# Suggestions for yummy recipes in Le Creuset pot...



## beeswax (Jun 12, 2010)

Hi all,

After years of just longing for them I have finally bought a 28cm round French oven pot. Cobalt Blue at the Boxing day sales...wohooo.

Anyway, I am now after some delicious recipes that some of you have tried and tested. I'm particularly interested in anything with beef, chicken and lamb. I have made
two versions of "beef bourgignon" and both were lovely. I particularly love 
the fact that when searing the meat, the meat does not stick to the base...brilliant!

Looking forward to your suggestions...

Thanks

Beeswax


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Congrats you're going to love using this pot.  It's easy to clean too.  I use it for all kinds of soups and stews.  I also use it as a deep fryer as well, I've made some very good fried chicken in there.

Tonight I'm making a greek version of coq au vin and will be using my creuset.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Beeswax, even on sale Le Crueset can be expensive---but worth the price. Take care of it and there's no reason your grandchildren shouldn't inherit it.

As to things to cook; although braises, stews, soups, etc. work best the fact is you can cook anything in it that you'd normally put in a pot. The LeCrueset just does it better. You will have to learn to adjust the heat source, though (generally that means cooking on a lower flame) because the cast-iron retains heat. But other than that you'll love your new toy.


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## grumio (Apr 16, 2006)

FYI, I just learned that when they say their lid knobs are oven-safe to 450f (232c), they mean it!  I was preheating my LC braiser at 500f (to bake bread in) & the knob popped right off.


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## beeswax (Jun 12, 2010)

Hi KYHeirloomer,

Thanks for your comments....I was wondering if you have any recipes that you have tried and that turned out spectacular in your Le Creuset pot? And yes, I am trialling the flame from low to medium...but even on low I find it heats up rather quickly for something so big. I just love it...I've made pastas, stews and curries and so far they've all been lovely. Even the yellow 'stains' from the tumeric in one of the curries comes easily off when I wash the pot...


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## beeswax (Jun 12, 2010)

Hi Grumio,

Can you by any chance tell me how you bake bread in the Le Crueset pot...what are the steps?

Thanks


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## missyjean (Nov 5, 2009)

Congratulations! I recently got one too, for my birthday.  The first thing I made was Julia Child's Casserole roast Pork on page 380 of Mastering The Art of French Cooking Volume 1, which I marinated using the Salt Marinade with Herbs and Spices on page 376. All I have to say is OMG!!!!! The most flavorful meat I have ever eaten,  It was flavored right through to the core.  Tender, beyond words.  

I usually don't eat pork and have very little meat in my diet but I had this pork for several days and look forward to making it in the very near future.

Have fun with your new pot!


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## missyjean (Nov 5, 2009)

Beeswax said:


> Hi KYHeirloomer,
> 
> Thanks for your comments....I was wondering if you have any recipes that you have tried and that turned out spectacular in your Le Creuset pot? And yes, I am trialling the flame from low to medium...but even on low I find it heats up rather quickly for something so big. I just love it...I've made pastas, stews and curries and so far they've all been lovely. Even the yellow 'stains' from the tumeric in one of the curries comes easily off when I wash the pot...


I bought the Le Creuset cleaner and it takes every mark off in an instant

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/prod...g&cm_cat=NexTag&cm_pla=default&cm_ite=default


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

_I was wondering if you have any recipes that you have tried and that turned out spectacular in your Le Creuset pot?_

You need to understand, Beeswax, that I've been using enamaled cast iron for more than 40 years. So a lot of food has gone through the various pots and pans. Most recently, for instance, I made a big batch of braised beef shanks in my 8-quart oval Calphalon. For those I adapted Bruce Aidells' recipe for ox tails.

I use them primarily for braising and stewing. Before I had actual clay tagines, I would use the enamaled cast iron pots to make them. For osso buco and similar dishes, nothing works as well. And you'd go a long way before finding a better cooking vessel for pot roast.

Here is a Morrocan recipe I'm sure you will enjoy. It's kind of expensive to make, because of the large amount of saffron. But it will be a great way of celebrating your new pot. The recipe is adapted from _The North African Kitchen_, by Fiona Dunlap.

You can make this dish with less saffron, of course. But it's hallmark is the intensity of the saffron flavor.

*Chicken with Orange & Saffron*

1 large chicken, cut up

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp grond black pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

4-5 pinches of saffron

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 tbls olive oil

2 tbls vegetable oil

1 cup orange juice

orange mixture:

2 large oranges

Juice of 1 orange

1 cinnamon stick, roughly broken

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 1/2 tbls super fine sugar

Handful sesame seeds (optional) for garnish

Put the chicken piees in a lare deep saucepan with the spices, salt, and oils. Stir to combine, then simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add most of the orange juice, cover the pan, and simmer vigourously for about 20 minutes, turning the chicken pieces over halfway through the cooking time. Add the remaining orange juice, reuce the heat, and simmer gently for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, prepare the orange mixture. Cut the oranges into segments, remove any pith or seeds, but keep the skinon. Place them in a saucepan with the orange juice, a few spoonfuls of water, the two kinds of cinnamon, and the sugar. Reduce over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, or until not juice is left and the mixture has caramelized.

Trainsfer the chicken pieces to a serving dish. Pour the sauce from the pan over the chicken, then spoon the oragne mixture on top. Garnish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

KYH thanks for sharing that recipe!



> Originally Posted by *KYHeirloomer*
> 
> Put the chicken piees in a lare deep saucepan with the spices, salt, and oils. Stir to combine, then simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.


Do you want some color at all on the chicken or do you just put everything in a cold pan, then turn it on low heat?

Thanks!


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

You can go either way, when using the Le Creuset. If you were using a tagine the chicken would not be browned first. Personally, I'm not a big fan of putting proteins in a cold pot, so preheat the oil, and spices, then add the chicken. The heat is on low, so the chicken is more like oil poaching than sauteeing (although there's not enough to actually poach).

Keep in mind you're going to get plenty of color from the saffron and turmeric. The dish comes out a gorgeous orangy-yellow.

Traditionally, meats in a tagine are not browned, as we do, ahead of time. Occasionally they are browned after the cooking is complete. But even that isn't done too often.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

That's exactly what I was going to say: when I do a tagine I don't brown the meat: I place all the cold meat in the cold marinade in the tagine, wait a couple hours, then turn on the heat on low, so it takes a good 2 hours for the tagine to get to simmering temperature. then I cook, then sometimes I place the pieces of meat covered with a little butter under a broiler - sometimes I don't.

There are a few instances when I'll put proteins in a cold pot, i.e. Philipino adobo, or duck magrets, or duck breasts, or bacon/pork belly (to render the fat).

Thank you for your answer!


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## beeswax (Jun 12, 2010)

Thank you all for lovely suggestions...I will definitely try the recipes. BTW has anyone tried making a slow cooked leg of lamb in the pot, and if so how did you do it?


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

If you mean braising it, it should work just fine. When I cook leg of lamb, however, I much prefer dry heat, so roast it in the oven.

I'm thinking, too, if you're going to braise it you'd be better off with cheaper cuts. Think in terms of a lamb stew or lamb tagine for that application, rather than a whole cut like a leg.

Even better, IMO, would be lamb shanks. Braising is an ideal application. Cook 'em just like osso buco. Lamb (or veal, or beef, or even turkey) shanks and your LeCrueset are a natural pairing.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

As I said, I'd rather dry roast a leg. But here's a lamb recipe that would be ideal paired with your new pot. Don't let the list of ingredients deter you; they're all commonly available, and there's surprisingly little prep time:

*Lamb Balls with Carrot Sauce*

1/2 tsp cardamom seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 1/2 lbs ground lamb

2 onions, chopped

2" stick cinnamon

4 tomatoes, cut in wedges

2 roasted red peppers, sliced

2 cups lamb or veggie stock

1 tbls butter

1 lb carrots, sliced

3 tbls raisins

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbls white vinegar

Pinch saffron threads

2 tbls honey

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Dry roast the cardamom and cumin seeds in a wide pot over high heat to release their oils. Add a little oil, then the onions, and saute until soft.

In a bowl combine the lamb and onion misture. Form into meatballs and sear in oil until browned on all sides. Set aside.

Drain most of the oil from the pan. Add the tomatoes, bell peppers, cinnamon and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer, uncovered, until reduced well and tomatoes have dissolved, 1 1/2-2 giyrs,

In a large skillet combine the butter, carrots, raisins and garlic and saute about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and saffron and let simmer another five minutes. Add the carrot mixture and honey to the stew pot. Return lamb balls. Simmer ten minutes. Season with salt and serve.

This next one, adapted from Dorinda Hafner's _A Taste of Africa_, specifically uses a pot like yours, rather than a tagine.

*Morrocan Tagine of Lamb with Pumpkin, Veggies & Fruit*

2 lb stewing lamb, roughly chopped*

4 garlic cloves, chopped fine

2 small onion, coarsely chopped

Salt

1 tsp cayenne

4 tble vegetable oil

1 tbls turmeric

8-10 large tomatoes, peeled & diced

1-2 hot red chilies (optional)

1 tbls raisins

1 lb pumpkin, pealed and coarsely chopped

2 lb grean beans, halved

Juice of half lemon

Preheat oven to 350

Combine the meat, garlic, onions, slat, peper, oil, turmeric, tomatoes and chilies in a deep, heavy pot. Mix well. Cover and bake about 45 minutes. Add the raisins and cook another 15 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin, beans and lemon juice, cover again, and cook an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours untio meat is tender and cooked through. Serve hot with couscous or saffron rice.

*What she means here is to cut the meat into rough pieces, bigger than a dice, but not in large cubes. I'd say, roughly, 3/4-1 inch pieces. Don't worry that they aren't all the same; this is a rustic dish.


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## tylerm713 (Aug 6, 2010)

I use my LC 7.25 qt bouillabaisse pot for nearly everything. While we're talking lamb, my favorite version of the furry little beast is braised in stock and red wine with root vegetables. I have a lot of recipes, but I don't actually have this one written down. I just go with whatever vegetables are fresh and available at the local grocery store. I've used carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, salsify, fennel, turnips, celeriac, kohlrabi, and every kind of onion there is. Really whatever I'm in the mood for.

Take care of that pot, and you'll be enjoying it for years. One suggestions is to get a stainless steel knob so that you can use it in a hot oven. And never use anything abrasive to clean the bottom. My aunt ruined an enameled pot this Christmas using steel wool.


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## beeswax (Jun 12, 2010)

Wow..thank you all for contributing... I can see a lot of you love your cast iron pots.

Does anyone own a shallow round oven pot and if so, what kind of food would you cook in there compared to a deeper round French oven...


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

flat breads, pancakes, coffee cake, cornbread, biscuits...if it's cast iron you can use it for on/in any heat source. I am in the process of slowly switching my kitchen to as 100% cast Iron as I can get. Also depending on how shallow your talking about you can do some nice scalloped potatoes or mini-casseroles.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Keep in mind, Beeswax, than among experienced cast-iron users, a skillet is more than a frying pan. It's also a shallow pot, as you describe.

If you broaden out to raw iron there is a much greater selection of sizes, styles, and configurations. For instance, I've never seen an enamaled chicken fryer---which is, perhaps, the most versatile cooking pot ever made. Then there are things like griddles, and fajita pans, and.......


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## grumio (Apr 16, 2006)

Beeswax - this Cook's Illustrated "almost no-knead bread" recipe is what got me started baking in a dutch oven. Great crust.


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## ruby june (Sep 25, 2011)

I have just purchased a 5.5 qt LC French oven and it has yet to be used.  This weekend I am going to cook in it.  I like to make curries and other Indian dishes.  I was looking through my Indian cookbooks and many say to saute in a large frypan or wok, so I suppose that I will just ignore that and use the French oven.  I am a bit hesitant to begin.  I have just thrown out my cheaper pots which were worn out, but I was not afraid to use them.  When a recipe in my Indian or other cookbooks say medium-high heat (which most of them do) should I just stay at medium and will the pot heat up enough to where I do not have to go higher.  At the store where I bought the pot, a couple of people said just crank up the heat, it won't harm it, just do it gradually.  Other times I read that it is best to keep the heat at medium or lower.  I suppose if one can bake bread at 500 degrees, it must be okay to go to medium high. 

Also, the recipes talk about blending some of the ingredients.  Does anyone know of a great blender to use and one that will make great smoothies as well.

Help me get started with cooking in this pot with some ideas.  Thank you.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Ruby June said:


> I have just purchased a 5.5 qt LC French oven and it has yet to be used. This weekend I am going to cook in it. I like to make curries and other Indian dishes. I was looking through my Indian cookbooks and many say to saute in a large frypan or wok, so I suppose that I will just ignore that and use the French oven. I am a bit hesitant to begin. I have just thrown out my cheaper pots which were worn out, but I was not afraid to use them. When a recipe in my Indian or other cookbooks say medium-high heat (which most of them do) should I just stay at medium and will the pot heat up enough to where I do not have to go higher. At the store where I bought the pot, a couple of people said just crank up the heat, it won't harm it, just do it gradually. Other times I read that it is best to keep the heat at medium or lower. I suppose if one can bake bread at 500 degrees, it must be okay to go to medium high.
> 
> Also, the recipes talk about blending some of the ingredients. Does anyone know of a great blender to use and one that will make great smoothies as well.
> 
> Help me get started with cooking in this pot with some ideas. Thank you.


It's not impossible to sautee in le creuset but it's not the first place my mind goes to. I only sear in it when the dish will eventually be cooked slowly for a long time. So for example, if you need to sear your meat, then add aromatics and liquid and set to cook on low heat. I wouldn't stir fry in it just for the sake of stir fry.

There was a thread here not too long ago about heating up the creuset. In the end it was concluded that it's best to heat the pot up slowly if there is nothing in it yet. So I put it on a medium heat and leave it for about 10min to heat up, then add oil and start cooking in it. Once I add food I feel safe cranking up the heat a bit but use caution. Don't make the same mistake I made in the beginning which was to crank up the heat from the start and start sauteeing in it as if it was an aluminum pan. Doing that only left dreadful burn marks on my food and on my pot which I can't remove.

Better yet, tell us what kind of dish you want to make and we can give you the correct procedure for making it while getting the best use out of your creuset.

You want a stick blender, they're inexpensive and worth their weight in gold. Works right in the pot.


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## familymealsblog (Sep 25, 2011)

Hi Beeswax,

Great purchase, I am sure you will get loads of enjoyment from it. 

Try this delicious and super easy baked risotto recipe.

*Baked Pumpkin & Pancetta Risotto (serves 2)*

1 cup Arborio rice

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

30g butter

1 tbsp. small sage leaves

400g pumpkin, peeled and diced

6 thin slices of pancetta, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Extra grated parmesan to serve

Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F). Combine rice, stock, butter, sage, pumpkin and pancetta in your dish and cover with the lid. Bake for 45 minutes or until the rice is soft. Stir in the parmesan, salt and pepper ad continue stirring for 5 minutes or until the risotto is creamy and the remaining stock is absorbed. Divide the risotto between plates and top with extra remaining parmesan.

Happy cooking!

Emma


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## ruby june (Sep 25, 2011)

Thank you for this helpful information.  For this weekend I have not had time to cook in the pot yet, but will very soon.  It is still sitting there looking pretty.

I will think about what I would like to cook and let you know. 

 One idea is chicken curry.  I will give you a brief description of what is in in my cookbook and leave out the extra words just to give you an idea of changing this recipe for cooking in a French oven.  Recipe is from "Entice with Spice by Shubhra Ramineni."

  *Recipe says to put oil into a large saucepan and place over medium heat.  When heated add cumin and mustard seeds.  Then add garlic, ginger and onion.  Saute for three minutes.  Add chicken, spices, lime juice, mint leaves and 1 cup of water.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a "rolling boil over high heat." Reduce heat to medium.  Partially cover the saucepan.  Simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.

  I know that I could just do this in a stainlesss steel saucepan.  There are similar curries which have potatoes and some that have servings for 4 to 6 and these would fit better in the French pot as the stainless that I have now is not large. 

  Where it says bring to a "rolling boil," would I just stay on medium or go a little higher now that the pot has heated up?

   **Perhaps a lamb braised with vegetables.  A lamb stew.  Carnitas braised and to be shredded for tacos.  Braised chicken.  Beans such as chickpeas, pinto, etc. 

    Step by step instructions at this stage are probably a good idea.  Thank you.


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