Black & Blue steak Hot crusty sear (black) on the outside, cold (blue) on the inside, this steak doneness results from cooking over intense heat for a brief period. When and where did this method of cooking steak occur? James Beards notes on steak doneness [1954, 1961] do not reference black and blue. Chef Paul Proudhommes blackened craze circa mid-1980s may have gently mentored the black and blue steak. The difference, of course, is that Proudhommes blackened resulted from fiery flavors in addition to cooking methods. While print evidence confirms the phrase was used in mid-1970s USA, the actual practice became popular twenty years later. Some folks call this Pittsburgh-style steak. What is blue? The term bleu (blue) takes two meanings regarding protein cookery: Bleu (to cook au bleu).--Method applied to freshwater fish, mainly to trout. This method consists of plunging the fish, absolutely fresh, if not actually alive, into a boiling court-bouillon...cooked in this way, the skin of the fish, eslecially of trout, takes on a slightly bluish color. ---Larousse Gastronomique, Prosper Montagne [Crown Publishers:New York] 1961 (p. 151) Bleu meat, cooked at the surface but just warmed within, remains relatively unchanged--soft to the touch, like the muscle between thumb and forefinger when its completely relaxed, with little or no colored juice (some colorless fat may melt out). ---On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Harold McGee, completely revised and updated [Scribner:New York] 2004 (p. 154) Black & blue steak [1975] ...The Steer Palace restaurant in Madison Square Garden...you simply have to be a glutton for the best steaks in town, charcoal broiled over hot coals to black and blue perfection. ---New In New York, New York Times, October 31, 1975 (p. 66) [NOTES: (1) Cooking method for black and blue steak may approximate contemporary definition. (2)The Steer Palace, a Longchamps restaurant, opened November 20, 1968. (3) Madison Square Garden was/is famous for indoor sports events (ice hockey, boxing, wrestling) where competitors came out black and blue. (4) Raw steak compresses are home remedies for treating black eyes (bruised, black & blue).] [1991] THAT burned, crusty taste of my Dads grilling was one of my first taste memories, says Chris Schlesinger, owner of the East Coast Grill in Cambridge, Mass. And Southern barbecue - thats really unique outdoor cooking. Its a kind of smoked-braising, slow-cooking method. No other country in the world has the same way of doing barbecue....The menu ranges from a Thai-inspired dish like Steamed Clams with Lemongrass and Chilies de Arbol to Grilled Big Black-and-Blue Steak for Two and many kinds of grilled fish. ---America Gathers Round The Grill, Phyllis Hanes, Christian Science Montitor, June 27, 1991 (p. 14) [1998] Crustiness is a culinary come-on. Its latest incarnationmay have begunwith blackend and grilled food, though its reputation was sealed the moment the word crust became the only acceptable modifier for the word bread. There is a certain thrill to working through the difficult to find something tender and pliant. It makes eating---among other things--- worth the effort. Contrast, of coruse, is also part of a crusts charm. Depending on the heft of the crust, the encounter begins with a crackle. The subsequent taste is an intimate melding of teeth and tongue, brittle and soft. A tough epidermis both insulates and protects the life it surrounds. Crusted things tolerate hight heat--a boon for those seeking juice at first slice. A black-and-blue streak forms a primitive crust. Subjected to a blast of heat, the meat caramelizes into a crunchy surface, which, in turn, encases the drippings. Self-containment invites respect, or at least adds to the mystery...you feel the need to bread the barrier... ---The Upper Crust, Molly ONeill, New York Times, September 27, 1998 (p. SM95)
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 17:38:46 +0000
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