Classic French Pot Au Feu Crock Pot Or Le Creuset Recipes

CLASSIC FRENCH POT AU FEU

Steps:

• Enjoy!

THE CHEF STéPHANIE LE QUELLEC'S POT-AU-FEU RECIPE

Steps:

• Rinse the meats under running water, then place them (except for the marrow bones) in a round Le Creuset Dutch oven. Add cold water one and a half times the height. Bring to a boil, the impurities will rise to the surface, then lower the heat and skim (remove all the impurities).
• Peel and wash all the vegetables (except the potatoes), add them whole. Also add the onion studded with cloves, the head of garlic cut in half, the bouillon cubes, the pinch of salt, and the peppercorns.
• Cook over low heat for 3 hours 30 minutes, skimming every 30 minutes. After 3 hours of cooking, add the peeled and halved potatoes and the marrow bones.
• Serve this pot-au-feu with a crispy baguette, old-fashioned mustard, fleur de sel and pepper.

CLASSIC FRENCH POT AU FEU - CROCK POT OR LE CREUSET

Steps:

• Crock Pot:.
• Combine all ingredients with the beef stock and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings. Put the beef on platter and surround with the vegetables. Keep warm. Strain broth, skimming off fat, and add the flour - mix well and heat up gently until thickened. Serve separately in a gravy boat. Slice meat and serve accompanied with pickles and horseradish, French bread and butter.
• Traditional:.
• Brown meat in frying pan, adding salt and pepper. Sprinkle a little flour over the meat while turning over. Place meat into oven proof casserole dish or le Creuset.
• Briefly fry bacon, onions & garlic. Add the carrots and then the leeks and beef stock. Bring to the boil. Put everything into a large le Creuset or casserole dish, adding the turnips and potatoes last.
• Cook at low temperature (150C/300F) for about 5 hours or until the meat falls of the bone.
• Slice meat and serve accompanied with pickles and horseradish, French bread and butter. Serve the thickened jus in a gravy boat.
• Notes:.
• Depending on the meat being used, a Pot au Feu can be very rich. If you would like a leaner version, prepare it the day before and allow to cook overnight. Once cooled the fat will rise to the surface and it can be skimmed off. The dish can then be re-warmed.
• For a Pot au Feu with a Mediterranean flavour, modify the recipe by reducing the amount of meat, increasing the amount of vegetables and adding more herbs.

VEGETABLE POT AU FEU

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, combine the broth, water, salt, pepper and peppercorns.
• Tie the bay leaves, parsley, and thyme together using kitchen string to make a bouquet garni.
• Add it to the pot, along with the carrots, leeks, onions,turnips, potatoes and parsnips.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the celery hearts, re-cover, and simmer for another 20 minutes.
• Then remove the cover and simmer until all the vegetables are tender but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes longer.
• Remove the vegetables and arrange on a platter, (reserve broth for another use).
• Serve veggies with cornichons, tiny onions, mustard or horseradish and mayonnaise in small bowls; and french bread (all optional).

CHEAT'S FRENCH CASSOULET - CROCK POT OR LE CREUSET

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet - fry the bacon until nearly crisp & then add the onions, garlic, & carrots. Cook over a high heat until they are just soft on the outside & turning a golden colour. Drain well & remove from pan. Add to crock pot or Le Creuset casserole dish.
• Add sausages and brown - remove & add to onion mixture.
• Add pork chop pieces & brown - remove and add to above mixture.
• Make up chicken stock and add wine. Mix tomatoes in with stock & teaspoon of sugar.
• Pour stock and tomatoes over the cassoulet in crock pot or le creuset - add bouquet garni & give everything a good stir!
• Add the beans and stir well again.
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and cook for up to 6 hours on high in crock pot or in le cresuet for 3 hours in a slow oven with the lid on, 150C/300°F.
• Half an hour before serving, take lid of le creuset to brown the top. It's difficult to brown in a crock pot, but it's not that essential to brown the top, as the reason behind the breadcrumbs is to soak up some of the juice & make a crust on top! If your crock pot is the type which you can put under the grill, then do so!
• Serve with mountains of fluffy mashed potatoes & stir-fried Savoy Cabbage.
• NOTE ON SAUSAGES:.
• Try to use very good quality high meat content sausages; in France Toulouse sausages are mainly used - they generally have a meat content of at least 85%. Good quality English style sausages are also good - I have a recipe posted for some English sausages: Recipe #190045.
• However, any kind of sausage can be used and in the past I have used: Choritzo, Italian Style, Chipolatas etc.
• The Pork chops can be replaced with chicken pieces, lamb steaks or Confit D'Canard - preserved duck, if you are lucky enought to have some!

DOUFEU SLOW COOKED SHOULDER OR LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Thouroughly season the meat with salt and pepper.
• Heat a very small amount of oil in the base of the Doufeu and use this to seal the meat.
• Put half the rosemary and garlic cloves in the base of the Doufeu, add the meat and put the rest of the rosemary and garlic on top. Pour over the wine and place the carrot and celery on either side of the meat.
• Put the lid on the Doufeu and fill the reservoir with water or ice. You should not need to refill the reservoir, if you do, you have the ring on too high a heat.
• After ten or so minutes, turn the heat down to its lowest setting and leave to cook for at least four hours.
• Once cooked to your satisfaction, remove the meat and other ingredients from the Doufeu. Strain the rich liquid from the bottom of the Doufeu and use to make your delicious gravy.
• The lamb is best served with mashed potatoes and veg of your choice.

FISH POT-AU-FEU

Steps:

• Bring broth, wine, and tarragon to a boil over high heat in a large 5-6 quart saucepan. To this pot add the potatoes and carrots and return to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Boil gently for 10 minutes.
• Trim the root end and all but 3 inches of green tops from the leeks and remove the outer leaves. Split lengthwise and rinse well. Add to pan, cover, and boil for about ten minutes, until vegetables are tender. Remove leeks from pan and keep warm.
• Rinse then pat dry the fish. Cut into 4 equal portions. Add to pan, cover, simmer until carrots are tender and fish is opaque but still moist. This should take 7-10 minutes.
• With a slotted spatula, lift fish from pan and arrange in 4 wide, shallow bowls, arrange vegetables alongside and ladle broth over all.
• Enjoy!