Head Cheese
A classic revisited
I nearly always feature a terrine of some description on my menus, I enjoy the process of making them and the challenge of taking a number of ingredients and compacting them all into one small shape.
Terrines vary as do recipes and methods depending on what the ingredients are and the desired end product. A terrine mold is a wonderful thing in so much that it allows the customer to see layer upon layer of pressed meat, fish and/or vegetables in a rather stunning mossaic. The downside is that the size and shape of a terrine makes it difficult to present in any other way than a 1970’s Robert Carrier number.
Brawn is something I haven’t done for a while, I am using rabbits and pork knuckle because I want something different to offer plus I want to take the English aspect of brawn and mix it with Spanish and Mediterranean flavours which work well with both meats.
The idea behind brawn, or head cheese is to create a jellified press of meats which are naturally gelatinous such as pigs head, trotters and beef shin-food thrift in other words. I shall offer a recipe based on Jane Grigson’s classic in her English Food book at a later date.
The basic method is to take a meat and combine it with something else which will impart gelatine into the cooking stock to help achieve the jelly and set the meat. The meat should be cooked slowly in a well flavoured stock of vegetables, herbs and spices flavoured with a drop of madeira and wine vinegar.
Once the meat falls away from the bone a cup or so of the stock is passed through a fine sieve and boiled down by about two thirds. Whilst this is going on the meat is stripped away from the bone and chopped by hand until fine. We then add a handful of chopped tarragon and parsley along with plenty of seasoning. The reduced stock is added until the mixture is moist before being rolled into a cigar shape and left to set overnight.
Instead of serving the usual pickles I have opted for some slices of warm chorizo sausage and a ‘deconstructed’ salsa verde where we serve the core ingredients seperately so as to double up as a garnish. A few drops of the residue chorizo oil lift the colours of the plate.
That looks great but it looks like a huge amount of work - I’d sooner sit down and eat it rather than make it !
February 22, 2008 @ 8:44 am
Hi Derf,
It’s not as bad as you might think to be honest plus the stock and vegetables make for a great soup.
Welcome back!
Miles
February 22, 2008 @ 3:50 pm
Miles
This looks interesting and doable.
I am interested in the term “Head Cheese” for brawn. Not a piece of cheese in sight! I wonder how it got its name?
Do you know of any more dishes that use the term Cheese without using it?
Elsie
February 22, 2008 @ 5:33 pm
Chef
it’s probably me - I’ve only recently gone back to tins of baked beans since they put the ring pull tops on - using a tin opener was a bit laborious :>)
February 22, 2008 @ 6:33 pm
Hmmm. I have the opposite problem as Elsie. When you say “brawn,” are you referring to the heart and lungs?
As for your dish, does it fall apart when forked or will it hang together? It look like it might fall from the picture…
February 22, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
Hank,
No, generally speaking it refers to a pigs head (with a trotter for good measure) alternative meats can be used and yes the offal can be chopped together with the meat. As for the texture if you get the quantity of gelatinous meat and reduced stock right it will hold together, a little harder with rabbit and chicken but pork, ham and beef holds very firmly. It is a question of adding enough stock to produce a moist terrine whilst retaining texture and the ability to slice it.
Miles
February 22, 2008 @ 11:19 pm
Elsie,
I believe, though not certain that the English pinched it from the French and their ‘Fromage de Tete’ (sorry, no accent) which although translates as ‘head cheese’ means a mixture of meat set in jelly.
Miles
February 22, 2008 @ 11:23 pm
Derfel,
There’s no helping some people!
Miles
February 22, 2008 @ 11:24 pm