[Henry Schmidt]

Originally Posted by javadog

OK, let's look at your critique.



First off, when you say "he cleaned his ingredients in the sink and threw it in his stew for good measure" I don't have any idea what you even mean.

Then you say "I would first eliminate the ingredients that muddle other favors." What would those be, exactly? He uses fairly traditional ingredients, just does a higher quality preparation of them.

Next, you ***** about deep frying the meat. He doesn't deep fry it, he sautes it to brown it first.

Then you ***** about his choice of boneless short ribs. There are NO bones, why do you ***** about the bones? Did you even read the recipe? Short rib meat is great. Great texture when properly cooked, great beefy flavor.

I wouldn't use green peppercorns. Different flavor profile and they are hard to find fresh, so you usually have to buy them in brine. I use them in SE Asian cooking, wouldn't use them here. My preference.

Leeks (2 e's) are common in french stocks. The French use tons of them. Pearl onions are a traditional ingredient in this dish in France. So, he uses them. So do I.

Nothing wrong with using a Burgundy wine. Pinot Noir. Fine, go for it. I used to use a red Bordeaux, since that's what I kept on hand at the house. Worked fine. When you do the reduction, the end product doesn't much resemble what you started with so the tannins were never an issue. One thing I like about his technique is that he doesn't marinate the beef in the wine for a day, as is traditional. The beef tastes like beef, not wine.

Potatoes are a common ingredient in this recipe in France. He doesn't have a problem with "making the leftovers starchy' as his method combines the stew and vegetables at the end. I do the same thing, I never noticed any problem with the leftovers. Serve it over mashed potatoes, if you want. Rednecks might serve it over rice or noodles, have at it.

In the end, it's a more refined version of the traditional French recipe and one that I like much better. My version is slightly more elaborate than his but I give him all the credit for opening my eyes up to a new way of preparing it. Everybody that I have served it to loved it.

Wow, it looks like you got your panties in a twist over a difference of opinion....
Chill dude.