Liquid Gold

I've often heard that it is difficult to get that "restaurant" flavor when cooking a dish at home...and I will have to agree that this is true.  BUT - I do want to point out that while difficult - this is not entirely impossible.

A few of the reasons why it is difficult to re-create restaurant food at home are that you aren't spending your entire day cooking...home kitchens simply don't have the btu's and firepower (or venting) that restaurant kitchens do...and the biggest factor...fresh stock.

I'm not talking about the nearly tasteless, yellowish colored water that you can get in a box.  Use these when you have to - I completely understand the restrictions of time and the needs of daily life.  But if you have a special meal that you would like to make, I would highly encourage you to go through the effort of making a homemade stock.

I found that Lunardi's in my area carries 5lb bags of natural, Petaluma Poultry chicken bones for the great price of $2.99 for the ENTIRE BAG.  You can also buy natural chicken bones from Whole Foods for $1.49-2.49/lb.  You can find them at the meat counter of either store.  In fact, any store that still breaks down their own chickens will have bones for sale.

A traditional stock will have mirepoix - 2 parts onions to equal parts celery and peeled carrots (roughly chopped) plus the addition of a bouquet garni - a bundle of fresh herbs and peppercorn to season your stock.

I picked up this trick while working as sous chef at Baume Restaurant - forget the herbs and the vegetables and go with just the meat or the bones.  When you simplify it to just the one single ingredient (plus water) - it's not so hard to make your own stock on a fairly regular basis.

Method -

1. Rinse the bones and attached meat scraps in cold water to remove any random scraps and blood.  I do this in a separate bowl to ensure that I do not transfer any of this into the pot.
2. Cover the bones with cold water (about 1-2 inches above the level of the bones in your pot)
   
3. Simmer gently for about 4 hours - when you taste the meat from the bones, it should be fairly dry and mealy (no more flavor to be extracted there)
4. Add a few cups of hot water if you have too much evaporation.  Heston Blumenthal likes to use a pressure cooker, some people like to cover their stocks.  It's really up to you.  I've covered and uncovered and have done a mix of both depending on the circumstances.
5. Skim...skim...skim!!  (Use a spoon or small strainer to skim off any protein or fat that coagulates to the top of the stock)
6. Strain through a double-meshed strainer.  You can also strain your stock through a dampened layer of cheesecloth in the strainer for an even clearer broth.  (The picture above was only strained through the double strainer.)
7. ENJOY!! 

I often freeze cooled portions of the stock to keep on hand for emergencies.  You can reduce the resulting stock for stronger flavor.  In fact the secret to a great sauce base is a good reduction of a great stock.

Give it a try - you will be surprised at how easy it is to let the stock simmer in the background and you will be hooked by the flavor!  I don't always have time for making stock, but I certainly notice the difference in flavor in the resulting dish.