maxine in ri > wrote:

> I have a recipe that calls for a 3-4 lb brisket, and a 750 ml bottle
> of wine. It's braised, obviously, but isn't that an awful lot of
> liquid for braising?Even after the reduction of that and the other 2-3
> cups of liquid by half?
>
> I don't often cook hunks of meat, other than the occasional London
> Broil, so I turn to you, the experts, for advice on whether to even
> attempt this recipe or no.

I do not deem myself an expert, but I'd say that this is a matter of a
given recipe and individual preference. So, there is no one answer to
this question. Also, if the brisket is going to be braised in a piece,
it will probably take more time than any of the recipes below. In
theory, the recipe appears plausible in this respect, I'd say.

For example:

Coq au vin
- Julia Child: 3 cups of wine (plus some Cognac); 2 1/2 to 3 lbs chicken
(and some bacon)
- Bocuse: just 2 cups of wine (and some Cognac); 4 lbs chicken (and some
bacon)
- M.F.K. Fisher: 2 cups wine (and some Cognac); 2 1/2 to 3 lbs chicken
(and 1/2 lb salt pork)

Boeuf à la bourguignonne
- Julia Child: 3 cups of wine (and some Cognac), 3 lbs beef
- Bocuse: just 0.8 cup of wine (and some Cognac), 3.3 pounds beef (and
one calf's foot and some bacon)
- M.F.K. Fisher: 2 cups wine; 3 lbs beef

Victor