Stocks to Stock

With recent market conditions and a week off from class, I have taken a bit of a hiatus from the regular posts. However, it looks like the market might have finally hit bottom and class resumes tomorrow so I'm going to catch up on last class and gear up for some action packed cooking this week.

Last class we learned the "mixte" technique which combines elements of both concentration and extraction of flavor. We made two dishes - the first was "Navarin printantier" or "Lamb with Spring Vegetables." Not only was this relatively easy but utilized only a few ingredients making it ideal for home cooking. We started with a hot pot and coated the bottom with olive oil. Once the oil gave off a light smoke, we seared cubed lamb shoulder and mirapoix (separately). After adding flour and tomato paste we deglazed the pan with water and stock. We covered the meat and vegetables in cooking liquid and let simmer with a bouquet garni that included a bit of orange zest. Chef taught us a little trick about making stews to ensure you have nice, properly cooked vegetables instead of overdone soggy mush. Cook the vegetables separately! So while the stew cooked we turned a ton of vegetables into little footballs and cooked them separately. Then when the stew was done, we removed the meat, strained the cooking liquid (and soggy vegetables) and added the meat and freshly cooked vegetables back into the sauce. The result was a lovely, flavorful stew with perfectly cooked vegetables.

After the lamb stew we quartered a chicken for "Fricassee de volaille printaniere" or "Chicken Fricasse." Since my partner missed the chicken lesson, we both got a repeat demonstration of the process which was great because there are so many little tricks. We started by searing the chicken in butter without allowing the chicken to brown. We removed the chicken from the pan and added chopped onions. The onions cooked until translucent and we added flour to act as the thickening agent for the sauce. After cooking the flour for about 2 minutes we added chicken stock while whisking to prevent lumps. At this point the sauce is called a veloute. We put the chicken back in the sauce and simmered for about 30 minutes until the chicken was cooked. To serve, we strained the sauce, added heavy cream and reduced. At the last minute, we added vegetables (turned into footballs at the same time as the vegetables for the lamb) and the chicken back into the sauce. The final addition of lemon juice and parsley made this dish really amazing. I could see this covered in puff pastry as a "chicken pot pie."