Several months ago, I had a near-panic attack when contemplating the preparation of a holiday meal. As it turned out, the gefilte fish was terrific. The brisket was delicious, too. It was a three ingredient recipe, and tasted exactly like my mother-in-law’s, so I considered it a big win. Apparently I did a good job, since they are all coming back this year. I’d better up my game.
A couple weeks ago, I was contemplating what to make for dinner, again for my in-laws, as well as a few friends. The light bulb went off: brisket. It is so easy, I’ll just make it again. Then I remembered that I am on a diet (I try very hard to forget) and the brisket recipe has lots of sugar, so perhaps I should do something else. But I had already bought the brisket, so what to do? I began hunting around the Food Network website for ideas.
Bingo! I found a Texas-rubbed version that sounded good, but a little dry. Unfazed, I added about half a bottle of red wine and a bit of vegetable stock (it’s what I had handy). It came out fantastic. So good, in fact, that I have decided to make it again tonight, for the wine geeks coming for dinner. There is, currently, an eight and a half pound, fully cooked brisket hanging out in the refrigerator awaiting another trip into the oven for its last hurrah before being served. I am fairly certain (as I have sampled the big hunk of beef) that it will be just as good as the first time I improved upon the existing recipe.
Along with the brisket, there will be some challah. The egg bread is perfect for sopping up extra brisket gravy. Diet? Nah, I can have teeny piece of challah and not feel guilty about it. Of course, when dessert rolls around (chocolate mousse, brownies and mini apple crumb concoctions) I may begin to feel a little guilty. We will see. Full recap of the dinner, and the wines, coming on Friday. Stay tuned.
