pot au feu
poaching meat makes something between a soup and a stew. the broth is relatively thin and is served separately from the meat. you use enough liquid to cover the meat. vegetables poached with the meat can be pureed after the cooking is finished and used as a liaison.

poached beef with potatoes

a roast of 1-2 lbs is sprinkled with salt, then patted dry. if it is not dry, then the water left on it will become steam and hinder the browning. in a dutch oven brown all sides in just enough vegetable oil.

sweat a half onion, diced, in the same pot, having added butter and vegetable oil in equal amounts. when the onion starts to become translucent, add two carrots and two stalks of celery diced. cook until the celery is softened. lay the roast on top of the diced vegetables. add two bay leaves and enough beef or chicken stock to cover the meat by an inch or so.

then you poach for an hour. the liquid should be just below boiling, but should not actually boil. boiling causes the meat's protein-bound water to be released before the collagen is dissolved, making it tough and dry. if your stove cannot go low enough, then bring it to an almost boil, then cover the pot and wrap a towel around it. repeat after a half hour.

add the potatoes and poach for another hour, until the meat is fork-tender and the potatoes are completely cooked.

remove the meat and all but one of the potatoes, put them in a covered dish. skim any excess oil from the surface of the broth. pass the broth with the vegetables and one potato through a food mill. stir for uniform consistency. salt to taste.

finishing options

1. stir in baked garlic purée and black pepper

2. whisk in a cup of heavy cream

3. for something close to cameroon pepper soup, stir in puréed habanero pepper and ground njansang.
- posted by Jesse @ 3:14 PM