Savory souffles

Souffles are pretty easy to do once you've got the hang of separating eggs and whipping them into stiff peaks and folding them in (MAFC I 157). Once you have the trick of this, it's possible to vary this infinitely by adding leftovers to the bottom of the dish before turning in the souffle mixture, or putting half the mixture in and then the leftovers, and then the rest.

And of course you can vary the condensed cream soups many, many ways. Campbell's Cream of Celery is a good base for fish souffles, as is Cream of Shrimp (MAFC I pp. 166-171). The Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Herbs is a good base for poultry souffles. Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic is good too. These taste less like, well, canned soups!

Serves 4 as a starter

Preheat the oven to 425

1 10oz can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken, cream of broccoli, etc.)
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
OPTIONAL: grated cheddar cheese

In bowl combine soup and yolks.
Beat egg whites until stiff.
Fold into soup mixture.
Turn into a buttered one-liter souffle or casserole dish (olive oil spray is fine) or individual souffle dishes. The mixture should fill just over half of the dish.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
Bake at 425 for 25 minutes (15 minutes for individual ones).
Serve immediately.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/94083/simple-spinach-souffle.html
2 eggs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small onion, chopped
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1-10 oz. pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Put eggs, soup, onion, garlic powder and salt into blender and blend for 30 seconds
3. Add spinach and nutmeg and blend for 30 seconds
4. Pour into an ungreased casserole dish
5. Bake 50-60 minutes

Os à moelle grillés: Marrow bones

On Rue Dauguerre last fall, the night the Beaujolais Nouveau was released, I sat at the banquette at Le Plan B, next to a well dressed gentleman who was diving into a plate of marrow bones. Cross cut ones, like in the picture below. With a tiny spoon. Very much enjoying himself.  

Julia has a recipe of sorts for marrow bones (MAFCI p. 19), but it's for poaching them quickly to get the marrow for sauces, like sauce Bordelaise. (You can pull the marrow from stewing bones for this as well, like Osso Bucco.)

The fleur de sel is crucial. I got some when I was in La Rochelle--raked from the Atlantic salt flats nearby (and very expensive, for salt). When J first had it, she was skeptical, but one taste and she became a believer.   

You can either split the bones length-wise or crosswise. But because I buy dog bones at Fareway, they are always cross-wise. And they are not as long as I would like. The longer they are, the longer they take to roast. 

There's a great video of the master, Fergus Henderson, roasting them at Saint John's Bread and Wine. I ate there a couple of times when I was in London, but never had the marrow bones. Next time. J bought me his classic cookbook, The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating some years ago. Often she does not much like the offal/abats, but she lapped up the marrow bones. And then it occurred to me: She's a rancher's daughter.

This photo of Le plan B is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Serves two as a first course

Preheat oven to 450º

• 8 beef shank bones cut crosswise, 2 to 3 inches. Or two bones cut lengthwise, 6 to 8 inches long
• fleur de sel
• pepper from a mill
• toast made from good French bread
• Parsley
  
  
  1. Put the bones in a half sheet pan and roast. Begin checking in 15 minutes until a paring knife inserted penetrates easily. Don't overcook or the marrow will melt away. 
  2. Serve with fleur de sel, pepper in a mill, and slices of grilled bread garnished with a chiffonade of parsley.

This photo of Le plan B is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Timbales de foies de volaille -- Chicken liver custards

This is very much a Ladies Who Lunch kind of thing. 1950s hats and white gloves. I love it. Definitely a Madmen thing. But then MAFC is really an early 60s thing: published in 1961 (vol. 1 p. 174).

It reminds me of when we went to this time warp French restaurant in midtown Manhattan called Le Périgord a couple of years ago, with my daughter-in-law. Founded in 1964, it looked like it had the original carpet and the original waiters. I loved the dessert cart, with classics never seen today, like floating island. The fixed price lunch menu had a dish very much like this one.

Just rich enough to whet the appetite yet light; easy to make; stays warm well; inexpensive ingredients; elegant presentation. And less than 10 minutes into the oven. It also has a million variations, with (and I quote from Julia, p. 174) "ham, turkey, chicken, sweetbreads, salmon, lobster, crab, scallops, mushrooms, asparagus tips, or spinach."

Serves 4 as a first course

Preheat oven to 350º

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup boiling milk
1 cup chicken livers, pressed down (about 8 ounces)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream or crème fraiche
1 tablespoon port, Madeira, cognac, sherry, etc.
cooking spray

1. Heat water in a kettle
2. In a small saucepan, make a béchamel sauce by melting together the butter and the flour, stirring until they foam, without coloring, about 2 minutes. Off heat, beat in the milk and seasoning. 
3. In a food processor or blender on high, puree the livers, eggs, and seasoning for 30 seconds.
4. Add the béchamel sauce, the cream, and the wine and blend for 15 seconds.
5. Spray four 1/2 cup ramekins and place them in a skillet or baking pan. Divide the mixture into them and pour boiling water around them, so it comes at least half way up the sides of the ramekins.
6. Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until a needle or knife comes out clean and the timbales have just begun to shrink from the ramekins. 
7. Run a knife around the edge of each ramekin to loosen the timbale. Invert a serving plate over each and invert to unmold. 
8. Garnish with one of the sauces below. 

• Coulis de tomate: The sauce in the pic is a simplified coulis consisting of summer tomatoes cored, seeded (not peeled) then food processed and frozen. 
• Sauce Aurore: Double the amount of béchamel (step 2) and reserve half of it. Add 1 tablespoon tomato puree or tomato paste, and optional chopped fresh herbs. (MAFC I p. 62)
• Sauce Madère ou Porto: Add 1 tablespoon Madeira or port to 1/2 cup demi glace, brown sauce, or leftover sauce from braised meats (MAFC I p. 75)
• Sauce Estragon: Stir one tablespoon chopped tarragon into 1/2 cup bdemi glace, brown sauce, or leftover sauce from braised meats (MAFC I p. 75). Off heat and just before serving, beat in 1/2 tablespoon butter.

Stephen Yang for The Wall Street Journal

Shirred eggs -- Oeufs sur le plat -- Oeufs miroir

I know I saw The French Chef episode called "Elegant Eggs" (the video in a new window) with these cool eggs. But I had forgotten it (as I have most things I saw in the 1960s). So it was with a sense of revelation that I discovered a new (to me) way to fix eggs. And super fast (MAFC I p. 122) and so versatile. You can throw anything on them, almost, including chicken livers!--Julia puts this first! 

Plain (or with cream and cheese) it takes only 5 minutes. With sauteed chicken livers it takes 10 minutes. And they really do come out "perfect," as she says in the video.

Serves two as a first course

2 eggs
olive oil cooking spray
[optional:] 2 tablespoons cream or crème fraiche
[optional:] 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese
[optional:] chopped herbs or scallion tops

1. Heat the broiler and place the rack in the closest position to it. 
2. Place a half sheet or shallow pan over two burners on high heat and add 1/4 inch water. 
3. Spray small two shallow dishes (3-4" diameter) or ramekins with olive oil cooking spray, place them in the water, and carefully crack an egg into each.
4. Season lightly with salt and pepper (remember the cheese will add some saltiness).
5. [optional:] Spoon one tablespoon of the cream over each and grate about 1 tablespoon of the cheese on them.
6. When the eggs have just begun to set on the bottom (you see the first white), place the pan of water under the broiler so the eggs are almost touching the flame. 
7. Broil for 30 to 60 seconds or until the top has just begun to bubble and set.
8. Garnish with chopped herbs or scallion tops.

VARIATIONS:

Oeufs sur le plat avec leur foies de volailles 

Serves two as a first course

2 eggs
olive oil cooking spray 
1/4 pound chicken livers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons Port, Madeira, Muscatel, or other fortified wine

[optional:] chopped herbs or scallion tops

1. Heat a small skillet over high heat.
2. Dry the livers on paper towels. Season them.
3. Heat the broiler and place the rack in the closest position to it. 
4. Place a half sheet or shallow pan over two burners on high heat and add 1/4 inch water.  
5. Add the butter and olive oil to the skillet, and when the foam subsides, add the livers. Saute 5 minutes, tossing once or twice so that all the surfaces are browned. When done, the livers will be springy to the touch. Or poke and peek at one. The interior should be rosy pink. Remove to a warm plate and season again if necessary.
6. Spray small two shallow dishes (3-4" diameter) or ramekins with olive oil cooking spray, place them in the water, and carefully crack an egg into each.
7. Season lightly with salt and pepper (remember the cheese will add some saltiness).
8. [optional:] Spoon one tablespoon of the cream over each and grate about 1 tablespoon of the cheese on them.
9. When the eggs have just begun to set on the bottom (you see the first white), place the pan of water under the broiler so the eggs are almost touching the flame. 
10. Broil for 30 to 60 seconds or until the top has just begun to bubble and set.
11. Garnish with the livers and chopped herbs or scallion tops.

Braised endive / Endive

Belgian endive, braised MAFC I 493). Yumm. I ate this all over Belgium and northern France, Albertville, for example.
A pressure cooker makes this easy, as with most braises. Vegetables or meats.
Serves from 1 to 12

• For each medium endive, with tight leaves, beautifully light green.
• 1 tablespoon butter
• tiny pinch of salt
• two grinds of fresh pepper
• lemon juice--a small squirt

1. Heat a pressure cooker on high
2. Spray the bottom of the pressure cooker with oil or smear with butter
   
3. Halve each endive and cut off the stem end if necessary
4. Place in layers in the cooker, cut side down
5. Sprinkle the top (uncut) side of each half with a tiny pinch of salt, a grind or two of pepper, a squirt of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of butter
6. Seal with the cover and cook under pressure for seven minutes.
7. Release the pressure and remove the endives, cut side up, to a platter or plates.
8. Garnish with chopped chives or parseley
9. [These will keep in the refrigerator for a week, to reheat or prepare as in the variations below.]
   
   

Variation 1

This takes more than 10 minutes, but not much.

1. While the endives are cooking, preheat the broiler.
2. For each two whole endives (four halves) mix together one half cup cream and one egg. or 2/3 cup béchamel sauce.
3. Lay on a baking dish as many thin slices of boiled ham as there are whole (two halves) endives.
4. When the endives are done, wrap each endive (two halves) in ham.
5. Slather the cream and egg mixture (or béchamel) over the endive.
6. Grate about two tablespoons Swiss or Gruyere cheese on top of each endive (two halves).
7. Broil for three minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

8. Garnish with chopped parsley, chives, or other herbs.

Mussels: Moules marinière

These must be God's fast food, or fast food of the gods. Out behind the Gran' Place in Brussels, there are bunches of these moules joints, jammed full of locals at lunch (I was there in February). They bring these steaming crocks and tons of bread. And you just dig in and get good and messy, and then mop up the juice with the bread. The frites are the best in the world there, but they barely rate an afterthought compared to those black bivalves.

I was just amazed, years ago, when I first cooked them. They were cheap, I recall. I filled up a big pot, put in maybe a half cup of white wine i had left, steamed them up, and they pushed the lid off, like popcorn. There was just so much of their own liquor they drool out when they open! It mingled with the wine (or whatever) and made it better than the finest fancy fish fumet to me .

Serves 4 as a first course. [MAFC I 226 FC10M 75-76]

• Two quarts of mussels, well washed and scribbed (have the market do this!)
• 1 cup dry white wine or vermouth
• 2 tablespoons scallion white, chopped finely.
  
• 4 parsley sprigs
• 1 thyme sprig
• bay leaf
  

1. In a four quart pot or fait-tout over high heat (ideally with a clear glass lid), heat all the ingredients, covered, except the mussels. Salt and pepper.
2. Add the mussels and cover. Steam for four minutes or until they are almost all open.
3. Divide them and the liquor into bowls. Serve very hot, garnished with chopped parsley.
   

Check out the full panoramic photo above from Wiki Commons, GNU Copyright. Click it, and when it opens, click again. Gran' Place looks just like that at night.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Grand_Place_panorama.jpg

Omeletes as Julia's "Dinner in half a minute!"

Maybe this is what got me on this obsession with fast French food: Julia's intro to the first show of hers.

I remember so well: "How about dinner in half a minute?!"



So that about says it all.

I make an omelet almost every morning for breakfast, though usually with egg substitute (terrible name for egg whites--I like Eggbeaters so much better, the name and the product). Now in my new Calphalon ten inch omelet pan they go much like above.

And the variations are endless. My favorite is the dessert omelet, mentioned famously in The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. Their cook goes a little crazy one evening and makes a meal of hors d'ouvres, capped with a jam omelet for dessert. Why not?

Les Saint Jaques (ou crevettes) en bouillebaisse

Julia gives a lovely little recipe for scallops or shrimp with Provencal flavors. II 37. I add a little Pernod for that Provence alcoholic licorice flavor (a hint of fresh tarragon in summer will do as well or better).

And I use canned "fire-roasted" diced tomatoes with garlic, which they didn't have in Julia's day. I have no more need to justify using the occasional canned product than Julia needed for canned tomato paste or stock. There. But it's almost as quick in high summer tomato season to chop up some big fresh ones, cutting away as much of the peel as is convenient.

Good bread is always good with soup. Couscous, orzo, or reheated rice, will work too, and can be prepared in the same or less time than the stew.

Serves 4 as a main, or 6 as a starter

1/4 cup olive oil
1 and 1/2 cups (combined) yellow onions, scallions, and/or leeks, all sliced very thin.
2 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fresh herbs or 2 teaspoons herbs de Provence.
1 can (14 ounce) fire roasted tomatoes with garlic, drained, reserving the liquid
3 cups liquid (tomato liquid, clam juice, white wine, or water)
1 pound scallops and/or shrimp (deveined and, if you wish, peeled)
(optional: 1 tablespoon Pernod, Ricard, or other licorice-flavored liqueur)
(optional: Cajun seasoning or pepper flakes)
(Aioli sauce)

1. Heat a fait-tout over high heat and add the olive oil and onions (or leeks) and garlic mashed in a press. Chop and add the herbs. Reduce the heat to medium and cook three minutes, covered.
   
2. Add the drained canned diced tomatoes and the liquid. Cover and boil for three minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and/or scallops, and the optional Pernod. Season with salt and pepper and Cajun seasoning or red pepper flakes, to taste. Boil two minutes, covered.
   
4. Serve in soup bowls, garnished with fresh herbs used in the sauce and/or aioli. Can be served as a simple stew or over over rice, orzo, or couscous.

Eggs cocotte in 5 flat

This is a super fast version (5 minutes flat) of a French (and Julia) classic: eggs baked in a ramekin (MAFC I p. 123). This is capable of infinite variations, and a great way to use bits of elegant leftovers. And you can also save those last few tablespoons of some great sauce and substitute it for the cream. The best is an idea I took from The Café here in town: Green Eggs and Ham.

2 persons

2 large eggs
cooking spray or butter
crème fraîche OR cream OR sour cream OR no-fat sour cream
salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Spray (or butter) two four-ounce ramekins.
2. Put a tablespoon of cream (etc.) and/or other goodies in each.
3. Carefully break an egg in each.
4. With a pin or the point of a sharp knife, delicately pierce the yellow without spilling the yolk.
5. Add a tiny pinch of salt and pepper to each.
6. Microwave 35 seconds on high power for one, 1 minute for two, 2 minutes for four. Times vary with the microwave and the ramekins. The egg white should be white, but the yolk runny. Shaking the ramekin will give a good hint. Don't overcook or the whites can be rubbery.

VARIATIONS:

• Green eggs and ham: A tablespoon of diced ham on the bottom. a tablespoon of pesto on top.
• Aux fines herbes: Add one half teaspoon of mixed fresh herbs to the cream, and a sprinkling as garnish.
• A la russe: a tablespoon of sour cream on the bottom; a teaspoon of caviar (or red lumpfish roe) and very finely chopped red onion on top after cooking
• Provencal: a tablespoon of tapenade on the bottom; a tablespoon of aioli on top, and a sprinkling of herbs.
• Ecosse: Sour cream and smoked salmon in the bottom. Dill to garnish.
• Home grown tomato slice on the bottom

Brie with jam

I love to cook for our play reading group. Appetizer, first act, main, second act, dessert. And lots of wine and, well, hams.

I was totally behind in planning and time, so I swung by Fareway on the way home and picked up an 8 ounce brie and some crackers, slathered some apricot jam from our "handsome tumbler" on it. And then when I got to our host's--nuked it for 90 seconds and that's it.

Olives, pecans from Joanie's tree, toasted, and it's a party.

Variations:
Brie with Khalua.
Brie with any kind of jam
Brie wrapped in puff pastry and baked (courtesy of Jason and Shawnda).