Alton Brown's Recipes

Alton Brown's Corned Beef and Cabbage

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2012

2 to 2 1/2 pound Corned-Beef Brisket*, recipe follows
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 pound diced carrots, approximately 4 small
1/2 pound diced onions, approximately 2 small
1 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped, approximately 3 medium
1/4 pound diced celery, approximately 2 stalks
1 small head cabbage, chopped, approximately 2 pounds

*Brisket should be prepared through the brining stage, but not cooked

Place the corned beef, pepper, allspice, bay leaves and salt into a large 8-quart pot along with 3-quarts of water. Cover and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to low and cook, at a low simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

After 2 1/2 hours add the carrots, onions, potatoes and celery. Return to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the cabbage and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes and cabbage are tender. Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately.

Corned Beef:
2 quarts water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons saltpeter
1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
8 whole allspice berries
12 whole juniper berries
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 pounds ice
1 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed
1 small onion, quartered
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees F. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is completely submerged and stir the brine.

After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1-inch. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Buffalo Wings

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2012

12 whole chicken wings
3 ounces unsalted butter
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Using kitchen shears, or a knife, separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and refrigerate for one hour.

Heat the oven to 425˚F.

Replace the paper towels with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl along with the garlic. Pour this along with hot sauce and salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine.

Remove the wings from the oven and transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

Yield: 4 appetizer servings

Alton Brown’s Nog of Ages

Recipe Courtesy Alton Brown, 2012

12 large chicken eggs (see note)
1 pound sugar
1 pint half n half (see the other note)
1 pint whole milk
1 pint heavy cream
1 cup jamaican rum
1 cup cognac
1 cup bourbon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (plus more for serving)
1/4 tsp kosher salt

• Separate the eggs and store the whites for another purpose

• Beat the yolks with the sugar and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl until the mixture lightens in color and falls off the whisk in a solid “ribbon.”

• Combine dairy, booze, and salt in a second bowl or pitcher and then slowly
beat into the egg mixture.

• Move to a large glass jar (or a couple of smaller ones) and store in the fridge for a minimum of 2 weeks. A month would be better, and two better still. In fact, there’s nothing that says you couldn’t age it a year but I’ve just never been able to wait that long.

• Serve in mugs or cups topped with a little extra nutmeg grated right on top.

Note on eggs: Although my research tells me it’s very likely the alcohol will kill off any microbial baddies present from the eggs, if you have any doubts at all or if you’re going to be serving the elderly or someone with an immune disorder, buy yourself some peace of mind and simply use pasteurized shell eggs. They’re available these days at most mega-marts.

Note on dairy: I’m super picky about the texture of my eggnog and find that the combination listed gets me what I’m looking for. That said, if you don’t want to bother (or if you’re not as picky) just go with a quart of half and half and call it a day.

And one more note: Yeah, it’s a lot of booze but the longer the nog ages, the more mellow it will get.
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Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2012

For the topping:
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Non-stick spray

For beans and sauce:
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2- inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half and half

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with non-stick spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Bake in the oven until golden brown, tossing every 10 minutes, for approximately 30 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half and half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
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Atomic Apples

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2012

6 small apples at room temperature, Pink Lady, Gala, or McIntosh
14 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 2 cups
15 ounces light corn syrup, approximately 11/3 cups
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon oil
15 to 20 drops red liquid food coloring

Special Equipment: 6 sets of chopsticks

Place 3 inches of water in a 3 1/2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Insert the narrow end of a chopstick into the bottom blossom end of each apple. Dip the apples, one at a time, into the boiling water for 20 seconds to remove the wax coating. Wipe dry with a paper towel. Transfer apples to a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a 2-quart saucepan and set over medium heat. Cover and bring to a boil, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and clip on a candy thermometer. Continue cooking the syrup until it reaches 300 degrees F, approximately 15 minutes. When the syrup reaches temperature, take off the heat and remove the thermometer. Add the cayenne, cinnamon oil and food coloring, stir thoroughly to combine. Cool for 3 minutes or until bubbles calm and begin to subside.

Dip each apple in the warm syrup, turning slowly to coat. Continue to turn, allowing the excess to drip back into the pot. Cool the apples completely on the prepared half sheet pan. Wrap individually in wax paper and plastic wrap or store for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container.

Yield: 6 candy apples
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Beef Wellington

Our new food expert Alton Brown gave us the skinny on Beef Wellington in the September issue of mental_floss. If Alton’s column made you hungry, here’s Alton’s recipe for the delicacy.

1 pound white button mushrooms
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onions or shallots
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 ounces pate de foie gras
2 pounds center cut tenderloin of beef or chateaubriand, chilled in freezer for 20 minutes
1 pound puff pastry
Flour for rolling out pastry
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon water

Place mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Transfer the mushrooms to a clean cotton towel, gather up the edges and twist to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Melt the butter in a 10 inch saute pan set over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms appear dry and are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and thyme and cook, continuing to stir, until the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before using or store for up to a week.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 degrees F.

Combine the mushroom mixture and the foie gras in a small mixing bowl. Spread the mixture on all sides of the tenderloin, covering completely.

Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to 1/4-inch thickness and into an approximately 12 by 10-inch rectangle. Place the tenderloin in the center of the dough and gently pull up the sides to completely encase the meat. Fold the edges together, brush lightly with the egg wash and press to seal. Trim off any excess dough. Place the entire package, seam side down, on a parchment lined half sheet pan and brush all over with the egg wash. Cut 4 to 5 small wholes on the top of the pastry for steam to escape. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the internal temperature of the meat reaches 125 to 130 degrees F for medium rare. Remove from the oven and rest, uncovered for 15 minutes before slicing and serving

Yield: 4 to 6 servings