Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (68 page)

Cuts from the round (hind leg)—la cuisse

TOP ROUND
,
tende de tranche
. This is rather expensive, but furnishes solid pieces of meat with no muscle separations.

BOTTOM ROUND
,
gîte à la noix
. This also furnishes solid pieces, but the cooked meat will tend to be somewhat grainy; be sure not to overcook it, to avoid an accentuation of this quality. The eye of the round, part of this cut,
rond de gîte à la noix
, is not at all recommended
for stewing because of its excessive graininess.

SIRLOIN TIP
(also called
KNUCKLE
),
tranche grasse
. Lower parts and outside of this cut, when clear of gristle, can be used for stewing.

HEEL OF ROUND
,
nerveux gîte à la noix
. The hind shank when boned and de-gristled makes excellent, gelatinous stew meat, but benefits from a marinade and longer cooking.

Cuts from the chuck
(
shoulder end
)

SHOULDER BLADE
,
paleron;
SHOULDER ARM
,
macreuse
and
jumeau;
CHUCK RIBS
,
basses côtes
or
côtes découvertes;
NECK
,
collier
. There are numerous fine stewing cuts from this section, but usually only Jewish or European butchers know them. Especially recommended are the chuck tender, a conical muscle lying along one side of the shoulder blade; flunken or flanken, the top of the chuck short ribs; arm pot roast.

Cuts from the underside and short ribs—caparaçon et plat de côtes

These include the brisket,
poitrine
, which is really too grainy for stewing but fine
for braising whole; the plate,
tendron
, with its mixture of fat and lean and its cartilaginous bones, which make for good sauce consistency; and the flank,
flanchet
, which is not for stewing in pieces but may be stuffed and braised whole if it is not scored and broiled for steak. The short ribs,
plat de côtes couvert
(ribs 7 to 9), are excellent in a stew but take up a lot of room in your casserole because the bones are left in; however, they have excellent flavor and the meat with bones makes a delicious sauce.

  
BOEUF AUX OIGNONS

[Beef Stew with Onions and Red Wine]

This is the most elemental of beef stews, with its
lardons
of pork that render the fat that browns the beef that simmers in wine, along with onions, herbs, garlic, and a hint of tomato. Delicious just as it is, the inclusion of other elements changes its character as well as its name, making it, in fact, the perfect stew for our game of theme and variations. Buttered noodles, buttered peas, and little tomatoes go beautifully with this stew, but if you wish to branch into more exotic preparations you might choose one of the eggplant recipes, such as the sauté
en persillade
, or the
broiled eggplant slices
, accompanied, perhaps, with individual servings of potatoes in the form of
pommes duchesse
. A full and hearty red wine like Beaujolais, Côtes-du-Rhône, or Mountain Red is called for here.

For 6 people

1)
Browning the beef and other preliminaries

5 to 6 ounces (⅔ cup)
lardons
(1½-inch sticks of
blanched bacon
¼ inch thick)

Olive oil or cooking oil

A large (11-inch) frying pan (no-stick recommended)

A heavy, covered, 5- to 6-quart casserole (such as a round one, 10 by 4 inches)

Brown the
lardons
lightly with a tablespoon of the oil in the frying pan; transfer with a slotted spoon to the casserole, leaving fat in frying pan.

3½ to 4 lbs. boned and trimmed beef stew meat cut into chunks about 2 by 3 by 1 inches (see
list of cuts
)

Paper towels

1 tsp salt

⅛ tsp pepper

While
lardons
are browning, dry meat thoroughly in paper towels, and when
lardons
are done, raise heat under pan to moderately high. When fat in pan is very hot but not smoking, add as many pieces of beef as will fit easily in one layer. Turn every 2 to 3 minutes, browning meat nicely on all sides. (Add a tablespoon or so more oil if needed.) As some pieces are browned, transfer to casserole and brown additional ones until all are done and transferred to casserole. Toss and turn the meat with the salt and pepper.

2)
Assembling braising ingredients

2 cups sliced onions

2 large cloves garlic, mashed

2 cups beef stock or bouillon (more if needed)

A medium herb bouquet tied in washed cheesecloth (1 imported bay leaf, 4 parsley sprigs, and ½ tsp thyme)

1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped

Optional, but desirable for sauce consistency: 2 cups chopped or sawed veal knuckle bones or beef marrow bones, and/or an 8-inch square of blanched pork rind (Volume I, page 401)

2 cups full-bodied, young, red wine (such as Mâcon or Mountain Red)

If fat in frying pan has burned and blackened, discard it and pour ⅛ inch of oil into pan. Add onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until fairly tender and beginning to brown lightly. Meanwhile add to the meat in the casserole the garlic, bouillon, herbs, tomato, and optional ingredients. When the onions are done, stir them in. To deglaze frying pan, pour in the wine, scraping around with a wooden spoon to dislodge all cooking juices. Finally, pour wine into casserole, adding a little more (or more stock), if necessary, so ingredients are just covered.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: Recipe may be done a day or two in advance to this point. When cold, cover and refrigerate.

3)
Braising

Bring stew to simmer on top of stove, cover casserole, and either maintain at slow simmer on top of stove or place in lower-middle level of preheated 350-degree oven; regulate heat so that stew simmers slowly throughout cooking. Turn and baste the meat occasionally. Stew is done when you can pierce the beef quite easily with a knife; slice into it and sample several pieces if you have any doubts.

TIMING
: Note that aged, prime beef will cook faster than other grades, regardless of cut.

Sirloin tip, rump, top round, flunken—1½ to 2½ hours.

Bottom round, shoulder arm, chuck tender, short ribs—2 to 3 hours.

Heel of round, and other gelatinous cuts with muscle separation and gristle—3 to 4 hours.