Braised Capon With Pearl Onions Recipes

BRAISED CAPON WITH PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Cut breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wing drumsticks of capon into 3-inch pieces, and trim away as much excess fat as possible (or have a butcher do this for you when you buy the capon). Reserve backbone and wing tips to make stock, if desired. Place onions in a bowl of warm water, and let stand 15 minutes to loosen their skins. Peel pearl onions, and set them aside.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season capon pieces with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Season matzo meal with remaining salt and pepper, and dredge the capon pieces in matzo meal, tapping off any excess.
• Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in a large, wide, heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Arrange as many capon pieces as will fit in a single layer. Cook, turning to brown all sides well, about 10 to 15 minutes, adding remaining margarine as needed. As pieces brown, transfer them to a platter and add more pieces. When all pieces have been browned, pour off the accumulated fat. Add wine to the casserole, scrape up browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon, and boil for about 1 minute. Add the capon pieces and onions, and scatter the top with thyme sprigs. Add stock, bring to a boil, and cover. Place casserole in oven, and cook until tender, about 1 hour.
• Remove casserole from oven. Lift out capon pieces and onions with a slotted spoon, transfer them to a large bowl, and set casserole aside to let liquid cool. Remove and discard thyme sprigs. When cool, cover casserole and the bowl with capon pieces, and refrigerate them overnight.
• To serve, remove casserole from refrigerator, and scrape off solidified fat. Place over medium-high heat, and cook until liquid has reduced by about a quarter, skimming foam from the surface as necessary, about 20 minutes. Lower heat to medium low; return capon and onions to casserole, and cook, covered, about 15 minutes. Remove cover, raise heat to medium high, and cook until sauce has thickened and capon is heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

BRAISED ONIONS A LA JULIA CHILD

Steps:

• If you are using fresh pearl onions, they are easier to peel if you blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then run them under cold water to cool.
• If you are using frozen pearl onions, make sure they are defrosted and drained.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
• Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible without breaking apart.
• Pour in the stock, add the herbs, and cover.
• Simmer over low heat for about 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
• Remove the herbs, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

CIDER-BRAISED PHEASANT WITH PEARL ONIONS AND APPLES

Steps:

• Make marinade:
• In blender, combine olive oil, ginger, tarragon, orange juice, zest, salt, and pepper and purée until smooth. In large bowl, combine marinade and pheasant and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.
• Braise pheasant:
• In very large Dutch oven over moderately high heat, heat olive oil until hot but not smoking. Remove pheasant pieces from marinade, scraping off excess, and sprinkle with salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Working in batches, sear pheasant pieces until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towel-lined platter to drain.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Skim off all but 1 tablespoon oil from pan, leaving browned bits at bottom, and set pan over moderately low heat. Add butter and heat until melted. Stir in onions, bay leaf, fennel seeds, salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are well caramelized, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Return pheasant to pot. Add chicken broth, cider, and wine. (Liquid should cover half of pheasant pieces. Add more chicken broth if necessary.) Raise heat to high and bring liquid to simmer. Add apples, cover, and transfer pot to oven. Braise, turning pheasant pieces occasionally, until meat is cooked through and tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Using tongs or slotted spoon, transfer pheasant to platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Set pot over high heat and bring pan juices to boil. Boil, uncovered, until sauce is well reduced and thickened, about 25 minutes. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
• While juices are reducing, prepare caramelized onions and apples:
• Bring medium pot of water to boil. Add pearl onions and boil, uncovered, 1 minute. Drain and run under cold water until cool enough to handle; slip off skins.
• In small skillet over moderately high heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add onions, apples, sugar, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Sear, shaking pan occasionally, until onions and apples are dark golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in apple cider, scraping up any browned bits in pan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until onions are fork tender, about 2 minutes more.
• Serve:
• Spoon some of sauce over pheasant and garnish with onions, apples, and chopped tarragon. Serve additional sauce alongside.

WINE-BRAISED BRISKET OF BEEF WITH CARAMELIZED PEARL ONIONS AND DRIED APRICOTS

Steps:

• 1. Season the brisket evenly on both sides with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the wine to a boil and continue boiling until it reduces to half its original volume, 15 to 20 minutes.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Evenly sprinkle the brisket all over with flour, shaking off excess. Heat a heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When it is almost smoking, turn the heat to medium-high, carefully add the brisket, and sear until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a platter. Pour off the fat from the Dutch oven and add another 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic, shallots, carrots, celery, and leek, and sauté until glossy and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add half of the apricots and all the parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and tomato paste, and continue to cook 1 minute more.
• 3. Return the browned brisket to the Dutch oven and add the reduced wine and 2 quarts stock or broth. If the brisket is not completely covered with liquid, add enough extra stock, broth, or water to cover. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pot and carefully place it in the oven. Cook until the brisket is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, blanch and peel the onions as instructed in the tips (see below), leaving them whole. Cut the remaining apricots into 1/4-inch strips.
• 4. In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat and sauté the pearl onions until lightly golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the apricot strips and pour in the remaining 1/4 cup stock or broth, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until tender, about 5 minutes. Cover and keep warm.
• 5. When the meat is done, carefully transfer it to a heated platter, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm. Boil the liquid in the Dutch oven until it thickens and reduces to about 1 quart, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, taste, and adjust the seasonings if necessary with more salt and pepper.
• 6. To serve, use a sharp knife to cut the brisket across the grain into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices on heated serving plates or on a heated platter, spoon half the sauce over it, and garnish with the pearl onions and apricots. Sprinkle with minced parsley and pass the remaining sauce on the side.

PEPPERY BEEF KEBABS WITH BRAISED PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Blanch onions in a large pot of boiling water 1 minute and drain, then cool under cold running water. Trim root ends and peel. Cook onions in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, 3 minutes (onions will not brown). Add salt and regular-grind pepper to taste and enough water to just cover onions and boil, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl with a slotted spoon and if necessary boil juices until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Toss onions with juices.
• Combine coarsely ground pepper, chopped rosemary, garlic, and salt, then rub into both sides of steak. Cut meat into 3/4-inch cubes.
• Put 1 onion, then 1 steak cube (thread through unpeppered sides) on each rosemary branch or skewer to make 60 kebabs.
• Preheat broiler.
• Arrange some of kebabs in a row, a peppered side facing up, along 1 long side of oiled rack of a broiler pan so that leaf ends of rosemary branches and blunt ends of skewers point toward middle of pan. Cover exposed skewer or branch ends with a sheet of foil (don't cover beef or onions). Arrange another row of kebabs over foil, covering exposed ends in same manner. Continue adding rows of kebabs and layers of foil until pan is full, making sure exposed ends of last row of branches or skewers are covered with foil. (To broil kebabs in batches, keep remaining kebabs on a tray, covered with plastic wrap and chilled.)
• Broil kebabs 2 inches from heat until beef is seared on 1 side but still medium-rare, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.