French Classics Made Easy (41 page)

2.
Spread the leaves of the leeks and wash thoroughly.

1.
Place the leeks and butter in a medium-size saucepan over very low heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and slowly steam the leeks in their own moisture. Cook the leeks until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

2.
Remove the lid and increase the heat to allow any moisture to evaporate; the leeks will be coated with the butter.

3.
Add the cream and cook, uncovered, boiling if necessary, to thicken slightly. The cream should hold the leeks together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

SERVING SUGGESTION

I often use leeks prepared this way as a bed on which to place a grilled or sautéed pork or veal chop, or a breast of chicken. The combination is delicious. Serve the combination with buttered noodles or steamed potatoes and a chilled dry white wine.

DUXELLES

Duxelles is one of the foundations of French cooking. It is used by itself, or mixed with chopped meats and herbs to form stuffings. To chop the mushrooms by hand is time-consuming and tedious, but a food processor will do the work in seconds.

MAKES 1½ CUPS

2 tablespoons butter

5 shallots or 1 onion, finely chopped

1 pound white mushrooms, washed, dried, and finely chopped

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots or onion and cook until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes.

2.
Add the mushrooms, increase the heat to high, and sauté until most of the water has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Use the duxelles to stuff mushroom caps, or to flavor an omelet or a béchamel. Duxelles can also be used to make a sauce for a simple broiled chicken. When the chicken has finished cooking, remove from the broiling pan and discard the fat, but retain any glaze or browned juices in the pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of duxelles and deglaze the pan with ¼ cup of water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil and spoon the mushroom sauce over the chicken.

MUSHROOMS
IN CREAM SAUCE

[CHAMPIGNONS À LA CRÈME]

One of the most satisfying ways to serve mushrooms,
champignons à la crème
makes an excellent first course served simply on a piece of toast, puff pastry, or—more elaborately—in a puff -pastry bouchée (see Puff-Pastry Shells Filled with Seafood in White Wine Sauce,
page 76
). You may also serve them as an accompaniment to sautéed veal or chicken.

SERVES 6

1 tablespoon butter

1 shallot, finely chopped 1 pound white or cremini mushrooms, washed, dried, and sliced

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¾ cup heavy cream

1 to 2 teaspoons dry sherry or Madeira, to taste (optional)

Toast, for serving

1.
In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for about 2 minutes without browning.

2.
Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and cover tightly with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and steam the mushrooms slowly in their own moisture for about 10 minutes.

3.
Remove the mushrooms with a skimmer or slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce the cooking liquid over high heat until only 3 tablespoons remain, about 3 minutes.

4.
Add the cream and boil, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly. Return the mushrooms to the sauce. (The mushrooms can be made in advance up to this point. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

5.
To serve: First bring to a boil, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Add the sherry or Madeira (if using) and spoon over warm toast.

VARIATION

W
ILD
M
USHROOMS IN
C
REAM
S
AUCE

[CHAMPIGNONS SAUVAGES À LA CRÈME]

Use any of the many varieties of fresh wild mushrooms you find in the market in place of white mushrooms.

W
ASHING
M
USHROOMS

Washing mushrooms is an important and often debated technique. There are those who say that mushrooms should never be washed, but merely brushed with a mushroom brush, or simply wiped with a damp towel, for if washed they will become waterlogged. Anyone trying these techniques with large quantities of mushrooms will know that they can be extremely time-consuming, and not very efficient at removing all the dirt.

Mushrooms can be quickly and easily washed to remove all traces of dirt or grit without fear of damage. It is most important, however, that the mushrooms be fresh. If the mushrooms are older, especially for those whose gills are showing, washing them will waterlog them.

To wash mushrooms, you’ll need a large bowl and colander. First trim away any dried stems and place the mushrooms in a large bowl. Place the bowl under cold running water. As the bowl fills with water, use your hands to agitate the mushrooms. The mushrooms will float on the surface, while the dirt (which is heavier) falls to the bottom. Once the bowl is full, immediately lift the mushrooms out of the water and into the colander. Pour the water out, rinse out the bowl, and repeat the process. After each washing, feel the bottom of the bowl. When no trace of grit can be found at the bottom, the mushrooms are clean.

Two or three washings, taking no more than a total of 2 minutes, are all that is normally required. With this technique, you should be able to wash 1 to 3 pounds of mushrooms very quickly.

If you are sautéing the mushrooms, it is important that they be dry, so once washed, allow them to air dry, or if in a hurry, dry them with paper towels.

MUSHROOMS A LA GRECQUE

[CHAMPIGNONS À LA GRECQUE]

Greek-style marinated vegetables are served as a first course in France, but can be easily added to a summer buffet. Some chefs prepare the mushrooms with tomatoes; others do not include them. I enjoy them both ways, and use tomatoes in the summer or whenever I find them red, ripe, and full flavored.

Although mushrooms are my favorite, pearl onions are also excellent prepared in a similar fashion (see Variation).

SERVES 4 TO 6

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup light olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

3 shallots, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped (optional)

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (optional)

Bouquet Garni (
page 306
)

10 peppercorns, crushed

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of ground coriander (optional)

1½ pounds small white mushrooms, washed (if using larger mushrooms, quarter them)

1.
Place all of the ingredients except the mushrooms in a large, nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

2.
Add the mushrooms to the simmering liquid and simmer, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes to cook the mushrooms so they release moisture and add flavor. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a serving bowl. Discard the bouquet garni.

3.
Over high heat, reduce the liquid to approximately ¾ cup and pour over the mushrooms. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

VARIATION

P
EARL
O
NIONS A LA
G
RECQUE

[PETITSOIGNONS À LA GRECQUE]

Substitute 1½ pounds of pearl onions, peeled, for the mushrooms. Add ½ cup water to the marinade in step 1. In step 2, cook the onions until tender, about 30 minutes.

CREAMED SPINACH

[PURÉE D’E PINARDS]

In this type of vegetable purée, a béchamel sauce is added for a rich and creamy result.

SERVES 4

2 packages frozen spinach (10 ounces each), or 2 pounds fresh spinach (large stems removed, well washed), or 1½ pounds baby spinach

Béchamel (
page 313
)

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1.
Prepare the frozen spinach according to the package directions. To cook fresh spinach, bring a 5-quart pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach, pushing it down into the boiling water. It will be tender in under 2 minutes of cooking (even shorter for the baby spinach). Drain into a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Squeeze the spinach dry to remove all excess moisture.

2.
In a food processor, purée the spinach. Add the béchamel, ½ cup at a time, and process just to mix after each addition.

3.
Season with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. (The purée can be prepared a day or two in advance, covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out, and refrigerated. Reheat in a water bath [
bain-marie
] or microwave oven.)

BROILED TOMATOES
WITH GARLIC AND HERBS

[TOMATES À LA PROVENÇALE]

When tomatoes are in season, the preparation of this recipe will fill your kitchen with the aromas of southern France.

SERVES 6

3 medium to large tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon fresh or dried thyme leaves

5 sprigs parsley, chopped About ⅓ cup bread crumbs

Pinch each of salt and freshly ground pepper

1.
Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and place cut side up in a roasting or broiling pan.

2.
In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and gently sauté until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes.

3.
Add the thyme and remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and enough of the bread crumbs to absorb the oil. Season with the salt and pepper.

4.
Spread the bread crumb mixture over the tops of the tomatoes. (The tomatoes can be prepared to this point several hours in advance.)

5.
Just before serving, preheat the broiler. Broil the tomatoes 3 to 4 inches from the heat until they are heated through and the crumbs are browned, 3 to 4 minutes. If the tomatoes are ripe they will emerge from the broiler hot (but not fully cooked), soft, moist, and flavorful.

IN ADDITION

Most recipes for these tomatoes instruct you to remove the seeds and excess juice and to fill the emptied spaces with the flavored bread crumbs. I find the tomatoes more succulent when the seeds are left intact, and have therefore eliminated this time-consuming step here.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Serve the tomatoes with roasted lamb or chicken, or with grilled lamb, chicken, steak, or fish. When available, sprinkle a little freshly chopped basil on top of the tomatoes as they come from the broiler.

RATATOUILLE

Ratatouille niçoise is a traditional dish from the area of southern France known as Provence, specifically the city of Nice, where its few simple ingredients are grown in abundance. There are many recipes for ratatouille and although the shapes of the vegetables and the proportions used may vary, the basic ingredients do not. Onion, green pepper, eggplant, zucchini, and tomato are always used.

There are two methods of preparing ratatouille. In the first, each vegetable is cooked separately and then mixed together for serving. The liquid left over from the cooking is usually discarded.

I prefer a second method in which all the vegetables are cooked slowly in one pot, often for several hours, until they are soft. Their colors darken and blend, creating a rich, earthy hue, while their flavors and liquids blend and thicken to create a savory sauce. This method allows you to do other things as the ratatouille cooks, while the first method requires more time and attention.