Cookery Question

[custard]

I'm trying to cook Provencale Daube Of Beef with a slow cooker, the recipe I'm working from is specifically written for slow cookers.

Couple of questions,

1. The recipe mentions adding the zest of an orange, but talks about cutting the zest into strips. I thought "zest" was the outer surface of the skin grated, but that doesn't fit with cutting up into strips. Does it mean peel the orange and cut the entire skin into strips?

2. The recipe says take some strips of bacon, cut them into lardons, lay them on the bottom of the slow cooker, then cover with the other ingredients. I think of lardons as small cubes, say 3mm x 3mm x 3mm, have I got this wrong? Also, shouldn't I fry the bacon first, if I just lay it raw on the bottom of a slow cooker surely it won't brown-off and it'll look pretty unappetising in the final dish?

Confusing stuff this cookery.

 

[bugbear]

Funnily enough, someone was recently posting that schools should teach woodwork, not cookery!

BugBear

 

[galleywood]

Re question 1.

I would say that you should carefully cut thin slithers (about 1mm deep) of the outer skin, without cutting into the pith below, and then slicing them into thin strips approx 2mm wide.

Re question 2.

I would agree that the lardons should be browned before but have no experience of using lardons in a slow cooker.
I always put the vegetables on the bottom - as recommended in several recipes.

 

[Rorschach]

Use a potato peeler to get thin slices of the orange part of the skin, that is the zest.

As for the bacon, fry it first, it will be better.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Try whatever you think best. If it doesn't quite work out as you'd like, try something a bit different next time. Bear in mind that however it goes in, it'll come out cooked, as long as you give it long enough. If in doubt, give it an exploratory taste now and again (stews), or stick a skewer in and see if the juices run clear (roasts).

If you're doing something for a special occasion, and you haven't cooked it before, do a practice run first. If it doesn't quite come out right - it's amazing what you can make into soup.

Delia's recipes work, provided you follow the instructions. Everybody else's should be treated with some caution. Simple recipes are usually the best; fancy ones should be avoided - they're usually just food ****.

Well, that's my experience, anyway!

(The orange zest is the bit without the pith, and grated, sliced or chopped will do fine - buy an unwaxed orange, if you can. The lardons are there to add a bit of fat and lubricate the rest to stop it becoming too dry, and they might add a bit of flavour too - size isn't really critical within reason, so 3mm/6mm cubes should be fine. I'd put them in uncooked, or you'll lose the fat the dish needs for it's moisture. Long, slow cooking will - er - cook them.)

 

[skipdiver]

The correct term is julienne i believe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioq7td2u5CY

 

[DiscoStu]

Julienne is for long thin strips - often for carrots.

Lardons are as described. You can brown them if you want but be careful you don't loose the flavour with the juices - I'd add them into the pot.

The zest is the putter without the pith a zester will be fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[skipdiver]

Then cut the juliennes into shorter strips. Semantics.

 

[custard]

That's clear, thanks for your help!

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Just or future reference, you can buy a brilliant little zesting tool from various quality cookware suppliers (like Lakeland et al) which is like a spud peeler handle with 5 tiny circular blades on the end. That creates 5 thin slices (juliennes essentially) that don't go into the pith. It creates the perfect zest, not only uncontaminated by pith (which is bitter to taste) but looks decorative in the final sauce.

The point of browning bacon/lardons or indeed any meat is to caramelise the sugars which creates flavour. Thus, in the main, you should almost always brown them because it adds depth and dimension to the final dish. If your slow cooker is capable of being heated from beneath without cracking, start on the hob and brown the lardons in a little oil then add the other ingredients. If it looks fragile brown them by shallow pan frying separately.

 

[custard]

Just or future reference, you can buy a brilliant little zesting tool from various quality cookware suppliers

Oh oh! Tool collecting alert!

 

[bugbear]

Just or future reference, you can buy a brilliant little zesting tool from various quality cookware suppliers

Oh oh! Tool collecting alert!

If you have good skills, you can pare the zest off with a sharp knife, and then cut the resulting piece into fine strips with the same knife.

If you want it to be a little easier, you can buy a peeler, and use that instead of paring with the knife. Then cut into strips as before.

If you want it to be as easy as possible, you can buy a zester, which cuts the little strips directly off the fruit.

It's just specialisation.

BugBear (no zester, very sharp knife)

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Cookery is even more gadgety than woodwork, mainly because the market is much larger. Like woodwork, it can be pared down to a few simple tools - three or four decent knives and a reasonable chopping board will do everything that several thousand pounds worth of gadgets will do, and often quicker. Being a woodworker, keeping knives sharp enough will be a doddle.

As the recipe in question is basically a beef stew, leaving out the orange zest altogether won't make much noticeable difference - the amount is tiny compared to the other ingredients.

One tip that might be useful is to make and cook the stew the day before, then allow it to cool and stand overnight. Heat up for a good half hour or more before serving the following day. It's amazing how much the flavour of stews improves if they're left to stand overnight.

 

[custard]

I think it's all under control now,

 

[Cheshirechappie]

They'll be selling those in Lakeland next month. Free packet of bandages with every saw....

 

[paulm]

I think it's all under control now,

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I think it's all under control now,

=D> =D> =D>

On the subject of Kitchen gadgets. A couple of years ago my wife and I had a celebratory dinner with my bother in a posh restaurant in Cambridge called Midsummer House. It was a late Saturday night booking and gone midnight after the meal, the chef invited us for a tour of the kitchen.

Talk about gadgets!

The one which really blew me away was a "stock pot". Er not quite your normal one though.....this was the size of a household washing machine, and installed like an appliance in the same way. It cost £15K and the chef just shovels the ingredients in the top, it does the cooking at all the correct temperature and then at the end....it has a built in centrifuge that separates the liquid from the food ingredients. The only other British chef that had one at the time was of course........Heston. This thing is designed for a chemistry laboratory.

The other thing I rather liked was the oven that looked like a tall fridge with a glass door. It cooked meat at about 60 degrees C in hermetically sealed bags and essentially does the same job as a sous-vide. Meats were being cooked in it for 24 hours or more....and of course they would never burn, never over cook. Brilliant tool and you then realise why the top quality steak/venison/duck/salmon you eat in a Michelin starred restaurant is always perfect....control is why

It is a veritable gadget paradise and no mistake.

 

[AJB Temple]

How did the daube turn out? We need to know.

 

[bugbear]

I think it's all under control now,

I'm sure there's a line in Landis' workbench book about someone ripping a bagel in half on a bandsaw.

BugBear

 

[Racers]

I cut some frozen bread on my band saw, it worked a treat.

Pete