SC - Leener's Brew Works The Do It At Home Store

[Jennifer Conrad]

Adamantius wrote:
>Bonne of Traquair wrote:
>> 
>>> Drat!  in the final planning of my feast, I let myself fall prey to 
a
>> "traditional" recipe for corned beef. Now I've got three weeks to
>> substitute something else.
>
>Have you corned the beef yourself? Or do you just have a worked out
>recipe calling for corned beef? 

Corning it myself from a recipe for "Spiced Beef" from "Cooking at 
Ballymaloe House" (ISBN 1-55670-158-6) [see below, I'm no spoon tease]

> With three weeks to go before serving the meat, if you've
>committed to corned beef in any irrevocable way, I suggest you go ahead
>and use it.

I've been awfully sick, and am way behind on my shopping, so nothing 
irrevocable has been done. 

>
>The best way to remove the "corned beef flavor" (or at least tone it
>down to make it resemble the period article a bit more), might be to 
try
>bringing it to a boil, draining it, bringing it to a boil again in 
fresh
>water, and boiling it a third time in fresh water, then reducing the
>heat and simmering it until it's done, tender, whatever.

This was pretty much my plan--boiled beef, and root vegetables in the 
first course.  


Fairly typical
>medieval practice would probably be to serve it as, ...
>or pressed, cold and sliced with a mustard sauce with various other
>spices in it. 

The cookbook recommended pressing it under a weight overnight and 
serving it chilled and sliced, though I was going for the meat and 
vegetables in broth plan.

Perhaps I'll stick with the original plan afterall.  it's only three 
weekends and lord knows I'm so tired from this awful virus that isn't 
the flu, replanning at this stage seems overwhelming.  It doesn't so 
much have a corned beef taste, but the texture is different from just 
boiling the meat.

Bonne  who has not been "bonne" lately at all.


And for those who'd like to try it:

Spiced Beef from "Cooking at Ballymaloe House"

4 and a half teaspoons Demerara sugar 
1 Tablespoon salt (I used kosher to avoid the iodine)
1 Tablespoon ground Juniper berries
1 and a half teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 and a half Tablespoons ground allspice
A pinch of saltpeter (optional)  (I didn't use it)
2 and a half to 3 pounds beef brisket or flank steak

In a small dish stir together the sugar, salt, juniper berries, pepper 
allspice and optional saltpeter.  (I crushed all but the pepper in a 
morter and pestle, almost but not quite to a powder.  Then ground in the 
pepper from it's usual grinder.) Rub the mixture into all sides of the 
meat, chill the meat in a shallow dish, covered for at least 24 hours or 
up to 36 hours.  

Remove the excess spice mixture (I rinsed it off.) roll up the meat and 
tie it with a string. 
 
When ready to cook the meat, put it in a kettle or heavy skillet and 
barely cover with water.  Bring the water to a simmer, uncovered, and 
simmer the beef gently, covered tightly, for 2 to 3 hours or until it is 
tender.

Serve hot or cold, sliced across the grain.  If serving the spiced beef 
cold, weiht it with a few cans or bricks on a plate or a board to press 
it and chill the meat for 12 hours before slicing.

(about the last 20 minutes I added scrubbed and trimmed carrots, 
parsnips, and turnips.  and some onions.)

Bonne


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