Celebrating 22 Years

Dinner date: May 31, 2008

Menu: Simple salad; Moroccan-Style Lamb à la sous vide

Wine: Penfolds Grange, 1986

 

As we end the winter season, yes I know the calendar says May but this is Seattle, I thought about braising a lamb shoulder one last time before the thermometer hits 60°F on a semicontiguous basis. Kriste will be passing the 22-year mark with her employer this weekend so we’re going to be having a 22-year-old Penfolds Grange to celebrate. The only question is what to braise. Of all the proteins parts suitable for braising, shoulder offers one of the greatest transitions in both flavor and texture so I set my sites on that.

 

Before developing a menu I check the freezer to see if there is anything of interest. Often the freezer is full but the interest just isn’t there for the items inside. I see some lamb shoulder sealed in a vacuumed-packed bag from a few months earlier left over from a Toulouse-style cassoulet. Now the mental debate begins. I can save some money and use this lamb, already cut up and packaged for cooking using a method called sous-vide (Fr. under vacuum), or run out and buy a shoulder and braise it. If I use the vacuumed-packed bag for braising I miss the opportunity of cooking it in a 130°F water bath for 6 or 8 hours. If I go with sous vide, I possibly miss the last opportunity for braising till fall.

 

Sous vide wins. Chances are this won’t be the last Saturday this spring and summer with weather made for braising. Besides, summer doesn’t officially start here until July 5.

 

The credit to the origin of sous vide cooking in a professional kitchen is given to Georges Pralus of the Hôtel Restaurant Troisgros in Roanne, France. In the early’70s he found this cooking method to be perfect for cooking foie gras without loosing too much of the lobe in the process. Foie gras melts rapidly even in mild heat and the edible portion can sometimes be 50 percent of the as-purchased portion. When a lobe costs upwards of $50 per pound retail, that loss is significant.

 

Another, more typical, notation of sous vide is the boil-in-a-bag frozen dinners that came into vogue in the late ‘70s as microwaves started to become mainstream. Aluminum foil and microwaves don’t go well together, so for a TV dinner to keep its market share the powers-that-be made it a popular method to boil water on a stove and place the bag in it for twenty minutes and you had your all-in-one dish of vegetable, starch, and protein; usually, broccoli, rice, and chicken. At least that was the biggest seller at that time when I managed the frozen foods department at Thompson’s Finer Foods in Park Ridge, Il.

 

As the microwave gained popularity in homes these bags went from cooking in a pot of boiling water to cooking in a microwave. Over the years the staff in professional kitchens have refinement this method as precise temperatures and timing have replaced the all-purpose boil. The water temperature is the serving temperature. Cook chicken at 165°F, pork and duck breast at 145°F, lamb at 135°F, fish at 118°F, and beef anywhere between 120°F to 170°F. Any food item that requires heat can be sous vide; even steak. The unique equipment used is called a thermo water-bath circulator. It can maintain a precise temperature to within 1/10th of one degree Fahrenheit.

 

Equipment Needed

For a laboratory constant temperature precision is necessary. Even a food geek requires that precision. But there are many people for whom the expense of a thermo water-bath circulator (used models start around $150) is just too high. And there are others, like me, who have a small, condo galley-kitchen and have to settle for a stove. Even with the small foot print of a countertop thermo water-bath circulator (14″ × 21″) it’s relative to the size of the kitchen. It’s an appliance that takes up too much room in a small condo kitchen. This doesn’t mean sous vide cooking is beyond my or your grasp. A 5-quart pot filled with 1 gallon of water can keep a semi-constant temperature, +/- 2°F, and for most finished dishes that 4-degree swing is not detectable. Items cooked to a lower finished temperature don’t cook as long and the temperature is easier to keep.

 

Thomas Keller and Michael Ruhlman are putting together a sous vide book, Under Pressure, set for release later this year. It is rumored that a package combination of the book and a thermo water-bath circulator will be offered. I’ll have to revisit my decision of sticking with the stove if it’s true.

 

The other unique piece of equipment is the bag. A resealable plastic bag is easiest and cheapest. I’ve sous vide chicken marylands, salmon fillets, and pork loins in it. The main problem with this bag is the expanding air inside the bag as the item inside heats up. This can be addressed by occasionally opening the bag, removing the air, and sealing it back up. Another issue with the air in the bag is the air inside the bag isn’t the same temperature as the water. Again, this is addressed by occasionally opening the bag, removing the air, and sealing it back up. Finally, a bag with air in it floats. The item inside isn’t experiencing the full effect of the water bath. The solution here is to put a weight over the bag. I find that a metal vegetable strainer works just fine.

 

The more expensive option is to purchase a home vacuum sealer, also referred to as a cryovack. Two notable products in the market are the Reynolds® Handi-Vac™ Vacuum Sealing System and FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealer. Both are quality products with the Reynolds version coming in at a much lower price. Both make use of proprietary bags that add to your food cost with each use.

 

The function of these vacuum sealers is to place food in a heavy-duty plastic bag, remove air from it, and seal it shut. You can store the food for a much longer period of time with the air removed. And you have added the convenience of dropping it into a pot of water and cooking it to the temperature you want. The expanding air issue previously mentioned is diminished as the vacuum bags are strengthened with multiple layers. One additional thing to consider is the food being sealed usually needs to be frozen. The strength of the vacuum is strong and it can crush the item inside. In my experiments, I’ve found that the texture of protein not previously frozen in these bags is disagreeable to my palate; the texture resembles rubber.

 

Usually I go with a vacuumed bag when cooking sous vide. I’ll go with a resealable plastic bag if the dinner is planned and purchased at the last minute.

 

Besides a clock, the last piece of equipment is a thermometer. A candy thermometer works well if you already have one. If you need a thermometer, consider purchasing one that has a high-heat probe wire that connects the probe to the display. A wire that is about three-feet long will serve an additional purpose for cooking items in the oven while the display sits on the counter, or measuring the temperature of items in the refrigerator.

 

Tonight’s Dinner

I chose as my influence a Moroccan spice rub leg of lamb on a bed of couscous recipe at the Meat and Livestock Australia, Ltd. (MLA) Web site. The spices cumin, ginger, coriander, caraway, clove, cumin and cayenne pepper should go well with the Shiraz wine I’ve chosen. Four of the spices just mentioned, cumin, coriander, caraway, and cloves will be toasted in their original whole state. The cumin, coriander, caraway are members of the aromatic Umbelliferae family and toasting brings out their oils and similar aromatics, which intensifies and concentrates their flavors.

 

When toasting more than one type of seed toast them one at a time, going from woody to green so as not to burn the greenest seeds. As the seeds start to heat up, toss the skillet often to keep the them from burning. If you begin to hear them pop, pour the seeds into a bowl, set the skillet off the burner, reduce the heat for electric (turn it off for gas) and wait a couple minutes for the skillet to cool. Return the seeds to the skillet and continue with the lower heat.

 

Because my cooking method is sous vide, and the original recipe uses a roasting method, I need to change the recipe to suit the method as the meat in the package is already sealed. After the lamb cooks for about six hours, I’ll drain off the liquid and pour the contents of the package into a bowl with the seasoning, flavorings and oil. Preheat a skillet over high heat for two minutes, toss a teaspoon of water onto the skillet to seal the pits (this will be explained in a later post), swirl the skillet around, toss out the remaining water and add the lamb. Sauté the meat to brown, about two minutes or so and serve on a bed of Israeli couscous.

 

Another reason for choosing this recipe is I’m a sucker for Israeli couscous.

 

A canvas is to an artist what Israeli couscous is to a cook. It’s white and bland, and developing a flavor profile for it is limited only by your imagination. Israeli couscous is a mixture of bulgur and flour and toasted for a period of time. The cooking of it is an infusion, much like how tea leaves are infused in water to bring the flavor of the leaves to the water. To prepare couscous just bring 2 parts water to a boil, add 1 part couscous, cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and 10 minutes later it’s ready to serve. Your imagination comes in when you decide how to flavor the water or what you decide to add to the finished product. This recipe uses in its flavor profile preserved lemon, white vinegar, and mint. (Although I omit the mint from my dish.)

 

The link to the recipe source is under References at the bottom of this entry.

 

This dinner has a simple salad of greens, olive oil, lemon juice, reduced balsamic vinegar and sea salt. The secret to a good green salad is the crunch factor. To prepare the greens gently wash them with warm water, about 115°F, in a salad spinner. This removes the dirt and helps relax the cell structure much in the same way you relax in a hot tub. It’s soothing and relaxing. Now take this colander with the greens still in it and place it in an ice bath. This shocks the greens and makes the cell structure rigid and stiff, much in the same way you jump out of that hot tub and make snow angels in old, stale, really frozen snow. Did that once—I think I got freezer burn. The crunch in the greens is now set.  Spin the greens dry and store them in the refrigerator until ready to use.

 

This salad is simple and cheap to make, and after drying the greens it takes only two minutes to prepare when you dress the greens using squeeze bottles instead of the original bottles. Squeeze bottles are a fast and efficient way to distribute oil or vinegar. You have more control over how much you pour because you have to squeeze the bottle to get it out. This technique is great when the measurements are 2 tablespoons or less.

 

Salads made from greens have a fundamental rule—the greens determine the salad dressing and vice versa; it all depends on what you want. If you’re focusing on the dressing, then it determines the greens. If you’re focusing on the greens, then it determines the dressing. Tonight, I’m focusing on the dressing. I have an inexpensive bottle of balsamic vinegar. It’s okay in its original state but I want more spotlight on the flavor, and there are two ways to go about it: buy a more expensive, older vinegar, or reduce the inexpensive type. I choose to reduce an inexpensive type by pouring it into a saucepan over low heat, just enough to see the steam rise above it. Reduce it by half and you end up with a thicker, richer, stronger balsamic. An 8-ounce bottle takes about 45 minutes to reduce. Reducing the vinegar enriches the sweetness and masks its 6 percent acidity. It’s really a wonderful taste sensation.

 

Now for the selection of greens. I decide to go with a Mâche, also known as lamb’s lettuce, and Boston Bibb. Mâche is known for its mild, tender, and nutty flavors and Boston Bib matches the mild and nutty properties with a delicate butteriness that will complement the oil/balsamic vinaigrette.  I could have gone with Romaine but it’s too ‘chunky’ of a leaf. It goes great with a Caesar salad dressing because the textural weight of the Romaine leaf perceived by your tongue and the weight of the Caesar dressing are equal. To further demonstrate the vise versa factor of matching greens to a dressing, imagine adding a heavy Caesar dressing to the light and delicate Mâche and Boston Bibb greens.

 

The Wine

The flavors for this dish are bold and require a bold wine. Zinfandel could be a good substitute but I’d change the flavorings and remove the coriander and preserved lemon, and add dark fruit such as plum and fig. It should be noted that both Zinfandel and Shiraz are agreeable to spicy dishes.

 

Another substitute to Australian Shiraz is French Syrah. Same grape, different spelling. I don’t think I’d make any changes to the flavorings. Syrahs from the Northern Rhône region in France—Côte Rôtie, Hermitage, and St. Joseph—are all well-suited to lamb; although, I think I’d find a way to add bacon to the recipe if I were serving a Côte Rôtie. Unfortunately, I have none from 1986.

 

We’re having an ’86 Penfolds Grange from Australia’s from Barossa and Clare Valleys, and McLaren Vale and Adelaide Plains. While Penfolds Grange is arguably Australia’s finest wine, it is definitely its most famous. This is quite possibly the best vintage for Grange in the ’80s, but I still vividly remember my first introduction to Grange and it’s been my favorite bottle to reflect upon. It was the ’81 served in ‘01. Kriste and I were sitting on the deck in our backyard, a collection of Mozart sonatas was playing softly in the background. It was a beautiful sunny day. The dinner was a pan roasted rack of lamb with mint sauce, shoestring sweet potatoes and green beans. We  opened the bottle and never let it breathe. It went straight into the glass. Over the course of three hours that wine made one transition after another, we counted over 30 in all. Moving from bright red fruits to dark, from chocolate to coffee, the wine dramatically changed every five minutes or so. Halfway through I remember thinking, “I don’t want to drink this, I just want to smell it all night long.” The single sensation I can still taste and smell to this day happened around the two-hour mark. I started to get an old leather bouquet when Kriste exclaimed, “Oh my God! It’s like we’re in a furniture store in Snohomish!” This is a small city outside of Seattle known for its antique shops with a plentiful supply of stores selling 100-year-old furniture with the original leather still intact. Sadly, that old leather bouquet moved on to something else, but while it was there for those five minutes it was spectacular.

 

Grange was created in the early ‘50s by Max Schubert after he visited the Bordeaux region of France and saw how they were making age-worthy wines primarily made up of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. He thought the same could be done with Shiraz, which was a radical thought because Shiraz grown in Australia at that time was made into sweet dessert wine. At first Grange was misunderstood and production ceased in the late 50s; although, in Skunk works fashion, Mr. Schubert continued making the wine without the knowledge of those who wrote his paycheck. By the end of the decade, the early bottlings of Grange began to show promise and potential, and production ‘was allowed to resume’.

 

As you may have guessed the primary grape in Grange is Shiraz. Usually it makes up to 90 percent of the bottle; although, a few vintages of this wine are made up solely of Shiraz. The wine we’re having tonight is a blend of 87 percent Shiraz and 13 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

I cannot say enough about Penfolds Grange or Penfolds in general. I consider Penfolds to have the best quality product line in the world from top to bottom. Every bottle from Grange to Rawson’s Retreat delivers. Their wines avoid what Kriste calls ‘the donut hole effect.’ You know it by that emptiness in the middle of the tongue after taking a sip that you so often get with a wine. Grange is one of my two favorite wines. If you’re not familiar with it ask around or you can search for it on the Internet. It’s an experience that everybody should enjoy at least once in their lifetime. But—and there’s always a but—upon release the price starts around $225 U.S. a bottle. It’s not your everyday table wine.

 

N.B. To open a bottle of wine that is more than 15 years old, it is best to use an Aso cork remover rather than a cork screw if the bottle has the original cork. A cork screw will shred an old cork and you’ll be left with half the cork in the bottle.

 

MEP

The bullet-point Mis en Place (pronounced MEEz ahn plahs) for this dinner is as follows.

 

Set up the equipment on the stove:

·         Five-quart pot filled with 1 gallon of water, do not turn on heat

·         Thermometer inserted into pot

·         Skillet placed on another burner, do not turn on heat

·         1-quart pot placed on a third burner, do not turn on heat

 

Set up the equipment on the counter:

Salad

·         Olive oil squeeze bottle

·         Reduced balsamic vinegar squeeze bottle

·         Lemon, cut in half

·         Sea salt

·         Pepper grinder

·         Salad bowl

·         Salad spinner with colander insert

 

Lamb

·         Bowl large enough to hold lamb

·         Mortar and pestle for grinding spices

·         Seasoning, flavorings, and oil portioned into bowl

 

Couscous

·         Cutting board

·         Chef’s knife

·         Measuring cup

 

Prepare for service

·         Dinner plates placed in oven, do not turn on heat

·         Salad plates placed in refrigerator

·         Wine glasses cleaned and set at table

·         Eating utensils, napkins etc., at the table

 

Recipe

What follows is not so much of a recipe. It’s more of a diary as the steps are listed in the order taken to prepare the meal as described above, not in the typical order of protein first or first course served is the first course listed.

 

Lamb: Use 4 ounces lamb per serving. This recipe makes two servings.

 

Vacuum seal the lamb	Follow the manufacture’s directions if you have a vacuum sealer. If you don’t have one, place the lamb in a resealable plastic bag, remove the excess air, and seal the bag.
Prepare the pot for poaching…	and bring the 5-quart pot of water to 140°F. Add the bag of lamb and cook for 6 to 8 hours. Occasionally watch the temperature to make sure it doesn’t go far from 140.

 

Spice Mixture: This quantity is enough for 8 ounces of lamb. With this being an older wine I went light on the measurements compared to the recipe source. Younger, more tannic wines can stand up to the aggressive flavors.

 

Preheat the skillet…	over high heat for two minutes, toss a teaspoon of water onto the skillet to seal the pits, swirl the skillet around, toss out the remaining water, and return the skillet to the stove; reduce heat to medium.
2 cloves, whole 1/2 tsp cumin seed 1/2 tsp coriander seed 1/2 tsp caraway seed	Toast seeds in the skillet in the order given, about 1 minute per ingredient. Pour seeds into a mortar.
1 tsp mild paprika 1/4 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp turmeric 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 1/8 tsp nutmeg	Add ingredients to the mortar, and using the pestle, grind the spices to a powder.
1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp Harrisa Canola oil	Transfer the powder to the bowl reserved for the lamb. Add the salt with enough harrisa and oil to make a paste about the consistency of pancake batter.   After cooking the lamb open the bag to drain the liquid and pour the lamb into the bowl; mix well.

 

Notes: Do not confuse the paprika package with the cayenne pepper package. The results can be shocking. Harrisa is a Moroccan spice blend that can be very piquante (spicy hot, not temperature hot).

 

Prepare oven…

Preheat oven to 170°F.

 

 

Green Salad: Use 2 ounces greens per serving.

 

Prepare salad greens…

using warm water. Wash greens in a salad spinner with a colander, rinse, and shock in ice water. Store in refrigerator until ready to prepare.

 

 

Couscous: Use 1/2 cup couscous with 1 cup water per serving. Begin this when the lamb is near the end of the cooking time.

 

2 cups water 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar Israeli couscous olive oil 1/4 preserved lemon, zest only, minced 1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced salt and pepper

Bring water and vinegar to a boil in a pot. Remove from heat, add couscous, cover and let it sit 10 minutes.   Pour couscous through a strainer to remove excess water and return couscous to pot. Add a enough olive oil to give the couscous a light coating. Add preserved lemon zest, tomato, and season to taste with salt and pepper.   Keep warm in the oven.

 

 

Continuing with the green salad…

 

1/2 lemon, juice and zest Olive oil Balsamic vinegar, reduced Sea salt and pepper

Place salad greens in a large bowl. Zest the lemon onto the greens, cut the lemon in half, and squeeze the juice from it onto the greens. Save the other half for another day. Toss greens.   Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar reduction using a 3:1 ratio. Toss greens again. Finish tossing and add sea salt and pepper to taste.   Remove the chilled plates from the refrigerator. Plate and serve.

 

 

Now’s a good time to clean up the dishes and countertops. Clean as you go.

Continuing with the lamb…

Preheat the skillet…	over high heat for two minutes, toss a teaspoon of water onto the skillet to seal the pits, swirl the skillet around, toss out the remaining water, and return the skillet to the stove; add enough oil to skillet to cover its bottom. Reduce heat to medium because its 10 seconds to smoke point. Work fast in the next step.
Sauté lamb…	Drain liquid from sous vide bag. Mix lamb with spice mixture. Pour into skillet.   Gently shake the skillet, the food should not stick. After a minute turn each piece over. The lamb should have a good, brown crust on the cooked side. Turn off stove after one minute.

 

 

Plating

 

Service…

Turn off oven. Open oven door and slide the rack with the plates out. Give the couscous a stir; if it looks like it needs some moisture, add a little olive oil to it. Spoon lamb on top of couscous. Wipe plate lips clean with a moist paper towel. Use a clean towel to grab the hot plates and serve.

Analysis and Notes

We opened the wine at 4 P.M. and let it stand straight up until dinner was served at 6:45. I new this dish was going to be assertive with its flavors so we didn’t decant the wine. Any tannins left in it were going to be needed.

 

At 5:50 we poured our first glasses. It has a lovely black color with a slight red brick edge, and that first sniff revealed that this wine was going to be rich and deep. What follows is a timeline of what and when each new component was detected.

 

·         5:50 plum and pepper

·         5:55 1st taste lasts more than 60 seconds

·         6:00 tannins are noticeably chewy and sweet, this wine is concentrated

·         6:10 significant shift towards cola

·         6:20 we have the salad and the balsamic intensifies the cola note

·         6:25 the balsamic really works well with this wine; now it exposes fig aromas

·         6:30 Kriste doesn’t concur, but I get blueberry

·         6:45 sit down with the dinner; the wine shows kalamata olive about 10 seconds into the aftertaste

·         6:50 the preserved lemon in the dish further perpetuates the olive note

·         7:00 roasted, meaty notes: maybe it’s from the lamb

·         7:15 Kriste starts to get that antique leather furniture bouquet

·         7:30 a deep note of cedar wood

·         7:30 I’m a little behind but I get a hint of that antique leather furniture

·         7:40 a little out of place but a bright red cherry appears, a welcome feeling as I thought the piquante heat from the dish was starting to hurt our perception

·         7:45 vanilla

·         7:50 tobacco as in a freshly opened pack of cigarettes

·         7:55 anise

·         8:00 cigarette ash, which is something I’ve never detected before but it leaves a dusty texture on the tongue

·         8:15 returns to cola

·         8:25 last sip reminds me of a cherry cola

 

Overall I think the wine was opened about 5 to 10 years too early. There were a lot of nice things about it and there were plenty of transitions but they weren’t as deep as past experiences with Grange from other vintages. It’s still tight.

 

The lamb was extremely tender. The crust from the sauté served as a great foil as did the preserved lemon in the couscous to the flavor of the lamb. I also pulled back a little on the preserved lemon because I didn’t want the sour factor to interfere with the wine.

 

The sous vide method of cooking is one of the most relaxing ways to cook food. Outside of poaching the bag, monitoring the temperature of the water, and sautéing its contents before plating there’s no input on your part. It’s easy with no rush except in the final two minutes when you sauté. This cooking method is going to be revisited often on this blog.

 

All-in-all I’d say this was a really nice dinner.

 

Until next Saturday… boja, boja. 

 

Here are a few items of note about the ingredients. Unless otherwise specified:

·         Salt is always Kosher

·         Olive oil is always extra-virgin

·         Eggs are always large

·         Butter is always unsalted

·         Pepper is always freshly ground

 

References

Moroccan spice rub leg of lamb recipe source

 

Diane Forley with Catherine Young, Anatomy of a Dish, New York: Artisan, 2002

 

Sarah R. Labensky and Alan M. Hause, On Cooking, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2nd ed., 1999

                       

Amanda Hesser, “Under Pressure,” NY Times August 14, 2005 (requires registration)

 

Penfolds Grange, 1986

 

Thermo water-bath circulators on eBay®

                                    

Reynolds® Handi-Vac™ Vacuum Sealing System

 

FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealer

 

Mis en Place