Cookthink

Got some leftover beef bones? Make beef stock. It's a long but easy process. Here's what you do.First, take several beef bones along with large pieces of onion, carrot and celery and place them in a shallow roasting pan. Roast them at 400F for about 45 minutes or until they brown.Put the vegetables and meats in a large pot with star anise, cinnamon, thyme and enough water to cover. Simmer for 4 hours or so.When it's done, strain the liquid into a bowl. Set it in the refrigerator for several hours, and the fats will congeal to the top. Once they are solid, you can just lift that layer away with a spoon or tongs.Recipe: Beef Pho (Cookthink) Reference: What is pho? (Cookthink)

What is pho?

A hearty broth-based Vietnamese soup most often made with beef, pho (pronounced "fuh") is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Different recipes abound, but a traditional beef broth base is made with charred onions, ginger, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and star anise. Thin slices of beef are added, as well as rice noodles and a variety of garnishes that include scallions, coriander, Thai basil, lemon, lime, bean sprouts, fish sauce and sriracha. Originating in the early 20th century, the first pho may have been influenced by the French dish pot-au-feu; others attribute it to Chinese culinary influences. It can now be found in Vietnamese neighborhoods in many countries, and is often used to name a Vietnamese restaurant, with the addition of its street number, such as Pho 67 or -- Brys's favorite pho joint -- Arlington's Pho 75. Blog: Beef broth --> consommé --> pho (Cookthink) Blog: Everything About Pho (Pho Fever) Reference: Mega Pho Page (Viet World Kitchen) Reference: A Bowl of Pho (SF Gate) Discussion: The Pho Forum (eGullet) Recipe: Beef Pho (Cookthink) Recipe: Chicken Pho Noodle Soup (Viet World Kitchen)

What is pot-au-feu?

A pot-au-feu is a comforting one-pot French dish that is at once a soup, meat and vegetable dish, as all the ingredients are simmered together in water. Mirabeau called the wintry dish "the foundation of empires." Pot-au-feu is usually made with various cuts of beef -- lean, fatty, gelatinous and marrow meat. Classic pot-au-feu vegetables (sold pre-packaged in French supermarkets) include carrots, turnips, parsnips, clove-studded onions, leeks and celery (plus a bouquet garni). Potato and cabbage may be added, but are cooked separately and then added at the last minute. It's best to make your pot-au-feu a day ahead; strain and refrigerate broth and skim off fat before reheating. Classic French cooks sometimes add a browned onion to the broth to add depth to its color, then strain again before adding a splash of port or Madeira. The traditional way to eat a pot-au-feu is to first sip the strained broth (sometimes with added croutons or cheese). Next, spread bone marrow on toast. And finish your meal with the tender meat and vegetables, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper and accompanied by cornichons, horseradish, mustard, pickles or pickled vegetables, or even red currant jelly.

What is the difference between stock and broth?

The two terms are often used interchangeably but retain an aura of cloudiness like the unskimmed foam on a simmering pot of stock or broth. Stock is the strained liquid that you get once you've cooked various meat, poultry, fish or seafood, vegetables, herbs and seasonings in water. Brown stock is made by browning bones and vegetables first in oil before adding water and/or wine to the pot. Stock is the basis for many a soup, stew and features in many sauces, often reduced. White sauce is made from white stock made with chicken, veal or other poultry; brown sauces incorporate brown stock made from veal, beef or poultry meat and bones. A court-bouillon is also a stock. Vegetable stock is made with vegetables which may or may not have been first sautéed in oil or butter. Broth is also the strained liquid that's left after you've cooked meat, poultry, fish or seafood, vegetables, herbs or seasonings in water. Broth is also called bouillon. Nevertheless, cubes of instant stock that is reconstituted with water as a cooking shortcut are called bouillon cubes. The liquid in a pot-au-feu is also called bouillon.

What is demi-glace?

Demi-glace is a thick, shiny deep brown French sauce used as a base for other sauces to give depth to complex dishes. Demi-glace is made by boiling espagnole sauce (which is a classic French brown mother sauce made with brown stock, brown roux, mirepoix and tomato purée, cooked for several hours), skimming it and adding white stock or estouffade (clear brown stock that's used to dilute thicker brown sauces or moisten other dishes), plus Madeira or sherry and in some cases mushroom stalks until it reduces by half into a glaze-like sauce that coats the back of a spoon. It's quite a project, and even French home cooks usually resort to dehydrated powdered demi-glace, available in supermarkets.