Georges Auguste Escoffier (1847-1935) was the great chef of this century and is considered the father of 20th century cookery. Escoffier's two main contributions were the simplification of classical cuisine and the classical menu. Escoffier was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. He is a legendary figure among chefs and gourmets, and was one of the most important leaders in the development of modern French cuisine. The interesting thing is; Escoffier displayed elaborate multi-course banquets, you call that simple? A typical banquet menu of the 18th century consisted of as many as 20 separate dishes or more. Escoffier's books and recipes are still important as reference material for professional chefs. Escoffier's second achievement was the reorganization of the kitchen.
Getting more current, do you remember in the 60's and 70's when nouvelle cuisine was considered the "new cuisine"? I seriously was not a fan of eating it and after you ate, you were still hungry. Little tiny portions, ornately arranged on a plate, fussy designs and weird combinations. By the mid 80's it was a great day when nouvelle cuisine was out!
I remember as a child going to what we called "fancy" restaurants and having consomme - strong, rich, full-flavored and clear. I don't know of too many restaurants that make it any longer as it's quite tedious. I have made many a consomme when I attended culinary school. To have a good bowl of consomme is one of life's little pleasures!
Another item that I absolutely love is chicken galantine. Ground meat mixture which is called forcemeat that is wrapped in the skin of the product, such as chicken. It's almost always poached, simply delicious and I encourage you to find a recipe and try it. Again, this recipe is a lot of work, but well worth the effort.
Terrine anyone? I am going to give a recipe for this, but it takes a little time so reserve some and enjoy your labors when it's finished.
Tricolor Vegetable Terrine - This makes a lot
1 lb. spinach, trimmed and washed well
1/4 oz. shallot, minced
1/4 oz. butter
1 tsp. gelatin powder
1 oz. cold chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. heavy cream
5 oz. cauliflower, trimmed
2 oz. turnips, pared
1 tsp. gelatin powder
1 oz. cold chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. heavy cream
7 oz. carrots, trimmed and pared
1 tsp. gelatin powder
1 oz. cold chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. heavy cream
This recipe is done is 3 steps, each step, using the vegetables, stock, gelatin and heavy cream. Read the recipe thoroughly and use Mise en Place. Use a 1 qt. mold lined with plastic wrap. Cook spinach in boiling salted water about 3 minutes and drain. Refresh spinach under cold water and cool, drain and squeeze dry. Chop into fine pieces. In a saute pan add butter and sweat the shallots until soft. Add the spinach and cook slowly until dry. Cool, but do not chill. Soften the gelatin in the stock and then heat until dissolved. Cool and stir into the spinach, season with salt and pepper. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and immediately fold into the spinach mixture, pour into the mold and smooth down, chill until set. Steam the cauliflower and the turnips until tender. Puree in food processor. Mix the two vegetable's together and heat slowly in a large saute pan to dry out slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Cool, but do not chill.
As before, soften the gelatin in the stock, heat until dissolved, cool and stir into cauliflower mixture. Whip cream to soft peaks and fold into cauliflower mixture and pour into the mold on top of spinach mixture. Repeat with the carrots, following the same steps. Placing the carrot mixture on top of the cauliflower mixture chilling after you are done. Cover terrine with plastic wrap and chill. When chilled, unmold the terrine and slice to serve. Well worth your efforts. This is a basic recipe and you can feel free to replace vegetables if desired.
Foie gras (this term in French means "fat liver"). I love Foie gras (pronounced Fwa gra), but I don't care for how they raise the ducks to get their livers. A special feeding of the ducks makes the livers very large, approximately 1 lb with a very high fat content. Once again, the method for preparing is quite tedious, but I encourage you to find a recipe and try it. Liver terrines and Pates are less time consuming, but you still must soak, rinse, liquify and stain the livers.
First; place livers in a lightly salted, ice cold water or milk to cover and let stand for 2 to 3 hours. remove from the liquid and rinse in fresh cold water.
Chicken Liver Terrine
1 lb. chicken livers
8 oz. heavy cream
5 eggs, slightly beaten
2 oz. flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 oz. brandy
Soak, rinse, liquify and strain the livers (see above information). Mix in a bowl the remaining ingredients until smooth, be sure to add the livers. Cover and refrigerate mixture overnight. Grease a terrine mold liberally with butter. Add liver mixture and cover with foil. Place terrine mold in another larger pan and bake in a water bath at 300 degrees until set. The water in the bath should come up to the level of the mixture. Approximate cooking time is 2 hours. Remove from water bath and cool on a rack, and refrigerate overnight. Unmold and slice.
Sauces are very important to classical European and American cooking. To discuss the fundamentals of sauce making could take pages of information. If you want more information on the classical sauces pick up a copy of "Le Repertoire de la Cusine". The leading sauces are; Bechamel, Veal, Chicken and Fish Veloutes and Espagnole which lead into the Small sauces; Tomato and Hollandaise which lead into secondary leading white sauces; Allemande, Supreme and White wine and the list goes on and on.
Bechamel Sauce (the most basic of mother sauces and very versatile)
1 whole small onion, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 whole clove
Freshly ground nutmeg (to taste)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tbl. unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
salt and white pepper
Make a roux by heating the butter and incorporating flour into it. Whisk a minute or so until flour taste is gone, cool slightly. In another saucepan scald the milk, stick the bay leaf to the onion with the clove and gently add to milk, simmering up to 30 minutes to impart flavor. Next, strain the sauce through a fine meshed sieve, pushing the juices out of the remaining solids using the back of a wooden spoon. Put milk back into saucepan and season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat and whisk in the roux until combined and heat to simmer, stirring constantly. From this point you can make cream sauce, mornay, cheddar cheese, mustard, soubise (a rich velvety sauce made by combining bechamel with pureed cooked onions and a little cream) and nantua sauce (a sauce of bechamel and crayfish butter).
Basic Tomato Sauce (this uses salt pork, if vegetarian leave out)
1/2 cup salt pork, diced
1 large onion, small dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbl. fresh thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 carrot, finely diced
2 (28 oz.) can peeled whole tomatoes, crushed (reserve juice)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
Cook tomato sauce very low as it has a tendency to scorch. In a large saucepan, heat salt pork in a little olive oil until partially rendered. Remove pork, discard and add onion and garlic, cooking until soft. Add the carrot and cook until carrot is very soft. Add the tomatoes with juice, bay leaf and thyme and bring to a boil stirring frequently. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, season with salt and pepper, add sugar. Remove bay leaf and if desired, puree sauce. One thing I do at the end is add a splash of Balsamic vinegar it really livens up the sauce.
Bernaise Sauce - great on steaks
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 shallots, minced
2 tsp. fresh tarragon, minced
white pepper
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup warm clarified butter
salt
chopped parsley
Clarify your butter first. Next, in a saucepan add shallots, vinegar, tarragon and white pepper and reduce by 3/4. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add egg yolks one at at time beating constantly with a wire whisk, add the water and blend well. Put saucepan over very low heat and heat sauce again, beating constantly. When sauce is creamy remove from heat and cool, gradually beat in the clarified butter. Season with salt and white pepper.
Entrees or vegetables to serve with Bernaise sauce? Try steamed or grilled asparagus, steamed artichokes (I absolutely love artichokes dipped in Bernaise), grilled salmon, lobster or chicken. Season a good steak with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat your pan with olive oil until it's good and hot and sear your steak well on each side for about 1 minute. Lower heat and cook steaks for about 7 to 10 minutes or whatever doneness you prefer. Plate up and add a little Bernaise sauce over the top of steak. Entrees to use Bechamel sauce with; Julia's Moussaka (see recipe below)
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lb. ground chicken
1 or 2 large eggplants
1/2 cup dark raisins
olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large can crushed tomatoes, slightly drained
3 Tbl. tomato paste
1 Tbl. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Wash outer skin of eggplant, pat dry and cut off ends. Slice about 1/4 inch thick and brush each side with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan and place eggplant and grill each side until soft. Remove to plate and continue until all eggplant has been grilled. In a large saute pan, add olive oil and heat, add onions, and meats. Cook until meats are done, chopping up as you go. If there is a lot of moisture in pan, drain into colander and put onions and meat mixture back into pan. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, raisins, oregano, cinnamon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 15 minutes to reduce a little. Spray casserole pan with Pam and add a little of the meat sauce, then layer a few pieces of eggplant, meat sauce, eggplant and finish with Bechamel sauce.
Bechamel sauce - I already gave you a recipe for bechamel, but we are making it a little thicker with the addition of a few ingredients for the moussaka.
In a saucepan, take some of our basic bechamel sauce and heat gently. Whisk the 2 eggs, remove sauce from heat and whisk in the eggs, put back on heat to low and add both cheeses and whisk until they melt. Taste and adjust seasonings. You are looking for a thick sauce. Pour over the moussaka and bake in a 350 degree oven and hot and sauce is lightly browned about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove to cooking rack and let rest about 10 minutes before cutting.
Another dish you can use Bechamel sauce in is; Julia's Penne with Proscuitto and Artichokes. In a large pot heat water and add salt, when boiling add 1 lb. penne. Cook al dente and drain. Add back to pot and pour in some bechamel sauce, freshly chopped Italian parsley, sliced julienned prosciutto, diced artichoke hearts. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pour all of this into a baking casserole. Sprinkle liberally with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and bake until bubbly and golden.
Entrees for Basic Tomato Sauce; how about using your sauce on a fresh Margarita pizza? First make pizza dough, add some sauce to dough, fresh pieces of basil and top with fresh mozzarella cheese and bake (we like a little red pepper flakes on ours). Can't get any easier than that. How about Julia's albacore tuna, kalamata olive and spaghetti? Boil 1 lb. of spaghetti pasta and be sure to salt the water and cook al dente, drain and back into pot, add basic tomato sauce and mix in 1 or 2 cans drained albacore tuna, (gently flake the tuna), sliced Kalamata olives, chopped fresh Italian parsley and red pepper flakes and heat gently. Place all of this on platter and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with a salad and bread dipped in olive oil.
Julia's Chicken Parmesan with our Fresh Tomato Sauce
Preheat oven to 450. Make an assembly line with chicken breasts, egg wash, seasoned flour and bread crumbs. Put the chicken on a cutting board with plastic wrap over it or in a zip lock bag. Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallot (smooth side) until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Put the flour on a plate and season with salt, pepper and dried oregano and mix well. In a wide bowl, combine 2 eggs and a little water, beat until frothy. Put Italian bread crumbs on a plate. Heat a little olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet, then lightly dredge chicken pieces in seasoned flour, dip into egg wash and coat completely with bread crumbs. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and saute for about 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Ladle the tomato sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with freshly grated mozzarella cheese and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bake the chicken for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and add julienned fresh basil. Serve on top of hot spaghetti which you have mixed in some fresh tomato sauce.
Bon Appetit
"Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding".
Proverbs 2:2
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