It's finally that time of year to get out the crock pot, start checking out the roasts at the grocery store, stewing ourselves crazy and fattening up for the winter. Big pieces of meat are in season. Now, I'm still trying to cut down on my meat intake after my little overload for the past few months, but there are a few tips to keep in mind when we're cooking roasts this year.
Day thirty nine's menu was pretty hefty:
LA PISSALADIERE
a traditional French appetizer with puff pastry, carmelized onions, anchovies and olives
LA SALADE DE ROQUETTE
an arugula salad to accompany the pissaladiere
LE ROTI DE BOEUF PIQUET A L'AIL
Roast beef with garlic
LA SAUCE BEARNAISE
Hollondaise sauce with tarragon reduction
LA POMME ANNA
Layered potato dish
LES ASPERGES VERTES
Asparagus
LA PUREE DE CAROTTES
LE GATEAU DE MOKA
Mocha sponge cake
I just wanted to tell you guys a little bit about the beef roast because I think it's a delicious dish that might seem intimidating, but is really easy. When shopping for your roast, you want to look for a roast of back butt piece of beef. Never buy discounted meat and always try to buy straight from the counter. Get to know your butcher, even if it's just at your local Giant. They will be a great help to you in the future, especially as the holidays approach and everyone's going to want to be their best friend.
Here is where things get a little raunchy, ask your butcher if they have any "fat back". It's exactly what you might think, fat from the back of a pork. If they don't have any, another fatty piece of pork - like bacon - will work. The fat is an important part of the roast, but not a necessity. I understand you still want to remain a little healthy, but if you want to impress with this piece of me - splurge on the fat.
You'll also need some garlic. Cut the garlic into little spikes so that you can poke the meat with them. This is called piquet a l'ail. Before you tie your roast, you're going to use a small knife to poke holes into the meat and then pierce the meat with the garlic. Using this method prevents the garlic from burning and allows the flavor to get into the entire piece and not just the outside.
Once you have your meat and fat (and you've poked with your garlic), you are going to start barding. Barding means to layer the fat over the meat. Usually you are going to have an oval shaped piece of meat, so the best thing to do is to wrap a thick layer (think bacon strips) around the border of your meat. Then you can cross smaller strips over the top of the meat. Doing this preserves the moisture from the meat and acts as a great foundation for the seasoning you are going to add later. Another option would be to lard the fat into the roast, meaning that you would use a needle and "thread of fat" and string it through the meat. A good cooking rule is that anything wrapped in fat is going to be better. It sucks for our waistlines, but it's just the truth.
Once your fat is wrapped around the meat, it's time to tie your roast. This can get a little tricky without an experienced chef by your side to guide your hands. There are lots of different ways to do this, here's a You Tube video I found that might be helpful.
Once you tie the roast, season the meat. I stick with just salt and pepper. After you season, sear the meat in some more fat (olive oil or butter will work just fine) to get color on the outside of the meat. After you are done searing, finish the meat in a roasting pan in the oven. Depending on how much time you have, I would average a temperature of 350F for about an hour.
Once your roast is done, you'll see that most of the fat isn't visible anymore. The fat has served its purpose and has melted into the roast. One of the most important steps when cooking a roast is letting it rest. The rule is to let the meat sit for 1/3 of the cooking time. It's crucial. Don't just take it out of the oven and slice or you will have one big mess. Does anyone know why we do that?
After your roast has rested, it's time to remove the strings and start slicing. Always cut against the grain.
And then you're done! Make sure you take the time to enjoy your roast...you put a lot of time and effort into it!
