There are recipes you make once and then there are those that you couldn’t leave well enough alone. When I first made Thomas Keller’s chocolate bouchons, all I had were big 3-ounce timbale molds from Sur la Table. This chocolate number, despite its size, was pretty heavy and a couple of bites were more than enough to satisfy even the most ingrained chocolate lover. My desire to look for smaller molds intensified when I actually had a divine taste of these little gems at the eponymous Bouchon Bakery at Napa Valley.  They actually used silicone molds, available at J.B. Prince, but they come only in full sheet sizes. I asked customer service if I could cut it in half but the lady I spoke to replied “ You could, but I do not recommend it.” Helpful, huh?

They also had the individual 1.5 ounce molds.  I heed and hawed about buying them – for a couple of reasons – they come out to be more expensive, are more trouble to wash and store. And I do not need more baking dishes!

Oh well, I eventually gave in. Resistance was futile once the image of cute little bouchons started dancing in my head. So here it is – a replay of the bouchon recipe. I am happy to say that they look and taste pretty darn close to the original!

Cooking Notes:

I actually remembered to cool the bouchons upside down in their molds this time around. This step helped keep its cork-shape perfectly. With the smaller mold size, cooking time is around 18 minutes in a 350F oven.  I used 1/2 tsp of salt compared to the 1 tsp the recipe originally called for. Also, I was more mindful of how I chopped the chocolate and did not have problems with the pastry bag this time. They also make great dinner desserts because you can make the batter a day ahead. The bouchons are also darker for this batch because I used Valrhona unsweetened cocoa instead of Scharffenberger. As usual, the best part is the melted chocolate speckled throughout its interior.

]]> http://kitchenmusings.com/2008/03/bouchon-redux.html/feed 28 http://kitchenmusings.com/2007/04/a_keller_recipe.html http://kitchenmusings.com/2007/04/a_keller_recipe.html#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2007 14:21:00 +0000 Veron http://www.kitchenmusings.com/?p=345

Boeuf Bourguignon is a classic French concoction that braises beef chunks with red wine, preferably a full bodied one such as a Burgundy or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Included also in the stew are garlic, shallots, onions and other aromatics such as thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. It is finished off with pearl onions and lardons and served with boiled potatoes.

           I have come across numerous variations of this popular stew. There was one by Julia Child that looked pretty interesting and another by Anthony Bourdain that was equally appealing. I was all set to make Bourdain’s version – having had much success with his Coq Au Vin- until I revisited the Bouchon cookbook and found that Thomas Keller also had a boeuf bourguignon – a recipe resplendent with a 43 ingredient list.

           One might ask who in their right mind would undertake such an endeavor?! Kitchen masochist comes to mind.  Short of delving into the realms of my muddled brain, and I do hate to psycho-analyze my kitchen sense; I could attribute this unrelenting desire for complex recipes to only one thing -- passion. When it comes to food, short cuts are not an option especially if I have the time to make a dish properly. This is not to say that Bourdain’s or Julia’s recipes were inferior to Keller’s – far from it.  The Bouchon recipe just had the necessary intrigue to compel me to make it. In any case, bustling in the kitchen with pots and pans, flour and butter, onions and garlic and having a glass of wine sitting by the cutting board, is a comforting thought I hold on to during any given work week.

             I don’t compromise on ingredients either. It has to be the freshest and be of the best quality I can find – at a reasonable price of course. Many a time has a dish been ruined because one of the ingredients was past its prime. And with a recipe with quite the ingredient list and entailing quite an effort to make, I am not risking a thing.

            So off I went to The Fresh Market on a Thursday evening. The freshest thyme, parsley and leeks were bought. No French carrots were to be found, but cute little organic baby carrots were available. Nice looking bulbs of shallots were also on the shelf. I had to pick through the onions though, but I was able to score some three firm bulbs that had nary a blemish on them. I came up with quite an ingenuous method of figuring out the elements needed for the stew. I typed up a worksheet. Yes a worksheet! Download boeuf_bourguinon.xls

Geeky, really, but very helpful.  The recipe is more about vertical cooking. The columns correspond to a cooking stage with the ingredient list needed to complete it.  The rows will give you an idea how much you need to have of a certain ingredient for the entire recipe.

            Friday morning, it got quite chilly. It was almost as if the weather was cooperating with my stew-making aspirations. I went to Sur La Table for a few choice items. My favorite take of that day was the snazzy blue colander I intended to rinse my herbs in. If I was going to be chopping herbs all day might as well have something stylish to wash them in. My plan was to get the meat braising done so all I had to do for Saturday dinner was to prepare the garnishments.

           Keller’s recipe is indeed one of refinement. His technique requires removing impurities at every opportunity. This includes removing the fat and vegetable particles from the sauce which tend to interfere with the flavor and dull the color. In summary, he separates the meat from the braising liquid by a cheesecloth so vegetable particles do not cling to the meat but still allows the liquid to flavor the meat. Then he discards all the mushy vegetables and cooks the garnishments with the same herbs and spices he used for the stew. What you have then is perfectly cooked meat, vibrantly orange carrots and firm potatoes. 

Boeuf Bourguignon

       Adapted from Bouchon, by Thomas Keller

Ingredients:

See Worksheet

For the Red Wine Reduction:

     Combine all ingredients for the wine reduction in a large heavy bottomed pot that will able to hold the meat in a single layer. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the wine is reduced to glaze about 50 to 60 minutes.

For the Beef:

     Cut the meat to 1 ½ inch by 1 inch thick. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1/8 inch of Canola oil in a sauté pan. Brown the beef in batches. Make sure not to crowd the beef in the sauté pan so the beef does not steam-cook and will brown properly on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet and proceed with the next batch.

Preheat oven to 350 F

     Add the onions, carrots, leeks, garlic, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves to the reduction and toss together. Cut a piece of cheese cloth large enough to cover the length and width of the pot. Wet it and wring it dry and lay it gently over the vegetables to form a nest for the meat. (The cheesecloth will allow the liquid to flavor the meat but prevent the herbs and vegetables from clinging to it). Place the short ribs on the cheesecloth and add enough stock to come up just to the top of the meat.

     Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium high heat. Cover the meat with a parchment lid (parchment paper with a hole in the middle that covers the contents of the pot) and with the pot lid. Place in the oven and reduce the heat to 325F. Braise the beef for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

     Transfer the meat to an oven proof pot or container. Remove and discard the cheesecloth. Strain the braising liquid and bring to a boil. Skim off the fat that rises to the top. Strain the liquid again over the beef. Let it cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 day, or up to 3 days.

For the Garnish:

Preheat oven to 375 °F

Potatoes

    Put the ingredients in a pot with the potatoes. Cover with water for at least an inch over the potatoes and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a paring knife. Discard the seasonings and slice the potato lengthwise in half. Set aside.

Carrots

     Put the ingredients in a pot with the carrots. Cover with water for at least 1 ½ inch over the carrots and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the carrots can be pierced easily with a paring knife. Discard seasonings and set aside.

Lardons

    Spread the lardons in a single layer in a non-stick baking pan and place in the oven. After about 10 minutes, stir the lardons and return to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are browned. Remove from the oven and drain on paper towels.

Mushrooms

    Trim away the stems of the mushrooms (I used the stems in the wine reduction). Heat the butter in a large skillet until the butter has melted and the foam has subsided. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat to medium low, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook gently, tossing often, until the mushrooms are lightly browned and tender throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.

To Complete

        Preheat oven to 250°F

    Place the container with the beef in the oven for a few minutes just enough to liquefy the stock. Remove from oven and turn the oven up to 400F. Carefully remove the pieces of beef to a deep ovenproof sauté pan. Strain the liquid over the beef.

   Place the pan in the oven and warm the beef for about 5 minutes basting occasionally with the cooking liquid. Add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and onions and toss gently. Return to the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the vegetables and meat are hot.

    Meanwhile, rewarm the lardons in a small skillet.

    Remove the sauté pan from the oven and gently toss in the parsley. With a slotted spoon, divide the meat and vegetables among serving plates or bowls. Spoon some of the sauce over each serving. Distribute the lardons among the plates and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve with Dijon mustard.

Cooking Notes:

    The recipe itself is not hard to make. How hard can boiling potatoes or carrots be? It is laborious in the preparation of the onions, leeks, shallots and the rest of the aromatics but once you get your mise en place knocked off, the rest is simply throwing it in the pot and letting it boil and then simmer. I also braised at a lower temperature, 300 °F. I have always done this after Cook’s Illustrated did a test on pot roast and it was determined that this was the temperature that the connective tissue will break down without drying out the meat.

      The one thing I am not certain about is what to do with the braising liquid after the meat is done. It did say to boil, but did not mention to what extent it should be reduced. There was a lot of the liquid left, so after I strained it back into the pot to boil, I let it reduce to almost half - until it was thick enough to be a sauce rather than a stock. I also adjusted the salt at this time.

     I apologize for not taking a plated picture of the dish for we were all eager to eat it. I also prepared Nigella's Chicken recipe so my hands were quite full.

       Keller’s bouef bourguignon was simply delicious! The meat was so tender and perfectly cooked. The resulting sauce was bursting with the essence of all the aromatics. Not one spice or herb stood out but all blended to complement the beefy flavor of the short ribs. Also, the garnishments finished off the dish to perfection. Well you can’t go wrong with crisped lardons now, can you?

* Preparing pearl onions

    1 bay leaf

    12 black peppercorns

    1 thyme sprig

     Kosher salt

     2 tsp red wine vinegar for red onions, champagne vinegar for yellow or white   

To peel the onions, cut an X in the root end of each onion and place in a bowl. Meanwhile, bring to a boil enough water to cover the onions. Pour the boiling water over the onions. When the onion skins have softened enough to be peeled, drain the onions. Peel them when they are cool enough to handle. Trim the roots if necessary.

Place the onions in a saucepan that will hold them in a single or double layer, add cold water to cover them by 1 inch, and season the water with the bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the onions are tender when pierced with a paring knife.

Drain off all but 2 tbs. of water from the pan and stir in the vinegar. (The onions can be kept at room temperature for up to 1 hour or covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day)

          We had snow that Saturday the stew was to be completed! I was shocked to see the entire back yard covered in white. Where in the world did spring go? The first thought on my mind was not the dinner I was preparing that day but poor Mrs. Bluebird that was incubating some eggs in one of my nest boxes. Surely Mr. Bluebird cannot find any food to bring to his sweetie in all this snowiness. I had a view of their feeder from my bedroom window and sure enough the pair was waiting to be fed.  Anyway, I leave you all with a picture of Mr. Blue standing guard over the shepherd’s hook that holds their day’s supply of food.(Even birds are passionate about food!)

Bouchon -- just the name itself evokes cuteness. But what exactly is it? I bought Thomas Keller’s book Bouchon expressedly for his recipe of one of my all-time-favorite food – duck confit.  However, browsing through this massive tome and salivating over each perfectly photographed dish, I came upon a cute little chocolate creation called bouchon. Bouchon apparently is a French word for stopper, as in bottle stopper. Yes, a cork. And indeed, made in timbale molds, this chocolate wonder bakes up to resemble one.

Well, that was six-months-of-procrastinating ago and now I finally got the chance to come around to this recipe. It called for 55% Valrhona Equitoriale chocolate chunks and I am very miserly about using my stash of this premium chocolate. This particular percentage of Valrhona is hard to find in Richmond, unlike its 70% sibling the Guanaja, which I can just walk up to my favorite chocolate store and buy. (I found out recently that they can special-order most kinds of chocolate for me so I guess that solves that.)

With a “Keller recipe” (you know like “killer recipe”, pardon my goofiness today), there can be no compromise. How can you simply not use the best! The instructions are pretty short and straightforward. Scanning through the ingredient list and the procedure, it closely resembles chocolate volcano cakes sans the chunks of chocolate. Ooh, I can see this baking into a real decadent cake – 24 tablespoons of butter and all! I did feel a bit hesitant about using the  amount of sugar called for in the recipe but my motto always is --  especially for baking and pastry where measurements are important --  to recreate the recipe verbatim and then figure out what can be adjusted for subsequent batches. 

Ouf! This recipe looks easy enough to knock out in an hour. No melting chocolate involved, just whipping up ingredients in the stand mixer and it’s done. (And with most recipes where over-confidence is a plague – this is no exception.)

Chocolate Bouchons

            adapted from “Bouchon”  by Thomas Keller

Butter and flour for timbale molds

3 ½ ounces (3/4 cup) all purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp kosher salt

3 large eggs

1 ½ cup plus 3 tbs granulated sugar

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

24 tbs unsalted butter, melted and just slightly warm

6 oz semisweet chocolate, such as Valrhona Equitoriale (55%) chopped into pieces the

        size of chocolate chips

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Special equipment : 2-ounce Fleximolds or 3-ounce timbale molds

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour twelve timbale molds. Set aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thick and very pale in color. Mix in the vanilla. On low speed, add about one-third of the dry ingredients, then one-third of the butter, and continue alternating with the remaining flour and butter. Add the chocolate and mix to combine. (The batter can get refrigerated for up to a day.)

Put the timbale molds on a baking sheet. Place the batter in a pastry bag, without a tip, or with a large plain tip, and fill each mold about two-thirds full. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When the tops look shiny and set (like a brownie), test one cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick; It should come out clean but not dry (there may be some melted chocolate from the chopped chocolate).

Transfer the bouchons to a cooling rack. After a couple of minutes, invert the timbale molds and let cool upside down in the molds; then lift off the molds. (The bouchons are best eaten the day they are baked.)

To serve: Invert the bouchons and dust them with confectioners’ sugar. Serve with ice cream , if desired.

Cooking Notes:

There’s really nothing to it …that is… if you read the instructions correctly and use the paddle instead of the whisk of the mixer in the first place. So after whisking the eggs and sugar for like two minutes I paused and read the recipe again. Grumbling, I pulled off the whisk and attached the paddle. Mise en place, after all, includes the equipment to be used. Though this did no harm to the resulting batter, I just hate to wash something extra.

Chopping the chocolate chunks also must be done with the piping of the batter in mind. I had chunks of it clog up the first hole I cut although I did have the sense not to force the batter through or I would have most likely ripped the pastry bag and ended up with chocolate splattered everywhere. I shall not have the “hungry” hubby find chocolate on the cabinet doors this time. ( Hah! One point of common sense awarded to the Test Kitchen.) So I simply cut the hole larger in the disposable pastry bag and the rest flowed happily through.

Warning bells did ring when I saw a bunch of chunks congregate unevenly in one of the timbale molds. I should have fished out those extra chocolate chunks and incorporated it in the other molds. (Uhh... one point of common sense deducted from the Test Kitchen L )

Witness the result of ignoring one’s intuition in the second picture where the poor bouchon cannot even stand on its own but rather dissolved into a puddle of chocolate goo.  It had chunks of chocolate as the base and not enough batter to provide structure to hold it up. (Okay, I’ll admit I did not read the last part about cooling it upside down either. Turns out the bouchon is pretty wobbly at the bottom.) Remember it’s not suppose to look like a lava cake with a gaping molten hole but is suppose to have just little delights of melted chocolate here and there.

Lessons learned: Read a recipe once. After which, read it again. Daydreaming of the end result is permitted but do not lose focus of the task at hand. Those simple recipes are sneakier than you think so read it a third time.

All in all, save for that one casualty, the other bouchons stood up pretty well. They were a delight to eat because every bite was pure chocolate euphoria. It had a surprisingly crispy crust and a soft crumb interspersed with little spots of melted chocolate. The cake is very rich and a tad too sweet for MY taste so I would cut the sugar by 25 % next time. 

This will definitely join the ranks of those chocolate gems that you can prepare ahead of time and dazzle your guests with!