choucroute: pre-launch

Here's that promised pile of meaty goodness, awaiting oven insertion:

The choucroute alsacienne is now dans le four: 375˚F for 90 minutes. After that, I take the lovely mess out of the hot box, let it cool a few minutes, then drive the whole thing over to Alexandria for a Thanksgiving lunch that's slated to begin at noon.

As you can see, the size of the choucroute is huge-- easily enough to feed three or four times as many eaters as will be partaking today (we're only four), so I'm anticipating big-time leftovers for future pleasant eats.

I'm prepping the whole thing at one time instead of doing it in pieces, per most choucroute recipes. I like the idea that the beer at the bottom of the pan will evaporate and infuse the meat above it (I've got tin foil covering the roasting pan for the first 45 minutes of cooking), and that the various meats' drippings will, meanwhile, flow downward into the sauerkraut and infuse it with gloriously meaty flavor. The kraut, enhanced with bay and ground cloves, will get a rinsing at David's place; the meat and potatoes, meanwhile, will be piled onto platters for consumption. And yeah, I'm bringing good mustard.

I'll be taking a pic of the finished product, but I probably won't have time to post it, since I'll be rushing out the door a few minutes after the choucroute is done.


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