Most home cooks use a crusher to prepare fresh garlic (and end up leaving a lot of the clove behind). Chefs, however, use a knife. This method produces a paste with an even consistency that distributes through the dish more easily.
Step 1: Place an unpeeled garlic clove on a plastic chopping board (a wooden chopping board absorbs the flavour of the garlic and you want to preserve that for the dish). Place the blade of a large, wide knife on top of the clove. Using the palm of your hand, press the blade down onto the clove, crushing it and splitting the skin.
Step 2: Peel the garlic clove and discard the skin. (The skin should come away easily. If it doesn't you may need to crush the clove further.) Use a sharp knife to roughly chop the garlic.
Step 3: Sprinkle the chopped garlic with a little salt. (The salt helps draw the moisture from the garlic, making it easier to crush. It also acts as an abrasive and prevents the garlic slipping out fromunder the knife.) Gently press down on the chopped garlic with the flat side of the knife and work the garlic into a smooth paste.
Source
Good Taste - April 2004, Page 51
No comments:
Post a Comment