From Russia with Love, I Fly to You...

I've Seen Places, Faces and Smiled For a Moment...
(Matt Monro- From Russia With Love)

Lesson 23 - Beef Strogonoff

 Boom

Today's class is on Beef Strogonoff, a dish of Russian origin. The funny thing is, the Cordon Bleu version looks nothing like what I see on the internet. Our Stragonoff has a reddish hue due to the large amount of paprika that we put in the dish as well as the tomatoes. The recipes that I see online doesn't call for paprika, and instead of regular cream they call for sour cream, which I'm sure would alter the flavor profile.

Typical picture of what I find online

Aside from the beef, we served the dish with rice, carrots, green beans and zucchini, which all have to be prepared separately. They're all pretty easy to make aside but the biggest trick is to manage your station so that everything can come out well.

Strogonoff Sauce

Sear beef trimmings, pour out grease, then add in
1/2 onion finely chopped, 2 tomatoes chopped and tomatoe paste. Then deglaze with
200ml white wine, add
1 tbsp Paprika, 2 mashed garlic cloves. Give it a few minutes and add in
400ml brown veal stock and Bouquet Garni. Let cook and reduce.
Strain sauce and reduce as necessary. Before serving add in
100ml cream and whisk. Do not boil sauce anymore.
After prepping and searing the beef, add the beef into the sauce for a minute, then bring the beef out and serve.

Et Je Suis Fier, Et Je Suis Fier, Et Je Suis Fier D'Etre Bourguignon

Quand je fois rougir ma trogne, je suis fier d´être bourguignon!
( Je suis fier d'être Bourguignon)

Lesson 18 - Red Meats - Part 2

Today, we made Beef Burgundy, a yummy, tender dish that reminds me of an interracial wonderful marriage between the Chinese and French. The texture of the meat is similar to the braised beef that I eat in China, but the reduced red wine sauce is distinctively French. The sauce contains small mushrooms and bacon bits, and the dish is garnished with potatoes, glazed onions and a fried crouton.

My Braised Beef with Glazed Onions, Potatoes and Fried Cruton

 I accidentally cracked my heart-shaped crouton, so

I now christen it my Crouton Cordon Bleu Coeur Brisé (CCBCB).
Sounds like a Chinese State-owned Enterprise.

The dish took over 48 hours to make. We prepared the marinate, which was basically 1 liter of red wine combined with aromatic garnishes, last class. We then soaked the beef shoulders in the marinate for over two days, and then cooked it in the oven for a good 75 minutes. Despite that, the Chef still complained that my meat was not well done enough. The beef is suppose to be super well-done, to the point where its fibers break down. That would take more than 2 hours of cooking to achieve.

Review from the chef: The beef is as well cooked as it could be, given that we only had 75 minutes. Glazed onions, cruton, and turned potatoes all have the right flavor and textures, though glazed onions generally should have more coloring. Although flavorful, the sauce should have more red wine flavor. Perhaps I should add more red wine in the future. Also I probably shouldn't serve my crouton if it was broken. "Oh it was deliberate, chef."  I tried to argue,"It's my Broken-Hearted Crouton!"

Quote from this class:

"You know, I have a friend in the industry who refuses to serve beef that is any more cooked than Saignant (rare). If a client demands à point (medium) or bien cuit (well done), he would simply refuse to cook the dish, and instead recommend a chicken or pork dish, which would be cooked bien cuit."

- Demo Chef Vaca, who failed to disclose where his friend works