Forcemeat: A Brief Introduction

 

Forcemeat

 

Forcemeats: 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.

 

·         Pate: from the old French paste, meaning paste.

·         Terrine: from the Latin Terra, meaning earth.

·         Galantine: from the old French galant, meaning gorgeous or showy; also from the old French term galine, meaning chicken.

·         Ballotine: from the Italian Balla, 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.

·         Timbale: from the English Thimble (Thimble - a small metal or plastic cap with a closed end, worn to protect the finger and push the needle in sewing)

 

Forcemeat used in preparing pate.

Composition of the Forcemeat:

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 ½” 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. Nowadays, when preparing forcemeat using other varieties of meat, the lean pork an be substituted with another subsidiary meat. For example, in a Lobster Mousse, the lean pork will be substituted with shrimp or some other cheap white fish. The important thing to remember is that the subsidiary meat should complement the dominant meat 

- 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. Again, other fats such as butter and cream can be substituted in order that the meat and fat complement each other. In the Lobster mousse, cream would be better suited as a fat instead of pork fat.

 

·         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 farce. 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 manié (uncooked butter/flour mixture), blood. 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 gm 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  (Mono Sodium Glutamate) 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, or in 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 (Butylated Hydroxy Toulene) and BHA (Butylated Hydroxy Anisote), 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.

 

 

Pate: A forcemeat delicacy

Basic Guidelines for preparing a Farce: The meat being used to make the farce as well as the equipment to grind it like the buffalo chopper or the food processor must be absolutely chilled before use. Such chilling is essential as it facilitates clean grinding of the farce, as opposed to tearing which inhibits the release of the protein which in turn later binds the farce and gives it the correct texture. A sharp cutting blade is also essential. The process of grinding involves three stages: - First the ingredients are coarsely ground through a medium holed plate - It is then passed through a small holed plate - If the farce is to be ground to a fine textured paste it can be emulsified in a food processor A small amount of crushed ice can be added during the emulsifying stage. This helps to maintain the temperature of the farce during the grinding. - Finally, the farce is passed through a sieve to remove any trace of sinew, gristle or skin that might have remained during the grinding. Remember, that the process may not require all the stages mentioned. For a coarse farce, like that required for a salami sausage, only the first two stages are required. There are times when the food grinder is not available. In that case, the meat can be placed in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes, rendering it partially frozen. This is done so that when it is placed in the food processor, the interaction of the blade against the partially frozen meat poultry or fish results in it being cut up, much the way it would if put through a meat grinder.

 

Herb and Spice Seasoning & Flavouring Blends: Garde Manger chefs will develop their own blend of seasoning mix for the different products they make. The degree of strength will vary from a mild, light blend for fish and seafood roulade to a medium blend for pork and veal terrine to a heavy blend for a game pate. Ideally, the herb and spice blend should be of a dry nature and finely powdered so that it blends in well with the farce. However, some chefs prefer to use the fresh variety, especially of herbs. If the herbs are fresh, they need to be chopped very finely. Spice blends are a matter of personal choice. 

Seasoning/Flavoring Blend I (All Purpose mixture, from Escofier’s Le Guide Culinaire) 5 parts bayleaf 4 parts clove 4 parts cinnamon 3 parts coriander 3 parts ginger 3 parts mace 6 parts nutmeg 5 parts Black Pepper 5 parts White Pepper 1 part cayenne pepper 3 parts thyme 

Seasoning/flavoring Blend II (Good For Fish Farce) 7 parts thyme 6 parts White Pepper 4 parts nutmeg 3 parts dill seed 3 parts bayleaf 3 parts clove 3 parts coriander & 3 parts cumin 

Seasoning/flavoring Blend III (Good or Meat and Poultry Farce) 3 parts White Pepper 2 parts clove 2 parts tarragon 1 part all spice 1 part ground nutmeg 1 part each cumin, thyme, paprika, and marjoram 

Seasoning/flavoring Blend IV (Good for Game and Rich Meat Farce) 7 parts juniper berries 4 parts cumin 3 parts basil 3 parts clove 3 parts bay leaf 3 parts garlic 3 parts ginger 3 parts nutmeg 3 parts black pepper 3 parts white pepper 2 parts marjoram 6