PrintFrench Laundry Veal Stock!
Blame my broken television set, or the holiday weekend with all immediate family out of town, but whatever the reason I finally made Thomas Keller's veal stock from "The French Laundry Cookbook." It's nearly 9:00 p.m. Sunday night, and that sucker is done! I am so excited, it's pathetic. It took most of the weekend, and hey, my new gym regimen suffered (how could I work out when I had to constantly skim, reduce, strain, and repeat?), but what's left in the pot is gorgeous, flavorful mahogany-colored culinary gold.
Now, having patted myself on the back, I have to confess that I did not use Chef Keller's full complement of 10 pounds veal bones because I didn't have that many in the freezer, but I cut back other ingredients accordingly. And believe me, fewer veal bones does not translate into shorter cook times, except possibly at the very, very end. Overall, we're talking about 24 hours of dedicated stove time.
Anyway, tomorrow I freeze the stock, probably in ice cube trays, and would welcome suggestions from Serious Eats contributors about what to use it for first. Thanks in advance, from someone who feels glued to her kitchen floor.
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16 Comments:
Um, reduce some of it further and make demi glace?
Amandarama at 7:05AM on 03/24/08
Yeah, I was thinking that was probably the most logical idea.
CheesePlease at 10:44AM on 03/24/08
I would agree with the demi glace or glace de viande ideas. Does anyone know how long homemade demi glace would keep in the refrigerator?
I am so very proud of you, CheesePlease! And do you not love French Laundry cookbook? Have you tried Thomas' roast chicken?
frederika at 10:56PM on 03/24/08
When I make beef or veal stock the first thing I make with it is French Onion Soup. It is soooo good made with good bovine stock.
I then reduce the rest by half and freeze it in one liter bottles and whatever doesn't fill a bottle in ice cube trays for use in sauces.
@frederika- if you don't skim or break the "seal" of the fat, stock (or demiglace) should keep for at least two weeks, a year if you freeze it. Broken fat seal- one week, max.
Calichef at 10:39AM on 03/25/08
@frederika...yes, The French Laundry Cookbook is gorgeous! I bought it about a month ago, and look forward to curling up in a chair with it one Saturday afternoon soon to read the parts I skipped in my haste to get to the stock section!
As for Chef Keller's roast chicken, I bet you mean the stripped down, high heat version, right? One plain, well dryed-off 3.5# chicken, no marinating, no stuffing, no heavy trussing or seasoning, no basting, no turning, just wings tied down, some Kosher salt, 450 degrees, and 50-60 minutes of cooking time. If that's it, yep, I saw that recipe online a few months back and am one of the converted! I usually skip the butter/thyme (or is it mustard/thyme?) addition to the cooking juices at the end, though. The chicken is so good it doesn't need it.
CheesePlease at 12:42PM on 03/25/08
@CheesePlease - I am so sorry! My husband just corrected me - The roast chicken recipe "Mon Poulet Roti" is from the Bouchon Cookbook. It sounds exactly like the one you describe, but I thought I had used French Laundry. Nonetheless, we love our French Laundry so much, we keep it on our coffee table along with Alexander Calder and Salvador Dali. It's as beautiful and impressive as any art book.
frederika at 10:59PM on 03/25/08
p.s. - we did the butter/thyme/mustard thing and it was superb!
frederika at 11:01PM on 03/25/08
Bouchon's roasted chicken recipe and The French Laundry's recipe should be very close to, if not exactly, the same. Both are Thomas Keller owned and geographically very close.
Calichef at 7:31AM on 03/26/08
I don't think there is a roasted chicken recipe in the French Laundry Cookbook. Just Bouchon.
Rick Kazmer at 11:29AM on 03/26/08
@Rick Kazmer...you are correct! I just checked.
@anyone considering buying TFL Cookbook... frederika is right, it is a gorgeous book, with lots of helpful information. For example, just now when checking its contents for poulet roti, I ran across the truffle discussion, page 85, and learned more than I had ever known. Not that this is saying much, because I realized when looking at the photos that I had never ever seen a black truffle. Nor, I'm embarrassed to admit, have I ever tasted one! Maybe if I spent more time in restaurants and less time in my kitchen...
CheesePlease at 12:21PM on 03/26/08
I love TFL cookbook and have made many successful and wonderful dishes out of it. It was delightful to have the recipes work so well. As far as Thomas Keller's favorite chicken recipe, I've tried that and it too was great except for the fact that it totally trashed my oven! It actually set the smoke alarm off when I opened the door and that was with the exhaust fan on. Any suggestions (other than not to make it :) ) ? The stove is new and the temperature seems to be correctly calibrated. If I make it again I'll have to do several to feed the fireman that will show up. Hmm...that might work!
Claire80218 at 12:45PM on 03/26/08
@Claire 80218....I had read that making this recipe might set off a smoke alarm, and was stunned when it didn't happen to me! Especially considering my poor kitchen ventilation, less-than-pristine oven, and a tempermental smoke detector.
But to answer your question, I don't know! You could always temporarily turn off the smoke detector, I suppose.
CheesePlease at 12:52PM on 03/26/08
@Claire80218--we had a super hysterical smoke detector so one day I impaled it with a broom handle.
Some smoke detectors are sensitive to heat in addition to smoke, so it might be the blast of 450 degree air that is setting off your alarm. On another thread regarding smoke detectors, someone suggested taping a tupperware container over the smoke detector during cooking. Just remember to take it down when you're done cooking.
wookie at 1:27PM on 03/26/08
We have a mini shower cap that fits right over the somke detector when cooking.
coolname at 3:47PM on 03/26/08
@coolname--a shower cap! that's brilliant! no need for tape!
wookie at 5:14PM on 03/26/08
I would make sauce Robert just to see what got Ruhlman so worked up about veal stock, and then probably make demi from the rest.
palmsey at 12:08AM on 03/27/08