French Onion…Brisket?

This past summer Daughter #1 went on a French Onion Soup jag, producing several delicious versions of this classic dish for us. As I saw it, the only problem was that this soup was rich and seemed “wintery” for 95°+ Los Angeles. But the chill has returned to the air around here, and it’s down to an icy 54° at night. This is when I crave the flavor of deep caramelized onions and…brisket.

The memory of those great onion soups and the hibernation-like urge for brisket motivated me to combine the best elements of both. What I came up with took me to yet another place, deep in the recesses of my memory: Aunt Laria’s brisket. Aunt Laria was not really my aunt (in the current era of first-names only, do parents do this any more — designate a close family friend as “aunt” to skirt the whole Mr./Mrs. thing?). Anyway, Aunt Laria shredded her brisket after hours of cooking, and we slopped it straight from the pot onto great palettes of Wonderbread schmeared with margarine. Okay, what I’ve come up with here isn’t exactly like that, but the ideas collided in my brain.

Brisket is a cut located below the shoulder or chuck, and above the shank. It is the best cut for corned beef and is also a great cut for standard pot roast since it has enough streaky fat to keep the meat tender and moist.

The extra step of caramelizing the onions before cooking them with the beef adds depth of flavor to the broth, making this something between a pot roast and a stew. The “crouton” from French Onion Soup makes its appearance, but instead of Gruyere there is tangy horseradish cream for the top. Make this on the weekend when you have the time, and when you can luxuriate with the crossword (or the football game) while the kitchen fills with the smells of a good meal to come.

French Onion Brisket | 4 to 6 servings

Four servings if you want leftovers, which are good on top of noodles with some horseradish cream stirred in. Allow about 1/3 pound of beef per person, and allow 1 large onion for every pound of brisket.

3 pounds beef brisket
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 very large onions
1/2 cup dry red wine
6 whole garlic cloves
2 sprigs fresh sage
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 cups (32 ounces) beef broth
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons half & half
1 heaping tablespoon creamy-style horseradish
Pinch of sugar
8 bread slices
Grainy mustard
Fresh chives, minced

Trim the brisket of any large pieces of fat.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high in a Dutch oven or large lidded pot. Salt and pepper the beef liberally and brown both sides, about 5 minutes per side.

Remove the brisket to a dish and set aside while you cook the onions.

Slice the onions lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices.

After removing the browned brisket, add the onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high. Cook the onions for a total of 30 minutes, lowering the heat as they cook to keep them from sticking. Stir them from time to time as they cook.

Increase the heat to medium-high, add the wine and cook until the wine is mostly evaporated.

Turn the heat off under the onions. Preheat the oven to 320°F. Put the brisket and accumulated juices back in the Dutch oven with the onions. Slightly smash 5 of the garlic cloves and add them to the pot, along with 1 sage sprig and 1 rosemary sprig.

Add the beef broth and then supplement with enough water to come just to the top edges of the brisket.

Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until the beef is very tender when pierced with a fork.

While the beef is cooking, make the horseradish cream. To the sour cream add the half & half, horseradish, and pinch of sugar and mix well. Refrigerate until needed.

When the meat is fork-tender, remove it from the oven. Pull the brisket from the broth and put it on a large platter. Discard the sage and rosemary sprigs. With two forks, shred the brisket along the grain, pulling it into long, thin strands.

Return all the beef and juices to the pot. Mince the leaves of the remaining sage sprig and rosemary sprig and add them to the pot with the brisket. Keep the brisket warm until serving. Meanwhile, prepare the bread slices.

Toast the bread slices and lightly rub one side with the cut end of the remaining garlic clove.

Spread a thin layer of grainy mustard on the garlic side of the bread.

For each serving, spoon brisket and soup into a shallow bowl, place a toast slice on top, mustard-side down. Spoon horseradish cream on top and sprinkle with chives. Serve the extra toast on the side.

Now get back to that football game.

Kelly McCune © 2009

Tagged as: Beef, Soup, Stew