gourmet babble: Slightly Thai Pot Roast

1 - 3 lbs of roast
3/4 cup plain yogurt or lemon yogurt without corn syrup or cane sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp Sunny Singapore seasoning
2 tbsp sesame or grapeseed oil (or other oil with smoke point above 400)
1 tbsp unsalted butter, preferably clarified
1 1/2 tbsp rye flour
1/2 carrot, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
4 - 8 oz. cremini and/or shiitake mushrooms
2 cloves roasted garlic, thickly sliced
2 Thai (bird's eye) peppers, seeded and diced
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 can (7 oz) lite coconut milk
1 tbsp Thai red curry powder
1 bay leaf
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp dried summer savory leaves
1/2 inch galangal, sliced
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 - 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns, preferably Tellicherry
1/2 tsp Sichuan (a/k/a Szechuan) peppercorns (optional)
cheesecloth or linen to form a pouch (2 layers, each 6"-10" square)
cotton string to tie pouch closed

Trim roast of all extra fat. Mix yogurt, vinegar, and seasoning; coat meat with mixture and let marinate for 6-24 hours.

Assemble bay leaf, lime leaves, galangal, coriander, fennel, black pepper, tarragon, savory, and thyme in a small cheesecloth or linen pouch to form a bouquet garni. Set aside.

Remove stems from the mushrooms. Dice stems, slice caps, and set aside in two separate piles.

Heat a Dutch oven to medium-high, about 350°. Add oil to pot. Once the oil is warm, sear the meat, turning often to ensure even browning. Once browned, remove from heat and reserve. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion; cook until they have reached a deep golden color. Add carrots and celery; cook until browned.

Mix curry powder with an equal amount of water to form a paste. Combine the broth and coconut milk; mix in the curry paste and add to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a slow simmer; add roast, garlic, mushroom stems, peppers, and bouquet garni. Cover and let simmer until tender (approximately 2 - 4 hours), basting and turning frequently.

Towards the end of the braising, set a small pan on medium heat and add the butter and flour to form a roux. Cook while stirring until roux is brown and has a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and let cool slightly; do not refrigerate.

Remove roast from pot and set aside, preferably on warming plate or food warmer. Remove bouquet garni and discard. Heat saucepan to low heat. Strain sauce from pot into saucepan, reserving solids; add mushrooms, cover, and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and add roux slowly while stirring until desired sauce thickness is obtained. Let simmer for another 5 minutes; remove from heat and serve with roast.

Take reserved vegetables from strainer and do something cool with them.

Notes: The marinade is not right. I need to come up with something better.

Also, the sauce got almost pedestrian towards the end. I wonder if I should have skipped the roux, which may have masked some of the more intricate flavors, and instead just boiled it down and accepted a thinner sauce. I'll have to ponder it; the bottom line is that the amount of work that went into the delicate flavorings was not reflected in the final product. What was completed at the end was pedestrian enough that it could have been nearly the most perfunctory pot roast recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook. I'm not sure a blind taste test would result in a single person coming up with the word "Thai" as the influencing cuisine.

Posted by on December 29, 2006 10:19 PM | Permalink

gourmet babble

Scott Swanson's ramblings through the passion of gastronomy

Slightly Thai Pot Roast

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