Beef brisket is the centerpiece of many Jewish holiday meals, particularly at Passover, and every family has their favorite way of preparing it. There are countless recipes out there, but how many do you need besides your grandmother's? At least one more: This one!
Why? Because the meat is slowly braised in Pinot Noir, and the cherry notes in the wine pair brilliantly with dried tart cherries, which plump up with winey beef juices to become little mini-pouches of flavor on their own. Add to that a bit of star anise, which perfumes the brisket and your home with an exotic and enticing hint of licorice. Season the mixture with the sweet-and-sour agrodolce dance of brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, and you have a brisket that is at once counterintuitively familiar and wonderfully different. Like all braised meats, brisket improves in flavor, and slices more easily, if made a day ahead and chilled (see Cooks' Notes).
Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Passover. Menu also includes Quinoa and Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette and Amaretto Olive Oil Cake.
•You can easily make your own matzoh cake meal by finely grinding regular matzoh meal in a clean, electric coffee/spice grinder.
•First-cut brisket with a single side of exterior fat is relatively lean, while second-cut is more evenly marbled throughout. While second-cut has more succulent, moister meat, either works well in this recipe.
•Each star anise is composed of 8 petals, so if the star anise you buy has no complete stars, count out 16 petals.
•Regular-size carrots can be substituted for the smaller variety. Use same weight indicated, and cut them diagonally into 1-inch-thick pieces before blanching.
•Brisket, like all braised meats, improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead, if not 3 days ahead. Leave brisket whole and let cool in sauce, uncovered, before chilling, covered. When ready to serve, remove meat from sauce, and discard solidified fat from sauce. Slice meat across the grain while it's still cold (it will cut into neater slices), then reheat gently in sauce, in oven or on top of the stove.
Recipe notes
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