> Besides making good chicken stock is a lot easier than the > method you describe.
Actually, if you're making a roasted-bones chicken stock (the kind that has a darker color and a deeper, slightly nuttier flavor), the two processes are rather similar. Glace de viande is the ultimate reduction of gelatinous beef stock until no more moisture can be expelled. It hardens into a solid dark brown block that you crack with a mallet into little pieces and store uncovered in the fridge for up to a week. It dissolves nicely in sauces, provides a depth and richness of flavor and a high gloss, and thickens and smoothes the sauce into a perfect mouth feel. It's rarely used in home cooking because of the effort and short fridge life, but if you're all stressed out from work and want to relax, it's a great distraction. PS-- If you make your own chicken stock, try this: 1) Simmer the chicken whole for about one hour in barely salted water at just the barest hint of a simmer. Remove from heat and let the chicken cool in its liquid. 2) Pick the chicken clean and reserve the simmering liquid, carcass, wings tips, skin, and bones. Use the meat for something else. 3) Hack the carcass and cut the skin into 1-inch pieces, and place in a roasting pan with two quartered onions with the skins left on, a carrot or two cut into inch-long pieces, one bay leaf, two teaspoons of whole black peppercorns, and either one sprig of fresh thyme or a pinch of dried thyme. No salt yet. 4) Roast at 400-F until everything is nicely light brown 5) Transfer the mixture to your stock pot and deglaze the roasting pan with some of the reserved simmering liquid from earlier to dissolve all the fond, then tranfer that plus the remaining simmering liquid to the stock pot. 6) Add enough cold water to just cover and bring to a barely moving simmer uncovered (or you'll roll in the albumins and cloud the stock). Simmer only about an hour or it'll get bitter. 7) Strain through cheesecloth, de-fat in a separator (best kitchen invention ever made), strain through cheesecloth one last time, and season to taste. I typically don't reduce chicken stock any further because it turns bitter on me. You should end up with a rich and flavorful roasted chicken stock. Respectfully, Adam Phillip Churvis Member of Team Macromedia Advanced Intensive ColdFusion MX Training ColdFusion MX Master Class: July 14 - 18, 2003 http://www.ColdFusionTraining.com Download CommerceBlocks V2.1 and LoRCAT from http://www.ProductivityEnhancement.com The ColdFusion MX Bible is in bookstores now! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Signup for the Fusion Authority news alert and keep up with the latest news in ColdFusion and related topics. http://www.fusionauthority.com/signup.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
