Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Grace Lee

mastering the art of

french cooking the only cookbook that explains how to create authentic French dishes in American kitchens with American foods by simone beck louisette bertholle julia child

mastering the art of french cooking

mastering the art of

french cooking the only cookbook that explains how to create authentic French dishes in American kitchens with American foods by simone beck louisette bertholle julia child

L. C. catalog card number: 61-12313 this is a borzoi book, published by alfred a. knopf, inc. Copyright ÂŠ 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages and repro-duce not more than three illustrations in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper. Manufactured in the United States of America and distributed by Random House, Inc. Published in Canada by Random Mouse of Canada, Limited. published october 1961 reprinted four times sixth printing, may 1964

la belle france whose peasants, fishermen, housewives, and princesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;not to mention her chefsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;through generations of inventive and loving concentration have created one of the world's great arts

ta b l e o f contents kitchen equipment

definitions

ingredients

measures

t e m p e r at u r e s

cutting: chopping, slicing, dicing, and mincing

wines

chapter i—soups

chapter ii—sauces

white sauces

brown sauces

t o m at o s a u c e s

t h e h o l l a n d a i s e fa m i ly

t h e m ay o n n a i s e fa m i l y

vinaigrettes

hot butter sauces

c o l d f l av o r e d b u t t e r s

list of miscellaneous sauces

105

stocks and aspics

196

chapter iii—eggs

116

poached eggs

116

shirred eggs

122

eggs in ramekins

123

scrambled eggs

125

omelettes

126

—

chapter iv

entrées and luncheon dishes

539

p i e d o u g h a n d pa s t r y s h e l l s

139

q u i c h e s , ta r t s , a n d g r at i n s

146

souffles and timbales

157

pat e a c h o u x , p u g s , g n o c c h i , a n d q u e n e l l e s

175

crepes

190

c o c k ta i l a p p e t i z e r s

196

chapter v

—

fish

207

fish filets poached in white wine

208

two recipes from provence

218

t w o fa m o u s l o b s t e r d i s h e s

220

mussels

226

list of other fish dishes

232

chapter vi

—poultry

234

roast chicken

240

casserole-roasted chicken

249

sauteed chicken

254

fricasseed chicken

258

broiled chicken

265

chicken breasts

267

duck

272

goose

282

chapter vii

—

m e at

288

beef

288

lamb and mutton

328

veal

350

pork

375

ham

389

cassoulet

399

liver

405

sweetbreads

409

brains

453

kidneys

416

chapter viii

—

v e g e ta b l e s

421

g r e e n v e g e ta b l e s

423

carrots, onions, and turnips

476

lettuce, celery, endive, and leeks

489

t h e c a b b a g e fa m i ly

496

cucumbers

499

eggplant

501

t o m at o e s

505

mushrooms

508

chestnuts

517

p o tat o e s

520

rice

528

—cold

chapter ix

buffet

536

c o l d v e g e ta b l e s

536

aspics

544

molded mousses

558

pat i s a n d t e r r i n e s

564

list of other cold dishes

576

chapter x

—desserts

and cakes

579

f u n d a m e n ta l s

579

sweet sauces and fillings

588

c u s ta r d s , m o u s s e s , a n d m o l d e d d e s s e r t s

594

sweet souffles

613

fruit desserts

623

ta r t s

632

crepes

648

ciafoutis

655

b a b a s a n d s ava r i n s

658

lady fingers

665

cakes

667

index

f o l l o w s p a g e 684

measures A pint’s a pound the world around except in England where a pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter, and all measurements in this book are level. The following table is for those who wish to translate French measurements into the nearest convenient American equivalent and vice versa: american french liquid ounces liquid grams spoons and e q u i v a l e n t s c u p s 1 tsp (teaspoon) 1 cuillere a cafe 1⁄6 5 1 Tb (tablespoon) 1 cuillere a soupe,cuillere a bouche or verre a liqueur 1 cup (16 Tb)

1⁄4 litre less 2 Tb

2 cups (1 pint)

1⁄2 litre less 1/2 decilitre

4 cups (1 quart)

9⁄10 litre

1⁄2 15 8 227 16 (1 pound)

454

32 907

6 2⁄3 Tb

1 decilitre 1 demi-verre

3 1⁄2

100

1 cup plus 1 Tb

1⁄4 litre

8 1⁄2

250

1 litre

2.2 pounds

1000 (1 kilogram)

4 1⁄3 cups

A pinch, une pincée: The amount of any ingredient you can take up between your thumb and forefinger. There are big and little pinches.

british measures British dry measures for ounces and pounds, and linear measures for inches and feet, are the same as American measures. However, the British liquid ounce is 1.04 times the American ounce; the British pint contains 20 British ounces; and the quart, 40 ounces. A gill is 5 ounces, or about 2/3 of an American cup. conversion formulas american, british, metric

to convert Ounces to grams Grams to ounces Liters to U.S. quarts Liters to British quarts U.S. quarts to liters British quarts to liters Inches to centimeters Centimeters to inches g r a m â&#x20AC;&#x201C; o u n c e e q u i va l e n t s

grams

ounces

multiply

The ounces The grams The liters The liters The quarts The quarts The inches The centimeters

28.35 0.035 0.95 0.88 1.057 1.14 2.54 0.39

c u p â&#x20AC;&#x201C; d e c i l i t e r e q u i va l e n t s

cups deciliters 1/4 0.56 25 0.87 1/3 0.75 30 1.0 1/2 1.13 50 1.75 2/3 1.5 3/4 1.68 75 2.63 1 2.27 80 2.8 1 1/4 2.83 85 3.0 1 1/3 3.0 1 1/2 3.4 100 3.5 1 2/3 3.75 125 4.4 1 3/4 4.0 2 4.5 150 5.25

temper at u r e s fahrenheit

and

centigrade

t o c o n v e rt fa h r e n h e i t i n t o c e n t i g r a d e

subtract 32, multiply by 5, divide by 9 Example : 212 (Fahrenheit) minus 32 equals 18o 18o multiplied by 5 equals 900 900 divided by 9 equals 1oo in centigrade t o c o n v e rt c e n t i g r a d e i n t o fa h r e n h e i t

multiply by 9, divide by 5, add 32 Example: 1oo (centigrade) multiplied by 9 equals 900 900 divided by 5 equals 18o 18o plus 32 equals 212, in Fahrenheit

t e m p e r at u r e c o n v e r s i o n ta b l e american–french–british

french oven american oven t e m p e r at u r e t e m p e r at u r e t e r m s , a n d fa i r ly terms s ta n d a r d t h e r m o s tat s e t t i n g s

fa h r e n h e i t degrees (american and british)

centigrade degrees

160 170 200 212 221

71 77 93 100 105

225 230 250 275

107 110 121 135

Very Slow

284 300 302 320 325

140 149 150 160 163

Slow

350 356 375 390 400

177 180 190 200 205

Moderate

410 425 428 437 450

210 218 220 225 232

Hot

475 500

246 260

Very Hot

525

274

550

288

british “regulo” o v e n t h e r m o s tat settings

#1 Très Doux; Étuve #2 Doux #3

#1/4 (241 °F) #1/2 (266 °F)

Moyen; Modéré

#1 (291 °F)

#4 #2 (313 °F) #3 (336 °F) Assez Chaud; Bon Four #4 (358 °F) #5 #5 (379 °F) #6 (403 °F) Chaud #6

#7 (424 °F)

#8 (446 °F) Très Chaud; Vif #7

#9 (469 °F)

eggs oeufs

Once an egg is taken out of the breakfast category and put to use as a hot entree, a luncheon, or a supper dish, it offers a great variety of presentations and you can draw on practically your whole cooking experience for its saucing and garnishing. In the following selection of recipes, we have concentrated on poaching, shirring, baking, scrambling, and omelette making, with a fundamental recipe for each, and a group of variations. Wine and eggs have no great sympathy for each other, but as one usually likes to serve wine with an entree, the best choice would be a fairly dry white wine with some body—such as Graves, Chablis, or Pouilly-Fuisse—or a rosé.

oeufs a la fondue de fromage poached with

eggs

cheese

canapes

fondue

sauce

This is a particularly good sauce for eggs; it is creamy, wine-flavored, cheesy, and has just a whiff of garlic. Sauce mornay (béchamel with cheese), page 61 may always be substituted. for 6 servings

1⁄2 c u p s)

4-cup saucepan 1 Tb minced shallot or green onions 1Tb butter A small clove mashed garlic 1 1⁄2 cups dry white wine or 3/4 cup dry white vermouth 1⁄4 cup stock or canned beef bouillon 1 1⁄2 Tb cornstarch 1 1⁄4 cups whipping cream A small mixing bowl 1⁄2 to 2⁄3 cup grated Swiss cheese Salt and pepper Pinch of nutmeg 6 poached eggs or 6-minute boiled eggs 6 canapes (oval slices of white bread sauteed in clarified butter) 3 Tb grated Swiss cheese 1 Tb melted butter A broiling pan or fireproof serving platter

Cook the shallots or onions for 1 to 2 minutes in the butter without browning. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

4-cup saucepan 1 Tb minced shallot or green onions 1Tb butter A small clove mashed garlic

Then add the wine and stock and boil rapidly until liquid has reduced to 3 or 4 tablespoons.

1 1⁄2 cups dry white wine or 3/4 cup dry white vermouth 1⁄4 cup stock or canned beef bouillon

Blend the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cream, then stir in half of remaining cream. Pour it into the wine and shallots. Simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add more cream by spoonfuls to thin the sauce—it should coat a spoon fairly heavily.

1 1⁄2 Tb cornstarch 1 1⁄4 cups whipping cream A small mixing bowl

Stir in the cheese and simmer, stirring, until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Add more spoonfuls of cream if necessary. Correct seasoning, set aside, and reheat when needed.

1⁄2 to 2⁄3 cup grated Swiss cheese Salt and pepper Pinch of nutmeg

Prepare the eggs and canapes.

Shortly before serving, preheat broiler to very hot. Place a cold drained egg on each canape, spoon the sauce over, sprinkle with cheese and butter. Run for about a minute under the hot broiler to reheat the eggs but not to overcook them, and to brown the top of the sauce lightly. Serve on a platter or on serving plates.

6 poached eggs or 6-minute boiled eggs 6 canapes (oval slices of white bread sauteed in clarified butter) 3 Tb grated Swiss cheese 1 Tb melted butter A broiling pan or platter

oeufs a la bourguign onne eggs

poached

red

wine

This is a good dish for a light supper or a winter luncheon, and can be made more important if it is garnished with sauteed chicken livers or braised onions, and sauteed or broiled mushrooms. Accompany it with a light red Burgundy or Beaujolais. Traditionally the eggs are poached in the wine, but they may be done in water in the usual way, if you wish. (1 1⁄2 c u p s) 2 cups of brown stock or canned beef bottillon 2 cups good, young red wine An 8-inch saucepan 8 very fresh eggs 1/2 bay leaf tied with 2 or 3 parsley sprigs 1/4 tsp thyme clove mashed garlic 1 Tb minced shallot or green onion Pinch of cayenne pepper Pinch of pepper 1 1⁄2 Tb softened butter 2 Tb flour Optional: 1 Tb red currant jelly 1 to 2 Tb softened butter 8 canape’s (ovals of white bread sautéed in clarified butter, page 199. They may be rubbed with a cut clove of garlic if you wish.) 2 to 3 Tb fresh minced parsley for 8 servings

Bring the stock and wine to the simmer and poach the eggs in it. Remove the eggs to a dish, add 1⁄16 inch of poaching liquid, and set aside. About 5 minutes before serving, set the dish uncovered over simmering water to reheat the eggs.

2 cups of brown stock or canned beef bottillon 2 cups good, young red wine An 8-inch saucepan 8 very fresh eggs

After poaching the eggs, add the herbs, garlic, shallot or onion, and seasonings to the wine and boil it down rapidly until it has reduced to 2 cups. Remove parsley and bay leaf.

1/2 bay leaf tied with 2 or 3 parsley sprigs 1/4 tsp thyme clove mashed garlic Tb minced shallot or green onion Pinch of cayenne pepper Pinch of pepper

Blend the butter and flour to a smooth paste—beurre manie. Off heat, beat it into the wine mixture with a wire whip. Boil for 30 seconds. Beat in the optional currant jelly for color and flavor, and correct seasoning.

1 1⁄2 Tb softened butter 2 Tb flour Optional: 1 Tb red currant jelly

Just before serving, reheat the sauce to the simmer. Off heat, beat in the butter.

Place a hot egg on each canape and arrange on a platter or serving plates. Surround with whatever garniture you may have chosen, and spoon the hot sauce over. Decorate with parsley, and serve.

1⁄2 to 2⁄3 cup grated Swiss cheese Salt and pepper Pinch of nutmeg

8 canapes 2 to 3 Tb fresh minced parsley