Bobby Flay's Bar Americain Cookbook - Bobby Flay [81]
Makes about 1¼ cups
10 New Mexico chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
7 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small Spanish onion, chopped
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Combine the chiles, garlic, onion, brown sugar, and 1 quart water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chiles are very soft, about 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the solids to a food processor using a slotted spoon and add 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Process until smooth, adding more of the cooking liquid to reach a thick but pourable sauce consistency. Season the sauce with the honey, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Reheat before serving.
CHIVE OIL
This emerald-hued oil—along with the Parsley Oil variation—is used to put the finishing touch on many plates that leave Bar Americain’s kitchen. Though admittedly I love it mostly for esthetic purposes, it does add a hint of fresh, herbal flavor too. You can make either of these in advance and refrigerate for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
Makes about ¾ cup
½ cup chopped fresh chives
¼ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup canola oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Combine the chives, spinach, canola oil, and salt in a blender and blend for 1 minute. Strain through a coarse strainer lined with cheesecloth into a bowl.
VARIATION
PARSLEY OIL
Replace the chives with 1½ cups packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves. Proceed as directed.
CHICKEN STOCK
This full-flavored stock is the base of many of our soups and sauces at Bar Americain. Make a double batch and freeze it in 1-quart containers so you always have some on hand. In a pinch, low-sodium canned chicken broth will work in soup recipes. However, because chicken broth is not made with chicken bones and therefore doesn’t contain any gelatin, canned broth is not recommended for any of the chicken stock–based sauces in this book.
Makes about 2 quarts
5 pounds raw chicken carcasses, rinsed well and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium Spanish onions, quartered (do not peel)
2 large stalks celery, plus leaves, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
8 sprigs fresh thyme
12 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Put the chicken carcasses in a large roasting pan and toss with the oil. Roast in the oven, turning once, until deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Transfer the carcasses to a large stockpot and add 3½ quarts cold water, the onions, celery, carrots, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, skimming the surface occasionally, for 2 hours.
4. Strain the stock through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a medium pot and discard the solids. Boil over high heat until reduced by half to about 2 quarts. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours or overnight. Once cold, remove the top layer of fat that will have risen to the top and discard. Return to the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
LOBSTER STOCK
Making homemade lobster stock is relatively easy. If you don’t steam a lot of lobsters at home or have access to lobster shells in your area—or making seafood or fish stocks simply isn’t your thing—you can buy good-quality prepared fish/seafood stocks from your local fishmonger or online (see Sources).
Makes about 2½ quarts
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 pounds lobster shells (from 4 2-pound lobsters), coarsely chopped
½ cup brandy
½ cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
2 medium stalks celery, chopped
12 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
12 black peppercorns
1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the lobster shells and cook, stirring occasionally,