Salt Beef Daube with French Wine (Admiral's Table)
Beef long desalted then braised slowly in wine, with onions, garlic, herbs, and a strip of orange zest — a Provençal daube adapted to shipboard constraints, tender and fragrant, served on special days.
Beef long desalted then braised slowly in wine, with onions, garlic, herbs, and a strip of orange zest — a Provençal daube adapted to shipboard constraints, tender and fragrant, served on special days.
Born in Provence, I never lost the taste for the daube of my homeland, even at the end of the world. First the beef from the barrel is desalted in several waters, then laid in a pot with onions, garlic, a bouquet of herbs, a strip of orange zest, and the wine we brought from France. It is left to cook on a low fire for hours, until the meat yields to the spoon. At my table, it was a feast day; and believe me, in a flat calm under the tropics, such a dish was worth all the King's medals.
- •Barrel-salted beef — a fine piece (preserved meat, base)
- •Red wine from France — to cover (braising liquid, flavor)
- •Onions and garlic — several (aromatics)
- •Bouquet of herbs (thyme, bay leaf) — one (Provençal flavor)
- •Dried orange zest — one piece (signature of the daube)
- •Pepper, clove — a little (spices)
Salt Beef Daube with French Wine (Admiral's Table)
Beef long desalted then braised slowly in wine, with onions, garlic, herbs, and a strip of orange zest — a Provençal daube adapted to shipboard constraints, tender and fragrant, served on special days.
Why this dish? A high-ranking officer and a Provençal, d'Entrecasteaux kept his admiral's table better stocked than the common mess: beef from the brine, long-braised in wine shipped from France, in the manner of the daubes of his native Aix.
Born in Provence, I never lost the taste for the daube of my homeland, even at the end of the world. First the beef from the barrel is desalted in several waters, then laid in a pot with onions, garlic, a bouquet of herbs, a strip of orange zest, and the wine we brought from France. It is left to cook on a low fire for hours, until the meat yields to the spoon. At my table, it was a feast day; and believe me, in a flat calm under the tropics, such a dish was worth all the King's medals.
Ingredients (period version)
- Barrel-salted beef — a fine piece (preserved meat, base)
- Red wine from France — to cover (braising liquid, flavor)
- Onions and garlic — several (aromatics)
- Bouquet of herbs (thyme, bay leaf) — one (Provençal flavor)
- Dried orange zest — one piece (signature of the daube)
- Pepper, clove — a little (spices)
Ingredients
- Beef for braising (chuck, cheek) — 1 kg (meat)
- Full-bodied red wine — 75 cl (braising liquid)
- Onions — 2 (aromatic)
- Garlic — 4 cloves (aromatic)
- Carrots — 3 (sweetness)
- Bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf) — 1 (flavor)
- Orange zest (untreated) — 1 wide strip (Provençal touch)
- Cloves, pepper — 2 cloves + to taste (spices)
- Salt — sparingly (the meat replaces salted beef) (seasoning)
Method
- The day before, marinate the beef cut into large cubes in the wine with onions, garlic, herbs, zest, and spices.
- The next day, drain the meat (save the marinade) and brown it in a pot.
- Add the vegetables, then pour in the strained marinade to cover.
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise over very low heat for 3 to 3.5 hours, until the meat is tender.
- Adjust seasoning (watch the salt), remove the zest and bouquet.
- Serve hot, accompanied by peas or bread for the sauce.
How it was made : The beef and pork of the navy came salted in barrels; they were desalted at length before cooking. The officers' table, and even more so the admiral's, enjoyed better rations, wine, and spices. Reconstructing a Provençal daube on board is plausible: d'Entrecasteaux was from Aix-en-Provence, and daube with wine and orange zest is emblematic of that cuisine. However, the exact details of his table's menus are not documented.
The contemporary twist : Plate the daube in a shallow bowl with a candied orange strip and a sprig of fresh thyme; name it 'Daube of the Antipodes'.
Sources : Tradition culinaire provençale (daube à l'aixoise) · Christian Buchet, La mer, le monde et les hommes
d'Entrecasteaux · Charactorium
