TECHNIQUE
food
t h f d e a l
m e a t
e a i
t lo a r .
. .
... is w e ll- s e a s o n e d y e t
n o t o v e r w h e lm in g :
N o o n e flavo r sh o u ld stand o u t
o r be distractin g.
... u s e s g r o u n d c h u c k
a n d a b it o r g r o u n d
p o r k . T h e ch uck has m ore
fat an d flavo r an d m a rrie s well
w ith g ro u n d p o rk fo r ro u n d ed ,
satisfyin g flavor.
. . . h a s a t e x t u r e t h a t
is t e n d e r y e t f ir m . T h e
vegetab les sh o u ld be finely
ch o p p e d , no t chunky.
... h a s m i n i m a l b r e a d
c r u m b s a n d e g g s -
ju st e n o u g h to bind and lighten,
but not en o u g h to stre tch o r fill
th e loaf. So a kin g th e bread
c ru m b s w ith h alf-an d -h a lf
e n su re s easier b lend in g and
ad d s richn e ss.
SCO TT PEACOCK,
B H & G ’s
A m erican Classics expert,
is executive chef at W atershed
Restaurant in Decatur, Georgia,
and was nam ed Best C h e f in the
Southeast by the Jam es Beard
Foundation in 2007.
Learn more about making
meat loaf—as well as other
American Classics from Scott
Peacock—at
better.tv.
For
videos and more how-tos
from Scott, log on to
BHG
.com /am ericanclassics
/ \ GRATE FOR SUCCESS
“G ratin g th ecarro tsen su resth e y
soften duringco o kingand don’t
provide too m uch texture o r crunch.
T h etech niq u ealso d istrib u tes their
sw eetness throughout the m eat loaf.”
< TH E FINER TH E BETTER
“R u b b in g th eg arlicinto afin e paste
helps transfer its flavor throughout the
loaf. Finely chop the cloves first, add a
pinch of kosher salt, then use the side
of the knife to mash and pull thegarlic
pieces into a paste.”
<CH O O SE SMALL PIECES
“Sauteingthe onions, m ushroom s,
and celery in a bit of butter softens
them and develops their flavor.
C h o p all vegetables into pieces that
are about
'/4
inch in size.”
<G O LIGHT ON FILLER
“M eat loaf filler— bread crum bs or
cubes— lightens the loaf’s texture.
H and-cut pieces of white bread and
soak them with half-and-half. This
adds richness and helps evenly mix
the bread and m eat together.”
“Baking the meat loaf in a dish that is
larger than the loaf improves browning
and lets the excess fat escape. A shallow
indention along the edges keeps the
delicious glaze on top.”
/ \ M IXING BY HAND IS A MUST
\ / ADD A PROVEN TOPPER
“A ketchup-based sauce is delicious. It
caram elizesandintensifiesduringbaking
And m eat loaf wouldn’t be m eat loaf
without a sweet, tangy finish.” ^
“Using yo u r hands to mix the m eats is
the m ost effective and efficient
m ethod. Fingers aerate as they blend,
rather than m ash, m aking a lighter loaf.”
158
MARCH 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
