Abigail's Top-Secret Brisket of Beef

Just Sweet Enough

An occasional series in which staff members share a recipe that we turn to time and again:

For Passover brisket '07, I must operate under the same guidelines my family applies to the Thanksgiving table: the traditional stuff, with slight variations allowed. That has me in a pickle, because for the past few years the brisket has been sweet more than savory. And I can't bring myself to crack open another 64-ounce jug of ketchup.

Luckily, I was directed to a recipe that has excellent credentials and the makings of culinary conflict resolution. It's from a 1998 cookbook by renowned New York caterer Abigail Kirsch. The meat is braised in cups and cups of beef broth and wine, and a touch of honey -- much more liquid than seems necessary. But that liquid is left in the pot to cook down on its own to a rich, syrupy sauce. Pears add some unexpected "top-secret" sweetness to the accompanying mix of onions and carrots, which are cooked right up to the point of tender but not beyond.

A second secret divulged in Kirsch's book is that she often made the brisket weeks ahead: "The meat, vegetables and sauce all seem to improve with time in the freezer," she wrote. "When I reheat the casserole in the oven, the flavor is fabulous, and the house smells great for a second time."

And here's a secret I discovered: When you reheat the chilled brisket and vegetables, you'll find that hardly any congealed fat has collected on the top.

-- Bonnie S. Benwick

Recipe: Abigail's Top-Secret Brisket of Beef