Bäeckeofe

 Recipe from chef patrick

Ingredients :
Short introduction : this typical Alsatian recipe (note of the translator : Alsace is a French province along the French boarder of the Rhine river, the German side being the "Black Forest" - Schwartz Wald in German) comes from 2 words : "bäcke" meaning 'baker' and 'ofe' which is the baker's oven for bread cooking. The original mould/dish to cook the 'bäeckeofe' is still made of clay and is high and it is put hermetically closed with a flame-proof clay (actually made of a flour and water dough) into the oven in order to keep all fragrances during cooking.

Traditional Bäeckeofe for 6 servings :

1/2 kilogram (1 lb 2 oz) boneless pork shin
1/2 kilogram boneless lamb shoulder
1/2 kilogram beef chuck
3 onions, chopped
2 crushed cloves of garlic
10 grams (1/3 oz) table salt
5 grams coarsely crushed black pepper
1 little thyme
1 bay leaf
3 juniper berries
1/2 litre (approx. 1 US pint) dry white wine (Riesling) for the cooking + 1/10 litre (3fl oz) for the marinade
1.5 kilograms (3 lb 5 oz) sliced potatoes :
For the flame-proof 'clay' : 150 grams (5 oz) wheat flour mixed with a little cold water to make a compact dough

Direction :
The day before cooking, cut all the meat into 2 in. large cubes and put them into a large pie dish with salt, black pepper (berries crushed with the bottom of a sauce pan), sliced onions, thyme, bay leaf, juniper berries, garlic cloves and the wine for the marinade. Blend the whole with clean hands, cover with cling film and put into the fridge during one full night.

The day after :
1/Pre-heat the oven at 320°F
2/Into the special bäeckeofe cooking dish, put a layer of the marinated ingredients, then a layer of potatoes and repeat the layers until the dish is filled up. Pour the marinade and the rest of the wine.
3/Cover with the lid of the dish then take the dough you have prepared in a small bowl, make a long 'snake' of it (long and thick enough) and stick it well with the thumb at the joint border of the dish and lid in order to close hermetically the dish
4/Cook into the oven during 3 hours and a half (to make it nicer, you can, after half cooking, lay down with a brush on the dough 'snake' with some egg wash)
5/Put the closed dish on the table and open it with a knife in front of each guests : your neighbours should come fast thanks to the blend of aromas spreading in the room ...