Unable to decide, I bought a can of stout and a cheap bottle of red today, and I'll do some experimentation tonight to see which I like better. Both stout and red wine will deepen and darken the color of the gravy; the red wine will make the gravy more kidney-ish; the stout will make the gravy more beef-ish. If I were to predict, at this point, which way I will ultimately tilt, I think I'll tilt stoutward because, well, that's more consistent with the English flavor profile, and when one is making something as English as steak-and-kidney pie, one shouldn't remind the English of the unpleasantness of 1066 by evoking the French with wine. Expect updates once I've made a decision.
I would use stout. (Or a porter or other brown ale.) It would be consistent with the British tradition. I also worry that the tannins (sp?) or acid in the wine would combine in an unpleasant way with the metallic tendencies of organ meat.
ReplyDeletetannins = correct, sir!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's a good point about organ meat. You've convinced me to go with beer. When in doubt, stick with stout.
I just finished performing surgery on the kidney to remove all the fat. That's probably the most interesting thing I've done all year (I can say that since I haven't done the big walk yet). A cow's kidney is an amazingly intricate organ, and those fat deposits run very deep into the tissue, so there's a lot of messy digging to be done.
And strangely enough, despite all the warnings about the kidney smelling like piss... it didn't smell like anything, even when I sniffed it up close. (Then again, the piss-odor warnings have to do with cooked kidneys, so there's still time for the mayhem to happen. Right now, the kidneys are soaking in salted-and-vinegared water.) That said, I now know that beef kidneys retain a lot of blood—or blood-like fluid. Wow.
So now, I've got this cheap bottle of wine. What to do... what to do...
ReplyDeleteBoeuf bourguignon?
Who'd a thunk it? Kevin Kim purchasing alcoholic beverages! Welcome to the dark side...
ReplyDelete