Bear Cuisine

Corned Beef Hash

One of the best things about having corned beef in the fridge is that you can make hash. This happens to be one of my favorite special breakfasts (or supper for that matter), but it is rare that you can get good Corned Beef Hash in a restaurant. Most of the time you get tinned meat and frozen potatoes. Yuck! But when you make it at home from corned beef that you have made, you have a splendid dish. This recipe from from David Rosengarten.

 CORNED BEEF HASH

(4 servings)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 2 cups diced onion
  
• 3 tablespoons flour
  
• 2 cups dicd, peeled, cooked potato
  
• 3 cups diced, leftover corned beef
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a 10 1/2-inch  cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is transparent.

Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir to blend well. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium. Add potato and corned beef. Continue to cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Cover skillet and place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

 Serve with a poached egg on top. 

Corned Beef

St. Patrick's Day has come and gone, but this year it was memorable for us because I corned our beef brisket myself. This was the first time I attempted it and I have to say it was surprisingly easy and possibly the best corned beef we had ever tasted. I was inspired to try by The City Cook who took her cue from Julia Child and The Best Recipe by the editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine.

CORNED BEEF

1. 1/2 cup kosher salt
2. 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crusted into big pieces
3. 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4. 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
5. 1 tablespoon dried thyme
6. 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
7. 2 bay leaves, crumbled
8. 1/2 center cut beef brisket, about 2 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat but with a thin layer of fate left on the meat; rinse and patted dry with paper towels

1. In a small bowl combine the salt, peppercorns, ground pepper, allspice, thyme, paprika and crumbled bay leaves.

2. With a sharp serving fork or the tip of a skewer, pierce the surface of the brisket about 25 to 30 times on both sides. This will help the salt rub penetrate the meat.

3. Place the brisket inside a large plastic bag that can be tightly sealed; a one gallon zipper-lock bag works well. Add all of the salt mixture and use your hands to rub it on all surfaces of the brisket.

4. Seal the plastic bag, pressing out any air as you do, and place it in a shallow baking pan or small sheet pan. Place on top of it one or two other baking dishes or other heavy objects like cans  of tomatoes, weighing it down.

5. Refrigerate 5 days, turning the brisket, still in its sealed bag, over once day. Don't marinate for more than 5 days. Any longer than that and the meat will be excessively salty.

6. When you're ready to cook the brisket, remove it from the refrigerator Take it out of its plastic bag and rinse it completely.

7. Place the brisket in a large pot, fill the pot with cool water so as to cover the beef by about an inch and bring to a boil. Scum is likely to come to the surface and this should be skimmed off. Once the scum seems to have been completely removed, cover the pan, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is completely tender and be easily pierced with a skewer.

8. Drain completely and cut in thin 1/2-inch slice, cutting across the grain.

9. Serve with steamed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, buttered carrots and sour cream horseradish sauce.

Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons grated horseradish
• 1 small minced onion

Combine ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

The Perfect Hamburger?

Burgers are popular in this house-- especially burgers served on Moomie's Famous Hamburger Rolls.(see post of October 9, 2008) I have become a bit bored with the usual; so this time round I tried to boost the flavor and give some zip to our hamburger.

My secret ingredients were dijon mustard and Worcestershire Sauce. To one pound of ground beef I added salt, pepper, a generous dollop of Lea and Perrins , approximately 1/4 cup of mustard and 1 egg to help hold it together. Mix everything together and shape into patties. Try to handle the meat as little as possible. This will help to keep the meat tender.

Add whatever condiments you like and voila, you have great tasting--maybe a perfect--hamburger.

The Full Monty

This picture doesn't do justice to the gorgeous, beefy, tender, juicy standing rib roast that we shared with friends last week. Trust me, this was one of the best roast beef joints I have ever enjoyed. Our guests weren't shy about coming back for more of everything.

Last year, I published Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's recipes for a standing rib roast and what he considered to be the appropriate accompaniments (see "Prime Rib Day", 4/27/2008). The only thing I didn't make was the Leek Gratin. Instead, I substituted the Spinach Gratin we had at Thanksgiving (see "Thanksgiving Countdown: Day 4",11/26/2008).  Every single recipe worked to perfection. I can't remember when folks have so savored  a meal at our home. I was thrilled by their obvious pleasure.

The next time you want to pay homage to your special guest, I highly recommend this menu.

Pot Roast

Friends of ours are going to Bahamas for the winter to run a bone fishing camp. We think they are very adventurous and wanted to celebrate their new work with dinner. Of course! The night they came over  was cold and blustery; the perfect evening for a long-cooked pot roast and silky mashed potatoes.

CIDER POT ROAST

(serves 6 to 8)

• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
  
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• 2 whole cloves
  
• 1 3-to-4 pound chuck roast
  
• All-purpose flour
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  

Combine the cider brown sugar, salt, cinnamon,ginger, and cloves in a medium bowl. Put the beef in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and pour in the marinade. Let marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, jiggling the bag whenever you think of it.

Remove the beef from the marinade; reserve the marinade. Dredge the beef in the flour on a large plate. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or flameproof roasting pan over high heat ad brown the beef on all sides, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the reserved marinade, cover and simmer for 3 hours, or until very tender Let the roast rest for 10 minutes then slice and serve with hot mashed potatoes.

Karyl Bannister. Cook & Tell.(Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001)

BUTTERY PUREED POTATOES

(serves 6)

• 2 1/3 pounds baking potatoes, russet or Yukon gold
  
• coarse and fine sea salt
  
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
  
• 1 cup unsalted butter, diced
  
• freshly ground white pepper
  

Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Place them in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, and add 1 teaspoon of coarse salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover the pan and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking the potatoes until they are very soft but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the potatoes and the size of the chunks.

Drain the potatoes very well and puree them using the fine grill of a food mill. Return the potatoes to the saucepan and place over low heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the moisture from the potatoes evaporates and they begin to stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to very low beat in the creme fraiche, and then gradually beat in the butter. The potatoes will become very soft and smooth. Taste and add sea salt,if necessary; then season with pepper.

Jennifer McLagen. Fat.(Berkely: Ten Speed Press, 2008.)

I used a ricer on the potatoes; it worked just fine. The creme fraiche brightens the flavor of  the potatoes and the butter makes them smooth as silk. Lovely, just lovely.