Pot au Feu Broth

I think I’m losing my enthusiasm for cooking and perhaps for blogging :( Maybe I’ll stop now and teach myself to play the accordion or something.

What am I saying?! Spring is coming and so is France. Healed! Maybe it’s my francophil-ish desire for French market fruits and vegetables, my frustrated need to paw and finger each item before purchase. I did that last summer at the Scranton farmer’s market and was frowned upon, which didn’t stop me because I was still in my “c’est mon tour” French mode. I also hate it that I can’t buy 1 or 2 branches of celery but am obliged to buy the whole stalk/bunch which ends up moldering in the refrigerator with the rest of the vegetables that I unenthusiastically purchased. Woe is me :D

I wonder how seriously I should take freezer burn… The internet says it is safe to eat but may affect the taste.

And then again, they might just be “fooling” us like they did with the cholesterol fake out. That’s why I used these flanken ribs for my pot au feu broth. Browning and boiling with some veg will usually solve any freezer aged issues ;)

I made this broth so that I can duplicate a dish I had in Alsace France; potato pancake in pot au feu broth, topped with sauteed fois gras. I’ve made this before for M. Parret et al. The recipe for the broth is inspired by James Beard and because I don’t need a large amount for the potato pancake, I’m going to chill the broth overnight, skim off the fat and make a soup from the larger portion of the broth, the boiled meat, carrots and onions. Stay tuned.

Pot au Feu Broth

3-4 slabs of flanken ribs or about 2 lbs of meaty, marrow bones

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large whole onion stuck with 4 cloves

2 whole shallots

2 leeks, trimmed

4 small carrots

4 sprigs parsley

1 whole head of garlic, outer skin removed

Salt to taste

Brown the ribs all over in the vegetable oil, then place in a large stock pot. Add the onion, shallots, leeks, carrots, parsley, garlic and salt. Cover with 3-4 inches of water, bring to a boil, then boil for 3 hours.

Drain the stock, reserving the meat, onions and carrots for a future soup. Cool the stock and refrigerate overnight. Remove fat layer and discard.