Tyler Florence’s braised brisket

I’ll take a real chef over a “personality” any day, so I’m not too fond of The Food Network’s current crop of popular shows. Many of the chefs are gone or diminished, but every now and then I run across Tyler Florence. I always watch if I have time. He’s a chef who hasn’t forgotten what cooking in a home kitchen is like, and he never talks down to us. The few recipes of his I’ve tried have been terrific. This one’s no exception and this brisket slut was overjoyed to find it, because it’s a sophisticated take on a familiar dish, using wild mushrooms and sour cream.

Until recently, I had no idea there’s a Tyler Florence section on AOL with recipes created for AOL. The real bonuses, though, are the detailed videos and slide shows that accompany his recipes. This is the best section of AOL’s food that I’ve found; too many of their recipes are incomplete or downright wrong — I saw one that called for three bottles of bay leaves! — and user complaints don’t seem to have any effect on the sloppiness.

I’m posting the recipe here, but I urge you to check out his video and slideshow for this brisket or check out the Tyler Florence section. The photo here is from the website; I can’t make meat look appetizing in a photo to save my brisket-lovin’ life.

Braised Brisket and Creamy Wild Mushrooms

4 large garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, needles striped from the stem and chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (4 pound) beef brisket, first-cut
Freshly ground black pepper
4 large carrots, cut in 3-inch chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in 3-inch chunks
3 large onions, halved
2 cups dry red wine
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 bunch thyme
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 lb. mixed wild mushrooms (oyster, portabello, crimini, shitake), quartered
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsps. horseradish
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup brisket stock (strained brisket jus)
4 sprigs of thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 325F.

On a cutting board, mash the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt together with the flat side of a knife into a paste form. Add the rosemary and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-rosemary paste in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil; stir to combine.

Season both sides of the brisket with a fair amount of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Dust brisket generously with flour. Place a large roasting pan or Dutch oven over medium-high flame and coat with the remaining olive oil. Put the brisket in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on both sides. Lay the vegetables all around the brisket and pour the rosemary paste over the whole thing. Add the wine and tomatoes; toss in the parsley, thyme and bay leaves. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 3 to 4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices until the beef is fork tender.

Remove the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Strain the stock and spoon out some of the excess fat.

Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms. Heat up a large saute pan and approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic, the mushrooms and thyme. Cook until a nice light brown color develops then add brisket stock and continue to simmer and reduce — mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. When thickened, finish with the horseradish, sour cream and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To serve, slice the brisket across the grain (the muscle lines) at a slight diagonal and top with the creamy wild mushrooms.

Source: Tyler Florence, AOL

Add to: | del.icio.us | furl

Tagged as: beef, brisket, carrots