Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2
Page 49
⅛ tsp pepper
A serving dish
Drop the onions into the boiling water and boil 1 minute to loosen skins. Drain. Shave off 2 ends, peel, and pierce a cross in the root end of each to help onions retain their shape while cooking. Place onions in a saucepan with all the ingredients listed except for the herbs and pepper. Bring to the simmer, skim for several minutes, then add the thyme, bay leaf, and pepper; cover and simmer slowly about 1 hour, or until the onions are tender but still hold their shape. Add a little more water if necessary during cooking; however, liquid should be reduced to a syrup when onions are done; if not, boil down at end of cooking. Transfer to dish and serve hot or cold, decorated, if you wish, with parsley.
SALADE DE POIVRONS, PROVENÇALE
[Peeled and Sliced Sweet Peppers in Garlic and Oil]
A typical informal first course in Provence might include the local black olives, sliced hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, capers, and slices of green or red sweet peppers turned in olive oil, salt, and garlic. The only trick to this recipe is that you will have to peel the peppers, which is quite a different matter from peeling eggs. A number of pepper-peeling systems are on the books, including spearing them on a long fork and turning then one-by-one over a gas flame, baking in a hot oven, baking in a slow oven, boiling them, steaming them in a covered dish, dropping in hot oil, broiling them until the skin puffs and blackens. We like broiling because it is the quickest, the surest, and it cooks the flesh just enough so that the pepper is ready to cut and serve as soon as you have peeled it.
A NOTE ON SWEET PEPPERS
All sweet peppers both here and in France belong to the same species, Capsicum annuum, native to the tropics and including a large number of shapes and sizes. Most of those found in American markets are 2½ to 4 inches in diameter, 4 to 5 inches long, and a deep green color. (When peppers are fully mature they are yellow or red, and perishable to ship long distances; probably the only red peppers you will see are those grown locally.) Pick peppers that are brightly colored, glossy, firm, and thick-fleshed, with no pockmarks, brown patches, or soft spots anywhere on their surface. Like their distant cousin, the eggplant, raw peppers prefer a temperature of 45 to 50 degrees and a humidity of 90 per cent. Unless you can reproduce these conditions, buy only what you will use within a day or two because they will deteriorate rapidly when stored where they are either too hot or too cold.
For 4 medium-sized peppers
1) Peeling the peppers
4 medium-sized peppers, green, red, yellow, or mixed
A shallow baking dish big enough to hold peppers easily, such as a pie plate
A cutting board
A sharp knife and a table fork
Preheat broiler to very hot. Arrange peppers in dish and place so surface of peppers is an inch from broiling element. As soon as skin facing broiler has puffed and blackened, in 2 to 3 minutes, turn peppers on another face, and finally on each end, so that all of skin has puffed. Remove peppers to cutting board. One by one, rapidly cut in half lengthwise, remove stem and seeds, and scrape off skin. (This should be done as soon as possible and before peppers cool; if blackened skin remains too long on pepper, it can darken the flesh under it.)
2) Dressing the peppers
1 medium clove of garlic, mashed
¼ tsp salt
A small bowl and a pestle or wooden spoon
⅓ cup excellent olive oil
A serving dish
Plastic wrap
Mash garlic and salt until salt has dissolved completely, then beat in olive oil. Cut peppers into lengthwise strips ⅜ inch wide and arrange layers in dish, spooning dressing over each layer. Cover and let steep, tilting dish and basting with the dressing occasionally, for 20 minutes before serving.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: May be made several days in advance; cover airtight and refrigerate. Remove half an hour before serving to de-congeal oil.
FONDS D’ARTICHAUTS FARCIS, FROIDS FONDS D’ARTICHAUTS EN SURPRISE
[Artichoke Bottoms Stuffed with Mushroom Purée, Poached Eggs Optional—a Cold Entrée]
Here is one of those perfect first-course dishes for special guests and formal dinners. Whole artichokes are boiled and the leaves carefully removed to preserve the bottoms; the bottoms are then filled with a mixture of puréed and marinated raw mushrooms, the scraped-off flesh from the leaves, mayonnaise, and herbs. A helping hand is welcome here, because leaf scraping is rather slow work. However, if you are alone and unhurried, you may boil the artichokes one day, scrape them the next, and fill them on the morning of the third day. When you want to serve this as a main-course luncheon dish, add la surprise, poached eggs, which blend perfectly with mushrooms, artichokes, and mayonnaise.
For 6 large artichokes
1) Preparing the artichokes
6 large, fresh, fine artichokes 4 to 4½ inches in diameter
A large kettle containing 7 to 8 quarts boiling salted water
A food mill with middle-sized disk, or a sieve
Following illustrated directions in Volume I, pages 423–5, trim the artichokes, being sure all the tough green part is cut off bottoms and small leaves are broken from circumference. Boil slowly, uncovered, for 35 to 45 minutes until bottoms are tender when pierced with a knife. (Prepare mushrooms and mayonnaise, Steps 2 and 3, while the artichokes boil.)
Drain upside down in a colander. When cool, carefully remove the leaves, keeping bottoms intact. Scrape out and discard hairy choke from center of each artichoke bottom. With a teaspoon, scrape flesh from the inside of leaves and bottom of heart (soft cone of leaves covering choke). Purée the scraped flesh through food mill or sieve, then twist hard in the corner of a towel to extract as much water as possible. Place puréed flesh in a bowl.
2) The purée of raw mushrooms
½ lb. (1 quart) very fresh, firm, unblemished mushrooms
¼ tsp salt
Big pinch of pepper
2 Tb very finely minced shallots or scallions
1 Tb lemon juice
A 2-quart bowl
With a large, sharp knife, chop the mushrooms into a very fine mince, almost a purée. Blend them in the bowl with the salt, pepper, shallots or scallions, and lemon juice. Marinate for 15 to 20 minutes. Then, a handful at a time, twist mushrooms in the corner of a towel to squeeze out as much vegetable liquid as possible. Add the mushrooms to the bowl containing the puréed artichoke flesh.
3) Final assembly
About 1½ cups thick homemade mayonnaise (the hard-yolk tartare minus the trimmings but plus the sieved egg white, Volume I, page 90, is particularly recommended)
1 Tb fresh minced tarragon or ¼ tsp dried tarragon
4 Tb fresh minced parsley (reserve half for decorations)
Salt and pepper to taste
The cooked artichoke bottoms
Optional: 6 cold poached eggs or 6-minute peeled eggs (oeufs mollets)
A serving dish or individual plates lined with lettuce leaves or watercress
3 to 4 Tb heavy cream, crème fraîche, or sour cream
The artichoke and mushroom purées are now to be seasoned and piled into the artichoke bottoms: by spoonfuls stir mayonnaise into the vegetables, adding probably 3 to 4 tablespoons in all but not enough to thin out purée, which must remain thick and hold its shape. Stir in the herbs and taste carefully for seasoning. Sprinkle artichoke bottoms lightly with salt and pepper, and mound the purée in them, smoothing it into a dome. (If you are using eggs, lay them in the artichokes between 2 layers of the purée.) Arrange the artichokes in the dish or plates. Just before serving, stir the cream into the mayonnaise, then spoon a dollop over the top of each artichoke, and decorate with parsley.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE: It is usually perfectly safe to complete the recipe the day before serving, except for the final bit of mayonnaise, and to cover and refrigerate the artichokes. To avoid all risks of turned mayonnaise, however, we suggest that you complete the final assembly only an hour or so before serving.
CHAPTER SEVEN
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br /> Desserts: Extending the Repertoire
FROZEN DESSERTS—SHERBETS, ICE CREAMS, AND MOUSSES
Entremets Glacés
AS LONG AS YOUR FREEZER MAINTAINS a steady temperature of zero degrees or less, you need no other ice cream contraption to produce a marvelous parade of frozen fantasies. We start this delicious group with a simple sherbet made from sieved canned apricots, proceed to a mousse of fresh strawberries (pausing to make some sugar-cookie cups to serve them in), and continue with chocolate-burnt-almond ice cream, a walnut and caramel mousse, bombe glacée, and directions for parfaits and frozen soufflés. Le Saint-Cyr, a handsome mold of chocolate mousse and meringues, leads into a digression on meringued whipped cream either as a filling for cream horns or as a vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. La Surprise du Vésuve ends the section in a dramatic burst of flames.
MOUSSE À L’ABRICOT, GLACÉE
[Apricot Sherbet]
Easy, delicious, and available all year round is apricot sherbet made from canned apricots. Timing is 4 to 5 hours, but it is easier to be leisurely and start the mousse the day before serving.
For about 1 quart, serving 4 to 6 people
1) The sherbet mixture
A No. 2 can (1 lb. 14 ounces) or two 1-lb. cans of apricot halves
A food mill with fine disk
A quart measure
A 2½-quart mixing bowl
2 egg whites in a small, clean beating bowl
An electric mixer, with clean, dry blades
About ½ cup sugar (“instant” superfine if possible)
2 Tb lemon juice
2 to 3 drops of almond extract
Drain apricots, purée them, and put into measure. Add enough of their juice to make 2 cups, and turn purée into mixing bowl. Beat egg whites with mixer until they form soft peaks, and set aside. Then, with mixer, beat the sugar and lemon juice into the apricot purée; continue beating for several minutes to dissolve sugar completely—until you can feel no granules on your tongue. If not sweet enough, beat in a little more sugar; be careful, however, because sugar proportions should be no more than ¼ part of the mixture or sherbet will not freeze properly. Whip in the beaten egg whites with mixer; their purpose is to discourage large ice crystals from forming. Add the drops of almond extract, which will bring out the apricot flavor.
2) Freezing the mousse—4 to 5 hours minimum at zero degrees or less
A flat pan about 9 by 12 inches in diameter, if you are in a hurry; or a mixing bowl; or ice trays if you have little room
Plastic wrap
An electric mixer or a large wire whip
Optional: a serving bowl or ice cream mold
The apricot sauce
Sherbet mixture is now to be frozen, and beaten up once or twice during the process to break up ice crystals and give a smooth, light texture. Turn it into a flat pan or ice trays if you are rushed; leave in mixing bowl if you are not. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 to 3 hours, or until sherbet has begun to set.
When partially set, scrape into mixing bowl if sherbet is in a pan or trays. Beat vigorously with electric mixer or wire whip; sherbet will increase in volume and begin to whiten. Cover and freeze again for an hour or so, and again beat it up; then turn it into a serving bowl or ice cream mold if you wish. Cover, and freeze for several hours more before serving, (NOTE: If you are in no hurry and sherbet has frozen hard before you have beaten it, leave at room temperature until softened, and beat with an electric mixer; then return to freezer and continue as usual.)
Let mousse soften for half an hour in the refrigerator before serving, and accompany, if you wish, with the apricot sauce. (See also the cookie cups, which you can use instead of sherbet dishes.)
VARIATIONS
Mousse à l’Abricot, Chantilly
To make a richer and softer sherbet, really an ice cream, you may incorporate whipped cream as follows.
For 1½ quarts, serving 6 to 8 people
The preceding apricot sherbet mixture
1 cup chilled whipping cream in a beating bowl
A large bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them
A large wire whip or hand-held electric mixer
A rubber spatula
Optional: a chilled serving bowl or ice cream mold
At the end of the first freezing, after you have beaten the apricot sherbet and it has increased in volume and whitened, fold in the lightly whipped cream, crème Chantilly. (Cream should always be beaten separately; if beaten with the sherbet you will not get as much volume.) Set bowl of cream over ice cubes and water. Circulating whip or beater about bowl to incorporate as much air as possible, beat until cream has doubled in volume and beater leaves light traces on surface.
Fold the cream into the sherbet, and it will need no further beating, only freezing. If you are serving in a decorative bowl or mold, turn the mixture into it now, cover, and freeze 3 to 4 hours at least before serving.
Bombe Glacée à l’Abricot
[Apricot Mousse Molded with Another Sherbet or an Ice Cream]
When you want to be more elaborate, you may pack the apricot sherbet into a bowl or mold lined with another sherbet or with ice cream, as follows.
For 2 quarts, serving 8 to 10 people
1 quart of pineapple sherbet, lemon sherbet, or vanilla ice cream (homemade or best quality store-bought)
A chilled 2 quart ice cream mold, or metal bowl or charlotte
Plastic wrap
The apricot sherbet
Let the sherbet or ice cream soften just enough so that you can spread it around the inside of the mold or bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in freezer to harden. When the apricot sherbet has been frozen and beaten several times, and is ready for its final freezing, pack it into the lined bowl. Cover again with plastic wrap and freeze several hours more.
To unmold, run a knife around inside rim of mold, hold for several seconds in a basin of cold water, and unmold onto a chilled serving dish. If not to be served immediately, cover with an inverted bowl and return to freezer.
Mousse aux Fraises ou aux Framboises, Glacée
[Fresh Strawberry or Raspberry Sherbet]
Your own fresh strawberry or raspberry sherbet is a delight, and just as easy to make as the preceding apricot sherbet.
For about 1 quart, serving 4 to 6 people
1 quart fresh strawberries or raspberries
A food mill with fine disk, set over a 2½- to 3-quart mixing bowl
2 egg whites in a small, clean beating bowl
An electric mixer or a large wire whip
½ cup sugar, preferably “instant” superfine
¼ cup lemon juice
Hull the strawberries, and wash rapidly; if using raspberries, pick them over and discard any spoiled ones. Purée berries into mixing bowl; you should have about 2 cups. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, and set aside. Beat the sugar and lemon juice into the berry purée and continue beating for several minutes to dissolve sugar completely—until you can feel no granules on your tongue. Whip in the beaten egg whites. Cover and freeze, beating several times as directed in Master Recipe, Step 2.
Strawberry or Raspberry Ice Cream
For a softer and richer mixture, fold in a cup of heavy cream, beaten over ice, after the mousse has begun to set, as directed for the apricot ice cream.
Other fruits
You may substitute frozen raspberries or strawberries for fresh ones in the preceding recipe; thaw, drain, and purée four 10-ounce packages, add enough of the juices to make 2 cups, and you will need no additional sugar. Fresh, ripe, raw peaches are delicious either as a sherbet or with cream added, and you can decorate each serving with sliced peaches macerated in sugar, lemon juice, and kirsch. Use the same proportions and method for other fruit purées.
COUPELLES, LANGUES DE CHATS
[Cookie Serving Cups for Ices, Fruits, and Dessert Creams]
Simple to make and charming as containers are crisp little cookie cups made fr
om the French egg-white batter known as langues de chats, because it is usually baked in flat cat’s-tongue shapes. Here the batter is spread in thin disks on baking sheets; as soon as the edges have browned in a hot oven, they are removed one by one and pressed into a teacup, where they immediately crisp into shape.
For 8 cups 3½ inches in diameter
1) The cookie batter—pâte à langues de chats
2 baking sheets approximately 14 by 18 inches, buttered and floured
A vol-au-vent cutter, pot lid, or saucer about 5½ inches in diameter
A rubber spatula
Tasteless salad oil
2 large tea cups or small bowls about 5 inches in diameter at the top, 2 at the bottom, and 2½ inches deep
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and set rack in middle level. Prepare baking sheets; then, with cutter and point of rubber spatula, mark 4 circles on each. Lightly oil cups or bowls, and set them at a convenient place near the oven.
An electric mixer or a wooden spoon
2 ounces (½ stick) soft butter
⅓ cup granulated sugar
The grated rind of 1 lemon or orange
A 2-quart mixing bowl