Braised Beef With Caper Sauce Recipes

ROAST BEEF WITH DIJON-CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• For roast beef:
• Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix thyme, basil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Heat oil in large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with herb mixture. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 130°F, about 40 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; let rest.
• For sauce:
• Place skillet with juices over medium-high heat. Add butter; stir until melted. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth; bring to boil. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, whisking often, about 6 minutes. Whisk in mustard and capers. Season sauce with pepper.
• Cut beef crosswise into very thin slices. Transfer beef to platter. Serve with sauce.
• Test-kitchen tip:
• Eye of round is not the most tender cut of beef. For the best flavor and texture, be sure to slice it very thinly.
• What to drink:
• With the beef, pour a full-bodied Syrah blend. One to try: Château de Jau 2007 "Le Jaja de Jau" ($11).

BEEF WITH MUSHROOMS AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Dry the pieces of beef and dust them lightly with flour. Heat one tablespoon of the butter and one tablespoon oil in a heavy three-quart casserole. Brown the meat over medium-high heat without crowding. Add a little more oil if necessary. Remove the beef from the casserole and lower the heat.
• Saute the onion in the casserole until tender. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Stir in the stock and vermouth, scraping the bottom of the casserole. Return the beef and any juices it might have released to the casserole. Add the thyme and rosemary. Bring to a simmer, season to taste with salt and pepper and cover. Adjust heat so the stew simmers gently. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet and saute the mushrooms quickly over very high heat until they are lightly browned. Drain them and add them to the casserole. Continue cooking the stew for another 15 minutes or so, until the beef is tender. If you are making this stew in advance, complete it up untll this point, then finish step four just before serving.
• Combine the cream and mustard. Stir a little of the hot sauce from the stew into this mixture, then add the cream mixture back to the casserole. Add the capers, recheck seasonings, bring the sauce to a simmer once again and then serve.

BRAISED BEEF WITH MUSTARD AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F Measure the anchovy oil into a deep flameproof casserole, then make up to 3tbsp with the olive oil. Heat the oil and brown the meat well, a few pieces at a time.
• When all the meat has been browned, pour 4tbsp cold water into the empty casserole and stir to loosen any bits on the bottom.
• Return the meat to the pan and add the onions, anchovies, capers, mustard, half the thyme and all but 1tbsp of the parsley. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
• Tear off a sheet of greaseproof paper big enough to cover the pan. Crumple it up and wet it under the cold tap. Squeeze out most of the water, open it out and press down over the surface of the meat.
• Cover with a tightly fitting lid, and cook in the oven for 2hrs or until the beef is meltingly tender. Check the casserole after 1hr to make sure it's still moist - if it looks dry, add a little water.
• Check for seasoning, then stir in remaining parsley and thyme. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread or mashed potato.

WINE-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the black pepper. Finely grate, pass through a press or mince 2 garlic cloves. Set aside half the grated garlic for finishing the dish. Rub the rest all over the chicken pieces. Set aside the chicken while preparing the other ingredients.
• In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When the butter melts, add chicken in batches and cook until browned on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If the pan dries out, add a little more oil as needed. Transfer browned chicken to a plate.
• Add remaining tablespoon each oil and butter to the pan. Once the butter melts, add mushrooms and cook undisturbed until well browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir and cook for 1 minute longer.
• Thinly slice 2 garlic cloves. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in sliced garlic, leeks and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender and golden brown, 7 minutes. Add rosemary and wine to the pot and let simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until liquid reduces by half, about 1 minute.
• Nestle chicken, skin side up, into the pan and pour in any accumulated juices from the plate. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Pluck the rosemary sprigs from the pot. If the sauce looks thin, turn the heat to medium-high and let simmer until it thickens slightly, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining grated garlic, the crème fraîche, chives and lemon zest. Taste sauce and add more salt if needed. Spoon sauce over the chicken and top with parsley, more lemon zest and a dollop of crème fraîche, if you like, and serve.

BRAISED BEEF WITH CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut steak in serving sized pieces. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove, crumble, and set aside. Brown steak in bacon drippings. Add water, carrot, celery, and bay leaf; cover and cook over low heat 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender, stirring occasionally.
• Remove bay leaf and remove beef to a serving platter and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, melt butter over medium low heat. Add onions and mushrooms and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to first skillet and blend with an immersion blender or process in stand up blender.
• Stir in sour cream and capers; heat through. Pour gravy over steaks; garnish with bacon crumbles and chopped parsley.