There’s stock and then there’s brown stock…which makes a wonderful, hearty base for thick, dark gravy. And this time of year, with turkey and mashed potatoes on the holiday menu, that’s music to the ears. Read on for the simple techniques that will make your gravy the best ever. You could say it’s the secret…
Category: Tips & Tricks
Spatchcocking & Roasting a Turkey
If a grand entrance with a turkey straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting is not part of your Thanksgiving ritual, you can cut cooking time substantially by butterflying the bird. This is an especially good method if you prefer to bring platters of carved meat to the table, or are setting a buffet. Spatchcocking, or…
Roasted Capon for the Holidays
Capon: the super chicken. A capon is a rooster that is gelded at a young age, and raised until it’s between 8 and 12 pounds. With its large size and broad breast, capon makes the perfect holiday bird; in fact it’s quite common to find roasted capon at the Christmas table in both France and…
Grilled Turkey for Thanksgiving
If have the good fortune of a temperate climate, or are intrepid and adventurous enough to brave the elements, grilling can be much more than just a novel way to prepare your holiday bird. Grilling aficionados will tell you “Where there’s smoke, there’s flavor!” and grilling one of our turkeys is no exception. For this…
Stuffing vs. Dressing
Whether a stuffing is a dressing, or vice versa, is as much about semantics as whether it is cooked inside or outside the bird. Some people will tell you that it’s called stuffing when cooked inside the bird, and dressing when cooked separately. And in the south, they call both versions dressing. They are really…
Cooking with Dried Mushrooms
For spur-of-the-moment meals, or when your favorite fungi are out of season, there is nothing handier than a supply of dried mushrooms in the cupboard. We think of dried mushrooms as an extension of the spice cabinet—in other words, a kitchen essential. Our dried mushroom collection features five types of wild mushrooms – porcini, chanterelle, morel,…
Roast Chicken: A Week of Meals
Roasting a chicken might seem daunting, but it is actually quite simple. It makes a crowd-pleasing meal that fills your house with delicious aromas. And the best part: the possibilities for leftovers are endless. Start with our Perfect Roast Chicken Recipe and read on for leftover ideas. Eating the Leftovers The uses for the leftover chicken…
Brining Your Meat
To brine or not to brine? Our favorite fried chicken recipe – Thomas Keller’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken – begins with a brine. So what is brining all about? What is Brining? At its most basic, brining is submerging meat in a solution of salt and water for many hours before cooking, enhancing the meat’s ability…
Spicy Interview with Thora of Teeny Tiny Spice Company
Do you like it spicy? So do we! We’ve been using some very tasty spice blends from Teeny Tiny Spice Company when cooking with our favorite D’Artagnan meats. So we wanted to know more about these organic spice blends and the entrepreneurial woman behind them. These spices are tiny in name only; they pack big flavor! Thora Pomicter,…
Tips for Making Steak Tartare at Home
Steak tartare is a true culinary classic, and a dining experience like no other. It is a melt-in-your-mouth delicacy made from the choicest high-quality beef steak – freshly chopped or minced, highly seasoned and enjoyed raw. The texture and mouth feel is beyond buttery, and the delicate flavor of the beef exquisite, with a balance…
Why Let Meat Rest?
Let it Rest! This could be the D’Artagnan motto. Whether it’s a ribeye, skirt steak, duck breast or pork chop, all meat needs to rest after it is cooked. Cook the meat on a grill or cast iron skillet until it has reached your preferred level of doneness. Then be patient and let the meat…
The Whole Foie Gras Duck
Ariane was honored to be a guest lecturer at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. Ariane is committed to educating and supporting the next generation of chefs, and she enjoys going to culinary schools to share her experience and wisdom. This time she demonstrated breaking down a whole duck – with the foie gras…
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