Elise Thompson

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 03:32:56 -0800

Comment from Mrs. Barton: By the way, please don't be disappointed, but since I am never too old to learn new tricks, I have to confess that my daughter, who has turned out to be a really gourmet cook also, has taught me a few new ways to prepare some of my old standards, including the brisket, and I readily admit that I like hers better, so if you are interested I will be glad to send it to you. Basically she substituted the beer with red wine (I use Trader Joe's 1.99 kind and it works), and she also browns it in olive oil in a heavy skillet on top of the stove, (which by the way my mother did and I had done until I started using the beer recipe. She also cooks the brisket with the pressed garlic, topped with about 2 sliced onions in rings, Liptons onion soup at 400o. for the first hour, then she turns it down to 350 and adds the potatoes and carrots for the next hour. I often just cook it at 400 the first hour then lower it to 350 and finish cooking it at 350o without adding the vegetables, the day before I am going to use it, then when cold we slice it and put it in a corning ware platter with just a little bit of the gravy-juice and onions to keep it moist. The rest of the gravy I save in another dish and put it in the fridge. The next day, or when I am going to serve it, I cut the vegetables up and put it in the pan with the gravy and cook for about 45 minutes at about 350o. Then I put the brisket in the center of the corning ware and the vegetables around it, and it looks pretty and only one dish.... By the way the brisket freezes well if you make sure you leave some gravy with each saved portion with some gravy. The vegetables do not freeze well, so if I am serving it again, I make fresh veggies. Well, there I gave you the whole meggilah after all, you may not even be interested in trying it...but if you do, let me know, I think it tastes more like a roast whereas the old method if more soupy (but delicious as well, I know, and somewhat easier, at least no browning which is no big deal.

Biffles

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:06:12 -0800

Awesome recipes...dry onion soup is one of those retro ingredients that actually works. As for grating the potatoes for latkes, I thought that grated knuckle was what made them great!

LAist: Mrs. Barton's Hanukkah

Elise Thompson

Biffles