French Classics Made Easy (7 page)

[CRÈME D’ASPERGES]

Crème d’asperges is also known as
crème Argenteuil
in honor of the region (in north central France) where the best asparagus are grown. (In fact, any dish that includes the name
Argenteuil
contains asparagus.) What made this a “cream” soup in the classic kitchen was that it was made with a light béchamel, though the rules were often bent to make it with a thickened stock (velouté) or a combination of the two. I find the flavor better when made with stock alone (and even better if made with veal stock). This recipe produces a very light and delicately creamy soup, but for those who prefer theirs thicker or more creamy, it is an easy matter to add up to another tablespoon of arrowroot or
double the cream. The soup can also be thickened by using a small potato instead of the starch. Finely dice the potato and add at the same time as the asparagus.

SERVES 8

2 tablespoons butter

3 pounds asparagus, well washed, tough ends removed, and cut into 1-inch lengths

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

6 cups chicken stock, homemade or canned (see chart,
page 305
)

2½ tablespoons arrowroot, potato starch, or cornstarch, dissolved in

2½ tablespoons cold water

¼ cup heavy cream

1.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and gently sauté until bright green, about 5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper.

2.
Add the stock and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam and impurities that rise to the surface. Boil gently until the asparagus are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. If desired, remove 16 to 24 asparagus tips and reserve for garnish.

3.
Place the asparagus and stock in a blender, discarding any sand or grit that may remain at the bottom of the saucepan. Blend until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan.

4.
Bring the soup to a simmer and whisk in the dissolved arrowroot to thicken. Stir in the cream. (The soup can be prepared ahead. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. Bring to a simmer before serving.) Place 2 to 3 of the reserved asparagus tips, if using, in each of 8 soup bowls, ladle in the soup, and serve.

P
UREEING
S
OUPS

The smoothness of a soup will vary with the machine you use to purée it. A blender will make the finest purée (although you will have to blend most soups in batches). There are also a number of hand blenders (see below) that will purée the soup directly in the pot. The result will be somewhat coarser, but cleanup will be easier. The food processor will also make a slightly coarser purée, and the soup must often be processed in batches. The secret to getting a smooth soup in a food processor is to first purée the solids as fine as possible and then thin this purée with the liquid.

VARIATION

C
REAM OF
B
ROCCOLI
S
OUP

[CRÈME DE BROCOLI]

Use 3 pounds of broccoli in place of the asparagus. Peel the stalks; cut the florets and stalks into 1-inch pieces, and cook as for the asparagus.

CREAM OF CORN SOUP

[CRÈME DE MAÏS]

A classic cream of corn soup is made by puréeing cooked corn with a light béchamel sauce, and serving it with a few kernels of corn in each bowl. My version, with its added aromatic vegetables, is closer in appearance to an American corn chowder. I use half milk and half water to create a light yet creamy-tasting soup. It is important to the appearance of the soup to dice the vegetables no larger than the corn kernels. Should you prefer a completely smooth soup, simply blend to a purée and strain. This soup can be made several days in advance and served hot or cold.

SERVES 6 TO 8

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 celery rib, diced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups water

4 cups milk About

4 cups cooked fresh corn (from 5 to 6 ears), or

4 cups canned or frozen corn kernels

1 small potato, diced

½ teaspoon salt (omit if using canned corn)

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced vegetables and gently sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Make sure that neither the flour nor the vegetables begin to brown during this time.

2.
Add the water, milk, corn, and potato and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

3.
Season with the salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for about 40 minutes. Skim the soup several times to remove the foam and butter that rise to the surface. Stir the soup each time after skimming. When finished, the soup should have a light, creamy texture. If too thick, add water. If too thin, boil to thicken. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. (The soup can be prepared ahead. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. If serving hot, bring to a simmer before serving.)

4.
Serve the soup hot or cold.

IN ADDITION

When cutting the kernels from cooked corn on the cob, be sure to scrape the cobs with your knife, for there is often a lot of flavorful corn left after the kernels have been cut off.

SALADS

Traditionally, a French salad can be composed of many things—vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, cheese, herbs, greens, or combinations thereof—just as long as it’s dressed with a vinaigrette or a mayonnaise-based dressing. Salads can range in complexity from the simple raw vegetable salads called crudités to cooked vegetables dressed with vinaigrette or even cooked in a sort of vinaigrette—as are dishes prepared
à la grecque
(see Mushrooms à la Grecque,
page 190
).

A combination of ingredients artfully arranged in a salad bowl or on a plate is known as a
salade composée
—the most well-known example of which is probably
salade niçoise
. By tradition, the components of a
salade composée
are kept separate, not tossed together.

While most composed salads are served as a first course, and in some cases eaten as a main course, a green salad (
salade verte
) is served after the main course.

ENDIVE AND PINK GRAPEFRUIT SALAD

[SALADE D’ENDIVES ET DE PAMPLEMOUSSE ROSE]

Belgian endive is often used in place of lettuce in a variety of simple French salads. There are a number of special combinations (see Variations), but one of my favorites is the combination of endive and grapefruit, which will surprise you if you have never experienced it. Somehow, magically, each seems to cancel out the bitterness or sourness of the other. This is a unique combination that should not be missed.

SERVES 6

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 pinches of salt

2 pinches of freshly ground pepper

½ cup light vegetable oil

3 Belgian endives

3 pink grapefruit

1.
In a small bowl (or jar), mix the vinegar, salt, and pepper together. Add the oil and mix until well blended.

2.
Take off 12 of the larger outside leaves from each of the endives (for a total of 36) and set aside. (Reserve the smaller inside leaves for another use.) Peel and section the grapefruit (see “How to Section an Orange,”
page 286
. The salad can be prepared ahead to this point. Store the endive in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Refrigerate the grapefruit in a colander so it does not sit in its own juices.)

3.
To serve, on each plate, place 6 endive leaves, rounded side down, in a spoke pattern. Fill each leaf with a grapefruit section.

4.
Whisk the vinaigrette to reblend and spoon it lightly over the grapefruit sections, just before serving.

VARIATIONS

E
NDIVE AND
W
ATERCRESS
S
ALAD

[SALADE D’ENDIVES ET DE CRESSON]

Belgian endive and watercress are both available in the winter when some other greens may not be at their best, and their flavors combine very well. Use 3 Belgian endives, separated into leaves, and 1 bunch of watercress, thick stems trimmed. Add 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard to the vinaigrette. Arrange the salad with the watercress in the center and the endive leaves radiating out in a flower pattern and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Or, alternatively, cut the endive leaves into 1-inch pieces and toss with the watercress and vinaigrette. Another modern version adds walnuts, sliced apples, and blue cheese. Go light on the blue cheese.

S
ALAD
G
REENS
: Washing and Storing

It is important to wash lettuce well, but most people don’t know this easy and efficient method of doing it. Wash each variety separately in a large quantity of cold water. The operative word here is “large,” the object being to have enough water so the lettuce can float.

Swirl the leaves around, turning them over and over again in the water. In the process, the dirt and sand will drop to the bottom, while any insects will float to the surface along with the leaves. Remove the leaves, discard the dirty water, and repeat this process until you no longer find dirt and sand at the bottom of your washing water. Two washings are generally sufficient.

After washing, thoroughly spin dry the leaves, using a lettuce or salad spinner, and place each variety of salad green in a plastic bag of its own. Washed, dried, and packaged in this way, the greens will stay fresh in the refrigerator for several days. When it is time to make a salad, you can choose from the variety of prepared greens to compose a salad to suit your taste.

E
NDIVE AND
W
ALNUT
S
ALAD

[SALADE D'ENDIVES AUX NOIX]

Walnuts and Belgian endive make another traditional winter salad that is often served with game. The flavor created by this unusual combination is exceptional. Use 3 Belgian endives, leaves separated and cut into 1-inch pieces, and 30 walnut halves. Toss with a walnut oil vinaigrette: Replace 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil with 2 tablespoons of walnut oil.

E
NDIVE AND
B
EET
S
ALAD

[SALADE D’ENDIVES ET DE BETTERAVES]

Bake beets according to instructions in Baked Beets (
page 175
). Dice the beets, then toss lightly with 4 to 6 tablespoons (to taste) of Vinaigrette (
page 336
). Mound the beets in the center of 6 individual salad plates or a large salad bowl. Arrange the leaves of 3 Belgian endives so they radiate out from the beets in a floral design. Chop a hard-cooked egg and sprinkle it over the center of the beets. The beets can be tossed with the vinaigrette in advance, but the salad should not be assembled until just before serving (to avoid discoloration).

SHRIMP AND SCALLOPS
IN AN
H
ERBED
L
EMON
V
INAIGRETTE

[SALADE DE CREVETTES ET DE COQUILLES ST. - JACQUES]

The repertoire of classic French recipes abounds in cold lobster presentations, most often made with a mayonnaise-based sauce. This recipe substitutes the much more available shrimp and sea scallops for the lobster and sauces them with a delicately seasoned vinaigrette. Both the seafood and the vinaigrette can be prepared well ahead of time and then tossed together at the last minute for easy entertaining. Serve this with warm French bread and a dry white wine such as Muscadet.

SERVES 6

¾ pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined (see
page 101
)

¾ pound sea scallops, tendon removed (at right)