Thursday

~ featuring ~

Cooking w/ Chef Alfy

Introduction Series to Charcuterie and Saucier:

The Art of Sauce-Making

What is Charcuterie?

History  and Description of  Charcuterie -from chair 'flesh' and cuit 'cooked') is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork. Charcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire. Originally intended as a way to preserve meat before the advent of refrigeration, they are prepared today for their flavors derived from the preservation processes.

The French word for a person who prepares charcuterie is charcutier, generally translated into English as "pork butcher". This has led to the mistaken belief that charcuterie can only involve pork. The Food Lover's Companion, however, says, "it refers to the products, particularly (but not limited to) pork specialties such as pâtés, rillettes, galantines, crépinettes, etc., which are made and sold in a delicatessen-style shop, also called a charcuterie." The 1961 edition of Larousse Gastronomique defines it as: "The art of preparing various meats, in particular pork, in order to present them in the most diverse ways."

In the first century AD, Strabo recorded the import of salted meat from Gaul and the Romans may have been the first to regulate the trade of charcuterie as they wrote laws regulating the proper production of pork joints, but the French have also had some influence. In 15th-century France, local guilds regulated tradesmen in the food production industry in each city. The guilds that produced charcuterie were those of the charcutiers. The members of this guild produced a traditional range of cooked or salted and dried fruits, which varied, sometimes distinctively, from region to region. The only "raw" meat the charcutiers were allowed to sell was unrendered lard. The charcutier prepared numerous items, including pâtés, rillettes, sausages, bacon, trotters, and head cheese (brawn). These preservation methods ensured the meats would have longer shelf-lives.

~ Other Charcuterie Terms ~

Mousse, forcemeat, cures, brines, marinades

     

 Tips and Techniques:

1. Use fresh meats and ingredients
2. Mice-en Place make sure you have all the necessary tools to complete your task
3. Keep tools of refinement clean and protected from damage

               

~ Sauces ~

History: According to historians, the French are credited with refining the sophisticated art of sauce making. The development of various sauces over the years stems from the 19th-century French chef Antonin Carême who evolved an intricate methodology by which hundreds of sauces were classified under one of five "mother sauces." Auguste Escoffier is accredited with further refining sauces and creating the kitchen brigade or chain of command in the kitchen.

Types of Thickeners:

• Roux- equal amounts of flour, fat or butter
• Corn starch- corn seed extract
• Natural Reduction- to reduce slowly to achieve viscosity and consistency of Nape (to coat the back of a spoon) widely used in today’s fine food restaurants.

~ 5 mother sauces ~

• Béchamel, classic white cream sauce because of its appearance Made by stirring milk into a butter-flour roux, the thickness of the sauce depends on the proportion of flour and butter to milk.

• Velouté is a stock-based white sauce. It can be made from chicken, veal or fish stock. Enrichments such as egg yolks, mushrooms or cream are sometimes also added.

• Espagnole, or brown sauce, is traditionally made of a rich meat stock, a mirepoix of browned vegetables (most often a mixture of diced onion, carrots and celery), a nicely browned roux, herbs and sometimes tomato paste. The modern version is referred to as natural reduction it contains no roux and is reduced to achieve its consistency. We will discuss THIS METHOD at length in the future.

• Hollandaise and Mayonnaise are two sauces that are made with an emulsion of egg yolks and fat. Hollandaise is made with butter, egg yolks and lemon juice, usually in a double boiler to prevent overheating, and served warm. It is generally used to embellish vegetables, fish and egg dishes, such as the classic Eggs Benedict. Mayonnaise is a thick, creamy dressing that's an emulsion of vegetable oil, egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar and seasonings.

• Tomato -tomato sauce of classical French cooking, as codified by Auguste Escoffier, consists of salt belly of pork, onions, bay leaves, thyme, tomato purée or fresh tomatoes, roux, garlic, salt, sugar, and pepper. I prefer the Italian version which  substitute pork with anchovy, roux can be eliminated as well… a great addition is celery and carrot.

Other Sauces Terms

Emulsions, Vinaigrettes, Natural Reduction, Essence, Extractions, Foam, Froths and Broths

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