Fear not frenching your holiday rib roast. All you need is a sharp knife and some know-how.

Let’s get one thing clear: I don’t mean “French” as in kissing. Yeah, it’s been a nutty year, but–please–not that nutty! (Although I’m sure there are some standing rib roast fans out there who’ve considered making out with their perfectly cooked holiday roast.)

I’m referring to the culinary term to French.

To French a rib roast, or chops for that matter, means to trim and scrape away the meat, fat, and sinew from the slender end of the ribs so that a section of the bones is exposed. It makes for a more elegant presentation. In days of yore, little frilly caps were slipped over the bones for looks and to protect those with delicate constitutions. Thankfully, they (the caps, not the diners) have slipped from fashion. Frenching the bone also makes for less mess at the table as well as in the kitchen as the bone ends, which heat up to a higher temperature, can burn, causing the fat to sputter and smoke.

“French a bone,” “clean a bone,” “trim a roast,” and “French trimming a roast” are different ways of saying the same thing.

All you’ll need is a sharp boning knife or other narrow, flexible knife. The size and flexibility of the knife makes it easier to get in between and around the bones. A dry kitchen towel or a wad of paper towel helps you hold the meat steady with the other hand.

Just about any dish that has ribs (ok, not fish) can be Frenched, but these are our most popular–and French-worthy–recipes.

© 2020 Leite's Culinaria. All rights reserved. All materials used with permission.

Source: Leitesculinaria.com

Powered by NewsAPI.org