Page 47 - Demo

cooked for a shorter time, resulting in a rich broth that’s ready to be used as is. A stock, because of its long cooking time, tends to be more complex and three-dimensional and is thus a foundation for various sauces.
Chicken jus is served with many meat dishes in this book. If you use the carcasses from roast chickens, you won’t need to brown them as long. The jus can be used as a soup base or as a stock for poaching; in that case, it does not need the nal reduction.
Ingredients
· 6 pounds chicken bones, backs, and necks, and/or bones from whole carcasses
· 2 tablespoons canola oil
· 2 medium Spanish onions, peeled, 1 cut
into quarters and 1 cut crosswise in half
(reserve half for another use)
· 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 4
pieces
· Kosher salt
· 3 ounces (1 large) leek, roots trimmed,
split lengthwise, rinsed well, and cut into
2-inch pieces, or leek tops
· 3 bay leaves
· 12 black peppercorns
· 1 thyme sprig
· 1 Italian parsley sprig
· 1 head garlic, cut horizontally in half
(reserve half for another use)
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a large roasting pan in the oven to preheat for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove and discard the excess fat and any organs from the chicken bones. If there is any skin left on the bones, it does not need to be removed. Rinse the bones and dry them well with paper towels.
Add the oil to the hot roasting pan, then distribute the chicken bones in
a single layer. Roast the bones for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are well browned on the rst side. Turn the chicken, add the quartered onion and the carrot, and continue to roast for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bones are well browned but not dried out.
Meanwhile, brown the onion half: Heat a
small heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Place the onion cut side down in one side of the skillet so that it is not over direct heat and let it brown and char black, about 30 minutes. This will add colour to the jus. Set aside.
Transfer the browned bones, onion, and carrot to a colander set over a bowl to drain. (Or, if the vegetables are not well caramelised, leave them in the roasting pan.) Place the pan over medium heat and heat for about 5 minutes to reduce the juices until they cling to the bottom of the pan. (Remove any vegetables as they brown.)
Drain off the fat and return the roasting pan to the heat. Add 1 cup water to the pan, scrape with a spatula to release the juices on the bottom of the roasting pan, and let the liquid reduce by half.
Transfer the bones to a large stockpot and add the pan juices. Add enough cold water (about 3 quarts) to just cover the bones. Any fat in the juices will rise to the top of the pot when the cold water is added: Use a skimmer to remove and discard the fat. Add the charred onion and a pinch of salt and place the pot over medium heat. It is important to bring the liquid to a simmer very slowly to bring up all the impurities. Keep skimming as the impurities rise to the top of the pot. After the liquid has simmered for about 15 minutes, add the leek, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme, parsley, and garlic. Continue to simmer for 23/4 hours. The jus will reduce to about an inch or two below the level of the bones; do not add additional water to the pot.
Line a strainer with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Removing the bones from the pot or pouring out the contents will cloud the jus. Instead, carefully ladle the jus out of the pot and pass it through the strainer, tilting the pot as necessary to get all the jus. (There will be about 2 quarts.) (At this point, the jus can be used for poaching or as a soup base or stock. Cool in an ice bath, then refrigerate.)
To nish the jus, pour it into a saucepan and simmer it to reduce to 4 cups. Strain once more through a strainer lined with
cheesecloth and cool in an ice bath. (Store the jus in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for longer storage.)
MAKES 1 QUART
Note:
After the jus has been removed from the pot, the bones and other ingredients remaining in the pot can be covered with cold water again and simmered for another 2 hours. The resulting jus can be used for soups, but the avour and body will not be the same as that of the rst jus. If the jus will be refrigerated for longer than 3 days, after 3 days, bring it back to a boil, cool it, and return it to the refrigerator.
BRINE
It is a good idea to make this brine a day ahead and refrigerate it. Don’t add meat to warm brine and don’t leave it in the brine longer than the speci ed time or it may become too salty. This is enough for a rack of port or one or two 2 1⁄2-pound chickens.
Ingredients
· 1 gallon water
· 1 cup kosher salt
· 1⁄2 plus 2 tablespoons honey
· 12 bay leaves
· 1⁄2 cup garlic cloves, skin left on, smashed · 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
· About 1⁄2 ounce (3 large) rosemary
sprigs
· About 1⁄2 ounce (1 large bunch) thyme
sprigs
· About 2 ounces (1 large bunch) Italian
parsley sprigs
· Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons (for
chicken only)
Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using. To use for a rack of pork, refrigerate the pork in the brine for 24 hours; rinse and dry the pork before cooking. To use for 1 to 2 chickens, refrigerate the chicken in the brine for 6 hours; rinse and dry the chicken before cooking.
“Excerpted from Bouchon by Thomas Keller (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2004.”
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