Potted Head
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Clean the half bullock's head and soak it in warm water along with the cow heel for 3 hours.
Boil both until tender.
Cut them into small pieces and set aside.
Make the broth
Strain the boiling liquid and let it cool to skim off the fat easily.
Put the pieces and strained liquid into a saucepan and boil for 30 minutes.
Season with pepper and coarse sea salt to taste.
Set and serve
Pour into a mold or convenient dish and place in a cool area.
Once cold, it will form a jelly and is ready to use.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Bullock's head
- Provides meat and collagen that set into a firm jelly as the liquid cools.
- Cow heel
- Adds collagen-rich gelatin that helps the broth thicken and set when cold.
The step that matters
Skimming the fat after straining. Fat left in the strained liquid can stay on the surface and cloud or grease the set jelly. Cooling the liquid first lets the fat rise and harden so it lifts off easily.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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