SLOW-COOKED SOUL FOOD FARM EGG
Goat Merguez | Spearmint

At some point, the goat merguez was going to go with the octopus course, but it turned out so well that I wanted to feature it in its own course. I thought a slow-cooked egg would go really well with it. It's kinda tapas-inspired. And I let the guests crack their own egg over it tableside! I thought that would be fun, and hadn't heard of anyone doing it before, so I decided to give it a shot. Yes, a few drops of liquid from inside some eggs ended up on placemats. That's okay. If I'd have used a different kind bowl, that wouldn't have happened. Next time. Anyway, this was really delicious and simple.

The egg was cooked for 75 minutes at 62.7C (145F), then shocked in ice water. It was reheated at 60C (140F) for thirty minutes or so just before serving. If it would have been just for me, I'd have done the eggs at a slightly lower temperature (142-143F), but I was worried that some diners might not prefer their eggs that runny. At the higher temp, the whites are nice, and the yolks are like a custard. At the lower temps, the yolks are still custardy but a little creamier--better, in my opinion--but parts of the whites are runny enough that it's offputting to some people (not me). So I went with the higher temp.

The goat merguez recipe is below. It's pretty much straight from Charcuterie, but with goat meat substituted for lamb, and goat fat substituted for pork fat. I pre-cooked the sausages sous vide for an hour at 60C (140F) so that I wouldn't have to worry about anything at service except browning them nicely. I immediately chilled them in ice water and held them in the fridge until the next day. At service, I just browned them in a hot pan with some olive oil, then drained them on paper towels and let them rest a bit before slicing them into chunks, tossing them with some spearmint, and placing them in bowls. Guests got a bowl of sausage and mint, and an egg.

Goat Merguez Recipe

1130g lean goat leg meat (trimmed of all chunks of fat)
280g goat fat, cubed (i.e. 30% of the weight of the lean meat)
25g kosher salt
3g sugar
1.25g hot red pepper flakes
11g minced garlic
110g roasted red bell peppers, peeled
3g ground black pepper
10g pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika)
1g powdered, dried oregano
37.5g dry red wine, chilled
37.5g ice water

Combine all ingredients other than the wine and water and toss to combine, then chill them until ready to grind. About 15 minutes before grinding put the mixture into the freezer. Grind all of the mixture through a small die and into a bowl set over ice water. Put it back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to chill. Then move it to the bowl of a stand mixer, add the wine and water, and mix for 30 seconds with the paddle attachment on medium speed, until the mixture looks sticky and evenly distributed. Return it to the freezer yet again for 15 minutes, then stuff it into sheep casings using the standard method. Twist the sausage into 6-inch links and refrigerate. Once completely chilled, vacuum seal the links in a dry bag and cook sous for an hour at 60C (140F). Immediately chill the sausage in ice water, then reserve it in the refrigerator. When ready to use, saute in a medium-hot pan to brown the outsides of the sausage, then rest the sausage before serving.

Posted by Barzelay on 2009/09/24 @ 0:00 | Comments (1) | Lazy Bear, Meat, Veggies, Fruit, Grain, Cheese

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