CHARCUTIERE - FORCEMEAT

 CHARCUTIERE - FORCEMEAT 

                       The term Forcemeat or farce, is used to describe the basic mixture that needs to be prepared in order to produce charcuterie products. The word farce comes from the Latin farcire. 

                 A farce or forcemeat is a ground seasoned mixture of meat, game, poultry, fish or vegetables, prepared as a dish on its own or used to stuff other numerous other items such as eggs. meat. fish and poultry, pastry shells and perhaps even pasta. Such dishes are prepared in the Garde Manger. 

                        Forcemeats are used in the preparation of a various cold dishes such as pate, terrines, galantines, ballotines, quenelle, roulade, mousse and mousseline. 

             There are many different methods of obtaining excellent results, but a good forcemeat must be light and airy, it must release its flavour as it melts on the tongue. This is equally true of a forcemeat made entirely with meat, or one which includes eggs. bread or even flour.

                    A forcement consists of three elements firstly, the main flavouring ingredient. which gives the pate its dominant flavour and usually its name too. Secondly, the pork, which is not pork fat which absolutely essential, but which gives a good pate its smoothness. Thirdly, the in the right quantities make the pate light, gives it its individual, melting consistency, and is unrecognizable as fat. Added to these we have seasoning with possibly other meat, nuts or mushrooms. It is an extremely simple recipe.

                    Success in making forcement depends on the binding agents. which. in other types of forcemeat would tists 20es or breadcrumbs. In a pure meat forcemeat, the binding agent is the meat's natural protein which holds the other ingredients together. But a high temperatures tends to constate which makes it useless as a biding agent. As a result, any preparation of filling must be done the lowest price temperatures, and the mixture never allowed reaching room temperature. This would be enough to risk ruining the filling Cold, cold and cold again must therefore be the watchword throughout the whole process of preparation. 

                   There are just about as many forcemeats as there are different kinds of pates and terrines. Every forcemeat is unique, if only by virtue of slight variations in composition and seasoning Nevertheless there are only a few number of very similar ways of making forcemeats, the main variation consisting primarily of the various binding agents. A forcemeat should as far as possible, hold together- bind- without any other help. 

                 The natural protein in the many ingredient should bind sufficiently, thus retaining all the full flavour of the meat or fish. Protein binding is thus the only form of binding when lean meat and pork fat are used. Other binding agents which give a deliciously smooth filling when used correctly are white bread with milk or cream, whole eggs flour panada or rice.

                It is essential to release as much protein as possible from the meat by careful chopping. But heavy work, with any implement produces heat and inturn coagulates the protein and diminishes its binding qualities. This seems to be a vicious circle, but can be overcome easily if a few basic rules are followed.

● Chill all ingredients thoroughly Even the utensils, for example the mincer, should be cold.

● Season the meat as you cut it Salt helps release the proteins. .

● When chopping meat make sure the equipment are in right condition.

● Chill the ingredients after each stage of the recipe.

                      Depending on the ingredients and methods of preparation of the recipe, some ingredients such as the fat or cream can be frozen, and the frozen pieces of fat and frozen crushed crocin will help Keep the other dients coolstring the mining process

Important Culinary terms associated with Forcement:

● Pate from the old French paste, meaning paste.

● Terrine from the Latin Terra, meaning earth.

● Galantine: from the old French galat, meaning gorgeous or showy: Also from the old French term galine, meaning chicken.

● Ballotine: from the Italian Ballu meaning ball.

● Quenelle from the Alcascian French knodel, meaning dumpling

● Roulade: from the French rouler, meaning to roll.

● Mousse / Mousseline: from the French, meaning froth.

COMPOSITION OF THE FORCMEAT

Traditional forcemeat/farce is made up of four parts:

1. The Meat (Primary Ingredient)

2. The Binder 

3. Seasoning, Flavoring and Garnish

4. The Additives

The Meat: Consists of three elements!

- The Dominant Meat (basic meat) which could include veal. game, poultry, rabbit, duck, or even fish. This will provide the dominant flavor and will also name the dish. e.g. chicken liver in a Chicken Liver Pate. These ingredients should be fresh and of prime quality. All bones, skin. sinews and gristle must be removed and the flesh cut up into " pieces for grinding. The dominant meat normally accounts for 40% of the meat component.

- Lean Pork which contributes to the bulk as well as the flavor. This will be about 30% of the meat component.

- Pork fat which gives richness and smoothness to the product as well as for its binding qualities. This too will be 30% of the meat component.

- The Binding Agent: To lighten the farce and to give it a finer texture, binding agents are needed. These are typically used in the making of poultry, fish and vegetable farm Game, veal and pork do have their own binding qualities with the protein from the meat acting as binding agents. Binding could consist of egg yolks and/or egg whites; fresh bread soaked in milk, cream or stock: thickened bechamel sauce panada): beurre manie (uncooked butter/flour mixture): or even cooked rice.

Seasoning Flavoring and Garnish:

                    Salt is an important part of the forcemeat. It helps to bring out the natural flavors of the other elements. 20 Gms of salt/kilo of the mixture is a rough guideline to use. The salt must be evenly mixed to ensure equal distribution. Seasoning should not be extravagant to cover up for inferior quality ingredient. One mistake is to use excessive MSG for this purpose. Flavorings such as herbs and spices give character to the product. The garnish is related to the farce to which it is added.

                   A central garnish - lamb fillet in a lamb farce, strips of ham in a pork farce, or a piece of goose liver I a game farce - provides a visual focal point when the farce is sliced. Garnishes could also be dispersed or interspersed throughout the farce and would include pistachio, crushed peppercorns, diced truffle, capers, gherkins, stuffed olives, mushrooms and similar ingredients which will provide contrast and relief in the mass of the forcemeat.

The Additives: Many additives are included in the forcemeat. These include Nitrates and Nitrites of Sodium and Potassium, MSG, Sodium Erythorbate, BHT and BHA, Salt Petre.

               These additives will enhance the color, increase shelf life, contribute to the taste and flavor and prevent/delay the fat from going rancid.