FARÇIR Flashcards
Farçir is the French would for what?
Verb “to stuff.”
A farce, in a professional kitchen, refers to what?
A stuffing.
In many kitchens and most cooking schools, the term for meat stuffing has been Anglicized into what?
Forcemeat, probably the ugliest culinary term in the books.
Forcemeat has gradually expanded to include what?
Any kind of meat, vegetable, or fish that’s been seasoned and ground before being cooked, either inside some other food (a vegetable ravioli, for example), in casing (sausage), in a mold (pâté en terrine), or free-form (a pike quenelle).
Why is farce an extraordinary cooking tool?
It can bring you to the heights of pleasure, and yet it almost always uses common and inexpensive ingredients or provides a means for turing the trim from valuable ingredients into something shapely and delicious.
Farce technique is ultimately what?
One of economy and resourcefulness, and so it is the good cook who knows and understands the versatility of the technique.
Are farces infinitely variable?
Yes
The standard ratios in culinary school involve what?
Purees, namely the emulsified forcemeat and the mousseline forcemeat.
Brines are used to what?
Cure food, preserve it, generate flavor, add their own flavor, and enhance succulence.
THE NOBLE SAUSAGE
3 PARTS MEAT: 1 PART FAT
SAUSAGE SEASONING
60 PARTS MEAT/FAT: 1 PART SALT
Why is sausage one of the culinary glories when cooked right?
It’s a package of inexpensive trim, some fat, some seasoning that can be unparalleled and deliciousness, in its ability to satisfy.
Can sausage be made with just about anything that can be fit into a casing?
Yes
Do sausages have to fit into a casing to be sausages? Explain.
No, patties are part of the sausage tradition (relatives of the crepinette, which is a patty wrapped in caul fat) and free-form sausage is common as well in pasta, soups, and stews. Potstickers use a dough to enfold sausage. So, often, do raviolis.
The keys to a great sausage are first and foremost what?
The right proportion of meat to fat, and second to add the optimal proportion of salt to that meat mixture.
What’s the advantage of the sausage ratio?
It can be scaled up or down as you need it.
To ensure juiciness, sausages should be between ___ and ___% fat.
25, 30
Without fat, sausages are what?
Dry and unpleasant.
There is no such thing as good, ____ sausage.
lean
When chicken sausages taste delicious, it’s because of what?
The right proportion of fat.
Be aware that store bought chicken and turkey sausage are often made from what?
What’s called “mechanically separated” meat–meat and other fragments whipped off bird carcasses in a big spinner.
Commercial sausages that are both delicious and lean often have what?
Some kind of chemical shenanigans going on in them to compensate for the lack of fat.
How can you make healthy alterations to sausages?
Vegetables and fruits can add moisture and flavor to sausages–roasted red peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and apples makes great additions to sausage. Liquid fat, such as olive oil, can be added to sausage, as can wine or rich stock.
In the end, what is the fact with sausage that we must embrace?
It’s all about the right ratio of meat to fat.
If you make a sausage from eye of round, venison, or other lean meats, you would need a little more fat than what?
1 parts fat to 3 parts meat
Do you need to add fat to sausage made with pork shoulder?
No, it already comes with the perfect proportion of fat, but you can add.
Fat of choice for sausages.
Pork back fat, from the back of the hog; it’s the fat the rims your pork chops but can be as much as 2 inches thick.
Where can you order pork back fat?
Butcher or grocery store meat department.
What if the back fat comes from a farm raised pig? Is it healthier?
It’s better for you than the more saturated fat from beef or lamb.
The word sausage derives from what?
The Latin word for salt.
Originally, what was the primary preservative in sausage? Why?
Salt because it reduces bacteria activity. It remains so today in dry-cured sausages, but it is also the primary flavor enhancer in fresh sausages.
Did sausage used to be dry cured?
Yes, and thus could be kept indefinitely.
Should you use iodized salt for sausage? Why?
No, it adds a chemical flavor to food. Use kosher or sea salt only.
When should you salt your meat? Why?
Well in advance of grinding it, so that the salt dissolves and penetrates (it will also help dissolve some of the meat protein, which will give the finished sausage a good bind and texture).
What is the ratio of salt to meat/fat in ounces?
.25oz salt per pound of meat/fat.
A cup of Morton’s kosher weighs about how much?
8oz
Is it better to dice meat and fat, then toss in salt a day before grinding?
Yes
In terms of making sausage, what factor is more important than all the others?
Keeping meat cold at all times. This means if you’re making sausage in a hot kitchen, it’s prudent to freeze your meat before grinding it, and if you’re not mixing it right away, keep it thoroughly chilled until you do.
After grinding your sausage, what’s the next step?
Thoroughly mix it in the mixing bowl using a paddle to develop the protein myosin, which helps it all stick together. This is also your opportunity to add more flavor in the form of wine or olive oil (liquid also helps to distribute the seasonings and results in a juicier finished sausage).
The final element to perfect sausage is what?
Cooking it right, taking it to the right temperature.
Best way to gauge a sausages temperature.
Insta-read or cable thermometer.
Sausages are among the most ______ foods when it comes to cooking them. They are almost always overcooked and this can ruin them.
abused
Pork sausages should be cooked to what temp?
150ºF
A poultry based sausage should be cooked to what temp?
160ºF
If they are in a casing, they should be cooked in a way that what?
Browns them for flavor and texture, but remember, they cook best in moderate heat.
Why shouldn’t you cook sausage in a blazing hot pan or grill?
The outside will overcook before the inside is done, and will often split the skin, releasing all the juices and fat that make a sausage taste good.
What seasonings go well with chicken?
Tarragon or fines herbs.
What seasonings go well with lamb?
Rosemary and garlic.
What seasonings go well with rich meats such as venison?
Sweet spices.
Name a group of Southwestern spices/flavors.
Cumin and dried chillis, roasted fresh peppers, cilantro.
Name a group of Asian spices/flavors.
Scallions and ginger.
Does lamb go well with dill?
No
What does loose sausage go well with?
All grains, legumes, and pasta–everything from couscous to navy beans to barely to spaghetti.
What is simply one of the greatest parings in the world?
Garlic and sausage.
Does sausage keep well?
Yes, it will keep in the freezer for a month of two.
What does tepid mean?
adjective
- (especially of a liquid) only slightly warm; lukewarm
- showing little enthusiasm
What should sausage casing be soaked in before using?
Tepid water.
If you didn’t have time to cool sausage in the refrigerator, what’s the alternative?
Placing it in the freezer and rotating every 30 minutes until very cold, even stiff, but not frozen solid.
Should you place mixing bowl that you grind sausage into on ice?
Yes
How long and what speed should you mix ground sausage on?
Low speed for 30 seconds, then add wine and increase mixing speed to medium and mix for 1 more minute or until liquid is incorporated and meat looks sticky.
How do you check seasoning of sausage?
Cut a piece off and cook like a hamburger patty.
How much back fat should you add to albs of pork butt?
1 pound back fat
How many 6-inch links will 5 pounds of sausage yield?
About 20
How would you make spicy garlic sausage?
Add salt, ground black pepper, dried red pepper flakes, minced garlic and red wine to meat/fat mix.
How would you make hot Italian sausage as a variation of spicy garlic sausage?
Add fennel seed, oregano, and sweet paprika.
How would you make sweet Italian sausage as a variation of spicy garlic sausage?
Omit chilli flakes and add a little sugar, fennel seed, sweet paprika, and oregano.
How would you make breakfast sausage as a variation of spicy garlic sausage?
Omit chilli flakes, add grated ginger and minced sage.
How would you make duck or turkey sausage as a variation of spicy garlic sausage?
Replace pork shoulder with diced turkey or duck (preferably thigh meat), reduce chill flakes by half, and add minced sage.
How would you make venison sausage as a variation of spicy garlic sausage?
Discard venison fat and use pork fat, half the chill flakes, minced onion, allspice, nutmeg, paprika, black pepper.
How would you make Mexican chorizo as a variation of spicy garlic sausage?
Omit chilli flakes, add ancho powder and chipotle powder, cumin, chopped oregano.
How would you make beef sausage as a variation of spicy garlic sausage?
Replace pork with beef fat and short ribs. Pipe into sheep casing.
How would you make chicken sausage as a variation of spicy garlic sausage?
Replace pork products with chicken thighs.
Two great things to pair with lamb sausage.
Castelvetrano olives and citrus.
Why do you need less salt when using olives?
They bring their own salinity.
How long should hog casing be soaked in tepid water before using?
30 minutes
Olives can bring a lot or a little salinity to the final seasoning depending on how they were ______.
cured
There are as many forms of bratwurst in Germany as there are _______ in Italy.
salamis
Bratwurst is usually composed of what?
Veal, pork and beef.
What does bratwurst mean?
The name is derived from Old High German (earliest stage of the German language) Brätwurst, from brät-, which is finely chopped meat and Wurst, or sausage
How many ounces of salt per albs of meat/fat in sausage?
1.25 ounces or 2.5 tablespoons (.25oz kosher salt per pound)
Meat loaf is nothing more than what?
Free-form sausage.
POT STICKER DOUGH
1 PARTS COLD WATER: 2 PARTS FLOUR
Peppers were practically designed to carry _______.
sausage
When making stuffed peppers, what types of peppers are best?
The type that don’t need a boat load of sausage such as banana peppers.
To a basic grind of beef with 25-30% fat, how would you make meatballs?
Salt, diced onion sautéed with a couple cloves of minced garlic, couple pieces day old bread, soaked in milk, and squeezed out, an egg, chopped oregano.
The key to good meatballs, unlike sausage, is to what?
Not to overmix. The flour and panfry them.
Internal temperature of meatloaf should be _____.
155ºF
What are keftedes?
A version of Greek meatballs (small meatballs made with herbs and onions).
How would you stuff a flank steak?
Take a meat mixture and roll it inside the steak, like a roulade.
