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| Chef Scott Quis braises at Barcelona |
I admit it: I'm a bit of a control freak. I appreciate a level of routine and predictability. If you go out to eat with me, you know that I pick the wine at dinner and the waiter presents it to me. It's just one of things that falls under my jurisdiction.
As a result of this particular personality trait, I have lived in fear of braising. Something about setting a dish aside to slow cook makes me uncomfortable, especially if it involves an expensive protein. I'd rather it stayed underneath my watchful eye. Fortunately, a cooking class at Barcelona Stamford helped me face my fear head on.
On Saturday January 19, Chef Scott Quis led a cooking class entitled "braising basics" that I enthusiastically signed up for as soon as I saw the announcement. Quis has a remarkable pedigree. He started in the kitchen at just fourteen years old and went on to study at the Culinary Institute of America. He has another interesting claim to fame; he was Daniel Boulud's 1st intern. Hard work and diligence helped him achieve the title of sous chef by twenty-two. "It was fun, but hard when a lot of the crew was older," he reflected. He credits visits to foreign countries with much of his growth as a chef. "Travelling is most important," he told us. He worked in Paris while with Boulud and made his way to Italy and Spain as well.
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| 2006 Quieto from Argentina |
The class began at 2:00 p.m., which provided for a more intimate, relaxed experience. Since the restaurant was in between meals, participants got to congregate around the bar, speak to the servers and chef, and enter the kitchen freely. As guests matriculated in, a personable server offered us drinks. My friend and I chose a glass of 2006 Quieto, a red wine from Argentina. The blend consists of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon. While I am a huge Malbec fan, I am reluctant to order it in restaurants. The wine can be very tannic and aggressive, and I have found that most restaurants serve Malbecs of this persuasion. They tend to be young, commercial, and therefore astringent. Barcelona defied all that. The slight age conserved the pepper notes yet smoothed out some of the tannin. The Cabernet Franc added a light zing to the otherwise robust varietal. I would certainly order it again and consider it one of Barcelona's best reds by the glass.
Drinks in hand, Chef Scott led us into the kitchen. I felt a bit like I was going backstage at a concert. As a cook and longtime admirer of the cuisine at Barcelona, I relished in the idea of being privy to the behind the scenes magic. I would finally get to see what the kitchen looked like, observe how they worked, and witness the conception of delicious plates.
Scott Quis chose two proteins for braising that afternoon: pork and lamb shank. We squeezed into the kitchen and gathered around him. He began by showing us a pig that had started out whole and had been broken down into four large parts, including the head. The pigs come to Barcelona from Dartagnan in Vermont. In high school, I spent the lab period devoted to pig dissection hiding out in the library, but somewhere throughout my cooking adventures I transitioned into someone who found the scene in front of me totally cool.
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| Lamb shanks browning |
We then moved around the other side of the counter to the oven where he began the braising demonstration itself with the lamb. For a revered, bustling restaurant, I was surprised by the relatively small kitchen. It proved deceivingly narrow and the dancing flames from the stove made it toasty. I wondered at how efficiently Scott and his crew floated around the limited space (while avoiding third degree burns)
The very first step in braising is to ensure the meat is dry. Scott had a very large round pan set up on the gas stove and splashed enough oil in it to coat the bottom. He then added the lamb shank and let them simmer in the oil until browned. "You need to get it this color, at least," Scott noted. "It gives the roasted flavor to the braise." He seared all sides, sometimes propping them up on the side of the pan.
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| Browned lamb |
As the lamb achieved its crisp golden color, Scott added large vegetables to the pan. Carrots, onions, and celery are musts for braising, but he also added fennel. The least moist vegetable, the carrots, go in first, followed by the onions, celery, and fennel. It is important to use large chunks so that they have surface area to caramelize. I was surprised to see that the vegetables had enough natural sugars to caramelize to that extent. I have come to associate "caramelized" with the onions found on pub-style burgers and always assumed that copious amounts of residual sugar were needed. Scott corrected this fallacy.
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| Scott points out a caramelized carrot |
As the vegetables cook, it is important to remove the lamb as it finishes browning. One must also keep an eye on the color of the braising liquid; if it becomes too dark, it acquires a bitter taste and cannot be used. Scott stressed the importance of not salting the vegetables as well. The salted meat provides the seasoning for the braise. If one were to add salt to the vegetables, the salt would become overpowering as the liquid reduced.
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| Removed shanks |
As the vegetables neared completion, Scott tossed in five heads of garlic, skin and all. In addition, he chopped fresh kumato tomatoes into wedges and added them. He let it all cook down until the tomatoes had almost disappeared. He went on to add a blend of star anise, cinnamon stick, fennel seed, and coriander that he had prepared earlier with the help of a spice grinder.
Next, Scott placed the shanks back in along with a mix of water and stock, just enough to cover the meat. He covered the shanks with circular parchment paper to submerge them. Any meat protruding from the water would burn in the oven. We waited until the pan began emitting slow, small bubbles. Only then was it ready for braising. We left it bubbling steadily at that rate until braised and tender. To check to see if the meat is ready, you can stick it with a fork or a skewer. When the meat slides off easily, it is probably done.
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| Separating the meat from the pig |
As our final activity in the kitchen, we returned to the pig. Scott lay the skin out and began separating the meat from the body. As a seasoned pro, he removed the bones and cartilage quickly, which would have been a more difficult task for a pig newbie. He then combined the protein with sweet and spicy pimenton, piquillo peppers, garlic, salt, sweet sherry vinegar, and olive oil. He tightly bundled the entire mixture in saran wrap. He explained that he would go on to place it in an ice bath, cool it down for about three hours, and serve it as "carpaccio" on a warm plate.
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| Rolling up the pig carpaccio |
Finally, we had the chance to taste the spoils! We assumed our positions around the bar and looked on in awe as James served us what Scott had just prepared, along with an extra risotto dish, family- style. Food abounded; the dishes seemed bottomless and unending! The lamb came out first, and the fact that I almost liked it speaks volumes to Scott's talents as a chef. I'll spare you the gory details and say simply that I had a particularly traumatic experience with lamb during my first trip to Egypt. It would take nothing short of amnesia to make me get over it, and this was the first time since I have enjoyed the taste and texture of the protein. Next, James brought out the pork carpaccio. It was my favorite dish of the afternoon. The sweet, smokey flavor of the pimenton complimented the perfectly tender meat and lingered on my tongue. A bed of arugula packed an extra punch of zest.
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| Carpaccio |
I had the chance to speak more to Chef Scott about the techniques he employs and the ingredients he uses at Barcelona. While some talented chefs are pointed and- dare I say- egotistical, he proved to be the opposite. He graciously answered my questions and offered up a wealth of information. Recently I've been learning about seafood and breaking down fish, so he told me about the enormous fresh fish market the team visits in Brooklyn. He revealed that they made an incredible find there, fresh conch, and were in the process of braising it for dinner that night. Conch is rare and preparing it is a tedious task; the entire process of cleaning one shell yields only an ounce or two of meat. He peaked my curiosity so much that I returned during dinner service for the chance to try it.
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| The amount of meat that comes from one conch shell |
Scott did incredible service to the exceptional ingredient. He made a paella-like mixture with the braised fish, succulent rice, peppers, and spices. He even incorporated a touch of freshly made bouillabaisse sauce. The whole mixture was then returned to the shell and finished with a layer of toasted breadcrumbs. The few ounces of rendered conch meat thus transformed into a rich, decadent, plate that exuded heat and flavor. I was impressed that Scott created a warm, spicy dish from the conch- a perfect combination for a chilly winter's day. I associate rarer types of seafood with light, barely cooked crudos, and was thrilled to encounter such a wonderfully unexpected preparation.
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Top Photo: Conch, sherry pairing, and scallop ceviche (Left to Right)
Below: Conch |
I left Barcelona on Saturday night inspired, amazed, and eager to start braising! (I'm sure my landlord will be
thrilled since braising requires high heat, flaming burners, and an assortment of spices that will permeate through the building!) I am so grateful to Chef Scott for sharing his vast knowledge with us and to the Barcelona staff for making us feel at home. I plan on signing up for cooking classes to come, and certainly recommend them to culinary amateurs and veterans alike!
Barcelona Website:
http://www.barcelonawinebar.com/
Barcelona Class and Event Calendar:
http://www.barcelonawinebar.com/calendar.htm
Barcelona Stamford
222 Summer St.
Stamford, CT 06901
203-348-4800
