The Greatest Jelly: How Cold Beef Became a Restaurant Dish
Kholodets is one of the most popular and widespread Russian dishes, which is usually prepared for a festive feast. In recent years, this treat has become more and more common in restaurant gastronomy, especially in projects emphasizing modern Russian cuisine. Chefs surprise guests with author's variations of dishes with bright decor, unusual ingredients and in the form of miniature portions. "Izvestia" found out what touches allow to make the familiar to everyone kolodets more refined and presentable.
What is usually used to make kolodets in Russia?
The word "kolodets" today can refer to any dish, the basis of which is frozen jelly from broth. In this sense, it was fixed in our culinary lexicon only in the XX century, and before that in Russia used the word "jelly". Another related dish is zalivnoe, which became legendary thanks to the movie "The Irony of Fate, or Easy Steam!" and is most often prepared with fish or beef tongue.
Crab chowder
- In the domestic culinary tradition there are several popular types of cold meat, which differ in main ingredients depending on geography, - Ruslan Bui, chef of the restaurant "Che? Kharcho!" (Moscow) told "Izvestia". - The classic meat version is prepared from gelling broth with the use of offal (from beef and pork) and is common in the central regions of the country. In the South and the Caucasus, a lighter version made of poultry (chicken, turkey) is popular, which has a more delicate flavor and texture. For northern regions and places adjacent to large bodies of water, fish (sturgeon or pikeperch) is more typical.
Oxtail chowder
A vivid example of a modern restaurant approach to the classics is cold crab meat gelled with fish broth, our interlocutor believes. At the restaurant "Che? Kharcho!" cold crab is made of oxtails, which give a rich collagen base. This variant is distinguished by deep meat flavor, richness and pleasant texture. When serving the dish, as a rule, a Caucasian accent is added in the form of tkemali, adjika or crispy pita bread.
- Free-range rooster meat is very good for cooking cold poultry," advises Ivan Kuznetsov, chef at Unica restaurant (Moscow). - During long stewing, natural gelling substances are boiled out of bones and joints of country bird, thanks to which the cold meat hardens independently, without adding powder gelatin. In addition, rooster meat will give the dish a special aroma and rich taste.
Rooster cold water with garlic cream with horseradish and herbs
According to our expert, turkey is another bird that makes a delicious coldcracker. For a rich broth and delicate consistency of the dish, it is better to use meat on the bone: shanks, wings, neck, back. It is in these parts contains a large amount of gelling substances.
Kholodets is considered a seasonal dish, the peak of interest in it falls on the fall and winter period, when our compatriots switch to more nourishing dishes. An additional factor contributing to the popularization of this treat is the trend towards the revival of Russian cuisine in an updated and modern interpretation.
Beef tongue cholodets
- Our guests want to see more dishes familiar to them since childhood, and we gradually started to shift the concept of our restaurant from France to Russia, to introduce food understandable to everyone, and that's how we came up with the idea to put kholodets on the menu, - Leonid Konobritsky, the chef of the Parisian cuisine restaurant Le Pigeon (Moscow), shares his experience. - Our variant is more like a bay, as the main emphasis in it is on beef tongue, which is cooked for two days. On the first day we marinate it in a salt solution with spices, using the pastrami method, and on the second day we cook it sous vide. We also use a steep broth based on beef shank with vegetables. And we serve the kolodets with salted cucumbers.
What foreign variations of coldcock are cooked in Russian restaurants
European variants of coldcock, such as aspic, zelts or terrine, may be familiar to our compatriots, especially those who are deeply interested in cooking or traveling in Europe. Today, these treats are sometimes found in Russian restaurants as well.
- Aspic is a jelly-like dish usually made from meat or fish broth with added pieces of meat, fish, vegetables or eggs," explained Chef Konobritsky. - It is often served as a cold appetizer in the form of portioned pieces or as a whole dish. Unlike cold cuts, it can include a greater variety of ingredients.
Aspic with venison carpaccio, topinambour cream and mustard ice cream
Author's variation of aspic with venison carpaccio, topinambour cream and creamy ice cream with mustard is presented at Savva restaurant in a new set-menu "Persona" by brand-chef Andrey Shmakov. The set is inspired by different celebrities, and this dish is based on gastronomic preferences of Pavel Voli and Liaisan Utyasheva's family.
- Liaisan loves cholodets, so we added it to the menu and tried to make it interesting and rich, - brand-chef Shmakov told our publication. - We prepare cold cakes on the basis of beef and chicken broth, with the addition of oxtails, veal tongue and dried venison.
The dish of German and Austrian cuisine zelts has been known in Russia since the XIX century. In Soviet times it began to be sold in stores in the form of sausage, in this form it can be found on the shelves today. Some restaurants occasionally introduce this dish into their menus, usually in winter or as part of themed sets.
Seltz with horseradish, mustard and pickled radish
- This cold meat dish is made from those parts of the pork carcass that are rarely eaten in normal cooking - skin, cartilage, brains, ears, and so on," explained Mikhail Lukashonok, chef at the Mark and Lion restaurant (Tula region). - It turns out to be denser in consistency than ordinary jelly, and more rich in flavor. Seltz is excellent as a spread on bread at the beginning of a meal. It can also be eaten as a snack with hot porridge, hot potatoes, and most deliciously with daily sauerkraut soup.
A bar with a caesar
One of the most popular French dishes, terrine, can also be attributed to a variation of coldcock, says Ilya Romanov, chef at Relict (Moscow), a restaurant of modern Russian cuisine. Both of these treats are gelled with the same juice in which they are cooked, but they are very different in appearance. The broth in a terrine does not cover the meat entirely, but gives it juiciness from the inside.
- Our terrine, which we have called "terrine from a guinea fowl", is just a combination of meat bread, French terrine and, partly, Russian kolodtsy, - our interlocutor reveals the details of the dish. - It is prepared from meat of different poultry (including hearts and ventricles), baked in a single loaf and then cut into portions. The jelly stays inside, fills the porous space, and when heated, when we serve it warm, it gives the loaf juiciness and tenderness.
There is an interesting version of cold meat in Georgian cuisine. The dish is called "muzhuzhi", and for its preparation pork legs, tails, ears, as well as pig meat are used. Also a characteristic feature of this treat is that boiled meat is marinated in wine vinegar with garlic and herbs and poured with a small amount of broth, which gives a refreshing flavor and sourness.
Oxtail muzhuzhi with creamy horseradish.
- Traditionally, muzhuzhi is used in winter as a festive appetizer or eaten in the morning instead of hot khash to restore strength after evening feasts, - shared details of the chef of the restaurant of Georgian cuisine Hedonist (Moscow) David Chelidze. - The dish is served with pickles, chopped green or pickled onions, other herbs and various sauces, such as ajika or sacebeli. Fresh thin pita bread is also ideal for this dish.
In our restaurant, our expert cooks muzhuzhi from the tails of Aberdeen-Angus bulls. These parts contain a lot of connective tissues and collagen, besides, their meat is more rich and flavorful. The characteristic sourness of the dish is achieved thanks to a tincture of wine vinegar and tarragon. The appetizer is served with creamy horseradish mousse, sprinkled a little with svan salt and soursop petals.
How to make kolodets more presentable
To make kolodets more aesthetically pleasing and give it a restaurant look, you can play with the way it is poured or come up with an interesting variant of serving the dish.
- You can use pickled apples or pickles for serving," recommends Chef Konobritsky. - I like to grate fresh horseradish on top and serve the kolodets with salted cucumber, fresh herbs and pickled onions.
Golontir of beef shanks, cheeks and tongue
Chef Bui recommends using different individual containers for serving cold soup - serving glasses, cups or shaped silicone molds. The more carefully you strain the broth, the more transparent it will be, and the whole dish will be more beautiful.
- Decorate the cholodets on top with slices of carrots, herbs, egg slices or vegetables in the form of patterns, - continues our interlocutor. - Add sliced strips of meat or pieces of fish, neatly laid out in layers, and serve the appetizer with horseradish sauce with sour cream or mustard mousse.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
