Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Bonus days

Had to share, just because every once in awhile I make something for dinner that is kind of yummy.

Put your corned beef in the crockpot, but instead of putting water to cover, use a beer. Yum. That's tip number one that I learned today. Today I used a Killians, but I think Guiness is the way to go here. Next time, next time.

Tip two? When you put your cabbage in, put a skewer through it to keep the pieces together (I hate when my cabbage falls apart and looks bad...just me). I cut mine into quarters, then I took a small piece out of the "point" of the wedge and stuck the skewer through.

But then. THEN.

When everything was done, I took out the meat and let it rest on a plate, covered in foil. Then I took the cooking juices and put them into my gravy strainer. Using a large frypan, I melted two Tbsp. butter, and whisked in two Tbsp flour (do you know how to make gravy? I just learned about a year ago....it's pretty easy...this is how you do it). Let this cook about a minute, as you whisk, then slowly begin pouring in the "broth" part of the pan drippings...it will clump and look strange KEEP WHISKING....don't pause to think about it. The whisking is key to making sure you don't get lumps. Pouring slowly is also important, because it changes consistency as you cook, and if you proceed with caution you can judge the consistency of your gravy just right. Okay now, this is the magic part right here...pay attention): whisk in a goodly amount of fresh ground black pepper and about 1-2 Tbsp of dijon or stone ground mustard. I used dijon, that's what we had. You now have a creamy mustard sauce that will be YUMMY on your corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage. Serve with lots of carrots and parsnips too. mmmm. I know. You want this for dinner again tomorrow. Me too.

Cheers!

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