Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1
Page 71
[Lemon and Almond Tart—cold]
For 6 people
An 8-inch, cooked, sugar-crust shell placed on a baking sheet (use only 3 Tb sugar in the pastry)
When you bake the shell, let it barely color so it will not brown too much when it goes again into the oven.
3 lemons
A vegetable peeler
Remove the yellow part of the lemon skin with a vegetable peeler; cut into julienne strips 1/16 inch wide and 2½ inches long. Simmer 10 to 12 minutes in water. Drain thoroughly.
2 cups granulated sugar
⅔ cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
A small saucepan
Optional: a candy thermometer
Boil the sugar and ⅔ cup of water to the thread stage (230 degrees); add the vanilla and lemon peel. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
An electric beater or wire whip
2 eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
A 3-quart mixing bowl
Beat the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl for 4 to 5 minutes, or until mixture is thick, pale yellow and falls back on itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon.
¾ cup (4 ounces) pulverized almonds
¼ tsp almond extract
The grated rind and strained juice of 1½ lemons
A rack
Beat in the almonds, almond extract, lemon rind, and lemon juice. Pour this almond cream into the pastry shell and bake in middle level of preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Tart is done when cream has puffed, browned very lightly, and a needle or knife plunged into the cream comes out clean. Slide tart onto rack.
Drain the strips of lemon peel and strew them over the tart. Boil their syrup down until it is a glaze (last drops are sticky when fall from spoon, 228 degrees), and spoon a thin coating over the top of the tart. This tart is usually served cold, but may be eaten warm if you wish.
TARTE AU FROMAGE FRAIS
[Cream Cheese Tart—hot or cold]
This is really a quiche, and very simple indeed to make.
For 6 people
An 8-inch partially baked pastry shell placed on a baking sheet
Use the recipe for sweet short paste.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
½ lb. (1 cup) cream cheese
4 ounces (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
⅔ cup granulated sugar
A 3-quart mixing bowl
A wooden spoon or electric beater
2 eggs
Big pinch of nutmeg
Cream the cheese, butter, and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs and nutmeg. Turn into pastry shell and bake in upper third of preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Tart is done when it has puffed and browned, and a needle or knife plunged into the center comes out clean.
Tart will sink slightly as it cools. It may be served hot and puffed, or warm, or cold. It may also be reheated, but will not puff again.
VARIATION
Tarte au Fromage Frais et aux Pruneaux
[Cream Cheese and Prune Tart]
½ cup “tenderized” prunes
½ cup (about 3 ounces) pulverized almonds
¼ tsp almond extract
Soften prunes for 5 minutes in hot water. Drain, remove pits, and dice the prunes. Stir prunes, almonds, and almond extract into tart mixture after the eggs have been beaten in.
DESSERT CRÊPES
Crêpes Sucrées
Dessert crêpes, especially if they are for crêpes Suzette, should be as thin and delicate as possible. There are numerous varying recipes for making them; some use egg yolks, others use whole eggs, and still others specify cream rather than milk. The lightness of crêpes made from the following recipe can be attributed to the use of milk diluted with water. If you wish a heavier crêpe, use all milk, or light cream. The batter for dessert crêpes, like that for entrée crêpes, must rest at least 2 hours before using.
METHOD FOR COOKING CRÊPES
The procedure for cooking crêpes is described and illustrated in the Entrée chapter on this page. You may wish to sauté them in clarified butter, rather than in oil and butter. As dessert crêpes are fragile, you will probably find it best to lift them with your fingers to turn and cook them on the other side.
Crêpes may be made several hours before serving time. Pile them in a dish, cover with waxed paper and a plate to keep them from drying out.
CRÊPES FINES SUCRÉES
[Light Batter—for crêpes Suzette]
(If you do not have an electric blender proceed as follows: Gradually work the egg yolks into the flour with a wooden spoon, beat in the liquids by droplets, then strain the batter through a fine sieve.)
For 10 to 12 crêpes 6 inches in diameter, or 16 to 18 crêpes 4 to 5 inches in diameter
¾ cup milk
¾ cup cold water
3 egg yolks
1 Tb granulated sugar
3 Tb orange liqueur, rum, or brandy
1 cup flour (scooped and leveled)
5 Tb melted butter
An electric blender
A rubber scraper
Place the ingredients in the blender jar in the order in which they are listed. Cover and blend at top speed for 1 minute. If bits of flour adhere to sides of jar, dislodge with a rubber scraper and blend 3 seconds more. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
CRÊPES À LA LEVURE
[Yeast Batter—for stuffed crêpes]
The addition of yeast makes a more tender and slightly thicker crêpe.
Ingredients for the preceding crêpe batter
1½ tsp fresh or dry yeast
Warm ¼ cup of the milk to blood temperature (about 90 degrees) and allow the yeast to dissolve in it. Add it to the rest of the ingredients in the blender and proceed with the recipe.
Cover the batter with a towel and let it stand at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the yeast has worked and the batter looks bubbly on top. Use immediately, or the yeast will overferment.
CRÊPES SOUFFLÉES
[Raised Batter—for stuffed crêpes]
Beaten egg whites folded into the batter makes the crêpes puff slightly.
Ingredients for one of the preceding crêpe batters, either plain or with yeast
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
After the batter has rested for 2 hours, and just before you wish to make your crêpes, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff. Fold half into the batter, fold in the other half, then make the crêpes.
CRÊPES SUZETTE
[Crêpes with Orange Butter, Flambées]
Every chef has his own recipe for crêpes Suzette; of the many we have tried, we find this one especially good. Obviously if you plan to perform in public with a chafing dish, it is a good idea to practice on your family until you become adept at folding and flaming. Crêpes 4 to 5 inches in diameter are a convenient size, and three of these per person is the usual serving.
For 6 people
The orange butter (in a food processor, or by hand and electric mixer)
For the processor: ½ cup granulated sugar
By hand: 4 large sugar lumps and ¼ cup sugar
2 bright-skinned oranges
A vegetable peeler
A rubber spatula
½ lb. unsalted butter
½ to ⅔ cup strained orange juice
3 Tb orange liqueur
For the processor (steel blade), place the ½ cup of sugar in the container along with the orange part of the peel (stripped from the fruit). Process for a minute or so, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary, until peel and sugar are finely blended. Cut the butter into pieces, and process until smooth and almost fluffy. By droplets, cream in ½ cup of the orange juice, then the orange liqueur, plus droplets more of the juice if the mixture will take it and still remain creamy. Cover and refrigerate.
By hand and electric mixer, first rub the sugar lumps over the oranges until all sides hav
e absorbed the oil from the skin. Mash the lumps on a board, add the orange part of the peel from the fruit, and the ¼ cup of sugar. Chop until very finely minced. Scrape into a bowl and cream in the butter with an electric mixer, then ½ cup of orange juice, the liqueur, and more juice if possible. Cover and refrigerate.
The chafing dish finish
18 cooked crêpes 4 to 5 inches in diameter
Use the recipe for crêpes fines sucrées.
A chafing dish set over an alcohol flame
Place the orange butter in the chafing dish and heat until it is bubbling.
A spoon and fork
Dip both sides of a crêpe in the butter. Its best-looking side out, fold it in half and in half again, to form a wedge. Place it at the edge of the chafing dish. Rapidly continue with the rest of the crêpes until all have been dipped, folded, and arranged.
2 Tb granulated sugar
⅓ cup orange liqueur
⅓ cup cognac
Sprinkle the crêpes with the sugar. Pour over them the orange liqueur and cognac. Avert your face and ignite the liqueur with a lighted match. Shake the chafing dish gently back and forth while spooning the flaming liqueur over the crêpes until the fire dies down. Serve.
CRÊPES FOURRÉES ET FLAMBÉES
[Crêpes with Orange-almond Butter, Flambées]
These crêpes are stuffed with orange-flavored almond butter, and may be flamed in a chafing dish, or brought flaming to the table as suggested here.
For 6 to 8 people
The orange-almond butter
½ cup pulverized almonds, or pulverized macaroons
¼ tsp almond extract
The orange butter in the preceding recipe
Beat the almonds or macaroons and almond extract into the orange butter.
Filling the crêpes
18 cooked crêpes 4 to 5 inches in diameter
A lightly buttered baking dish suitable for serving
Use any of the 3 crêpe. Spread the butter on the less good side of each cooked crêpe, and fold into wedge shapes, or roll them, to enclose the butter filling. Arrange in the baking dish.
() If not to be heated immediately, cover with waxed paper and refrigerate.
Flaming the crêpes
3 Tb granulated sugar
Shortly before serving time, sprinkle with sugar and set in a preheated, 375-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until dish is very hot and crêpes are beginning to caramelize on top.
⅓ cup orange liqueur and ⅓ cup cognac warmed in a small saucepan
A long-handled serving spoon
Just before entering the dining room, pour the warm orange liqueur and cognac over the hot crêpes. Avert your face, ignite crêpes with a lighted match, and bring them blazing to the table. The server tilts the dish and spoons the flaming liqueur over the crêpes until the fire dies down.
CRÊPES FOURRÉES, FRANGIPANE
[Crêpes with Almond Cream]
This is a much lighter filling than the preceding orange-almond butter. It may be set aflame if you wish, or served with chocolate as suggested in the recipe.
For 6 people
12 cooked crêpes 6 inches in diameter
Use any of the three recipes for crêpes.
1½ cups frangipane (almond custard)
A lightly buttered baking-serving dish
2 ounces or squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 Tb melted butter
1 Tb granulated sugar
Spread 2 tablespoons of frangipane on the less-good side of each crêpe. Fold the crêpes into wedge shapes, or roll them, to enclose the filling, and arrange in the baking dish. Grate the chocolate over the crêpes, sprinkle on the melted butter, then the sugar.
About 20 minutes before serving, set in a preheated 350-degree oven until the chocolate has melted. Serve hot or warm.
GTEAU DE CRÊPES À LA NORMANDE
[Mound of Crêpes with Apples, Flambé]
Instead of stuffing each crêpe separately, you can pile them one upon the other with a layer of filling between each, as in this recipe.
For 6 to 8 people
2 lbs. crisp cooking or eating apples
A heavy-bottomed, 3-quart pan: saucepan, casserole, or skillet
A wooden spoon
½ cup granulated sugar, more if needed
Quarter, core, and peel the apples. Chop them roughly. You should have about 5 cups. Cook in a covered pan over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender. Uncover, add sugar, raise heat and boil, stirring, for 5 minutes or more. Applesauce should reduce and be thick enough to hold itself in a fairly solid mass in the spoon. Add more sugar while the apples are cooking if you feel it necessary.
2 Tb whipping cream
¼ tsp almond extract
2 Tb Calvados (apple brandy), cognac, or dark rum
Stir the cream, almond extract, and brandy or rum into the applesauce.
10 to 12 cooked crêpes 6 inches in diameter
Use the raised batter recipe for crêpes soufflées.
A lightly buttered baking-serving dish
½ cup (3 ounces) pulverized almonds, or pulverized macaroons
2 Tb slivered almonds or pulverized macaroons
2 Tb melted butter
2 Tb granulated sugar
Center a crêpe in the bottom of the dish. Spread a layer of apples over it and sprinkle with a scant tablespoon of almonds or macaroons. Continue with layers of crêpe, apples, and almonds, ending with a crêpe. This will look like a many-layered cake. Sprinkle the almonds or macaroons over the last crêpe. Pour on the butter and sprinkle with the sugar.
About 30 minutes before serving, place in the upper third of a preheated, 375-degree oven to heat through thoroughly. The sugar on top of the mound should almost begin to caramelize. Serve as follows:
½ cup Calvados (apple brandy), cognac, or dark rum, warmed in a small saucepan
A long-handled serving spoon
Just before entering the dining room, pour the warm brandy or rum over the hot mound of crêpes. Avert your face, set liqueur aflame with a lighted match, and bring the blazing dessert to the table. The server should spoon the flaming liqueur over the dessert until the fire subsides, then cut portions from the mound as from a cake.
OTHER FILLINGS FOR CRÊPES
Here are some other ideas following the general method in any of the preceding recipes. Flame the crêpes or not, as you wish.
Fresh Fruits
Let strawberries, raspberries, or sliced bananas stand in a bowl with a sprinkling of sugar and kirsch, orange liqueur, or cognac for an hour, then use as a filling.
Stewed Fruits
Any of the following may be folded into an equal amount of crème pâtissière (custard filling), and then used for stuffed crêpes or a mound of crêpes:
Apples, peeled, sliced, sautéed in butter, then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon
Pears, peeled, poached in red-wine syrup, as in tarte aux poires à la Bourdaloue, then diced and sprinkled with crumbled macaroons
Peaches, apricots, or plums poached in syrup, using the system for poaching peaches in pêches cardinal, then drained, peeled, and diced
Pineapple (crushed, canned pineapple), drained, the syrup boiled for 5 minutes, then the pineapple boiled in the syrup for 5 minutes more and drained
Jams, Preserves, and Jellies
These simple fillings make a delicious dessert when the crêpes are flamed with liqueur. To prepare them, mix a little kirsch, cognac, or orange liqueur into red currant jelly, or raspberry, strawberry, apricot, or cherry jam or preserves. Stir in also, if you wish, some crumbled macaroons. Spread the filling on the crêpes, roll, fold them, or pile them into a mound in a fireproof dish. Sprinkle with melted butter and granulated sugar, and set in a preheated, 375-degree oven until thoroughly heated. Flame with warmed liqueur just as you bring them to the table.
FRUIT FLANS
Clafoutis
CLAFOUTI
[Cherry F
lan]
The clafouti (also spelled with a final “s” in both singular and plural) which is traditional in the Limousin during the cherry season is peasant cooking for family meals, and about as simple a dessert to make as you can imagine: a pancake batter poured over fruit in a fireproof dish, then baked in the oven. It looks like a tart, and is usually eaten warm.
(If you have no electric blender, work the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon, gradually beat in the liquids, then strain the batter through a fine sieve.)
For 6 to 8 people
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3 cups pitted black cherries
Use fresh, black, sweet cherries in season. Otherwise use drained, canned, pitted Bing cherries, or frozen sweet cherries, thawed and drained.
1¼ cups milk
⅓ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 Tb vanilla extract