Brisket Braised With Dried Fruit Food

BRISKET BRAISED WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Pat brisket dry.
• Heat the oil over moderately-high heat until rippling and brown the brisket on all sides.
• Transfer it to a plate and season.
• In the remaining oil, saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes and add brisket, any juices that have accumulated on plate and wine.
• Bring to a boil and braise, covered, over low heat, for 3 hours and 30 minutes, or until it is almost tender.
• Let apricots, apples, raisins and currants plump in 1 ½ cups hot water for 1 hour and drain fruit, reserving water.
• In a small, dry skillet, brown the flour over moderately-high heat, stirring constantly, and remove from heat.
• Add reserved water to brisket and whisk in browned flour.
• Add fruit and simmer, covered, 45 minutes, or until fruit is soft and brisket is very tender.
• Let cool, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Slice brisket very thin across grain and serve with fruit and sauce.
• It will be even more flavourful if chilled overnight and reheated in sauce over moderately-low heat.

BEEF BRISKET BRAISED WITH DRIED FRUIT, YAMS AND CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon paprika, allspice and crushed red pepper and stir 20 seconds. Add chicken stock, wine and bay leaves. Boil 10 minutes to blend flavors.
• Sprinkle brisket with paprika and rub in. Add brisket to pot, fat side up. Add dried apricots and pitted prunes. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours.
• Add yams and carrots to pot. Cover and cook until brisket is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours longer. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes. Remove brisket from pot and slice thinly across grain. Arrange on platter. Degrease pan juices. Spoon pan juices over meat. Arrange fruit and vegetables around meat. Garnish with minced fresh parsley and serve. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate before slicing meat. To serve, remove meat from pot and slice thinly across grain. Remove any solid fat from sauce. Return sliced meat to pot. Place pot in 325°F oven and bake until brisket is heated through, about 30 minutes.)

THE ULTIMATE BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Drizzle brisket liberally with olive oil then season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Place a large Dutch oven or heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Place the brisket in the pot and sear on both sides to form a nice brown crust. Remove from pot and set aside before adding carrots, onion and celery. Brown vegetables, then add the garlic, tomatoes, red wine, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Add the brisket back to the pot, cover and roast in the oven for 3 hours until the brisket is fork tender.
• Remove the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Strain out the vegetables and pour off some of the excess fat, then pour over the brisket.
• Slice brisket across the grain and serve over parsnip puree with roasted red onions and garnish with parsley.

BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Mix the fennel seeds, sage, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the brisket, pressing it into the meat to make sure it sticks well.
• Mix the beef stock or broth, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and garlic in a large liquid measuring cup and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the brisket fat-side up and cook until golden brown and no longer sticking to the bottom of the pot, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until it is golden brown and some of the fat has rendered, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the brisket to a plate and lower the heat to medium.
• Add the onions, carrots and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the onions are softened and starting to caramelize, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add the balsamic mixture and tomatoes to the pot and bring to a boil. Return the brisket to the pan and nestle it into the sauce and vegetables fat-side up. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and braise until the brisket is tender but not shredding or falling apart, about 3 hours 30 minutes. A fork should easily pierce through the meat.
• Remove from the oven, uncover and let the brisket rest in the pan for 30 minutes. Remove the brisket to a cutting board. Bring the vegetables and sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until slightly thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Thinly slice the brisket across the grain and place on a platter. Spoon the vegetables and sauce over the top and serve.

SUPER FAST BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Heat a large pot with a cover to medium-high heat.
• Oil, salt, and pepper brisket, sear all sides until browned. Reduce heat to very low.
• In a bowl, mix together barbecue sauce and water, add to brisket as well as onions and garlic.
• Cover and simmer for 1½-2 hours. Cut against the grain when serving.

BRISKET WITH DRIED APRICOTS, PRUNES, AND AROMATIC SPICES

Steps:

• Combine 1/3 cup apricots, 3 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in processor. Using on/off turns, chop to coarse puree. Using small sharp knife, make 1/2-inch-deep slits all over brisket. Set aside 1 tablespoon apricot mixture. Press remaining apricot mixture into slits.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 300°F. Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle brisket all over with salt and pepper. Add brisket to pot and sauté until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate, fat side up; spread with reserved 1 tablespoon apricot mixture. Add onions to same pot. Sauté over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add carrots, ginger, coriander, cayenne pepper, remaining 6 garlic cloves and 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin; sauté 3 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced almost to glaze, stirring up any browned bits, about 5 minutes. Return brisket to pot. Add stock and bring to simmer. Spoon some of vegetable mixture over brisket.
• Cover pot and place in oven. Roast brisket 2 1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices. Add prunes and remaining 1/3 cup apricots. Cover; roast until brisket is tender, about 30 minutes longer. Cool brisket uncovered 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled overnight.
• Spoon off any solid fat from top of gravy; discard fat. Scrape gravy off brisket into pot. Place brisket on work surface. Slice brisket thinly across grain. Bring gr avy in pot to boil over medium-high heat. Boil to thicken slightly, if desired. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Arrange sliced brisket in large ovenproof dish. Spoon gravy over. Cover with foil. (Can be made 2 days ahead; refrigerate.)
• Rewarm covered brisket in 350°F oven about 30 minutes (or 40 minutes if chilled). Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

BRISKET WITH DRIED FRUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a large roasting pan over high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Brown beef in pan all over, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter. Add onions and garlic to pan; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until onions just turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and juice, the stock, and vinegar; bring to a boil.
• Return meat to pan; cover with foil. Cook in oven until fork-tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn meat; add sauerkraut and dried fruits. Cover; cook until meat is very tender and sauce is reduced, about 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 30 minutes. Slice meat against the grain. Serve with sauce.

BRAISED BRISKET WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grate 1 teaspoon zest from the lemon.
• Heat the olive oil in a roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned on both sides. Remove the beef from the pan. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon pan drippings.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic cloves to the pan and cook until golden, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar to the pan and cook and stir for 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the stock, thyme and rosemary sprigs. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes. Season with black pepper.
• Return the beef to the pan. Spoon the stock mixture over the beef. Cover the pan.
• Bake for 2 1/2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Baste the beef with the pan juices every 30 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan, cover and keep warm.
• Strain the pan drippings through a sieve into a medium bowl, reserving the garlic and discarding the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Spoon off any fat.
• Place about half the garlic cloves and about 1 cup pan drippings into a food processor or blender. Cover and process until the mixture is smooth.
• Heat the garlic mixture, remaining garlic cloves, remaining pan drippings, chopped rosemary, minced garlic and lemon zest in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat to a boil. Cook and stir until the gravy is thickened. Serve the gravy with the beef.