan: it will be half the amount you originally poured in, but much stronger. You can now send up the joint with the gravy plainly poured round it garnished with the vegetables with which it was braised, or with others specially prepared for the purpose.
This may be taken as an illustration of the system of braising in its entirety, of which, however, it should be explained there are variations. In some receipts given by Gouffé the primary browning process is omitted and the application of the live coals on the lid limited to the last twenty minutes of the operation. In some this top heat is altogether omitted. His veal braises are simmered with the vessel only three parts covered, those of beef and mutton with it closed. But these modifications do not affect the main principles of the system, which are slow simmering in a strong vegetable and meat broth, and the cooking of a piece of meat in its own juices. It must be confessed, however, that the omission of the top heat makes the process more like ordinary stewing.
In this manner you can successfully dress a leg of mutton, a loin or rolled shoulder of mutton, a piece of the ribs or flank of beef, almost any piece of veal, in fact all small joints up to about six pounds. Larding with strips of fat bacon will sometimes improve the dish, especially when the meat is very lean; and if you can make some strong broth from any meat and bones, or if you can spare a little stock from the soup-kettle, you need not bone the joint. The vegetables, &c., should, in this case, be boiled in the stock separately, wine should be added to flavour it, and the joint should be cooked in the domestic mirepoix thus made.
Recipes for braised joints according to Gouffé’s variations will be found in the menus.
Hen turkeys, capons, fine fowls, ducks, and geese, and game (especially if not very young) can be cooked very satisfactorily by this process. To braise poultry plainly you can make the broth from the giblets and trimmings of the birds, assisted by a little gravy-meat. See the note on this point, page 82. In fact all braises, i.e., broths for braising, are better if you help them with a bacon bone and a little extra meat. The French throw in a glass or two of light white wine when braising poultry, and a sherry glassful of marsala with a like quantity of Harvey sauce or mushroom ketchup is a sterling aid in cooking mutton or beef in this method. A calf’s foot (or two feet in the case of a large piece of meat) and a slice of bacon are very effective with all braised meat.
High-class cookery demands mirepoix for the moistenings of its braised meats, and garnishes of an elaborate nature. In our small establishments matters can be much simplified: Given a good broth with some vegetables and a nice piece of meat, a satisfactory result is certain if we are careful in carrying out the principles laid down, and allow full time for the operation.
To preserve the whiteness of such meat as calf’s head, poultry when required white, &c., Gouffé gives a braise or blanc made as follows:—A quarter of a pound of suet chopped and melted, then a quarter of a pound of flour, a gallon of water, four ounces of onions sliced, three cloves, a clove of garlic, a sherry glass of vinegar, one ounce and a half of salt, half an