Bringing Home the Bacon
Photography
Deborah Jones
Step-by-Step
photos for the Creation of Braised Stuffed Pigís
Head with Sauce Gribiche excerpted from The French Laundry
Cookbook
Utilizing
the Entire Pig
As
a traditionalist, "work" comes first, and no
shortcuts are taken by Keller or his staff, as you can
see by the photos of the "Bacon and Eggs" being
prepared. Every inch of the pig's head and trotters are
used, employing techniques that permit nothing to be wasted.
Although the end result takes days to complete, Thomas
whipped through these initial preparations, explaining
the key essentials as he went along.
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Chef
Thomas Keller in his kitchen at his restaurant,
The French Laundry, ready to start the demonstration
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Just two hours in the kitchen with Thomas Keller, and
you get to experience a man absorbed in his work, unaffected
by the world that has discovered him."Take the skin
off, just like a salmon. The skin is gelatinous. Lots
of gelatin comes from skin. Roll the skin and tie it,
like this. Braise it in anything, and it gives body."
Keller
points out several times as he goes along that the recipe
utilizes everything. Nothing is wasted. Additionally,
this process creates viscosity, instead of the old method
of using flour.
As
he scores the meat with his Japanese Mac knife (it holds
the sharpness more than any other knife he works with),
he butterflies the cheek, pounds it into a square, all
the while pointing out the different parts of the pigs
head that are blending into the final piece. Finally,
he ties the skin up tightly, seasons it with salt and
freshly ground pepper, and begins the cooking process.
Before
refrigerating for the night, Keller will sprinkle some
pink nitrate on the meat. "The nitrate is pink so
that it is not mistaken for salt. The nitrate is a cure,
and prevents botulism."
These
two separate preparations are both elaborate and each
is enormously satisfying in its own way. The first uses
the succulent fatty meat in a pig's head, wrapped around
cooked pig's tongue, pig's ear, and sweetbreads, rolled
tightly into a cylinder, and oven-poached all day. After
it's cooled, it's sliced into medallions, sauteed, and
served with a gribiche sauce. The pig's foot, or trotter,
a classic French country preparation, is also stuffed
and cooked over an extended period. Recipes from The French
Laundry Cookbook
Braised
Stuffed Pig's Head with Sauce Gribiche Recipe
(Click
here)
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