673 HOW TO use sugar as a preservative for fruit WHAT IS the difference between preserves, jams, and jellies? HOW TO make fruit pastes HOW TO poach fruits HOW TO preserve fruits in alcohol STRAWBERRY PRESERVES CONFITURE DE FRAISES FOR MOST OF US, IT’S HARD TO ENVISION A WORLD WITHOUT REFRIGERators and freezers. Since Roman times, and no doubt earlier, humans have done their best to keep foods from rotting by drying them; packing them in salt, honey, vinegar, or spices; or smoking them in the hearth. Until relatively recently, fruits and other sweet foods were impossible to preserve without seriously altering their flavor or texture. Early recipes call for drying fruits in the sun or preserving them in salt or in vinegar. (Cherries in vinegar are still served in parts of France as an accompaniment to pâtés.) While storing fruits in honey altered their flavor and texture less than using vinegar or drying them, honey is hygroscopic—it absorbs moisture from the air—and therefore it’s useless for making the candied and preserved fruits that we know today.
It wasn’t until the sixteenth century, when methods for making high-quality, relatively inexpensive sugar were perfected, that cooking fruits in sugar syrup became practical. Although the Italians were the first to learn how to work with sugar, techniques for preserving fruits were first written about in French—by Michel de Nostredame, or Nostradamus, more famous for his astrological predictions and his subsequent falling-out with the pope than for his writings about food. Sugar has certain surprising characteristics. When a small amount is combined with water, it can be fermented by yeasts, whether they are introduced on purpose to produce alcohol, or by accidental contamination. But when sugar is concentrated into a syrup, it resists bacteria and prevents fermentation. Concentrated sugar solutions—syrups—are susceptible to molds, but molds are much slower to attack foods than are bacteria and if the sugar solution is kept sealed they are rarely a problem. Cooking fruits in sugar syrups of different concentrations creates different effects. Poaching fruit in a light syrup will soften the fruit and sweeten it, making poaching a good method for dealing with underripe or inferior fruit, but it won’t preserve the fruit, because the sugar isn’t concentrated enough to prevent fermentation. Poaching fruit in a more concentrated sugar syrup and then sealing it results in the familiar fruit preserves that we like to spread on toast. Dipping fruits repeatedly in hot concentrated syrup and allowing them to dry between dippings produces candied fruit. Another discovery, which predated the widespread use of sugar, was distillation. Distillation is the technique by which liquid mixtures are gently heated in a still so that the more volatile components turn to vapor. The vapor is then cooled, and thereby liquefied, so it can be trapped. Described by Aristotle as a method of getting the salt out of seawater, distillation was later used by Arabs to produce alcohol, most likely used for medicinal purposes rather than in the kitchen or for drinking. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, alcohol was distilled by French alchemists and later limonadiers, street vendors who sold both nonalcoholic citrus drinks, such as lemonade, and liqueurs. Like sugar, alcohol is a preservative and, especially when unsweetened fruit brandies are combined with sugar, a very tasty one at that. Preserving fruits in distilled spirits makes it possible to use less sugar and to cook the fruit less so that its texture stays more intact. 674 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Preserving Fruits With Sugar MOST FRUIT PRESERVE RECIPES TELL YOU to combine the fruits with a sugar syrup and cook the mixture down to a certain thickness or until it registers a certain temperature on a candy thermometer—a method that leaves the fruits without form or texture, more like jam than individual tasty berries or pieces of larger fruits. I prefer to prepare the syrup and dip the washed whole, sliced, or diced fruit in the syrup in batches only long enough to cook the fruit and get it to release its flavorful juices into the surrounding liquid, usually 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the size and ripeness of the fruit or fruit pieces. I remove the fruit and boil down the syrup (which the liquid released by the fruit will have thinned) to its original volume. I then add another batch of fruit and continue until all the fruit has been cooked, reducing the syrup after each addition. Finally, I put the fruit back in, bring everything back to a quick simmer to sterilize it, and pack it in sterilized jars (see page 676). Make the following recipe when strawberries are at their tastiest and least expensive. On the East Coast this means June, on the West Coast earlier in the spring. I make two versions of preserved fruit. One, what the French call fruits en conserve, are fruits preserved in a relatively light syrup; they are best as a topping for cakes, shortcake, or yogurt. The other, what we call fruit preserves and the French call confiture, contains almost twice as much sugar and is more suitable for spreading on toast in the same way as jam. STRAWBERR IES IN SYRUP FRAISES EN CONSERVE makes 6 or 7 pints [4 or 4.5 kg) 10 pounds [4.5 kg] ripe strawberries 24 cups [450 g] granulated sugar PUT the strawberries in a bowl of cold water, swirl them around for a second, and drain them in a colander. Don’t let them soak, or the water will leach out their sweetness. Hull them by rotating the tip of a small paring knife around the stem. Don’t just cut off the stem end, or you’ll waste strawberry. BRING the sugar to a simmer with 2 cups [500 ml] of water in the widest nonaluminum pot you have. If you’re lucky enough to have one of those oldfashioned wide copper bassins à confiture, now’s the time to use it. Use a skimmer or large spoon to skim off any froth that floats to the top. Older recipes constantly remind the reader to skim, probably because sugar was less pure than it is now. Note the level of the liquid, and gently pour in just enough strawberries—1 or 2 pounds—so that none are pushed up above the syrup, but don’t worry if a few float. Keep the heat on medium, wait for the strawberries to come back to a simmer, simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, and then use a skimmer or slotted spoon to gently transfer the strawberries to a colander set in a mixing bowl. (You’ll need two colanders to hold all the strawberries.) Boil down the syrup slightly to evaporate the liquid released by the strawberries, and add another batch. Repeat, reducing the syrup each time, until you’ve used all the strawberries. When you’re done, pour any liquid that’s accumulated under the strawberries in the mixing bowl and pour it back into the syrup. Boil the syrup down— again, until it reaches more or less its original volume—and put all the strawberries in the colander back into the syrup. Bring to a very gentle STRAWBERRY PRESERVES 675
simmer and simmer for 8 minutes. Gently spoon the strawberries into sterilized mason jars (see below) and ladle in enough hot syrup to cover the fruit. These preserves will keep at least several months in the refrigerator. Variations: While this is an especially dramatic (and delicious) technique for making preserves out of berries, it works for any fruit I’ve ever used it for. Fruits such as pears, apples, peaches, and apricots should of course be peeled and pitted or cored and then cut into pieces. I like to keep the pieces relatively large (pears and apples quartered, whole apricots halved, peaches halved or quartered) to emphasize that these are whole fruit preserves and not just jam. If you want to make strawberry preserves (confiture), prepare the strawberries as described above, but dissolve 4 cups of sugar [800 g] in 3 cups [750 ml] of water instead of 2¼ cups [450 g] of sugar. 676 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD MAKING PRESERVES, JAMS, AND JELLIES If you’re blessed with an abundance of fresh fruit or are making jam for gifts, a few precautions will prevent—or delay—the growth of mold. The easiest-to-use jars for storing preserves are the French-style mason jars that have a clamp-on lid with a rubber gasket instead of the screw-on top on American mason jars. Jars destined for storing preserves should be sterilized before they are used. I put the jars and their lids in a large pot with enough water to come about 1 inch up the sides of the jars. I bring the water to a rapid boil. Then I cover the pot, steam and boil the jars for 10 minutes, and, with a pair of tongs, turn the jars and lids top-down on a clean kitchen towel. If you want to reuse American mason jars, you’ll need to replace the lids, because the integrity of the small rubber ring that runs around the perimeter of the lid itself (not the screw-on ring that holds it down) is easily compromised, and may not provide a perfect seal when reused. On French jars, the rubber gasket that fits around the clamp-on lid is heavy and reusable. If, however, the gaskets on your jars have started to dry out or crack, you’ll need to replace them. French jars and gaskets can be sterilized in the same way as American jars and lids. Put preserves in the jars while the preserves are still boiling hot and wipe the rims of the jars with a damp paper towel before screwing or clamping on the lid. Any particles on the rim can interfere with the seal. As the preserves cool, they will form a vacuum inside the jar such that you should hear a little hiss when you first open one.
4 pounds [1.8 kg] ripe figs 5 cup [100 g] granulated sugar 2 cups (5 pound [225 g]) walnut halves, chopped coarse CUT the stems off the figs and rinse the figs thoroughly under cold running water. COMBINE the sugar with ½ cup [125 ml] of water in a heavy-bottomed nonaluminum pot large enough to hold the figs. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil just long enough to dissolve the sugar. Add the figs. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, cover the pot, and turn down the heat to maintain at a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 minutes to soften the figs and get them to release liquid. Take off the lid and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula, crushing the figs against the inside of the pot. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring continuously to prevent burning, until the mixture has the consistency of stiff jam, about 45 minutes. Stir in the walnuts and pack immediately into sterilized jars (see page 676). If you want to eliminate the peels, work the jam through a coarse drum sieve, food mill, or strainer before adding the walnuts. STRAWBERRY PRESERVES 677 JAMS AND JELLIES Sometimes the distinctions between jams, jellies, and preserves are hazy, but I usually think of fruit preserves as containing pieces of whole fruit, and of jam as more like a purée. Jelly is the juice of fruit that is made to jell with pectin, either entirely from the fruit itself or augmented with the pectin from apples (an apple jelly is made as the base) or store-bought pectin. Pectin is a carbohydrate found in the cell walls of fruit; when dissolved in water, it unravels into long chains of sugar molecules. These chains become entangled and cause liquid mixtures to jell. The action of pectin in cool solutions is similar to that of starch, such as flour (also made of long chains of sugar molecules), in hot solutions, and analogous to that of gelatin (made of soluble proteins, themselves chains of amino acid molecules) in cold mixtures. FIG JAM WITH WALNUTS CONFITURE DE FIGUES AUX NOIX makes about 6 cups [2 kg] I’ve never tasted this jam in France because it seems to be one of those foods, once made every year in homes, that no one has time for anymore. I first read about a fig and walnut jam in Robert Courtine’s Cent Merveilles de la Cuisine Française. Courtine describes pieces of watermelon rind, almonds, and walnuts “held as prisoners in a black and sugary juice.” Seduced by that description, I’ve fooled around with a simpler version, using only walnuts. I’ve left out the almonds because they are too hard in the mouth and the watermelon rind because it’s difficult to find at the same time as figs, in the fall.
QUINCE PASTE PÂTE DE COINGS makes one 1-quart [1-l] loaf The Spanish have a marvelous custom of serving quince paste and pastes made from other fruits with Manchego and other firm cheeses. Now, even when I serve a platter of French cheeses, I include a slice or two of quince paste, which admittedly I usually buy. But after poking around in my library, I’ve discovered that the French were once quite fond of quince paste. La Varenne, in Le Confiturier François, gives recipes for two versions, both of which he calls cotignac. According to Barbara Wheaton in her excellent book about the history of French cooking, Savoring the Past, Nostradamus gave a recipe for quince paste and described it as already old-hat, since it had been popular as early as the fourteenth century. Marmelo, Portuguese for “quince,” is probably the origin of our word “marmalade.” This seems especially likely since La Varenne gives “marmelade” recipes for quinces and apples, but not for citrus fruits. Pâtes de fruits (literally, fruit pastes) are usually very sweet and are thought of as candies (see pages 694 to 698). This version, while still sweet, is less so than candy. Since quinces have such a short season, I also make this recipe with apples. 4 pounds [3.6 kg] quinces or tart apples, peeled 2 cups [400 g] granulated sugar zest and juice of 1 lemon CUT the quinces (or apples) vertically into 6 wedges and put them into a heavy-bottomed pot with 2 quarts [2 l] of water. Bring the liquid to a boil, partially. Cover the pot and simmer until the quinces are completely tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Work the quinces through a food mill to eliminate the skins and seeds and produce a purée. Combine the purée (about 2 quarts [2 l]) with the sugar and the strained cooking liquid in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or frying pan. Cook it over high heat while stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture is a deep pink color and pulls away from the sides of the pot in a goopy mass. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and continue stirring, scraping the spoon against the bottom of the pot, until the quinces begin to leave a brown stain on the bottom of the pot, indicating that they’re scorching (about 90 minutes). SCOOP the mixture into a 1-quart [1 l] heat-proof nonstick loaf pan. If you don’t have a nonstick loaf pan, line a regular loaf pan or cake pan with plastic wrap before putting the quince paste into it. Smooth the top of the paste with a rubber spatula dipped in cold water. Refrigerate until firm. Take the quince paste out of the mold and serve it in slices or wedges. Variations: I’ve also seen some versions of fruit paste made with figs and some made with plums, but I’ve never attempted them. Presumably the process should work with most fruits. GRAPE “BUTTER” WITH PEARS AND QUINCES RAISINÉ makes 4 cups [1.25 kg] Even though sugar became widely available in France in the sixteenth century, it wasn’t until the nineteenth century, when an industrial process for extracting it from sugar beets came into use, that it became a staple most everyone could afford. Fruits are, of course, a natural source of sugar, and grapes, common in France, were crushed when ripe and boiled down to a concentrated juice that would set into a stiff pastelike jelly that could be eaten with bread or be used as a sweetener in other dishes. A similar process is used today in making so-called natural sweet drinks or other sweetened products on whose label the manufacturer 678 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
doesn’t want to put the word “sugar” but can put “concentrated grape juice” or “concentrated apple juice” instead. Raisiné is an old-fashioned jamlike paste, rarely made anymore. In his book La Cuisinière Provençal, written near the end of the nineteenth century, J.-B. Reboul already states that raisiné has fallen out of favor in country homes because of the cheapness of sugar and the “maladies de la vigne,” referring no doubt to the phylloxera that struck French vineyards in the second half of that century. Burgundian recipes almost always include pieces of pears and quince in the jelly. Theoretically, you could make a sort of raisiné by cooking down grape juice into a very thick syrup, but it probably wouldn’t set because commercial grape juice doesn’t have enough pectin, which is contained in the skins of the grapes. 10 pounds [4.5 kg] sweet white or red grapes such as muscat or Concord or other sweet varieties, stemmed and rinsed 4 medium-size pears and 2 quinces, or 4 pears and 3 tart apples 5 lemon 2 cups [400 g] granulated sugar, or more to taste PUT the grapes into a heavy-bottomed nonaluminum pot over medium heat. Crush them with a potato masher while they’re in the pot. When the grapes come to a boil in their own juices, turn down the heat to maintain them at a gentle simmer. Simmer for 2 hours, uncovered, stirring and crushing now and then with the potato masher. Work the grapes through a food mill set over another pot or a bowl. Discard the skins and seeds. Rinse out the pot you used for simmering the grapes, and strain the grape juice back into it through a fine-mesh strainer. Simmer the juice for about 3 hours, skimming off froth with a ladle, until you’re left with about 4 cups [1 l] of juice, which will now have a pasty consistency. PEEL the pears and apples and immediately rub the peeled fruit with the lemon half. Cut the pears in half—again, rub the exposed parts with the lemon—and remove their cores and stems with a melon baller or a paring knife. Core the apples in the same way. Cut the fruit into ½-inch [1.5 cm] dice and put the dice into the pot with the grape paste. Simmer the mixture gently until the dice have softened but aren’t mush, about 20 minutes. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and stir in the sugar. Simmer long enough to dissolve the sugar and then remove from the heat. SPOON the hot raisiné into sterilized jars and seal the jars (see page 676). Poached Fruits I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE TO LAMENT THE tasteless fruit that shows up in even the fanciest grocery stores and at the height of the season. While in the summer I can usually track down decent fruit at a farmers’ market, grocery-store fruit is hopeless. When I’m hankering for fruit but am stuck with something tasteless or underripe, I make poached fruit. In the winter, when my friends and I are fruit starved, I make an assortment of poached fruits and pass them around the table for guests to spoon over vanilla ice cream. Fruits are poached in virtually the same way as they are when making preserves—simply simmered in a sugar syrup and allowed to cool before they’re served. But while the principle is the same, the amount of sugar needed for poaching fruits is far less than for preserves because the cooked fruit is served within a day or two. I make a very light sugar syrup—far lighter than most recipes call for—so that once I’ve used it to poach the fruit I can boil down and concentrate the juices released by the fruit without overconcentrating the sugar and making the syrup too sweet. After reducing the poaching liquid, I let it cool, reinforce its flavor with unsweetened fruit brandy or other spirits (although spirits aren’t essential), and put the fruit back in. In France, dry fruit brandies are available for seemingly every fruit that grows. In the United States, we’re limited to three or four, even in big cities. (See page 683 for more about fruit brandies.) STRAWBERRY PRESERVES 679
POACHED STRAWBERR IES FRAISES POCHÉES Makes 6 dessert servings when served with ice cream, and proportionately more if other poached fruits are being served at the same time. 2 pints [595 g] strawberries (about 2 pounds) 1 recipe Basic Poaching Liquid for Fruits (page 682) 4 to 5 cup [60 to 125 ml] eau-de-vie de fraises (dry strawberry brandy, available only in France), or framboise (raspberry brandy), or kirsch (cherry brandy) (optional) PUT the strawberries in a bowl of cold water, swirl them around for a second, and drain them in a colander. Don’t let them soak, or the water will leach out their sweetness. Hull them by rotating the tip of a small paring knife around the stem. In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring the poaching liquid to a simmer. Put in the strawberries and simmer them gently until they soften and are easily penetrated with a knife but still retain some texture, 3 to 8 minutes, depending on the ripeness, size, and variety of strawberry. With a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the strawberries to a colander set over a mixing bowl. Boil down the poaching liquid—adding any liquid that has accumulated in the mixing bowl—to about half its original volume. Keep the pot to one side of the heat source so it boils only on one side and any froth accumulates on the other side. Skim off and discard any froth or scum. TAKE the syrup off the heat and put the strawberries back in. Let cool, uncovered, at room temperature, and then chill in the refrigerator. Stir in the brandy to taste. POACHED RASPBERRIES FRAMBOISES POCHÉES Makes 6 dessert servings when served with ice cream, and proportionately more if other poached fruits are being served at the same time. 4 cartons raspberries (5 pint [125 g] each) 1 recipe Basic Poaching Liquid for Fruits (page 682) 4 to 5 cup [60 to 125 ml] framboise (raspberry brandy), or kirsch (cherry brandy) (optional) BECAUSE raspberries are fragile, I poach them for only a few seconds. Bring the poaching liquid to a simmer and turn off the heat. Put the raspberries, in batches, in a skimmer, dunk them in the hot liquid for about 5 seconds, and transfer them to a bowl. When you’ve done this with all the raspberries, boil the liquid down to half its original volume and let it cool before adding the eau-de-vie, the raspberries, and any liquid the raspberries have released into the bowl. OTHER POACHED BERRIES: Blueberries, red currants, black currants, and blackberries can all be prepared in the same way as the strawberries. Poached blueberries should be served warm, as soon as they are poached, because they contain so much pectin that they will otherwise jell. Red currants, because they are so sour, may require that the syrup be reduced a little more to concentrate its sweetness. POACHED PINEAPPLE ANANAS POCHÉS Makes 8 dessert servings when served with ice cream, and proportionately more if other poached fruits are being served at the same time. 1 pineapple 1 recipe Basic Poaching Liquid for Fruits (page 682) 4 to 5 cup [60 to 125 ml] kirsch (cherry brandy) (optional) MOST pineapples are best served raw—ananas aux kirsch (raw pineapple with kirsch) is an oldfashioned bistro favorite—if you’re stuck with one that’s tough and sour, twist off the top, and cut off the bottom and top just deep enough to expose the flesh. To peel the pineapple quickly and easily, set it 680 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
on end and cut the peel off with a chef ’s knife, deep enough so that the little brown pits are left attached to the skin. This method, however, wastes a lot of pineapple, so if you have the patience, cut the little pits out individually, or cut the pits out by following them, on a diagonal, down and around the pineapple, leaving the pineapple surrounded with spiralshaped grooves. When you’ve peeled the pineapple, cut it lengthwise in half through the core and then cut each half lengthwise in half or in thirds, depending on the size of the pineapple. Cut off and discard the hard core that runs the length of each section. Slice the sections into wedges about ⅓ inch [1 cm] thick. Poach the wedges in the simmering poaching liquid for about 5 minutes, transfer them to a colander set over a mixing bowl, and boil the poaching liquid—adding any liquid that has accumulated in the mixing bowl—down to half its original volume. Put the pineapple wedges back in, let cool at room temperature, and then chill them in the refrigerator. Flavor to taste with kirsch. POACHED BANANAS BANANES POCHÉES Makes 6 dessert servings when served with ice cream, and proportionately more if other poached fruits are being served at the same time. I admit that the idea of poached bananas never really grabbed me until I discovered the secret ingredient: good dark rum. This is also the way to go if you’re in a hurry to use underripe bananas. 3 large bananas 1 recipe Basic Poaching Liquid for Fruits (page 682) 4 to 5 cup [60 to 125 ml] dark rum, preferably from Martinque or Jamaica (optional) PEEL the bananas, cut them in half crosswise, and then cut each piece in half lengthwise. Poach the pieces in the simmering poaching liquid for 4 minutes and transfer them to a colander set over a mixing bowl. Boil the poaching liquid down to half its original volume. Put the banana pieces back in, let them cool at room temperature, and then chill them in the refrigerator. Flavor to taste with rum. POACHED PEARS POIRES POCHÉES Makes 6 dessert servings when served with ice cream, and proportionately more if other poached fruits are being served at the same time. I, frankly, have never been fond of pears poached in red wine, especially when domineering spices like cinnamon and cloves have been added. A simple poaching in a plain sugar solution and ideally a final reinforcement of the pear flavor with unsweetened pear brandy (usually sold as Poire William) makes a dessert that is far more delicious and tastes of pears, nothing else. In this recipe, the pears are quartered, but for a more dramatic effect, peel the pears, leave them whole, and core them from the bottom. Poached whole pears require slightly more poaching liquid to cover, so add more as needed. (You can also cook them covered and baste them from time to time with the poaching liquid.) I serve poached whole pears standing up in chilled soup plates and surrounded with the poaching liquid, and I pass Crème Chantilly (page 609) or, better yet, lightly sweetened whipped crème fraîche (its acidic tang is a delightful accent next to the pears). 15 recipes Basic Poaching Liquid for Fruits (page 682), or more as needed if you’re poaching the pears whole 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise (optional) 6 pears 4 to 5 cup [60 to 125 ml] Poire William (unsweetened pear brandy) (optional) BRING the poaching liquid to a gentle simmer with the vanilla bean before you peel the pears so the pears don’t have time to darken. Peel the pears. If you’re leaving them whole, core them through the base with an apple corer. Otherwise, cut them in half lengthwise and use a melon baller or paring knife to cut the core and stem out of each half. Halve each half lengthwise again so each pear yields 4 lengthSTRAWBERRY PRESERVES 681
wise wedges. Poach the wedges until they’re easily penetrated with a knife but still offer a little resistance. Depending on the ripeness of the pears, this can take from 8 to 20 minutes. When the pears are done, take out the vanilla bean and transfer the pears to a mixing bowl. Boil down the poaching liquid to half its original volume. Scrape the tiny seeds out of the vanilla bean halves and put them into the stillhot poaching liquid. Put the pears back in, let cool, and chill. Flavor to taste with Poire William. POACHED APPLES POMMES POCHÉES Makes 6 dessert servings when served with ice cream, and proportionately more if other poached fruits are being served at the same time. 1 recipe Basic Poaching Liquid for Fruits (below), or more as needed 6 apples 4 to 5 cup [60 to 125 ml] Calvados (apple brandy) (optional) BRING the poaching liquid to a gentle simmer and peel the apples. Cut them in half, cut out the cores with a melon baller or paring knife, and cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges, depending on the size of the apples. Poach the wedges until they soften slightly but can be penetrated with a small knife, about 7 minutes, depending on the apples. (If the poaching liquid doesn’t completely cover the wedges, poach them with the lid on the pot.) Transfer the wedges to a colander set over a mixing bowl. Boil down the poaching liquid—adding any liquid that’s accumulated in the mixing bowl—to half its original volume. Put the wedges back in the mixing bowl, let cool at room temperature, and then chill them in the refrigerator. Flavor to taste with Calvados. 682 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD BASIC POACHING LIQUID FOR FRUITS To make enough liquid to poach about 2 pounds [900 g] of fruit, combine ½ cup [100 g] of granulated sugar with 3 cups [750 ml] of water. Bring the mixture to a simmer and use it immediately to poach the fruits, or let it cool. If you’re not using it right away, keep it refrigerated, but for no longer than several days. Because the liquid has a relatively low concentration of sugar, it’s susceptible to alcoholic fermentation. To poach more than 2 pounds [900 g] of fruit, change the ingredient amounts accordingly. If you find that you don’t have enough liquid to cover a batch of fruit, cover the pot during poaching so that fruit that isn’t submerged is steamed. Gently turn the fruit over itself after a couple of minutes so that it cooks evenly.
Liqueurs, Ratafia, Fruits in Eau-de-vie ALCOHOL HAS BEEN USED IN FRANCE SINCE at least the sixteenth century as a base for liqueurs, ratafia, and in sweetened and alcohol-preserved fruits, fruits à l’eau-de-vie. Ratafia is a creole word for a fruit liqueur made by steeping the fruits in alcohol or fruit brandy and then sweetening. A liqueur is made much like a ratafia, except that the alcohol is flavored with herbs, nuts, or spices instead of fruits, and is sweetened with sugar. Recipes for liqueur and ratafia were almost always included in cookbooks written in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the early part of the nineteenth century, but later works, including Antonin Carême’s L’Art de la Cuisine Française au Dix-neuvième Siècle, leave them out. Most recipes for ratafia suggest combining fruits with eau-de-vie and sugar syrup, macerating the mixture for anywhere from a few days to a few months, and then working it through a strainer. The result is a fruit liqueur with the flavor of the fruit marvelously intact because the fruit is never cooked. You can make your own ratafia by infusing fruits for a week or more in a combination of sugar syrup and 100-proof vodka, which is 50 percent alcohol and has a neutral flavor that won’t interfere with that of the fruit, and then straining. (In some states you can buy pure grain alcohol—actually 95 percent alcohol, the equivalent of 190 proof—which allows you to use a higher proportion of fruit without making the ratafia too weak.) You can also experiment with flavorful distilled spirits such as grape brandies (Cognac or Armagnac) or, ideally, clear brandy (eau-de-vie) made from whatever it is you’re infusing—for example, framboise (clear raspberry brandy) for raspberries. (See page 10 for more about eaux-de-vie and other spirits.) The only disadvantage to this second method is that eaux-de-vie are more expensive than 100-proof vodka and have a lower alcohol content. RASPBERRY CORDIAL RATAFIA DE FRAMBOISES makes 6 cups 1 cup [200 g] sugar 1 pint [245 g] raspberries 1 liter good-quality 100-proof vodka or framboise COMBINE the sugar with ⅔ cup [150 ml] of water in a small saucepan and simmer just long enough to dissolve the sugar. Allow to cool. CRUSH the raspberries with the back of a fork or large spoon and combine them with the sugar syrup and vodka in a tightly covered glass bowl or widemouthed jar. Let sit, at room temperature, for 2 weeks, giving the bottle a shake every few days. WORK the mixture through a large strainer, pushing on the raspberries with a heavy wooden spoon to extract as much of their juice as possible. Discard what doesn’t go through and strain the ratafia through a fine-mesh strainer. If you want the ratafia to be perfectly clear, strain it through a coffee filter or a strainer lined with a clean piece of muslin. KEEP the ratafia in a tightly corked bottle and serve it as an after-dinner drink, as a flavoring for fruits (it’s great tossed with fresh berries), or as a topping for ice cream. Variations: Even though I know testing the recipes would be a lot of fun, I haven’t made ratafia with a wide variety of fruits. But I don’t see why the above method wouldn’t work for just about anything. In reading my old recipes, the only difference I’ve seen is that relatively firm fruits such as apples, quinces, apricots, or peaches should be puréed before being combined with the alcohol and sugar. Old books say to grate them, but you can use a food processor instead. Keep in mind, though, that fruits contain varying amounts of sugar, so you might have to adSTRAWBERRY PRESERVES 683
just the quantity of sugar syrup accordingly. If the fruit is very sweet, start with less sugar than I call for above. You can always add sugar syrup to taste at the end. One problem with most homemade ratafia is that it has too little alcohol. Because alcohol is essential to balance the sweetness of the fruit and sugar, a liqueur with too little alcohol tastes cloyingly sweet. My own taste is for a liqueur of about 90 proof (45 percent alcohol). There are two solutions to this alcohol problem. If you can buy pure grain alcohol, use it in the recipe above, but double the sugar and raspberries. When the ratafia is finished, just dilute it with good bottled water to taste. If you can’t find pure alcohol—in most states it’s illegal— you can cook the fruit down to concentrate its flavor and cook off much of its water, which dilutes the vodka; but then your ratafia will lose much of the natural freshness of raw fruit. CHERRIES IN KIRSCH CERISES À L’EAU-DE-VIE makes 25 after-dinner or late-night snack (or nightcap) servings This delightful little concoction is both a dish and a drink. I first tasted it at the Lapin-Agile, an old-fashioned Montmartre cabaret where I went, when I could afford it, to listen to comedians and story tellers. Everyone sat on benches at long tables eating and sipping cerises à l’eau-de-vie, and even a few blocks from the tourist-packed “Butte” there were few foreigners, since everything was in French. I pretended, no doubt unsuccessfully, to be French. Along with the various syrups, preserves, and liqueurs found in old cookbooks, there are also cherries and other fruits preserved in eau-de-vie. The recipes are similar for various fruits and the basic technique, identical. The fruits are first dipped in simmering sugar syrup, then allowed to drain and dry slightly. The syrup is reduced, the fruits are dipped again, and the process is repeated from one to several times, depending on the fruit. The process is similar to making candied fruits (see page 686), except that the candying process isn’t completed and the partially candied fruits and the cooled syrup are combined with eau-de-vie. The mixture is macerated for several days to several months, depending on the fruit and how much it was cooked before being combined with the alcohol. The fruits are then served, surrounded with the sweet eau-de-vie soaking liquid. 4 pounds [1.8 kg] cherries 2 cups [400 g] granulated sugar 2 cups [500 ml] good-quality kirsch (see page 142) RINSE and drain the cherries. Don’t worry about the stems and pits. PUT the cherries in a heatproof jar or nonreactive bowl (such as heatproof glass or stainless steel). Combine the sugar with 6 cups [1.5 l] of water, bring to a simmer, stir to dissolve the sugar, and pour the hot syrup over the cherries. Cover the cherries and let sit for 24 hours. Gently drain the cherries in a colander set over a pot and put the cherries back into the bowl. Bring the syrup in the pot to a gentle simmer. Using a ladle to skim off any froth that floats to the surface, simmer the syrup for about 10 minutes to concentrate it and evaporate the liquid released by the cherries. Pour the hot syrup over the cherries, cover, and let sit again for 24 hours. Repeat this process for 3 more days and gently transfer the lightly candied cherries to clean jars with clamp-on lids or decorative wide-mouthed bottles. Gently simmer the sugar syrup on the stove, again skimming off froth, until it is thick and syrupy, leaving you with about 2 cups [500 ml]. Let cool for an hour and stir in the kirsch (don’t add the kirsch while the syrup is hot or it will cook off the kirsch’s aroma). Pour the kirsch syrup mixture over the cherries, cover the jars, and let macerate for 1 week. Serve chilled, in small bowls or glasses. Cerises à l’eau-de-vie will keep for 1 year. 684 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Variations: In France, this same treatment is applied to the little golden plums called mirabelles, and eau-de-vie de mirabelle is substituted for the kirsch. I’ve never seen the plums in this country, and while eau-de-vie de mirabelle, known here simply as mirabelle, can be found, it isn’t easy. A more accessible and delicious version is made with white grapes. I use muscat grapes if I can find them, but I pour the sugar syrup over the grapes only three times after blanching instead of five times. I replace the kirsch with a good French marc. Grappa di moscato in place of the marc would no doubt be delicious, but frightfully expensive. My favorite of all fruits in eau-de-vie are clementines, partially candied in the same way as the cherries, and finished with good vodka and the reduced cooking syrup. CLEMENTINES OR MANDARIN ORANGES IN SWEETENED VODKA CLEMENTINES OU MANDARINES À L’EAU-DE-VIE makes 20 servings (1 clementine per person as an after-dessert treat) When I owned a restaurant in Manhattan in the early 1980s, I would pull out all the stops for my annual New Year’s Eve dinner. I charged our guests a hefty sum to spend the evening and the wee hours of the morning at my restaurant, but I was so extravagant I always lost money on the whole affair. The last in a long line of special dishes, each accompanied by a Champagne, were these alcohol-laced clementines, eaten whole, skin and all, which I served to accompany a good marc. As stuffed as they were, guests could never resist one last bite. If you want these for the December holidays, make them with the first clementines you see in November. You can also use mandarins (although they have seeds), but don’t try tangerines—their skin is too thick. 24 small clementines or mandarin oranges (the 4 extra are for sampling) 7 cups [1.8 kg] granulated sugar 2 cups [500 ml] good-quality vodka, or more as needed THOROUGHLY rinse the clementines and remove any stems and leaves. Bring about 6 quarts [6 l] of water to a boil over high heat and add the clementines. When the water returns to a simmer, turn down the heat. Gently simmer the clementines for 15 minutes, drain in a colander, and discard the blanching water. Let cool and prick each clementine about 15 times with a pin to allow the syrup and vodka to penetrate. COMBINE 3 cups [600 g] of the sugar with 2 quarts [2 l] of water in a heavy-bottomed nonaluminum pot large enough to hold the clementines. Bring to a simmer, stir to dissolve the sugar, and add the clementines. Simmer for 10 minutes, turn off the heat, and transfer both syrup and clementines to a heat-proof bowl. (If you’ve used a stainless steel pot, just leave them in the pot.) Cover and leave at room temperature overnight. The next day, bring the clementines and their syrup to a simmer, simmer for 5 minutes, transfer again to the heatproof bowl (or leave in the pot), cover, and let sit overnight. Repeat this process one more time and drain them in a colander—handle them gently. Discard the syrup. COMBINE the remaining sugar with 3 quarts [3 l] of water, bring to a simmer, and stir to dissolve the sugar. Put the clementines in the hot syrup, gently set a heat-proof plate on them to keep them from bobbing up, and let sit overnight. The next day, simmer the clementines for 10 minutes, uncovered, in the syrup and let cool. Repeat this process for 2 to 5 more days, sampling a clementine after 2 days. Bite STRAWBERRY PRESERVES 685
into the clementine to make sure that the syrup has penetrated it, that the skin is soft and sweet but not mushy, and that the syrup has made it all the way to the center of the fruit. You may use up a couple of clementines—hence the extras—until you get it right. The number of days of cooking and soaking will depend on the size of the clementines and the thickness of their skins. WHEN the clementines are sweet all the way through, use a slotted spoon to transfer them gently to widemouth jars, preferably with clamp or cork tops. Boil down the syrup, skimming off any froth, to 4½ cups [1.1 l], by which time it should have the consistency of maple syrup. Let cool. Combine 1⅓ cups [500 ml] of the reduced syrup with the vodka, and pour the mixture over the clementines. If there’s not enough liquid to cover, add more syrup-vodka mixture. Soak for 2 to 3 weeks, gently twirling the jar every couple of days to redistribute the clementines. Serve in small chilled glasses or bowls. Beware: Eating one of these is roughly the equivalent of having an after-dinner drink. Leftover clementine-vodka juice is a welcome addition to vanilla ice cream. 686 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD CANDIED FRUITS Most people nowadays would rather eat their fruit fresh instead of candied and would be happier just to find a good peach than to bite into an expensive, arduous-to-make candied fruit. But before chocolate was brought back from the New World, and candies of various sorts became commonplace, candied fruit bordered on the miraculous. Candied fruits are made by repeatedly dipping fruits in hot sugar syrup and allowing the fruits to dry for 24 hours between dippings. As the dippings, which go on for from 5 days to 3 months, progress, a slightly more concentrated sugar syrup is used and a small amount of glucose (a different kind of sugar) is added to the syrup to keep it from crystallizing. The sudden crystallization of a concentrated sugar syrup for no apparent reason is the result of supersaturation. Solutions are said to be supersaturated when more of a particular solid is dissolved in a liquid than the liquid can, under normal conditions, contain. To make a supersaturated sugar syrup, dissolve as much sugar as you can in a given amount of boiling water and then let the syrup cool. Because hot liquids will dissolve more solids than cold liquids, the syrup becomes supersaturated as it cools. If a stray sugar crystal—one that’s formed on the side of the pan, perhaps—falls into the syrup, it initiates crystallization and the whole thing turns into a mass of wet crystals. Adding glucose helps prevent recrystallization because pure solutions (solutions of one kind of sugar), which form identical crystals, are much more likely to join together in matching crystals than impure ones. Some recipes call for adding a little cream of tartar or lemon juice, instead of glucose, to concentrated sugar solutions. Acids such as these cause sucrose—table sugar—to break down into invert sugar (a mixture of glucose and fructose), which also helps to keep the syrup from crystallizing.
687 HOW TO make shortbread cookies HOW TO make oldfashioned french regional cookies HOW TO make chocolate truffles, candied citrus rinds, and fruit jellies COOKIES AND CANDIES PETITS-FOURS SECS YEARS AGO A CLOSE FRIEND AND I TOOK A THREE-WEEK TRIP TO THE French countryside, where we indulged in a variety of gustatory excesses. As we’d approach a new town or city, I’d run my finger down the page in the Michelin guide and call from a pay phone at a gas station to book a table. To avoid financial ruin, our one compromise was to skip desserts—hardly a sacrifice since we’d be ready to burst anyway. But while I’m not a big dessert eater, a good meal always leaves me hankering for a cup of strong espresso and just a little something sweet. In fancy restaurants, petits fours—tiny little cakes, candies, and cookies—are served as a prelude to dessert. For us they were dessert—the perfect end to an evening spent eating.
French pastry chefs divide petits fours into two kinds: petits-fours secs, which include various cookies and candies, and petits-fours frais, which are miniature cakes—including the familiar little square ones—or pastries that contain creamy mixtures. When I worked in restaurants in France, petits fours were made in the morning and those that weren’t eaten at lunch were served to the staff. Fresh petits fours were made for dinner and any leftovers were eaten with our morning coffee. For a recipe for French macarons (meringue cookies), see page 670. For ladyfingers, see page 671. 688 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Cookies MOST COOKIES ARE COMBINATIONS OF BUTter, flour, sugar, and eggs. Nuts are sometimes added for flavor and texture, and flavorings such as chocolate, coffee, and vanilla are worked into the batter. Some cookies are made much like cakes, by beating egg whites and folding them with flavorful mixtures of ground nuts, sugar, and/or flour. SHORTBREAD COOKIES SABLÉS makes 48 cookies Shortbread cookie dough is almost identical to the shortbread dough used for lining sweet tarts, except that even less liquid is used and the finished cookie is even more fragile. Sablé means “sand,” and that is exactly the effect a shortbread cookie should produce when you bite into one—not grit, of course, but the feeling of the cookie instantly crumbling. The large proportion of butter to liquid keeps the gluten in the flour from being activated, and the mixture, once the flour is added, is worked as little as possible. 13 tablespoons (15 sticks [170 g] plus 1 tablespoon) butter 5 cup [100 g] granulated sugar 5 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 16 cups [220 g] all-purpose flour 1 egg white (from a large egg), lightly beaten with a fork with 4 teaspoon salt 5 cup [100 g] crystallized sugar, sanding sugar, granulated sugar, or “sugar in the raw” WORK the butter, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla together in a mixing bowl with a heavy wooden spoon or in an electric mixer with the paddle blade, until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl every 30 seconds with a rubber spatula. If you’re working the flour in by hand, add it all at once and work it just long enough to incorporate it until it has the consistency of gravel. If you’re using the electric mixer, turn off the mixer and pour the flour on top of the butter mixture. Hold a kitchen towel over the mixer bowl—be careful not to let it get caught in the blade—and turn the mixer on low. Work the mixture for about 15 seconds on low and then 30 seconds on high, until it has the consistency of gravel but doesn’t come together into a mass. Pour the dough out onto the work surface and crush it several times with the heel of your hand until it comes together into a single mass. DIVIDE the dough into 3 parts and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for 30 minutes, just long enough for it to firm up slightly, but not to harden. Use your hands and then a spatula to roll the dough into 3 cylinders about 1½ inches [4 cm] thick. Press on both ends of each cylinder to flatten them. Wrap each cylinder in plastic wrap. Chill for 3 hours, or overnight. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F [190°C/gas mark 5]. COVER 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. BRUSH one of the dough cylinders on all sides (except the ends) with the egg white. Spread the crystallized sugar on a sheet pan or work surface and roll the dough in it to coat it. Slice the dough into cookies about ⅓ inch [1 cm] thick. Arrange them on sheet pans, leaving at least ½ inch between cookies. Repeat with the remaining cylinders. Bake the cookies until they are pale blond, not brown, about 15 minutes. (If the oven heat isn’t perfectly even, you may have to rotate the pans so the cookies cook at the same time.) Transfer the cookies to cake racks and let cool. COOKIES AND CANDIES 689
Variations: Basic shortbread dough can be flavored in any way you like. Many regional specialties, including the Norman cookies called sablés de bourg-dun, which are flavored with grated orange or lemon zest, are one example. Other regional cookies are made by adding chopped anise seeds, ginger (you end up with a rich ginger snap), spices such as cinnamon or cloves, or orange flower water. LINZER DOUGH: It’s hard to imagine, but there is a dough that’s even shorter (more crumbly) than sablé dough: linzer dough. Linzer dough is used to make linzertorte, but it can also be used to make cookies just like the sablés above. To make a batch of linzer dough, replace ½ cup [65 g] of the flour in the sablé dough on page 689, with ground almonds. Toast ½ cup [75 g] blanched almonds in a 350°F [175°C/gas mark 4] oven for 15 minutes, allow them to cool, and then grind them in a food processor for 3 minutes. You can then turn the dough into cookies as you would the sablés, or you can make raspberry linzer cookies (see next recipe). RASPBERRY LINZER COOKIES LINZER PETITS-FOURS AUX PÉPINS DE FRAMBOISES makes 32 filled cookies Whenever you make raspberry coulis (a purée with the seeds strained out), as for the fromage blanc tart described on page 152 or the raspberry soufflés on page 626, freeze the tiny seeds that won’t go through the strainer and use them to fill your cookies, much like a Fig Newton. (You can also strain a thawed 14-ounce [395 g] package of frozen raspberries just for this recipe and freeze the coulis.) If you don’t want to deal with the seeds, use good-quality storebought preserves or make your own (see page 676). You can also make these little cookies with leftover shortbread dough (pâte sablée) instead of linzer dough. 1 recipe linzer dough (see variations to Shortbread Cookies recipe, at left) 6 cup [125 g] raspberry or strawberry seeds left over from straining purées, or 6 cup [160 g] good-quality fruit preserves 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or more to taste (if you are using berry seeds) PREPARE , roll, and chill the linzer dough in the same way as the shortbread dough on page 689. COMBINE the raspberry seeds with the sugar in a small saucepan and cook, while stirring, over low to medium heat, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture gets very stiff, about 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool and then chill it in the refrigerator. Fruit preserves can be used as they are. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F [190°C/gas mark 5]. SLICE the cylinders of linzer dough into rounds between ⅛ and ¼ inch [about .5 cm] thick and put them on sheet pans covered with parchment paper. Bake the pastry rounds until they are pale blond, 8 to 10 minutes, and let cool. Spread half the rounds with a thin layer of the raspberry seed mixture and gently press the remaining rounds on top. 690 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
BUTTER ALMOND COOKIES FINANCIERS makes about 30 cookies While life in Paris had its hardships, getting up every morning had a touch of luxury because my roommate and I lived near an excellent patisserie. Except for very well-known shops like Fauchon or Lenôtre, whose excellence goes unquestioned, the best pastry shops have a sign in the window that reads PUR BEURRE, meaning that no speck of margarine or shortening is ever used. If only we could be so reassured in this country. But we lived near such a place, Chez Pierre, and took turns going out to get pastries to eat with our morning coffee. Croissants were of course de rigeur, but whenever I went, I picked up a few financiers, buttery and nutty cookies. The ingredients for financiers are similar to those for linzer dough—almonds and plenty of butter (the butter is cooked into beurre noisette to accentuate its flavor)—but the effect is more cakelike because egg whites are used instead of whole eggs. The mixture is then baked in individual rectangular or elongated oval financier molds (see Sources), which if you become a financieraddict may be worth the investment. Otherwise you’ll have to use tartlet molds (again, see Sources), which aren’t cheap either but are more versatile, or you can use a madeleine mold, which is cheaper still. This recipe makes about 30 financiers, but if you don’t want to go out and buy 30 molds, just bake the cookies in batches. 12 tablespoons (15 sticks) butter (for the batter), plus 2 tablespoons softened butter (for the molds) 2 cups [400 g] confectioners’ sugar 6 cup [150 g] plus 2 tablespoons blanched almonds, toasted for 10 to 15 minutes in a 350°F [175°C/gas mark 4] oven, allowed to cool 7 cup [40 g] plus 1 tablespoon flour 5 egg whites (from large eggs) PREHEAT the oven to 450°F [230°C/gas mark 8] MELT the butter for the batter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. It will boil for about 10 minutes while the water cooks out of it and then it will start to froth. At this point you must watch it carefully so you caramelize the milk solids without burning them. Tilt the pan so you can see the milk solids clinging to the bottom. As soon as they turn brown, plunge the bottom of the pan in a bowl of cold water for a few seconds to stop the cooking. COMBINE the sugar and almonds in a food processor and grind by pulsing until they have a sandy consistency. Use a wooden spoon to combine the almond mixture with the flour and egg whites in a mixing bowl until smooth. Work in the hot beurre noisette. Refrigerate the batter overnight. BRUSH the financier molds or 1-inch [2.5-cm] tartlet molds with softened butter. Chill the molds for 10 minutes and brush again. They must be very thickly coated with butter or the cookies will stick. Spoon the batter into the molds (or use a pastry bag), filling the molds about three-quarters full because the mixture expands. Put the molds on a sheet pan and slide them into the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the oven down to 400°F [200°C/gas mark 6], and bake for 6 to 7 minutes more, until the cookies are brown on top. Let the cookies cool for 1 minute before turning them out onto a rack. Variation: The mirlitons popular in Paris and Normandy are made much like financiers except that the financier batter is baked in small tartlet shells made with pâte sucrée. COOKIES AND CANDIES 691
PALM TREE COOKIES PALMIERS makes about 30 cookies Assuming you buy puff pastry instead of making it yourself, these crispy little cookies are a snap to make. Just make sure that the puff pastry you buy (see Sources) is made with butter and not margarine or shortening—the only ingredients should be flour, butter, and salt. 1 package (14 ounces [395 g]) frozen puff pastry confectioner’s sugar, as needed for rolling and coating ALLOW the pastry to thaw and roll it out into a rectangle between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick (³⁄₁₆ inch [about .5 cm]), 6 inches [15 cm] wide, and 14 inches [35.5 cm] long. (This can be cut in half to make it more manageable, so that you have two pieces each 7 inches long.) If your pastry weighs slightly more or less than the weight listed above, just roll it out longer or shorter, keeping the thickness and width the same. Instead of using flour to coat the surface you’re rolling on and the top of the pastry, use confectioner’s sugar. FOLD the sides (not the ends) of the rectangle so they meet in the center, leaving you with a rectangle the same length, twice as thick, but only 3 inches wide. Sprinkle the rectangle with confectioners’ sugar and roll it gently with the rolling pin—just enough to press the layers together, not enough to make the rectangle larger. Fold the sides in again so they leave you with a strip between 1½ and 2 inches [4 and 5 cm] wide and 4 sheets of pastry thick. Press on the strip with your hands, again not to roll it out but just to press it together so it doesn’t unfold when baking. Freeze the pastry for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C/gas mark 6]. CUT the partially frozen strip of pastry into ¼-inchwide [.5-cm] slices and place them on a sheet pan, sprinkled with water, at least 1 inch away from one another. Don’t butter the pan—a slight sticking helps prevent the palmiers from unfolding during baking. Chill the cookies for 20 minutes and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes until they are deep golden brown on the bottom. Gently turn the cookies over with a spatula and bake for about 5 minutes more, until the bottoms are, again, deep brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before taking the palmiers off the sheet pan with a spatula. FRENCH REGIONAL COOKIES Most of the cookies you’ll encounter in French restaurants and pastry shops are prepared using elaborate methods that have evolved over the centuries in European kitchens. And while most of these concoctions are delicious, and some are brilliant in their conception, the simple understatement of regional specialities is often more appealing. Most French regional cookies and other pastries predate their classic descendants and are more likely to reflect the cooking of centuries past because no one has updated them. In some regions, these pastries contain spices such as ginger, allspice, or anise seeds that are remnants of medieval cooking, or citrus flavorings, often in the form of orange flower water, that were popular in the sixteenth century. Nowadays, sweet pastries are almost always made with butter, but in parts of France, regional specialties are sometimes still made with fats—such as olive oil in Provence, nut oils in the Périgord, and goose or duck fat in Gascony—that until recently were the only ones available or affordable. Other ingredients, such as pine nuts, almonds, or hazelnuts, indigenous to particular regions, are also common in regional desserts. 692 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Alsatian bretzels are sweet butter cookies shaped into figure eights like soft pretzels. Flemish almond cookies, pains aux amandes, are made out of sweetened bread dough flavored with spices. The dough is baked into a loaf and the loaf sliced thin and baked again in the same way as biscotti. (The words biscotti and biscuit both mean “twice cooked.”) Cookies made in this way—the dough baked in a loaf, then sliced and baked again—are called pains biscuit, sometimes translated as “rusk” or “biscuit cake.” PROVENÇAL CANDLEMAS COOKIES NAVETTES DE LA CHANDELEUR makes 60 cookies These are cookies are traditionally baked on Candlemas, February 2, when the church candles are blessed. They are really nothing more than simple butter cookies, except that they are shaped like little boats. (A navette is an incense holder or incense boat.) The pecans are my own addition. They add flavor and crunch. If you don’t want to bother shaping your cookies like boats, use the dough to make plain round cookies, and top them with pecan halves. 6 cup [150 g] granulated sugar 8 tablespoons (1 stick [115 g]) butter 5 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 2 cups [250 g] all-purpose flour 60 pecan halves CREAM together the sugar, butter, and salt with a heavy wooden spoon in a mixing bowl or in an electric mixer with a paddle blade. Work in the eggs, 1 at a time, and add the flour all at once. Work the mixture just long enough to work in the flour. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours. Scoop out heaping teaspoonfuls of dough and quickly (so they don’t warm) roll them into balls between your palms. Gently pinch the ends, so the cookies take on an oval shape, and make a slit with the back of a paring knife about one-third of the way into each cookie along its length, but not quite reaching the ends. ARRANGE the cookies on two sheet pans covered with parchment paper, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. (If you don’t have two sheet pans, work in batches.) Put the pans in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Press a pecan half into the top of each cookie. Preheat the oven to 350°F [175°C/gas mark 4] and bake the cookies until they are pale golden brown, about 30 minutes. If the cookies are browning unevenly, rotate the pans. COOKIES AND CANDIES 693
Candies MOST CANDY IS SO INTENSELY SWEET THAT I have little taste for it, except for a piece or two after dinner. Because your guests presumably will want only a little bit, there’s no limit to how rich, sweet, or chocolatey you make any candy. CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES TRUFFES AU CHOCOLAT makes about 40 truffles Chocolate truffles are such a well-known treat that many people think truffles are made of chocolate; they’ve never heard of the kind you dig up out of the ground. As with many other popular foods, there are dozens of recipes for chocolate truffles, but all of them are based on a few basic ingredients and principles. Generally, they are simple combinations of bittersweet chocolate, butter, and sometimes cream, and they can be flavored with just about anything. Vanilla, espresso, eaux-de-vie (kirsch, framboise, and others), Cognac, Armagnac, marc, and bourbon are a few possibilities. Traditionally, portions of this mixture are rolled around in unsweetened cocoa that—while it’s stretching a point—looks vaguely like the dirt clinging to a real truffle. More elaborate recipes call for dipping the truffles in melted tempered chocolate. While truffles are easy to make, the secret to success is to use the best chocolate you can find. My favorites are Sharffen Berger, made in California, and Valrhona, made in France (see Sources). The truffle can be made more firm by using a larger proportion of butter and made creamier by incorporating heavy cream. For a very light, creamy filling, a mixture of melted chocolate and heavy cream called ganache (see page 668) is beaten, but this mixture is so sticky and melts so quickly that it’s best used for truffles that are coated with melted tempered chocolate instead of cocoa powder. 12 ounces [340 g] bittersweet chocolate 1 cup [250 ml] heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 8 tablespoons (1 stick [115 g]) butter, cut into 8 pieces, allowed to warm to room temperature 5 cup [45 g] unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder BREAK up the chocolate into about 30 pieces by leaning on it with a chef ’s knife. BRING the cream to a simmer in a saucepan, take the saucepan off the heat, and add the chocolate and the vanilla extract. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the hot cream to melt the chocolate. Whisk or stir the mixture until it’s smooth. If you’re using an electric mixer to add the butter, use a rubber spatula to transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl or electric mixer bowl. Work the butter into the mixture, a piece at a time, with the paddle blade attachment to the mixer. If you’re adding the butter by hand, leave it in the original bowl and add butter pieces, one at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely combined. Leave the mixture in the bowl and chill it in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or overnight. SIFT the cocoa powder onto a tray or small sheet pan. Use a teaspoon or a small (1-inch [2.5-cm]) ice cream scoop (or wing it with a regular teaspoon) to scoop out a heaping teaspoonful of the truffle mixture and roll it quickly between your palms until you get a ball about 1 inch [2.5 cm] in diameter. If the mixture is too hard, work it in an electric mixer or warm it slightly and work it with a heavy wooden spoon. Set the ball on the sheet pan with the cocoa powder and repeat with the rest of the mixture. If the truffle mixture gets too soft and starts to stick to your hands, put the bowl over a bowl of ice while 694 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
you’re working, or refrigerate the mixture for 20 minutes. If the mixture keeps sticking—which may mean that your hands are too warm—dip your hands in a bowl of ice water for as long as you can stand it and quickly pat them dry with a towel before continuing. WHEN you’ve formed all the truffles, put the sheet pan into the refrigerator. After 20 minutes, take the pan out of the refrigerator and roll the truffles around on it, moving the pan back and forth until they are well coated with cocoa powder. Keep the truffles refrigerated until you’re ready to serve them. Variations: As I mentioned earlier, truffles can be flavored in any number of ways. As a start, just replace the vanilla extract with some other flavorful liquid. Or make delicious hazelnut truffles by working ½ cup [115 g] of praline paste into the truffle mixture at the same time you work in the butter. Praline paste, the hazelnut equivalent to sweetened peanut butter, is available in gourmet stores or by mail order (see Sources). To make your own, make a caramel (see page 639) with 1 cup [200 g] of sugar. When the caramel is ready, immediately pour in 1 cup [135 g] of hazelnuts that have had at least part of their dark inner skin removed (buy them this way or toast them for 10 minutes in a 350°F [175°C/gas mark 4] oven and rub them in a towel). Stir the hazelnuts in the caramel for about 30 seconds to cook them and bring out their flavor, then scoop the mixture out onto a sheet pan or marble surface that has been rubbed with vegetable (or, if you’re really being a purist, hazelnut) oil and let it cool. You now have what the French call nougatine, a dark, glasslike mixture that professional pastry chefs pound into shape for decorating cakes and other elaborate desserts. Purée the nougatine in a food processor, scraping down the sides every minute for 5 minutes, until the praline has the consistency of peanut butter. CANDIED GRAPEFRUIT OR ORANGE RINDS ÉCORCES DE PAMPLEMOUSSE OU D’ORANGE CONFITES AU SUCRE makes about 60 tiny candies These delightful little strips of candied citrus rind are easy to make and are sweet, bitter, and sour all at the same time. 2 grapefruits, or 4 navel oranges 2 cups [400 g] granulated sugar CUT the ends off the fruit just far enough in so you can see the flesh on each side. Set the fruit on one end and cut the rind and pith away with a knife, following the contours of the fruit so that very little flesh is left attached to the rind and very little rind is left attached to the fruit. (You can cut the fruit into wedges to use in a fruit salad or, with a little raspberry purée, and maybe some whipped cream, as a dessert; see the directions on page 391.) PUT the sections of rind in a pot with 2 quarts [2 l] of water and bring to a rapid boil. Boil for 10 minutes and drain. Bring another 2 quarts [2 l] of water to a boil. While it is heating, square off any irregularities on the sides and ends of the rinds and cut the rinds into strips about 1½ inches [4 cm] long by ⅓ inch [1 cm] wide. Plunge the strips into the boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. Drain. COMBINE 1 cup [200 g] of the sugar with 2 cups [500 ml] of water in a heavy-bottomed pot and COOKIES AND CANDIES 695
bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the rinds and simmer gently, uncovered, for approximately 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the sugar mixture gets very syrupy. Take the rinds out of the syrup with a slotted spoon and spread them on cake racks set over sheet pans. Let them cool and drain for 1 hour. Keep them in a dry place for 24 hours to allow them to dry. SPREAD the remaining sugar evenly over a sheet pan and spread the candied rinds on top. Gently move the rinds around in the sugar until they’re coated on all sides. Store on a sheet pan covered with wax paper until you’re ready to serve them. FRUIT JELLY CANDIES PÂTES DE FRUITS When I reminisce about my childhood taste for junk foods, including those little cellophane packets of sugar-coated jellies, I wonder why I’m still alive. I still see those jellies near the counters in discount drugstores, and I suspect there’s not a drop of real fruit in them. It wasn’t until I got a job translating a book on French desserts that I realized that fruit jellies were once made with real fruit, and in some special places still are. Homemade jellies don’t look as pretty as the electric green and red ones packaged in cellophane, but they have a bright, clean, authentic flavor. Fruit jellies are made by cooking fruit pulp with sugar until the mixture becomes so concentrated that it sets when cold. Pectin is added to help the candies set and to give them their characteristic melting consistency. Lemon juice is usually added to the fruit to give the mixture some acidity, to balance its sweetness, and to help activate the pectin. Professional chefs also add glucose, which helps prevent the sugar in the mixture from crystallizing. Instead of glucose, I use corn syrup—a mixture of glucose and fructose—because I can find it at the supermarket. To make fruit jellies, you must first make a smooth fruit purée, sometimes called a coulis. If the fruit is already soft, you can purée it in a food processor and, depending on its consistency, work it through a fine-mesh strainer or a drum sieve to eliminate any seeds and make a perfectly smooth purée. If you’re using hard fruits such as apples, quinces, or underripe pears, you’ll have to peel, seed, and simmer the fruits in water with sugar to soften them before you purée them. Once you have the purée, you need to reduce it and combine it with hot sugar syrup containing corn syrup, lemon juice, and pectin. After a few minutes’ additional cooking, you pour the mixture into a baking dish lined with parchment paper and lightly dusted with cornstarch to prevent sticking, and you allow the mixture to set. Last, the jellies are cut out, dried, and rolled in sugar. 696 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
RASPBERRY JELLY CANDIES PÂTES DE FRAMBOISES makes 64 candies 3 packages (12 or 14 ounces [340 or 395 g] each) frozen raspberries (whole unsweetened raspberries, not the kind packed in syrup), thawed 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar (for the sugar syrup), plus 1 cup [200 g] (for coating the candies) 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons powdered pectin TO make the raspberries easier to work through a strainer, you can first purée them in a food processor, but this isn’t essential. Work the raspberries through a food mill, and then through a fine-mesh strainer with a small ladle, or through a drum sieve with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula (see page 15 for more about drum sieves). Freeze the seeds that don’t go through the strainer for the linzer cookies described on page 690. Put the purée into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and stir it with a wooden spoon, carefully reaching into corners of the saucepan to prevent burning, until the mixture has reduced to 1½ cups [375 ml], about 30 minutes. STIR 1 cup [200 g] of sugar into the raspberry purée and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the lemon juice and pectin and cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is shiny, translucent, and thickened and registers 218°F [103°C] on a candy thermometer. BRUSH an 8-by-8-inch [20.5 by 20.5 cm] baking dish with a thin coat of vegetable oil and cover it with a sheet of parchment paper just large enough to cover the bottom of the dish. POUR the raspberry mixture into the baking dish, let cool, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Run a knife around the edge of the mixture and lift up a corner to get the raspberry mixture to start to detach from the pan. Turn the mixture out onto a cake rack, peel away the parchment paper, and let it dry for 24 hours. CUT the candies by making eight 1-inch-wide [2.5 cm] rows in two directions so you end up with 64 square candies about 1 inch on each side. Roll the candies in granulated sugar. NORMALLY , fruit jellies can be stored for 2 to 3 weeks if well covered and kept in a cool place. If, however, you notice after a day or two that the jellies are starting to get wet, arrange them on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and leave them in a 225°F [107°C] oven for 45 minutes to dry them out. Roll them again in sugar before storing them. If you stack them, put parchment paper between the layers to prevent sticking. Variations: Other fresh or frozen berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, or currants, can be substituted for the raspberries. Use about 3 pounds [1.3 kg] of fresh berries, 2½ pounds [1.1 kg] of frozen ones. If using blueberries, leave out the pectin; they have enough. Highquality frozen fruit purées, available in some gourmet stores or by mail (see Sources), allow you to make these candies with virtually any fruit, regardless of season. Because some fruits are sweeter or more sour than others, you may have to adjust the sugar accordingly. Don’t leave out the lemon juice, since it activates the pectin. If you want to make fruit candies with citrus fruits, you’ll need to use another fruit as well to give the candies body and contribute pectin. French pastry cooks often use apricot purée for this, but except for a short period during the summer, this requires a mail order. I use apples. Since apples contain a lot of pectin, I leave out the packaged pectin (see recipe that follows). COOKIES AND CANDIES 697
ORANGE JELLY CANDIES PÂTES D’ORANGE makes 64 candies 3 large navel oranges 3 pounds [1.3 kg] tart apples such as Granny Smith, stem removed, quartered (not peeled or cored) 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar (for the sugar syrup), plus 1 cup [200 g] (for coating the candies) 3 teaspoons pure orange extract, or 2 teaspoons pure orange oil, or more to taste (see citrus oils under Sources) 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (for brushing the mold) SLICE zests off the oranges, leaving as little pith attached to the zests as possible. Squeeze the oranges and reserve the juice. SLICE the applies and combine them, in a nonaluminum pot that has a lid, with the lemon juice, orange juice, and orange zests. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, remove the lid, and continue simmering, stirring every 1 or 2 minutes, until the apples turn into applesauce. Continue simmering until the mixture gets very thick and shiny, about 15 minutes. At this point you’ll have to stir almost continuously to prevent burning. Work the mixture through a strainer or drum sieve to eliminate the orange zests, apple peels, and any lumps. Put the mixture into a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir it over medium heat. While you’re heating the apple mixture, prepare the sugar syrup by combining 1 cup of sugar with ⅓ cup [75 ml] of water and cooking to the “soft crack” stage (280°F [137°C]; see page 628 for more about sugar syrups). Stir the syrup into the apple mixture and continue cooking the mixture until it registers 225°F [107°C] on a candy thermometer, again about 15 minutes. At this point the mixture should be goopy, and no longer completely liquid. If it is still very liquidy, cook it until it thickens, for about 10 more minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the orange extract or oil. Taste the mixture—be careful, it’s hot—and add more extract or oil if it’s needed. BRUSH an 8-by-8-inch [20.5-by-20.5-cm] baking dish with vegetable oil and cover it with a sheet of parchment paper just large enough to cover the bottom of the dish. Pour in the apple mixture and smooth its surface with the back of spoon or, ideally, a small metal offset spatula (available at cooking supply stores; see Sources). Let the mixture set in the refrigerator for 2 hours. TURN the square of orange candy out onto a clean work surface and peel away the parchment paper. Put the candy on a cake rack and let it dry in a clean, warm part of the kitchen for 24 hours. Cut the candies by cutting eight rows in two directions so you end up with 64 square candies about 1 inch on each side. Roll the candies in granulated sugar. NORMALLY , fruit jellies can be stored for 2 to 3 weeks if well covered and kept in a cool place. If, however, you notice after a day or two that the jellies are starting to get wet, arrange them on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and leave them in a 250°F [120°C/gas mark ½] oven for 45 minutes to dry them out. Roll them again in sugar before storing them. If you stack them, put wax paper between the layers to prevent sticking. 698 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
SOURCES Anchovies, packed in salt (24, 27, 33) Balsamic vinegar, aged authentic(24, 34) Beans and other legumes, dried: Borlotti (7, 10) Canellini (7, 10) Green flageoles (7, 10) Le Puy green lentils (7, 10) Lingot (7) Tarbais (7) Cheesemaking supplies: Butter muslin (cheesecloth for draining soft cheeses) (17) Rennet, animal and vegetable (17) Starter cultures (17) Chocolate: Scharffen Berger (13, 26) Valrhona (7, 13, 18) Citrus oils: Boyajian orange oil (7, 13, 18) Cooking equipment: Benriner cutters (3, 12) Cassolettes (2, 12) Coeur à la crème molds (2, 12) Charlotte molds (2, 12) Chinoise strainers (2, 12, 22) Conical strainers (2, 12, 22, 29) Crème brûlée dishes (2, 12, 29, 32) Dariole molds (2, 12) Drum sieves (2, 12) Financier molds (2, 12, 18) Flame tamers (13, 32) Gratin pans and dishes (2, 12, 22, 29) Knives (2, 12, 22) Madeleine pans (molds) (2, 7, 12, 18) Mandolines (2, 12, 22, 29, 33) INGRED IENTS AND SPEC IALT Y COOKWARE The numbers appearing in parentheses that follow each list entry refer the reader to the list of suppliers that begins on page 701. 699
Pâté molds, porcelain (2, 12, 22, 33) Quiche dishes (porcelain) (2, 12) Raclette makers (32) Rolling pins, European style (2, 7, 12, 22, 29) Rondeaux pans (2, 12, 22) Savarian and baba molds (2, 12) Scoops (ice cream, about 1 inch [25 mm]) (2, 7, 12, 13) Soufflé dishes and ramekins (2, 3, 12, 29, 33) Stockpots (3, 22, 33) Tart pans (with removable bottom) and tartlet molds (2, 18, 29, 33) Terrine molds, enameled cast iron, and porcelain (Le Creuset) (2, 3, 12, 22, 32, 33) Truffle slicers (2, 7, 12) Windsor pans (2, 7, 12) Cornichons (7, 33, 34) Dairy products: Crème fraîche (31) Fromage blanc (31) Demi-glace (4, 16) Herbs, spices, and other seasonings: Fleur de sel (4, 7) Ginger, candied Australian (21) Herbes de Provence (7, 21, 32) Pimentón (27) Saffron (27) Flours and starters: Almond flour (13) Buckwheat flour (13) Chickpea flour (in Indian stores also called besan) (13) Sourdough starter (13) Fruit purées and coulis (23) Meat and poultry products: Bacon, double-smoked (7) Duck confit and magrets (6) Duck, farm-raised Pekin (14) Duck fat (6, 16) Foie gras (bloc, mousse, and raw) (6) Garlic sausages (6, 7) Goose fat (6, 7) Ham, cured unsmoked (7) Hare (20) Lamb, farm-raised (11) Pancetta (7) Pork, farm-raised (9, 19) Quail (6) Sausage-making supplies (25) Squab (20) Veal, farm-raised (20) Mushrooms: Dried wild (15, 24, 30) Fresh in season (15, 30) Nut oils Le Blanc (roasted hazelnut, pistachio, walnut) (7, 24) Nut pastis (see Praline paste) Olive oil Premium Ligurian olive oil, called Schiapa, from Aldo Armato (24) Assorted artisanal oils (34) Praline paste (13, 18) Puff pastry (8) Salt cod (27) Saltpeter (5) Sugar (sanding and crystallized) (13, 18) Trout, farm-raised (28) Truffles and truffle products (7, 15, 30) Vinegar-making supplies (1) 700 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
SOURCES 701 PRODUCERS AND SUPPLIERS 1. BEER & WINEMAKING SUPPLIES, INC. 413-586-0150 2. BRIDGE KITCHENWARE 800-274-3435; 212-688-4220 www.bridgekitchenware.com 3. BROADWAY PANHANDLER 212-966-3434 www.broadwaypanhandler.com 4. THE CMC COMPANY 800-262-2780 www.thecmccompany.com 5. C. O. BIGELOW CHEMISTS 800-793-5433 www.bigelowchemists.com 6. D’ARTAGNAN 800-327-8246 www.dartagnan.com 7. DEAN & DELUCA 877-826-9246 www.deandeluca.com 8. DUFOUR PASTRY KITCHENS 212-929-2800 9. EGG & I PORK FARM 860-354-0820 www.eggandiporkfarm.com 10. INDIAN HARVEST 800-346-7032 www.indianharvest.com 11. JAMISON FARM 800-237-5262 www.jamisonfarm.com 12. J. B. PRINCE 800-473-0577 212-683-3553 www.jbprince.com 13. KING ARTHUR FLOUR 800-827-6836 www.kingarthurflour.com 14. LIBERTY DUCKS 800-95-DUCKS www.libertyducks.com 15. MARCHÉ AUX DELICES 888-547-5471 www.auxdelices.com 16. MORE THAN GOURMET 800-860-9385 E-mail: [email protected] www.morethangourmet.com 17. NEW ENGLAND CHEESEMAKING Supply Company 413-628-3808 www.cheesemaking.com 18. NEW YORK CAKE AND BAKING DISTRIBUTOR 800-942-2539 19. NIMAN RANCH 510-808-0340 www.nimanranch.com 20. OTTOMANELLI’S MEAT MARKET 212-675-4217 21. PENZEYS SPICES 800-741-7787 www.penzeys.com 22. PROFESSIONAL CUTLERY DIRECT 800-859-6994 www.cutlery.com 23. QZINA SPECIALTY FOODS INC. 800-661-2462 www.qzina.com 24. ROSENTHAL WINE MERCHANT 800-910-1990 www.madrose.com 25. THE SAUSAGE MAKER 716-876-5521 26. SCHARFFEN BERGER CHOCOLATE MAKER 800-884-5884 www.scharffenberger.com 27. THE SPANISH TABLE 206-682-2827 www.tablespan.com
28. STAR PRAIRIE TROUT FARM 715-248-3633 www.starprairietrout.com 29. SUR LA TABLE 800-243-0852 www.surlatable.com 30. URBANI TRUFFLES & CAVIAR 800-281-2330 www.urbani.com 31. VERMONT BUTTER & CHEESE COMPANY 800-884-6287 www.vtbutterandcheeseco.com 32. WILLIAMS-SONOMA 800-699-2297; 877-812-6235 www.williams-sonoma.com 33. ZABAR’S 800-697-6301 www.zabars.com 34. ZINGERMAN’S DELICATESSEN 888-636-8162 www.zingermans.com 702 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD PAR IS K ITCHENWARE SHOPS E. DEHILLERIN 18-20, Rue Coquillière Paris 1 Metro stop: Les Halles Telephone: 01.42.36.53.13 www.e-dehillerin.fr BOUTIQUE LAGUIOLE 1, Place Saint-Opportune Paris 1 Metro stop: Chatelet–Les Halles Telephone: 01.40.28.09.42 M.O.R.A. 13, Rue Montmartre Paris 1 Metro stop: Les Halles Telephone: 01.45.08.19.24 B.H.V. (BAZAAR DE L’HÔTEL DE VILLE) 52, Rue de Rivoli Paris 4 Metro stop: Hôtel de Ville Telephone: 01.42.74.90.00
INDEX A Aïoli Classic, 491 in Fish Soup Mediterranean, 237 Puréed, 238–239 Tuna Bourride, 240 Vegetables, Assorted Cooked, Hard–Boiled Eggs, and Salt Cod with (Le Grand Aïoli), 72–75 Aligot, 145 Almond(s) Butter Cookies (Financiers), 691 custard, sweet (blancmange), 645 Meringue Cookies with Fruit Jam, 670–671 Pear Tart, 617–618 Trout with Paprika and, 300–301 Américaine Salad, 60 Américaine Sauce, 340 Amuse–Bouche Coquetier de Georges Blanc, L’, 128–129 Ananas Pochés, 680–681 Anchovy(ies) Caper and Olive Spread, 83–84 Eggplants, Stuffed, 567–568 and Garlic Sauce, Mixed Vegetables with, 80–82 Niçoise Salad, 53–55 Onion, and Olive Tart, Niçoise, 167–171 pissala paste, 83 salted, 168 spread, anchoïade, 602 Tapenade Salad, Provençal, 84 Andalouse Salad, 60 Andalouse Sauce, 492 Andouilles, 533 Anguille au Vert, 241–242 Apple(s) for baking, 607 Celeriac, and Walnut Salad (Waldorf), 59 Charlotte, 614 paste, 678 peeling and slicing, 607 Poached, 682 in potato salad (variation), 44, 45 Red Cabbage Flavored with Vinegar, Bacon and, Pork Chops with, 537–538 703
Apple(s) (con’t) Tart Classic Home–Style, 608–609 custard (variation), 609 Pastryless, 611–612 Thin, Made with Puff Pastry, 613 Upside–Down (Tarte Tatin), 610–611 Applesauce and Horseradish Mayonnaise, Swedish, 492 Apricot Glaze, for fruit tarts, 608 Archiduc Salad, 60 Aromatic ingredients, 6 Artichoke(s) in Aïoli, Le Grand, 74–75 Baby, Anchovy and Garlic Sauce with Mixed Vegetables, 80–82 Baby, Fennel, Leeks, Garlic, and Peas with Watercress Sauce, 589–590 Baby, with Walnuts, Toasted, 40–41 Bottoms, Crayfish, Asparagus, Fava Bean, and Morel Salad, 63–65 Flans, Individual, 164–165 and meat/poultry salad (variation), 71 Prosciutto, and Parsley Terrine, 108–109 Soup, 184–185 tian (variation), 580 trimming and cooking, 68–69 Truffles, and Morels Fricassee, 604–605 in vegetable stews, 591 Arugula, in green salad, 49 Asparagus Crayfish, Fava Bean, Artichoke Bottoms, and Morel Salad, 63–65 with Maltaise Sauce, 79–80 Morel, and Fava Bean Fricassee, 588–589 peeling, 67 Soup (leek and potato base), 180 in vegetable stews, 591 Asperges à la Sauce Maltaise, 79–80 Aspic. See Gelée Aubergine Farcies, 567–568 Augustin Salad, 60 B Babas, 653, 655 Bacon Beef Stew with Pearl Onions, Mushrooms and, 438–439 Chicken with Red Wine Sauce, 366–367 Choucroute Garnie, Simplest Shoulderless, 529 French terminology, 9 Fricassee of Young Rabbit with Pearl Onions, Mushrooms and, 397 Green Salad with, 52–53 Oysters, Gratinéed, with Tomatoes, Tarragon and, 259–260 Pork and Cabbage Soup, 464–465 Quiche Lorraine, 158 Red Cabbage Flavored with Vinegar, Apples and, Pork Chops with, 537–538 Sauerkraut with Sausages, Pork Shoulder and (Choucroute Garnie), 525–528 selecting, 2 in tomato salad (variation), 42 Bagatelle Salad, 60 Bagna Caouda, 77, 80–82 Bagration Salad, 60 Bain–marie, baking custards in, 633, 634 Baking dishes, 12–13 Ballottines, 91 Balsamic Vinegar Salmon Fillets with Powdered Cèpes and, 299–300 selecting, 50–51 in watercress salad, 49 Bananas, Poached, 681 Bananes Pochées, 681 Basil Eggplants, Stuffed, 567–568 Garlic Broth with Tomatoes, Spinach, Saffron and, Sautéed Chicken Breasts in, 196–197 and Garlic Paste (Pistou), 223, 224 in green salad, 49 Jus, –Scented, Roast Saddle of Lamb, with, 513–515 in potato salad (variation), 44–45 Ratatouille, 584 Sauce, Veal Chops or Medallions with, 502–503 Vegetable Marmalade, Sautéed Striped Bass Fillets with, 301–302 Vegetable Soup with Garlic Paste and, French Country, 222–226 Bass Sea, Grilled with Fennel, Mediterranean, 318–319 Striped, Grilled or Baked Boneless Whole, Scented with Fresh Herbs, 328–329 Striped, Sautéed Fillets with Vegetable “Marmalade”, 301–302 Bâtonnets, cutting vegetables in, 22 Batters, for frying, 548 Bavarian Cream, 625, 644 Bay Leaves, in bouquet garni, 2–3 Bean(s). See also Fava Bean(s); Green Bean(s) Cassoulet, and Duck, Baked, 469–470 Cassoulet, Lobster and Mussel, 475–476 cooking methods, 468, 471–472 Flageolet, Roast Leg of Lamb with, 472–473 in garbure, 457 Pork and Cabbage Soup, 464–465 salad, seafood and, (variation), 476 Veal Shanks (Osso Buco) with, 473–474 Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic Paste, French Country, 224–226 704 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Béarnaise Sauce, 257, 488 Beaucaire Salad, 60 Béchamel Sauce, 10, 577 Cauliflower Gratin, 578 Crêpe Gratin, Chicken or Turkey, 579 enriched, 576 Beef. See also Oxtail(s); Steak(s) à la ficelle (variation), 457 and Beet Salad, Cold, 69–70 braising method, 422 Broth bone, 217, 219 Chicken Poached in, 460–461 in Pot–au–Feu, 455, 456 Red Wine, 450 Consommé, 214–215 Leftover Hash Gratin, 446–447 with Onions, Gratin of, 445–446, 571–572 Ravioli, Meat–Filled, 448–449 Marrow, extracting, 447 Marrow, Ravioli, Meat–Filled, 448–449 Pot–au–Feu, 456 Pot–au–Feu with Short Ribs, Red Wine, 459 Pot Roast, French–Style Basic, 425–426 braising liquid, 424 Cold, 426 cooking methods, 419–424 larding, 420, 423 roasting, cuts for, 522–523 Roast Whole Tenderloin, 523–524 Sauté of, en Surprise, 451 Stew with Pearl Onions, Mushrooms, and Bacon, 438–439 Stroganoff, 453 Tenderloin Poached, with Pot–au–Feu Vegetables, 462–463 Roast Whole, 523–524 trimming and tying, 492–493 Terrine, Cold, 427–428 Tongue, Braised, 551–552 Tongue, cold slices in gelée, 552 and Vegetables, Poached, Farmhouse–Style (Pot–au–Feu), 456 Beet(s) in Aïoli, Le Grand, 74–75 and Beef Salad, Cold, 69–70 Soup (leek and potato base), 180 in vegetable stews, 591 Beignet Batter, 548 Bell Pepper(s) and meat/poultry salad (variation), 71 Niçoise Salad, 53–54 peeling and seeding, 20–21 Ratatouille, 584 and Tomato Mayonnaise, 492 Vegetable Marmalade, Sautéed Striped Bass Fillets with, 301–302 Berry(ies). See also names of berries crème Anglaise with (variation), 642 crème brûlée with (variation), 637 crème caramel with (variation), 641 duck with (variation), 393 jelly candies (variations), 697 Tart, Fresh Red, 616–617 Beurre Blanc, 20, 280–282 aux Cèpes Seches, 490 à l’Estragon, 490 au Foie Gras, 491 Maître d’Hôtel, 489, 490 manié, 115–116, 436 Marchand de Vins, 490 Montpellier, 490–491 Moutarde, 491 Noisette, 7, 22, 80, 258, 294, 303 Cervelles de Veau au, 545–546 aux Truffes, 491 Beverages Cherries in Kirsch, 684–685 Eggnog, The Best Holiday, 644 Raspberry Cordial, 683 Bibb Lettuce, in green salad, 50 Biscuits à la Cuiller, 671–672 Bisque, Blue Crab, 344–345 Blancmange, 345, 645 Blanquette doneness, 415 of lamb (variation), 411 of rabbit (variation), 399 Sweetbreads, Braised, in the Style of a, 415–417 of Veal meat for, 409 Quick and Simple, 413–414 Stew with Mushrooms and Baby Onions, Creamy, 408–411 variations, 411 Vegetable, Veal Chops with, 412 Blanquette à l’Ancienne, 408–411 de Ris de Veau, 415–417 Blenders, 13 Blini, 653–654 Boeuf à la Bourguignonne, 438–439 à la Ficelle, 457, 462–463 en Miroton, 445–446, 571–572 à la Mode, 419–426 à la Mode Froid, 426 en Surprise, Saute de, 451 Bordelaise Sauce, Steak with, 483–484 Boston Lettuce, in green salad, 50 INDEX 705
Boudins, 533 Blancs, 530, 535–537 Bouillabaisse, La, 233–237 Bouillon Brun de Volaille, 209–210 Bouquet Garni, 2–3 Bourride, 237 Thon en, 240 Brains, 544 Calves’, Fritters, 546–547 Calves’, Sautéed, with “Hazelnut” Butter, 545 fried, medieval spice dipping sauce for, 547 fried and poached (variation), 545 Braising beef, 422 fish, 307–308 liquid, calves’ and pigs’ feet in, 424 liquid, cold. See Gelée Brandade de Morue, 76–77 Brandy. See also Cognac; Kirsch for cooking, 11–12 in crème Anglaise, 642 Eggnog, The Best Holiday, 644 fruits poached in, 679–682 fruits preserved in, 683–685 Bread. See also Croûtons; Spreads charlotte crust, 614, 615 Onions, Stuffed, Little, 568 and Onion Soup, 190 in Soup Garlic, 194–195 Garlic, Duck Confit, Fresh Fava Bean, and Chard, 195–196 Onion, French, 189 vegetable (variation), 227 as soup thickener, 184 and Squash Soup, 190–191 Zucchini, Stuffed, 565 Bread(s), Yeast Brioche Dough, 161 Flatbread, Provençal, 172 flours for, 173 regional, 171 Sourdough Crust, for savory tart, 169–171 Sourdough Starter, 170 Bread Crumbs, 2 on Cassoulet, 467 Bean and Duck, Baked, 469–470 Lobster and Mussel, 475–476 coating for fried foods, 303, 504, 548, 555 Garlic, and Parley Crust, Rack of Lamb with, 506–512 Sole, Fillet of, with, Light Coating, 304 as soup thickener, 184 Breading, 303, 504, 548 Breton Buckwheat Pancakes Filled with Cheese and Ham, 176 Brining demi–sel, 528 ham, cured, 107 Ham (Shank End), Roast Fresh, 103 pork roasts, 520, 528 Brioche Dough, 161 and Leek Tart, 162–163 quiche variation, 159 Broccoli in Aïoli, Grand, 74–75 Anchovy and Garlic Sauce with Mixed Vegetables, 81 Soup (leek and potato base), 180 in vegetable stews, 591 Broth. See also Consommé Beef bone, 217, 219 Chicken Poached in, 460–461 in Pot–au–Feu, 455, 456 Red Wine, 450 Bone, 217, 219, 220, 413 Brown, 208 Chicken, 209–210 Duck, 389 Meat Bone, 219 Red Wine, 450 calves’ and pigs’ feet in, 424 canned and homemade, 3 Chicken, 209–210 clarifying, 78, 207 concentrated, 3–4, 17, 220–221 cooking methods, 211 Duck, 89, 389 Fish for Bouillabaisse, 234, 235–236 ingredients, 249 Red Wine, 310 White Wine, 308 garlic as soup base, 195 Garlic, with Tomatoes, Spinach, Saffron, and Basil, Sautéed Chicken Breasts in, 196–197 herbs, finishing with, 463 meat, for vegetable soup, 226–227 Meat Glaze, 217, 220–221 from Pot–au–Feu, 455 Shellfish, Bay Scallops and Shrimp or Crayfish à la Nage, 288–289 stockpot for, 221 storing and freezing, 218 Veal, 217, 409, 413 Vegetable. See Court Bouillon White, 208 Bone, 219 Chicken, 210 Brown Sauces, 5, 484–485 706 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Brunoise dice, 22 Buckwheat flour, 175–176 Pancakes, Breton, Filled with Cheese and Ham, 176 Butter(s). See also Hollandaise Sauce Beurre Blanc, 20, 280–282 in beurre manié, 115–116, 436 Beurre Noisette, 7, 22, 80, 258 Calves’ Brains, Sautéed with “Hazelnut” Butter, 545–546 cakes, regional, 659–660 clarifed, 7, 259, 296 compound, for grilled meats, 489–491 Cookies, Almond (Financiers), 691 with fish fillets, breaded, 303 Flavored, Sea Scallops with Vegetable Broth, Poached, Finished with, 285–286 Garlic and Parsley, Hot, Broiled Mussels with, 274–275 Grape “Butter” with Pears and Quinces, 678–679 “Hazelnut”, Calves Brains, Sautéed, with, 545 Herb, 303, 338 sautéing in, 7, 303 Shellfish, 335–336 Sole Meunière (Hot Butter and Lemon), 294–295 whisking in sauces (monter au beurre), 20 White Wine, and Egg Yolk Sauce, Fillets of Sole with (Marguéry), 310–312 Butterscotch, making, 639 C Cabbage in pot–au–feu (variation), 457 Red with bacon and vinegar (variation), 537 Flavored with Vinegar, Apples, and Bacon, Pork Chops with, 537–538 Pork, Roast Rack of, with, 518 Salad with Pistachios, 37 Sauerkraut, Homemade, 529–530 Soup, Pork, and, 464–465 Caesar Salad chicken, 70 greens for, 50 Cake(s) Chocolate Soufflés, Hot, 627, 629 crêpe batter base, 657 Ladyfingers, 671–672 Meringue, Chocolate, Individual, 668–670 pound, 657 Lemon and Vanilla, 658 regional butter cakes, 659–660 Savarin, Kirsch–Flavored, 654–655 Calves’ Brains Fritters, 546–547 Sautéed, with “Hazelnut” Butter, 545 Calves’ Feet, 8, 424 Calves’ Liver, 553 Sautéed Sliced, with Madeira Sauce, 554–555 Canaille Salad, 60 Canard à la Ficelle, 457–458, 463 Candlemas Cookies, Provencal, 693 Candy(ies), Candied fruit, 686 Grapefruit or Orange Rinds, 695–696 Jelly(ies), 696 Orange, 698 Raspberry, 697 Truffles, Chocolate, 694–695 Truffles, hazelnut (variation), 695 Candymaking caramel and butterscotch, 639 sugar syrup stages, 628 Caneton aux Groseilles ou aux Autres Baies, 393 aux Navets, 392–393 aux Olives, 393 aux Petit Pois, 393 Caper(s) Mayonnaise, Homemade, with Cornichons, Herbs and, 549 Mayonnaise, Herb, Pickle and (Rémoulade), 492 and Olive Spread, 83–84 Skate with Lemon and, 298 Tapenade Salad, Provençal, 84 Vegetable Marmalade, Sautéed Striped Bass Fillets with, 301–302 Caramel Crème Brûlée, 632–633, 636–637 Crème Caramel, Orange–Flavored, 640–641 making, 639 Threads, 665 on Snow Eggs, Meringue, 664 Caramelization pan–deglazed sauce, 4, 350–351 process of, 16–17 Carbonnade, 439 Cardoons, Anchovy and Garlic Sauce with Mixed Vegetables, 81–82 Carottes Nouvelles Glacées, 558–559 Râpées, 35 à la Vichy, 558 Carré d’Agneau Persillé, 511–512 Carré de Porc aux Choux Rouge, 518 Carrot(s), 556–557 in Aïoli, Le Grand, 74–75 Baby, Glazed, 558–559 Blanquette, Vegetable, Veal Chops with, 412 Chicken, Casserole Roast, 361 INDEX 707
Carrot(s) (cont’d) Chicken Poached in Beef Broth, 460–461 Glazed Sliced, 558 Grated, 35 and meat/poultry salad (variation), 71 Pot–au–Feu, 456 Pot–au–Feu with Short Ribs, Red Wine, 459 Pot–au–Feu Vegetables, Poached Beef Tenderloin with, 462–463 roasting, 564 scraping vs peeling, 587 shaping, 21, 22 slicing, 22 Soup (leek and potato base), 181 Stew of Spring Vegetables, 586–587 Veal, Roast Top Round with Aromatic Vegetables, 521–522 Veal Shanks (Osso Buco), Braised, with Vegetable “Confiture”, 434 Vegetable Soup, Spring, Improvised, 231–232 Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic Paste, French Country, 224–226 in vegetable stews, 591 Cassolettes de Moules à la Sauce d’Oursins, 271–273 Cassoulet authentic, 466–467 Bean and Duck, Baked, 469–470 beans, cooking methods, 468, 471–472 with beans, fresh, 470 Fava Bean, Fresh, with Foie Gras, 470–471 Lobster and Mussel, 475–476 with seafood, 474 Cassoulet aux Fèves et au Foie Gras, 470–471 de Homard et de Moules, 475–476 Caudière, 246, 247 Caul fat, 8 Cauliflower Aïoli, Grand, 74–75 Anchovy and Garlic Sauce with Mixed Vegetables, 81 Gratin, 578 in vegetable stews, 591 Caviar, oysters with, 254 Celeriac Apple, and Walnut Salad, 59 Glazed, 560–561 and meat/poultry salad (variation), 71 in potato salad (variation), 44, 45 Rémoulade, 33 selecting, 10 shaping, 22, 33 slicing, 33 Veal Shanks (Osso Buco), Braised, with Vegetable “Confiture”, 434 in vegetable stews, 591 Céleri–Rave Rémoulade, 33 Celery Anchovy and Garlic Sauce with Mixed Vegetables, 82 freezing for cooking, 220 Soup (leek and potato base), 181 Cendrillon Salad, 60 Cèpe(s) Butter, 490 Dried, Chicken Fricassee with, 372–373 Dried, Quiche, 159–160 Dried, Vegetable Blanquette, Veal Chops with, 412 and Morel, Dried, Soup, Baked, 191–193 Powdered, Salmon Fillets with Balsamic Vinegar and, 299–300 vinaigrette (variation), 78 Cerises à l’Eau–de–Vie, 684–685 Cervelle de Canut, 151 Cervelles de Veau au Beurre Noisette, 545 en Beignets, 546–547 Champagne Sauce, oysters with (variation), 257 Champignons Farcis, 566–567 Champignons Marinés à L’Estragon, 40 Chantilly Cream, Meringue Cups, Baked, with, 666–667 Chard Garlic, Duck Confit, and Fresh Fava Bean Soup, 195–196 Sardines Stuffed with, and Grilled, 326 stemming, cleaning, preparing, 22 Charlotte Apple, 614 crusts, 614, 615 molds, 12 mousse filling, 624 Charlotte aux Pommes, 614 Chaudfroid, 426 Chaudrée, 246 Cheese. 141–152. See also names of cheeses Buckwheat Pancakes, Breton, Filled with Ham and, 176 Cauliflower Gratin, 578 Fondue, 141–143 Fresh Heart–Shaped Sweet Desserts, 150 Herb–Flavored, 151 making, 148–149 tart, savory (variation), 152 Tart, Sweet, French–Style, 151–152 and Ham Sandwiches, Grilled, 109–110 leek gratin (variation), 575 Mornay Sauce, 577 omelet fillings, 123, 126 in Onion Soup, French, 189 Pasta Gratin, 574 Potatoes with, Puréed, 145 Puffs, 146–147 Quiche Lorraine (variation), 158 Raclette, Traditional, 143–144 708 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Ricotta, Chicken, Roast, Stuffed under the Skin with Spinach and, 353–354 Soufflé, 130–134 Tomatoes, Stuffed, 565–566 Zucchini, Stuffed, 565 Cheesecloth, 149 Cherry(ies) Clafoutis, 651 in Kirsch, 684–685 Savarin Cake, Kirsch–Flavored, 654–655 Chestnut(s) in crème caramel (variation), 641 purée, in meringue cups (variation), 667 Chicken Broth, Brown, 209–210 Broth, White, 210 with Crayfish, 341–342 Crêpe Gratin, 579 crêpes (variation), 650 cutting up, 17–18 Fricassee, 371–376 with Cèpes, Dried, 372–373 cooking method, 371 vs sauté, 372 with Sorrel and Spinach, 375–376 with vegetable purées, 374–375 Mousse Sausages, 535–537 Poached in Beef Broth, 460–461 poached breast (variation), 461 with Red Wine Sauce authentic Coq au Vin, 362–363, 367 Complicated Method, 366–367 Simplest Method, 365 Roast, 352 basting, 360 carving, 352 Casserole, 361 cooking methods, 347–348 deglazed pan sauce, 350–351, 354 with Garlic and Foie Gras, 355–356 gravy, 350, 354–355, 360 jus, 17, 350–351, 354–355 salmonella and, 349 servings, 350 size of bird, 350 spit and oven roasting, 351 Stuffed under the Skin with Spinach and Ricotta, 353–354 stuffings, for under the skin, 252–253, 254, 599 trussing, 349 Salad, 70–71 Sautéed Breasts in Garlic Broth with Tomatoes, Spinach, Saffron, and Basil, 196–197 classic sautés, 370–371 cooking method, 368 doneness, 364 vs fricassee, 372 improvising dishes, 368–369 white (à blanc), 369 Chicken Liver Flans with Tomato Marjoram Sauce, 165–166 in forcemeat, for terrines, 87, 89 Mousse, 93 Mousse, Egg Cup Hors d’Oeuvre, George Blanc’s, 128–129 Terrine, 92–93 Chickpea(s) flour, 174 Pancakes, Niçoise, 175 “Polenta” Niçoise, 174–175 Chiffonade technique, 17 Chile(s) butter, 490 with carrots, grated (variation), 35 in potato salad (variation), 45 Purée, Dried, 375 Purée, Poblano, 374–375 seafood chowder (variation), 247 Chive(s) Crêpes, 212 Oyster Stew with Spinach and, 261–262 Tartar Sauce, 549 Chocolate crêpes (variation), 650 Meringue Cakes, Individual, 668–670 Mousse, 621–622 chocolate lumps, remedies for, 622 Simplest, 623 variations, 623–624 quality of, 669 Soufflé, Hot, 629 Terrine, Dense, 624–625 Truffles, 694–695 Choucroute Garnie à la Ancienne, 525–528 aux Poissons et aux Fruits de Mer, 538–539 Choucroute Maison, 529–530 Chowder, Fish and Shellfish, French–Style, 247–248 Clafoutis, 650–651 Cherry (aux Cerises), 651 Pear (aux Poires), 652 Clam(s) Chowder, Fish and Shellfish, French–Style, 247–248 halibut steaks with (variation), 313 opening, 276 Clarified butter, 296 Clementines or Mandarin Oranges in Sweetened Vodka, 685–686 Clementines ou Mandarines à l’Eau–de–Vie, 685–686 Cloves, in Four Spice Mixture, 386 Coatings, for fried foods, 303, 504, 548, 555 INDEX 709
Cockles Chowder, Fish and Shellfish, French–Style, 247–248 halibut steaks with (variation), 313 substitute for mussels, 276 Cod, Salt with beans (variation), 474 cooking methods, 76 and Potato Spread, Provençal, 76–77 selecting, 75 Vegetables, Assorted Cooked, and Hard–Boiled Eggs with Garlic Mayonnaise (Le Grand Aïoli), 74–75 Coeurs à la Crème, 150 Coffee crème Anglaise (variation), 643 pots de crème (variation), 638 Cognac Américaine Sauce, 340 for cooking, 12 crème Anglaise with (variation), 642 Crêpes, Orange Butter, Simplified, 650–651 Eggnog, The Best Holiday, 644 fillings (variations), 650 and Tomato Sauce, Lobster with, 331–335 Composed Salad(s), 57–71 Apple, Celeriac, and Walnut (Waldorf), 59 Beef and Beet, Cold, 69–70 Chicken, 70–71 classic, 60–61, 63 pasta and rice in, 71 Seafood and bean (variation), 476 classic, 63 Crayfish, Asparagus, Fava Bean, Artichoke Bottoms, and Morel, 63–65 variations, 66–67 selecting ingredients, 58 truffle oil and juice in, 62, 71 Confit. See also Duck, Confit of Turnips, with Foie Gras and Port Wine, 562–563 Confit de Cuisses de Canard, 382 Confit de Navets au Foie Gras et au Porto, 562–563 Confiture de Figues aux Noix, 677 Consommé(s) about, 206–207 Beef, 214–215 Clarified with Egg Whites and Ground Meat, 213–214 cold, 217 cooking method, 207–208 with Crèpes, Shredded (Le Célestine), 212–213 Tomato, 216–217 variations, 215–216 Contre–Filet à la Sauce Vin Rouge et aux Huîtres, 264 Cookies Almond Meringue, with Fruit Jam, 670–671 Butter Almond (Financiers), 691 Candlemas, Provençal, 693 Linzer, Raspberry, 690 Madeleines, Classic, 656–657 Palm Tree (Palmiers), 692 regional, 692–693 Shortbread, 689–690 Coq au Vin, 362–363, 367 Coquilles Saint–Jacques à la Nage, 278–279, 284–285 et au Beurre de Corail, 286–287 Cordial, Raspberry, 683–684 Corn, in vegetable stews, 591 Cornichons Mayonnaise, Herb, Caper and (Rémoulade), 492 Mayonnaise, Homemade, with Capers, Herbs and (Gribiche), 549 pork chops with, braised (variation), 500 with pot–au–feu, 458 Cornmeal in breadmaking, 173 Pancakes, Périgord–Style, 174 Côtelettes d’Agneau à l’Ail et à la Marjolaine, 503–504 Côtes de Porc au Chou Rouge à l’Ardennaise, 537–538 Côtes de Porc Braisées aux Pruneaux, 498–500 Côtes de Veau avec leur Blanquette de Legumes, 412 Côtes ou Medaillons de Veau au Basilic, 502–503 Cotriade, 246 Coulis, Tomato, 580–581 Zucchini Gratin with, 579–580 Courgettes Farcies, 565 Court Bouillon, 249, 279 for Cooking à la Nage, 283 Sea Scallops à la Nage Finished with the Scallops’ Roe, 286–287 Sea Scallops with Julienned Vegetables and, 284–285 Sea Scallops with, Poached, Finished with Flavored Butters, 285–286 Simple, 283–284 Trout, Blue, 289–290 Crab Blue, Bisque, 344–345 Blue, cleaning, 346 sauce, chicken or meat with (variation), 343 Crayfish Asparagus, Fava Bean, Artichoke Bottoms, and Morel Salad, 63–65 Bay Scallops, and Shrimp à la Nage, 288–289 Butter, 335 Chicken with, 341–342 quiche (variation), 160 removing meat from, 343 Cream(ed). See also Béchamel Sauce; Custard(s); Crème Fraîche; Velouté Sauce Américaine Sauce, 340 Bavarian, 625, 644 710 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Beef Stroganoff, 453 Bisque, Blue Crab, 344–345 Chantilly, Meringue Cups, Baked, with, 666–667 Chicken Fricassee with Cèpes, Dried, 372–373 Chowder, Fish and Shellfish, French–Style, 246, 247–248 Coeurs à la Crème, 150 Crème Chantilly, 609 Gratins, 573 Leek, 575 Pasta, 574 Potato, Baked, 569–572 Juniper Sauce, Ham Steaks with, 111 Lobster Newburg, 337–338 Mornay Sauce, 577 Mussels, Steamed, with Saffron, Mint and, 269–270 mussels, steamed (variation), 268 Onions, 560 Parsley Sauce, Steamed Lobster with, 339–340 in potato salad (variation), 44 Sausages, Chicken Mousse, 535–537 Soups Artichoke, 184–185 Potato and Leek base, 180–182 Potato and Leek, Cold, 177, 179 Sorrel, 185–186 souring, preventing, 182 Tomato, 183–184 vegetable (variation), 227 Stew of Spring Vegetables, 586–587 Sweetbread Terrine, 417–418 Tomato Sauce, Oxtail Soup with Herbs and, Cold, 201 Tomato Sauce, Quick, 452 Cream Cheese, Heart–Shaped Sweet Desserts, 150 Cream Puffs, 148 Crème Anglaise chocolate mousse with (variation), 623 chocolate terrine with (variation), 625 doneness, 643 Eggnog, The Best Holiday, 644 Floating Islands, 663 Snow Eggs, Meringue, 664 uses for, 641 Vanilla, Classic, 642 variations, 642–643 Crème Brûlée, 632–633, 636–637 Crème Caramel vs flan, 638 Orange–Flavored, 640–641 Crème Chantilly, 609 Crème Fraîche Beef Stroganoff, 453 Cucumbers with, Cold, 38 homemade, 39 Crème Patissière, 616, 627 Crème Renversée, 638 à l’Orange, 640–641 Crêpe(s). See also Clafoutis; Pancakes Basic, 648–649 Chive, 212 Gratin, Chicken or Turkey, 579 Orange Butter, Simplified, 649–650 Shredded, Consommé with, 212–213 suzette, 646–647 Crêpes au Beurre d’Orange, 649–650 Crépine (caul fat), 8 Croque–Monsieurs, 109–110 Croûtons Eggs, Poached, with Red Wine Sauce, 115–116 with Tournedos Rossini, 494–495 uses for, 493 Crown Roast, 513 Crudités Artichokes, Baby, with Toasted Walnuts, 40–41 Carrots, Grated, 35 Fennel Salad, Shaved, 41–42 ingredients for, 32 Crustaceans. See Shellfish Cucumber(s) with Crème Fraîche, Cold, 38 draining, 38 in vegetable stews, 591 Cured ham, 106–107 Curry(ied) Hollandaise Sauce, Gratinéed Oysters with, 256–257 potato salad (variation), 45 vegetable stew (variation), 585 Custard(s). See also Quiche almond, sweet (blancmange), 645 apple tart (variation), 609 Artichoke Flans, Individual, 164–165 bain–marie, baking in, 633, 634 Chicken Liver Flans with Tomato Marjoram Sauce, 165–166 Cream. See Crème Anglaise Crème Brûlée, 632–633, 636–637 Crème Caramel, Orange–Flavored, 640–641 flan vs crème caramel, 638 Garlic, Roast, and Black Truffle Flans, 600 ingredients, 633 Pots de Crème, Ginger, 637–638 savory, about, 163 Custard cups, 13 Cuttlefish and beans (variation), 476 in composed salads, 66 INDEX 711
D Dandelion Greens, with grilled sardines (variation), 325 Danicheff Salad, 60 Dariole molds, 12 Daubes, 439 Lamb, Provençal, 440–442 Deglazed pan sauces, 4, 220 chicken, 350–351, 354 method, 18–19 steak, 480, 484 Degreasing method, 19 Demi–glace, 4, 5, 6, 450 Demi–sel (cured pork), 528 Dicing technique, 22 Dindon Rôti avec son Jus aux Abats, 358–359 Duck à la ficelle (variation), 457–458, 463 artichoke, and parsley terrine (variation), 108–109 Broth, 89, 389 Confit, 382, 383 and Bean Cassoulet, Baked, 469–470 Garlic, Fresh Fava Bean, and Chard Soup, 195–196 in green salad (variation), 53 Salad, Wild Mushroom and, 384 uses for, 382 cutting up, 380 fat, rendered, 383 improvising dishes, 392 legs, cooking methods, 381–382 with olives (variation), 393 à l’Orange, 379, 387 orange–glazed breasts, grilled (variation), 388–389 Orange–Glazed Breasts, Sautéed, 388 with Orange Sauce, Sautéed or Grilled Breasts, Classic, 390–391 with peas, baby (variation), 393 pressed, 394 with red currants, or other berries (variation), 393 Rillettes, 384–385 roasting, 379–380 Salad of, Sautéed or Grilled Breasts, 381 sauerkraut, with sausages, bacon and (variation), 527–528 sausage (variation), 532 Sautéed Breasts, 381 Stew, 385–386 Terrine, 88–90 with Turnips, 392–393 Duck Liver. See Foie Gras Duxelles, 96 E Eaux–de–Vie, 683 Cherries in Kirsch, 684 Eclairs, 148 Écorces de Pamplemousse ou de Orange Confites au Sucre, 695–696 Eel cutting, peeling, cleaning, 243 with Herb Sauce, 241–242 stew, 237 Egg(s), 112–129. See also Custard(s); Flan(s); Meringues; Mousse(s); Omelet(s); Quiche; Soufflé(s) Baked with Creamed Spinach, 118 with Cream and Parmigiano–Reggiano, 119–120 in Ramekins, 117 variations, 118–119 “Fried” French–style, 119 Hard–Boiled Cup Hors d’Oeuvre, George Blanc’s, 128–129 in Niçoise Salad, 53–54 Vegetables, Assorted Cooked, and Salt Cod with Garlic Mayonnaise (Le Grand Aïoli), 74–75 Poached Benedict (variations), 116 large numbers of, 117 methods of, 113 with Red Wine Sauce, 112–116 raw, safety of, 34 Scrambled, 127 Scrambled, with Morels, 127–128 truffles with, 597 Whites, Consommé Clarified with Ground Meat and, 213 Yolk, White Wine, and Butter Sauce, Fillets of Sole with (Marguéry), 310–312 yolks, finish for soups, 185 Eggnog, The Best Holiday, 644 Eggplant(s) Ratatouille, 584 Stuffed, 567–568 in vegetable stews, 591 Entrecôte aux Poivre Vert, 486 Equipment, 12–16, 701–702 Escabèche, Fish, Grilled, en, 329–330 Escalopes de Foie de Veau Sautée, Sauce Madère, 554–555 Escargots à la Bourguignonne (variation), 275 Escarole, in green salad, 50 Escoffier’s classification system, for soups, 178 Espagnole Salad, 60 Espagnole Sauce, 5, 220 712 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
F Fatback, 9, 423 Fava Bean(s), Fresh “Cassoulet” with Foie Gras, 470–471 Crayfish, Asparagus, Artichoke Bottoms, and Morel Salad, 63–65 Garlic, Duck Confit, and Chard Soup, 195–196 and meat/poultry salad (variation), 71 Morel, and Asparagus Fricassee, 588–589 peeling, 65 Vegetable Soup, Spring, Improvised, 231–232 in vegetable stews, 591 Fennel in Bagna Caouda, 82 parts of, 8 roasting, 564 Salad, Shaved, 41–42 Sea Bass Grilled with, Mediterranean, 318–319 Soup (leek and potato base), 181 Veal Shanks (Osso Buco), Braised, with Vegetable “Confiture”, 434 in vegetable stews, 591 Ficelle Boeuf à la, 457, 462–463 Canard à la, 457–458, 463 Fig Jam with Walnuts, 677 Filet de Boeuf Rôti, 523–524 Financiers, 691 Fish. See also Anchovy(ies); Bass; Cod, Salt; Salmon; Sardines; Sole Américaine Sauce for, 340 Braising, 307–308 improvising dishes, 317 Mackerel à la Chartreuse, 315–316 Sole with Shallots and White Wine, Braised (Bercy), 309–310 Sole with White Wine, Butter, and Egg Yolk Sauce (Marguery), 310–312 in composed salads, 66–67 in Court Bouillon for Cooking à la Nage, 279, 283–284 Salmon à la Nage, Medallions of, 290–291 Trout, Blue, 289–290 doneness, 20 Eel with Herb Sauce, 241–242 en Escabèche, Grilled, 329–330 Fillets breading, 303 coatings, 305 pompano, 296 portioning, 297, 299 Salmon with Powdered Cèpes and Balsamic Vinegar, 299–300 sauté methods, 302–303, 305 Skate with Capers and Lemon, 298 of Sole with a Light Bread–Crumb Coating, 304 Sole Meunière, 294, 305–306 Striped Bass, Sautéed, with Vegetable “Marmalade”, 301–302 Walleye with Sorrel, 314 in garlic broth, poached (variation), 195 in green salad (variation), 53 Halibut Steaks with Mussels, 312–313 with Herb Sauce, 241–242 Mackerel à la Chartreuse, 315–316 mussel cooking liquid as sauce base, 310, 312–313 Niçoise Salad, 53–54, 53–55 in potato salad (variation), 45 quenelles, 540 scaling, 321 Skate with Capers and Lemon, 298 skinning and cleaning, 297 Smoked, in composed salad (variation), 67 Stew Chowder, Fish and Shellfish, French–Style, 247–248 cooking methods, 242, 248–249 fisherman’s, 246 Octopus Daube, 245–246 Salmon Matelote, Red Wine, 243–244 Walleye with Sorrel, 314 Whole baked, 324 boning and stuffing, 327–328 broiled, 324 carving flatfish, 295 carving round fish, 323 freshness of, 319 Grilled, 322 grilling method, 320–321 Sardines, Grilled, 325 Sardines, Stuffed with Spinach or Swiss Chard and Grilled, 326 Sea Bass Grilled with Fennel, Mediterranean, 318–319 Sole Meunière (Hot Butter and Lemon), 293–295 Striped Bass, Grilled or Baked Boneless Whole, Scented with Fresh Herbs, 328–329 Trout, with Paprika and Almonds, 300–301 Fish Broth for Bouillabaisse, 234, 235–236 ingredients, 249 Red Wine, 310 White Wine, 308 Fish Soup Bourride, 237, 240 cooking methods, 248–249 INDEX 713
Fish Soup (cont’d) fillets in, cooking method, 238 fisherman’s soups, 246 Mediterranean (Bouillabaise), 233–237 Puréed, 238–239 regional soups, 237 Flageolet Beans, Roast Leg of Lamb with, 472–473 Flan(s) Artichoke, Individual, 164–165 Chicken Liver, with Tomato Marjoram Sauce, 165–166 rice pudding as, 644 Garlic, Roast, and Black Truffle, 600 ham and dried cèpe (variation), 160 Flan(s) à l’Ail Rôti et aux Truffes Noires, 600 aux Artichauts, 164–165 de Foie de Volaille, Sauce Tomate à la Marjolaine, 165–166 Flank Steak with Shallots, 487 Flatbread, Provençal, 172 Flétan aux Moules, 312–313 Fleur de sel, 598 Floating Islands, 661–663 Flour almond, 615 in beurre manié, 115–116, 436 buckwheat, 175–176 chickpea, 174 coating for fried foods, 303, 548 cornmeal, 173 Flower(s) in green salad, 49, 56 and Squab Salad, 55–56 Foie Gras in boudins blancs (variation), 536 Butter, 491 Chicken, Roast, with Garlic and, 355–356 Fava Bean, Fresh, “Cassoulet” with, 470–471 mousse, 96–97 pâté in a crust (variation), 95 preparation of, 96 Salt–Cured Whole, 99 Tenderloin Steaks, Center–Cut, with Truffles and (Tournedos Rossini), 494–495 Terrine, 97–99 terrines, internal temperature for, 99 Truffles, Morels, and Artichokes Fricassee, 604–605 Turnips, Confit of, with Port Wine and, 562–563 whole, 100 Fondue, Cheese (de Fromage), 141–143 Food mills, 16 Food processors, 13 Forks, two–pronged, 16 Fougasse Provençal, 172 Fraises en Conserve, 675–676 Fraises Pochées, 680 Framboises Pochées, 680 Frangipane, 616 Almond Pear Tart, 617–618 French Onion Soup, 187–189 Fricandeau aux Morilles, 428–430 Fricassee Chicken with Cèpes, Dried, 372–373 cooking method, 371 with Sorrel and Spinach, 375–376 with vegetable purées, 374–375 Duck Stew, 385–386 Morel, Fava Bean, and Asparagus, 588–589 Rabbit, Young, with Pearl Onions, Bacon, and Mushrooms, 397 vs sauté, 372 Truffles, Morels, and Artichokes, 604–605 Fricassée d’Artichauts, Petite, Fenouil, Poireaux, Ail, et Petits Pois au Cresson, 589–590 de Cuisses de Canard, Petite, 385–386 de Morilles, Fèves, et Asperges, 588–589 de Poulet aux Cèpes Seches, 372–373 Poulet, à l’Oseille et aux Épinards, 375–376 Frisée green salad, 49 Salad with Bacon, 52–53 Fritters, Calves’ Brains, 546–547 Fromage Frais, 148–149 Fruit(s). See also Berry(ies); names of fruits in alcohol, 683–686 in Bavarian creams, 625 candied, 686 clafoutis, 650–652 jelly candies, 696–698 paste, 678 poached, 679–682 poaching liquid, 682 pork chops with, braised (variation), 500 preserves, 673–676 zest, crème Anglaise with (variation), 642 Fruit Tart(s). See also Apple(s), Tart Berry, Fresh Red, 616–617 doughs for, 615 fillings, 616 glaze for, 608 Pear Almond, 617–618 raw fruit, in precooked shell, 615–616 Frying coatings and batters for, 303, 548 mayonnaise sauces, 549 safety tips, 550 Fumet de Poisson au Vin Blanc, 308 714 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
G Galantines, 91 Galettes, 650 Galettes Bretons au Fromage et au Jambon, 176 Game Hare, with Vinegar and Pepper Sauce, 406–407 rabbit and hare, cooking methods, 405–406 venison tenderloin, sautéed, 524 Game Birds. See Squab Ganache, Meringue Cakes, Chocolate Individual, 668–670 Garbure, 457 Garlic and Anchovy Sauce, Mixed Vegetables with, 80–82 Artichokes, Baby, Fennel, Leeks, and Peas with Watercress Sauce, 589–590 and Basil Paste (Pistou), 223, 224 broth as soup base, 195 Broth with Tomatoes, Spinach, Saffron, and Basil, Sautéed Chicken Breasts in, 196–197 Chicken, Roast, with Foie Gras and, 355–356 Duck Confit, 382 Lamb Chops with Marjoram and, 503–504 Mayonnaise. See Aïoli mussels, steamed (variation), 268 and Parsley Butter, Hot, Broiled Mussels with, 274–275 and parsley butter, snails with (variation), 275 and Parsley Crust, Rack of Lamb with, 506–512 Paste, Vegetable Soup with Basil and, French Country, 222–226 persillade, with sautéed potatoes (variation), 602 Potato and Salt Cod Spread, Provençal, 76–77 Purée, Mussel Soup with Saffron and, 274 Roast, and Black Truffle Flans, 600 Roast, Purée, 374 Sausage, Simple, 534 Soup, 194–195 Soup, Duck Confit, Fresh Fava Bean, Chard and, 195–196 in vegetable stews, 585, 591 in vinaigrette, 48 Gâteaux Meringués, 668–670 Gelée Beef Terrine, Cold, 427–428 braising liquid for, 424 lamb, saddle of, cold (variation), 515 Octopus Terrine en, 247 Oxtail Soup with Herbs and Creamy Tomato Sauce, Cold, 201–202 with Pot Roast, French–Style, Cold, 426 slicing, 202 tongue slices in (variation), 552 Giblet(s) Gravy, Roast Turkey with, 358–359 in gravy and jus, 355 Squab Salmi, 377–378 Gignons Glacés ou à la Crème, 559–560 Gigot ou Épaule d’Agneau à la Sept Heures, 430–432 Gigot aux Flageolets, 472–473 Ginger Four Spice Mixture, 386 Pots de Crème, 637–638 Glace de Viande, 3–4, 5, 217, 220, 221, 450 Glaze(d) Carrots, Baby, 558–559 Carrots, Sliced, 558 Crème Brûlée, 632–633, 636–637 for fruit tarts, 608 Onions, 559–560 Turnips, Celeriac, Parsnips or Radishes, 560–561 Goat Cheese Soufflés, Individual, 135–136 Goose Liver. See Foie Gras Gougères, 146–147 Grana padana, 9 Grand Aïoli, Le, 74–75 Grande Duchesse Salad, 60 Grand Marnier Souffleés, 630 Grape(s) “Butter” with Pears and Quinces, 678–679 sole Véronique (variation), 310 Grapefruit Rinds, Candied, 695–696 Grappa, for cooking, 12 Gratin(s). See also Cassoulet baking dishes, 12–13 Béchamel Sauce for, 576–577 of Beef, Leftover, with Onions, 445–446, 571–572 bread and onion soup (variation), 190 Cauliflower, 578 Crêpe, Chicken or Turkey, 579 doneness, 573 improvising, 573 Leek, 575 Pasta, 574 Potato, Baked Creamed, 569–572 ravioli, meat–filled (variation), 449 Zucchini, 579–580 Gratin au Choufleur, 578 Dauphinois, Le, 569–572 de Poireaux, 575 Gravy chicken and turkey roasts, 350 fat, flour, liquid amounts, 360 finishes for, 354–355 Giblet, Roast Turkey with, 358–359 servings, 360 meat roasts, 507 INDEX 715
Green Bean(s) Aïoli, Le Grand, 74–75 Blanquette, Vegetable, Veal Chops with, 412 “Frenching”, 61 Niçoise Salad, 53–54 Stew of Spring Vegetables, 586–587 Vegetable Soup, Spring, Improvised, 231–232 Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic Paste, French Country, 224–226 in vegetable stews, 591 Green Peppercorns, Steak with, 486 Green Salad(s), 46–56 with Bacon, 52–53 of Duck Breasts, Sautéed or Grilled, 381 flowers for, 56 garnishes for, 52 Mushroom, Wild, and Duck Confit, 384 Niçoise, 53–55 preparing greens, 46–47 of rabbit, sautéed or grilled (variation), 405 selecting greens, 49–50 serving, 48 Simple, 52 Squab and Flower, 55–56 tossing, 47 with vinaigrette, 48–49 with vinegar and oil, 48 wilted, 53 Gribiche Sauce, 549 Gruyère Beef Hash Gratin, 446–447 Mornay Sauce, 577 omelet filling, 123 Onions, Stuffed, Little, 568 Onion Soup, French, 189 Potatoes, Puréed with, 145 Potato Gratin, Baked, 570, 571–572 in soufflés, 131 H Hachis de Boeuf au Gratin, 446–447 Halibut Steaks with Mussels, 312–313 Ham Ham, 101–111. See also Prosciutto brining, 103, 107 Buckwheat Pancakes, Breton, Filled with Cheese and, 176 categories of, 101–104 and Cheese Sandwiches, Grilled, 109–110 curing, 106–107 French terminology, 9 in pot–au–feu (variation), 457 quiche, dried cèpe, (variation), 159–160 regional dishes, 110 roast, fresh, internal temperature for, 102 Roast, Fresh (Shank End), 103 sandwiches, and truffle, 605 smoked, 102 Steaks with Juniper Cream Sauce, 111 Terrine, and Parsley, 104–105 in terrine (variation), 91 Hangar Steak with Shallots, 487 Hare cooking methods, 405–406 with Vinegar and Pepper Sauce, 406–407 Haricots Verts, 61. See also Green Bean(s) Hash, Beef Gratin, 446–447 Hazelnut(s) Butter, Sautéed Calves Brains with, 545 truffles (variation), 695 Heart–Shaped Sweet Cheese Desserts, 150 Herb(s). See also names of herbs bouquet garni, 2–3 with broth, finishing, 463 in brown sauce, 484 butters, 303, 338, 490 Sea Scallops, Poached, with Vegetable Broth Finished with, Flavored Butters, 285–286 Cheese, Fresh, –Flavored, 151 in chicken jus, 354–355 in chicken stuffing, 352–353, 354 Flatbread, Provençal, 172 in lobster stew, 338 Mayonnaise with Butter and Olive Oil, 490–491 Caper, Pickle and (Rémoulade), 492 Homemade, with Capers, Cornichons and, 549 omelet filling, 123 Oxtail Soup with Creamy Tomato Sauce and, Cold, 201 in potato salad (variation), 44–45 Ravigote Sauce, 205 Sauce, Eel or Whatever Fish with, 241–242 Striped Bass, Whole Grilled or Baked, Scented with, 328–329 Tomato Salad, 42–43 in vegetable soup, 227 in vegetable stew (variation), 585 in vinaigrette, 48 Hochepot, 457 Hollandaise Sauce cooking method, 258 Curried, Gratinéed Oysters with, 256–257 Maltaise, Asparagus with, 79–80 related sauces, 77, 80, 258–259 Homard à l’Americaine, 331–335 à la Newburg, 337–338 à la Vapeur, Sauce Persillé, 339–340 Cassoulet de Moules et de, 475–476 716 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Hors d’Oeuvres anchoïade spread, 602 Cheese, Herb–Flavored Fresh, 151 Cheese Puffs, 146–147 Duck Rillettes, 384–385 Egg Cup, George Blanc’s, 128–129 Mushrooms, Stuffed, 566–567 Mussel(s), Broiled, with Hot Garlic and Parsley Butter, 274–275 Olive and Caper Spread, 83–84 Onion, Olive, and Anchovy Tart, Niçoise, 169–171 Onions, Little, Stuffed, 568 Potato and Salt Cod Spread, Provençal, 76–77 Horseradish and Applesauce Mayonnaise, Swedish, 492 beef and beet salad (variation), 70 Huîtres Contre–Filet à la Sauce Vin Rouge et aux, 264 Gratinées au Curry, 256–257 Gratinées au Lard Maigre, aux Tomates et à l’Estragon, 259–260 en Ragoût aux Epinards et à la Ciboulette, 261–262 Hure de Queue de Boeuf aux Herbes et à la Sauce Tomate Crèmée, 201–2–2 I Ice Cream, crème Anglaise (variation), 642 Iles Flottantes, 661–663 Impériale Salad, 60 Indienne Salad, 60–61 Irish Stew (variation), 442 Irma Salad, 61 J Jam Almond Meringue Cookies with, 670–671 apricot, glaze for fruit tarts, 608 Fig, with Walnuts, 677 Jambon Cru et Coeurs d’Artichauts en Gelée au Persil, 108–109 Persillé, 104–105 Rôti, 103 Jarrets d’Agneau au Vin Rouge, 432–433 de Veau aux Haricots, 473–474 de Veau Braisés avec leur Confiture de Legumes, 433–434 Jelly, 617 Jelly Candies, 696 Orange, 698 Raspberry, 697 Julienned Vegetable(s) cutting method, 19–20 Sea Scallops with Vegetable Broth and, 284–285 Soup, Classic, 230–231 Veal Shanks (Osso Buco), Braised, with Vegetable Confiture, 433–434 Juniper Cream Sauce, Ham Steaks with, 111 Jus Basil–Scented, Roast Saddle of Lamb with, 513–515 caramelization and, 16–17 from chicken and turkey roasts, 350–351, 354–355 from meat roasts, 507, 511–512 without–roast method (broth and bones), 4, 356 K Kidneys, 542 Veal, with Mushrooms, Mustard, and Port, 543–544 Kirsch about, 142 Cheese Fondue, 142, 143 Cherries in, 684–685 Kugelhopf, 660 L Ladyfingers, 671–672 Lamb blanquette of (variation), 411 Chops breaded (variation), 504 cuts, 503 with Garlic and Marjoram, 503–504 crown roast of, 513 leg of, à la ficelle (variation), 463 Leg of, Roast, with Flageolet Beans, 472–473 Leg or Shoulder of, Braised for Seven Hours, 430–432 in pot–au–feu (variation), 457 Rack of carving, 512 double, breaking down, 510 frenching, 509 with Parsley and Garlic Crust, 506–512 selecting, 508 trimming, 509–510 variations, 512 Saddle of boned and roasted, 516 carving, 515 cold (variation), 515 Roast, with Basil–Scented Jus, 513–515 sautéeing, 500 Sauté of, en Surprise, 451 selecting, 505 INDEX 717
Lamb (cont’d) shanks with beans (variation), 474 Shanks with Red Wine, Braised, 432–433 Stew, Provençal, 440–441 stew, variations, 441–442 tenderloin, sautéeing, 524 Langue de Boeuf Braisée, 551–552 Laperau, Grillé, 404–405 Lapereau en Gibelotte, 397 Laperouse Salad, 61 Lapin Braisé à l’Ancienne, 402–403 à la Moutarde, 400 Lard, 9 Larding, 420, 423 Leek(s) Artichokes, Baby, Fennel, Garlic, and Peas with Watercress Sauce, 589–590 and Brioche Tart, 162–163 Chicken Poached in Beef Broth, 460–461 Court Bouillon, 283–284 en gelée (variation), 78 Gratin, 575 and potato soup base, 180–182 and Potato Soup, Cold, 177, 179 Pot–au–Feu, 456 Pot–au–Feu with Short Ribs, Red Wine, 459 Pot–au–Feu Vegetables, Poached Beef Tenderloin with, 462–463 Veal, Roast Top Round with Aromatic Vegetables, 521–522 Veal Shanks (Osso Buco), Braised, with Vegetable “Confiture”, 434 Vegetable Soup, Spring, Improvised, 231–232 Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic Paste, French Country, 224–226 in vegetable stews, 591 with Vinaigrette, 77–78 Legumes Salad, 61 Lemon Curd, Berry Tart, Fresh Red, 616–617 Pound Cake, and Vanilla, 658 Skate with Capers and, 298 Sole Meunière (Hot Butter and), 294–295 Lettuces, for green salad, 49–50 Lièvre, Sauce Poivrade, 406–407 Linzer Cookies, Raspberry, 690 Dough, 615, 690 Linzer Petits–Fours aux Pépins de Framboises, 690 Liqueur, fruit, 683 Liver. See also Chicken Liver; Foie Gras Calves’, 553 Calves’, Sautéed Sliced, with Madeira Sauce, 554–555 Lobster Butter, 335 Cassoulet, and Mussel, 475–476 Newburg, 337–338 omelet filling, 123 in potato salad (variation), 43 quiche (variation), 160 removing meat from, 332 sauce, chicken or meat with (variation), 343 sex of, 336 Steamed, with Parsley Sauce, 339–340 tails, preventing curling, 333 with Tomato and Cognac Sauce (à la Americaine), 331–335 Loup de Mer Grillé au Fenouil, 318–319 M Macarons, 670–671 Mackerel à la Chartreuse, 315–316 Madeira for cooking, 11 Lobster Newburg, 337–338 morel sauce, veal chops with (variation), 503 Sauce, Calves’ Liver, Sautéed Sliced, with, 554–555 Madeleines, Classic, 656–657 Magrets de Canard Glacés à l’Orange, 388–389 Magrets de Canard Sautés ou Grillés, Sauce à l’Orange, 390–391 Magrets de Caneton à Poêle, 381 Maître d’ Butter, 490 Maltaise Sauce, 77, 257 Asparagus with, 79–80 Mandolines, 13–14 Marc (brandy), for cooking, 12 Marinade, Marinated Chicken with Red Wine Sauce, 366–367 Fish, en Escabèche, Grilled, 329–330 Mushrooms with Olive Oil Vinegar, and Tarragon, 40 for stews, 443 Marjoram Lamb Chops with Garlic and, 503– 504 –Tomato Sauce, Chicken Liver Flans with, 165–166 Marmalade, Vegetable, Sautéed Striped Bass Fillets with, 301–302 Marmite, petite, 457 Marrow extracting, 447 Ravioli, Meat–Filled, 447–448 Matelote, 242–243 de Queue de Boeuf, 202–203 de Saumon, 243–244 Mayonnaise Apple, Celeriac, and Walnut Salad, 59 Applesauce and Horseradish, Swedish, 492 718 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Basic, 33 Garlic. See Aïoli Herb, with Butter and Olive Oil, 490–491 Herb, Caper, and Pickle (Rémoulade), 492 Homemade, with Capers, Cornichons, and Herbs (Gribiche), 549 Rémoulade, Celeriac, 33 Tartar Sauce, 549 Tomato and Bell Pepper, 492 variations, 59 Meat(s). See also Meat Roast; Organ Meat(s); Tenderloin; names of meats grilled, sauces for, 489–492 in potato salad (variation), 45 quenelles, 540 Ravioli, –Filled, 448–449 sautéing method, 440, 500–501 Tomatoes, Stuffed, 565–566 in vegetable soup, 226–227, 228 in vegetable stew (variation), 585 Meat Glaze (Glace de Viande), 3–4, 5, 217, 220, 221, 450 Meat Roast. See also names of meats boneless, 524 carving, 519 crown, 513 jus and gravy for, 507 resting, 521 sizes of, 524 Medieval Spice Dipping Sauce (Cameline), 547 Mediterranean Fish Soup, 233–237 Mediterranean Sauces, 73 Mercédès Salad, 61 Meringue(s) Almond Cookies with Fruit Jam, 670–671 Cakes, Chocolate, Individual, 668–670 Cups, Baked, with Chantilly Cream, 666–667 Floating Islands, 663 French, 666 Italian, 626, 666 Snow Eggs, 664 Swiss, 666 Meringues à la Chantilly, 666–667 Mesclun Salad, 49 Microwave ovens, 14 Mignonnette Sauce, 253 Mint, Mussels, Steamed, with Cream, Saffron and, 269–270 Mirlitons, 691 Miroton, Boeuf en, 445–446 Monkfish, cassoulet (variation), 474 Montblanc, 667 Monter au beurre, 20 Morel(s) Beef or Lamb en Surprise, Sauté of, 451 in boudins blancs (variation), 536 and Cèpe, Dried, Soup, Baked, 191–193 Crayfish, Asparagus, Fava Bean, and Artichoke Bottom Salad, 63–65 Dried, Vegetable Blanquette, Veal Chops with, 412 Eggs, Scrambled, with, 127–128 Fava Bean, and Asparagus Fricassee, 588–589 Sauce, Mushroom Soufflés, Twice–Baked, with, 138–140 sauce, veal chops with (variation), 503 seafood chowder (variation), 247 in terrine (variation), 91 Truffles, and Artichokes Fricassee, 604–605 Veal Shoulder Pot Roast with, 428–430 vinaigrette (variation), 78 Mornay Sauce, 576, 577 in Cheese Soufflé, 133 Mostarda di frutta di Cremona, with pot–au–feu, 458 Moules Cassolettes de, à la Sauce d’Oursins, 271–273 Cassoulet de Homard et de, 475–476 à la Crème au Safran et à la Menthe, 269–270 Gratinées au Beurre d’Escargots, 274–275 Gratinées aux Oignons et à la Sauce Vin Blanc, 270–271 à la Marinière, Les, 266, 268 Mousse(s) Chicken, Sausages, 535–537 Chicken Liver (de Foies de Volaille), 93 Chicken Liver, Egg Cup Hors d’Oeuvre, George Blanc’s, 128–129 Chocolate, 621–622 chocolate lumps, remedies for, 622 Simplest, 623 variations, 623–624 foie gras, 96–97 fruit, frozen, 625 with gelatin, 625 Raspberry Soufflés, Frozen, 626–627 Mousseline Sauce, 77, 80 Mouton en Daube à la Provençal, 440–442 Mushroom(s). See also Cèpe(s); Morel(s) Anchovy and Garlic Sauce with Mixed Vegetables, 82 Beef Stew with Pearl Onions, Bacon and, 438–439 Blanquette, Quick and Simple, 413–414 Blanquette, Veal Stew with Baby Onions and, Creamy, 408–411 Chicken, Casserole Roast, 361 Chicken with Red Wine Sauce, 365–367 cooking liquid, in sauces, 8, 313 duxelles, 96 eggs, baked, with (variations), 118–119, 120 eggs, poached, with red wine sauce (variation), 116 Fricassee of Young Rabbit with Pearl Onions, Bacon and, 397 with liver (variation), 555 Marinated with Olive Oil, Vinegar, and Tarragon, 40 INDEX 719
Mushroom(s) (con’t) omelet filling, 123 Pâté in a Crust, Hot Rectangular, 94–95 in potato salad (variation), 45 Quiche, Cèpe, Dried, 159–160 quiche Lorraine (variation), 158 Salmon, with Cèpes, Powdered, and Balsamic Vinegar, 299–300 Soufflés, Twice–Baked, with Morel Sauce, 138–140 Soup, Cèpe and Morel, Dried, Baked, 191–193 Soup (leek and potato base), 181 Stew of Spring Vegetables, 586–587 Stuffed, 566–567 Sweetbread(s), Braised, in the Style of a Blanquette, 415–417 in veal jus (variation), 522 Veal Kidneys with Mustard, Port and, 543–544 Vegetable Soup, Spring, Improvised, 231–232 in vegetable stews, 591 Wild, and Duck Confit Salad, 384 Wild, Truffles, Morels, and Artichokes Fricassee, 604–605 Mussel(s), 265–276 Broiled, with Onions and Mussel–Flavored White Wine Sauce, 270–271 Broiled, with Hot Garlic and Parsley Butter, 274–275 Cassoulet, Lobster and, 475–476 Chowder, Fish and Shellfish, French–Style, 247–248 cooking liquid, in sauces, 274, 310, 312–313 in Fish Soup, Mediterranean, 235–237 gratinéed (variation), 270 Halibut Steaks with, 312–313 with Sea Urchin Sauce, Miniature Servings of, 271–273 selecting, sorting, cleaning, 267 sole à la Dieppoise (variation), 310 soup, cooking methods, 273 Soup with Garlic Purée and Saffron, 274 Steamed, with Cream, Saffron, and Mint, 269–270 Steamed, with White Wine, Shallots, and Parsley, 266, 268 Mustard Butter, 491 pork chops with, braised (variation), 500 with pot–au–feu, 458 Rabbit with, 400 Veal Kidneys with Mushrooms, Port and, 543–544 Vinaigrette, 79 N Nasturtium in green salad, 49 and Squab Salad, 55–56 Navets, Céleri–Rave, Panais, ou Radis Glacés, 560–561 Navettes de la Chandeleur, 693 Niçoise Chickpea Pancakes, 175 Chickpea “Polenta”, 174–175 Onion, Olive, and Anchovy Tart, 167–171 Salad, 53–55 Noisettes de Porc Sautées aux Pruneaux, 498 Noix de Veaux Rôti au Matignon de Légumes, 521–522 Nut(s). See also names of nuts with carrots, grated (variation), 35 crème Anglaise (variation), 643 Nutmeg, in Four Spice Mixture, 386 Nut Oil, 37 O Octopus and beans (variation), 476 in composed salads, 66 cutting and cleaning, 245 Daube, 245–246 Terrines, Individual Cold, 247 Oeufs Brouillés, Les, 127 Brouillés aux Morilles, Les, 127–128 en Cocotte, Les, 117 en Cocotte aux Épinards à la Crème, 118 en Meurette, Les, 115–116 à la Neige, 661–662, 664 sur le Plat, Les, 119 sur le Plat à la Crème et au Fromage, Les, 119–120 Oignons Farcis, Petits, 568 Oil(s). See also Olive Oil for crudités, 32 for green salads, 49 hazelnut, artichoke soup (variation), 185 nut, 37 truffle, 62 Olive(s) and Caper Spread, 83–84 Duck with (variation), 393 Niçoise Salad, 53–54 Onion, and Anchovy Tart, Niçoise, 167–171 Ratatouille, 584 Tapenade Salad, Provençal, 84 Vegetable Marmalade, Sautéed Striped Bass Fillets with, 301–302 Olive Oil extra–virgin vs pure, 36 Herb Mayonnaise with Butter and, 490–491 in vinaigrette, 48 720 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD
Omelet(s), 121–126 Classic, 122 cooking methods, 122 Flat, with Onions and Wine Vinegar, 125–126 flavorings and fillings, 122–123 Mont–Saint–Michel, The Famous, 124–125 regional, 126 Omelette, 122–123 de la Mère Poularde, 124–125 Lyonnaise, 125–126 Onglet ou Bavette aux Échalotes, 487 Onion(s) Creamed, 560 crying, prevention of, 188 Glazed, 559–560 Gratin of Leftover Beef with, 445–446 with liver (variation), 555 Mussels, Broiled, with Mussel–Flavored White Wine Sauce and, 270–271 Olive, and Anchovy Tart, Niçoise, 167–171 Omelet, Flat, with Wine Vinegar and, 125–126 Pearl Beef Stew with Mushrooms, Bacon and, 438–439 Blanquette, Quick and Simple, 413–414 Blanquette, Veal Stew with Mushrooms and, Creamy, 408–411 Fricassee of Young Rabbit with Bacon, Mushrooms and, 397 Glazed or Creamed, 559–560 peeling, 439 Pot Roast, French–Style, 425–426 Stew of Spring Vegetables, 586–587 Sweetbreads, Braised, in the Style of a Blanquette, 415–417 potato gratin (variation), 571 Purée, 375 quiche Lorraine (variation), 158 Red, beef and beet salad (variation), 70 Red, Chicken Salad, 70–71 Soup, French, 187–189 Stuffed, Little, 568 in vegetable stews, 591 Orange(s) Clementines or Mandarin Oranges in Sweetened Vodka, 685–686 Crème Caramel, –Flavored, 640–641 Crêpes, Orange Butter, Simplified, 649–650 cutting into membraneless wedges, 391 Duck à l’Orange, 379, 387 Duck Breasts, –Glazed Sautéed, 388–389 Jelly Candies, 698 Maltaise Sauce, Asparagus with, 79–80 Rinds, Candied, 695–696 Sauce, Duck Breasts, Sautéed or Grilled with, Classic, 390–391 Organ Meat(s), 541–542 Brains, Calves’, 544–545 Fritters, 546–547 Sautéed, with “Hazelnut” Butter, 545 Kidneys, Veal, with Mushrooms, Mustard, and Port, 543–544 Liver, Calves’, Sautéed Slices with Madeira Sauce, 554–555 Tongue, Beef, Braised, 551–552 Osso Buco. See Veal, Shanks Oxtail(s) braised (variation), 203 Breaded and Grilled, 204 Broth, 219 Soup, 198–201 Soup, with Herbs and Creamy Tomato Sauce, Cold, 201 Stew, Red Wine, 202–203 Oyster(s), 250–264 with caviar, 254 with champagne sauce (variation), 257 cooking methods, 255, 256 Gratinéed, with Bacon, Tomatoes, and Tarragon, 259–260 Gratinéed, with Curried Hollandaise Sauce, 256–257 Mignonnette Sauce with, 253 raw, serving, 251 and Red Wine, New York Strip Steak with, 264 Rockefeller (variation), 257 sauce, chicken liver flans with (variation), 166 sauce, chicken or meat with (variation), 342 selecting, 251–252 shucking, 252 Stew cooking methods, 260–261 with Spinach and Chives, 261–262 variations, 262–263 varieties of, 250–251 P Palmiers, 692 Palm Tree Cookies, 692 Panaché de Légumes Rôtis, 563–564 Panade, 178 de Courge, 190–192 Soupe à l’Oignon en, 190 Pancakes. See also Crêpe(s) Buckwheat, Breton, Filled with Cheese and Ham, 176 Chickpea, Niçoise, 175 Corn, Périgord–Style, 174 Yeast–Leavened (Blini), 653–654 Panisses, 174 Paprika, Trout with Almonds and, 300–301 INDEX 721
Parchment paper, 14 Parfaits, 625 Parmigiano–Reggiano about, 9 Basil and Garlic Paste (Pistou), 224 Eggs, Baked, with Cream and, 119–120 Mornay Sauce, 577 omelet filling, 123 in soufflés, 131 Soufflés, Mushroom, Twice–Baked, with Morel Sauce, 138–140 Soufflés, Twice–Baked, 136–138 Parsley Artichoke, and Prosciutto Terrine, 108–109 in bouquet garni, 2–3 chopping, 110 and Garlic Butter, Hot, Broiled Mussels with, 274–275 and garlic butter, snails with (variation), 275 and Garlic Crust, Rack of Lamb with, 506–512 and Ham Terrine, 104–105 Mussels, Steamed, with White Wine, Shallots and, 266, 268 persillade, with sautéed potatoes (variation), 602 Sauce, Steamed Lobster with, 339–340 Parsnip(s) Glazed, 560–561 Pot–au–Feu with Short Ribs, Red Wine, 459 roasting, 564 shaping, 21 in vegetable stews, 591 Pasta Chicken Salad, 70–71 in composed salads, 71 Dough, 449 fresh, 574 Gratin, 574 Ravioli, Meat–Filled, 448–449 Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic Paste, French Country, 224–226 Pastry(ies). See also Puff Pastry; Tart(s), Dough Cheese Puffs, 146–147 pâte à choux, in desserts, 148 Pâté in a Rectangular Crust, Hot, 94–95 Pastry bags, 14–15 Pastry Cream, 616, 627, 659 Pâté(s), 85–86. See also Terrine(s) galantines and ballottines, 91 Hot, 93–94 Hot, in Rectangular Crust (Pantin), 94–95 Pork, Country–Style, 87–88 Pâte à Linzer, 615 Pâte Brisée, 155–157, 607 Sucré, 615, 619 Pâte à Choux, 148 Pâte de Coings, 678 Pâte Sablée, 615, 620 Pâtes de Framboises, 697 Paysanne, slicing en, 22 Pea(s) Artichokes, Baby, Fennel, Leeks, and Garlic with Watercress Sauce, 589–590 baby, duck with (variation), 393 and meat/poultry salad (variation), 71 Soup (leek and potato base), 181 Vegetable Soup, Spring, Improvised, 231–232 Pear(s) Almond Tart, 617–618 Clafoutis, 652 Grape “Butter” with Quinces and, 678–679 Poached, 681–682 ripening, 618 Pearl Onion(s). See Onion(s), Pearl Pecan(s) Candlemas Cookies, Provençal, 693 Chicken Salad, 70–71 Pepper Four Spice Mixture, 386 Green Peppercorns, Steak with, 486 Sauce, for game, 405, 407 Sauce, Mignonnette, 253 Sauce, Vinegar and, Hare with, 406–407 Pepper(s). See Bell Pepper(s); Chile(s) Périgord–Style Corn Pancakes, 174 Persillade, with sautéed potatoes (variation), 602 Pesto, in Fish Soup, Puréed, 238–239 Petits Fours, 687–688 Pétoncles et Crevettes ou Écrevisses à la Nage, 288–289 Pickles. See Cornichons Pie(s). See also Quiche; Tart(s) Dough, Basic, 155–157 Pigeon. See Squab, 376–378 Pigeonneau en Salmis, 376–378 Pigs’ feet, 8, 424 Pineapple, Poached, 680–681 Pissala, 83 Pissaladière, 167–171 Pistachios Red Cabbage Salad with, 37 in terrine (variation), 91 Pistou, 223, 224 La Soupe au, 222–226 Pithiviers, 612, 659 Plums in eau–de–vie (variation), 685 pork roast with red cabbage (variation), 518 Poblano Chile Purée, 374–375 Poireaux en Vinaigrette, Les, 77–78 Poires Pochées, 681–682 Poisson Entier Grillé, 322 Poissons Grillés en Escabèche, 329–330 722 GLORIOUS FRENCH FOOD