The Little Paris Kitchen (30 page)

MAKES ONE LARGE JAR. SERVES 4–6

• 1 lb cherry tomatoes of various shapes • a generous pinch of salt • 3 tbsp sugar • 3 tbsp light olive oil • 1 vanilla pod

Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half. Arrange skin-side down on a large nonstick baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt and sugar. Set aside at room temperature while you get on with the vanilla oil.

Put the olive oil into a small bowl. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape out the grains. Using a teaspoon, mix the grains with the olive oil. Add the vanilla pod and infuse for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Pour the infused oil (plus the vanilla pod) over the tomatoes and slow roast for 50–60 minutes, checking regularly. Once cooked, the tomatoes will still be red, but some will be very slightly brown.

Serve lukewarm or cold. (The compote will keep for a couple of days in the fridge. Once cool, transfer to a glass jar, scraping the baking sheet for extra caramel, and cover with a tight-fitting lid.)

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Resting time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 50–60 minutes

French cuisine is littered with terms, techniques, and
toques
(the tall white chefs' hats). It may seem all a little old-fashioned and stuffy compared to the laid-back style of the Italians or the molecular madness of the Spanish, but the French still have a lot to say in the kitchen. It's not for no reason that most culinary schools' curricula cover French cuisine. It provides students with a great foundation and understanding of cooking.

French cooking has become so embedded into the Western way of cooking that often we don't realize what we're whipping up has French origins. Take away the foreign language and what you're left with are some fundamental cooking methods. Once you understand these techniques, they can be applied and adapted to a whole variety of dishes, opening up a world of culinary possibilities.

Regardless of whether you're a beginner or a
Masterchef
contestant, knowing a few French culinary ABCs such as how to make a basic stock,
béchamel
, or salad vinaigrette will help you out in any kitchen situation.

A liquid in which meat, fish, or vegetables are simmered to extract their flavor; used as a base for soups, sauces, and stews.

The French word for “stock” is
fond
. It also means “base” or “foundation,” which is a great way of describing how important stocks are in French cuisine. In fact, it's not only French dishes that benefit from a good-quality stock—the value of any dish containing stock will go up if the stock is made well.

You may think that in today's hectic world there's no time to make stock, but it doesn't take as long as you think. Ten minutes' prep and the rest is just letting it simmer gently on the stove. You'll be rewarded with something that has so much more depth and flavor than the little cubes you dissolve in water (and none of the additives).

Water, the main component of stock, costs next to nothing. You need to add your key ingredient— meat or fish bones or vegetables—plus what the French call
mirepoix
(onion, carrot, and celery) and a bouquet garni. A classic bouquet garni would be a bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley stalks, and thyme.

So, the ingredients stay practically the same regardless of what kind of stock you're making, and so does the technique. Simply pop the ingredients into a pot, simmer, and skim off the foam (the impurities and fat that rise to the surface).

There are two different types of stock in French cuisine: white (unroasted) and brown (roasted). White stock is generally used for white sauces due to its color, while brown stock has a stronger color and flavor.

Each stock uses a key component that gives it a distinct flavor:

Knuckles are best as they contain collagen, which gives the stock body. The French prefer veal to beef because it makes a lighter and more delicately flavored stock (it also contains more collagen). Poultry Carcasses, backs, and wings of chicken or turkey (or the bird of your preference).

Carcasses, backs, and wings of chicken or turkey (or the bird of your preference).

Bones and heads of white fish (e.g., pollack, haddock, sole). Avoid oily fish, such as mackerel, tuna, or salmon, as they will make a cloudy stock. Shells from crustaceans (e.g., shrimp, crabs, langoustines, lobsters) also make a flavorsome stock.

Aromatic vegetables, such as leeks, fennel, parsnips, and celery. Mushrooms lend a meaty flavor. Avoid potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and other starchy vegetables as they will make a cloudy stock.

•
The golden rule for making a meat or fish stock is to start with cold water, bring it slowly to a simmer, and then keep it on a simmer throughout the cooking time.

Pourquoi?
A cold start and slow heating release water-soluble proteins, which coagulate slowly into the stock and rise to the top, making it easier to skim. (A hot start produces many separate and tiny protein particles that create a murky stock, while a rolling boil makes the fat and foam come to the top and then emulsify back into the stock.)

•
For all meat and fish stocks, use a combination of bones and meat with no fat.

Pourquoi?
When you simmer bones, the collagen turns into gelatin and is absorbed into the stock to give it body and a silky mouthfeel. Bones don't provide much flavor, however, so that's where the meat comes into play, giving the stock taste
.

Fresh meat, poultry, and vegetable stocks can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Fish stock is best used the same day.

To save on storage space, simmer the stock until reduced by half and then pour into ice-cube trays and freeze. Whenever you need stock for a recipe, use a frozen cube of your own homemade stock.

WHITE (UNROASTED) STOCK

MAKES ABOUT
4½
CUPS

• 3 lb raw veal or beef knuckles/poultry carcasses, backs, and wings/fish bones and heads/shells from crustaceans • 2 onions, quartered • 1 carrot, halved • 1 stick of celery, halved • 1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 10 peppercorns, 5 parsley stalks, 2 sprigs of thyme) • 6½ cups
cold
water

Place the bones in a large heavy-bottomed stock-pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil, uncovered. Remove the bones and rinse under cold running water to remove some of the impurities.

Place the bones in a clean stockpot with the rest of the ingredients and the measured water (use a little more if needed to cover the bones). Slowly bring to a simmer, uncovered. Using a large flat ladle, remove any foam that rises to the top. Simmer for 6 hours if making veal or beef stock, 4 hours for poultry. For fish, simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour maximum.
*
Keep the pan uncovered and the bones submerged in liquid at all times, skimming occasionally and topping up with warm water if necessary.

Pour through a coffee filter or a fine sieve and chill.

*
Pourquoi?
It's important not to overcook fish stock as the brittle fish bones will start to dissolve calcium salts, which will cloud the stock and give it a chalky taste
.

BROWN (ROASTED) STOCK

MAKES ABOUT
4½
CUPS

• 3 lb raw veal or beef knuckles or poultry carcasses, backs, and wings
*
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (a neutral-tasting oil, not olive oil) • 2 onions, quartered with skin left on
**
• 1 carrot, halved • 1 stick of celery, halved • 1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 10 peppercorns, 5 parsley stalks, 2 sprigs of thyme) • 6½ cups
cold
water

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rub the bones with the oil and place them in a roasting pan with the vegetables. Roast for about an hour or until well browned.

Transfer the roasted bones and vegetables to a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the aromatics and the water (use a little more if needed to cover the bones) and slowly bring to a simmer, uncovered. Using a large flat ladle, remove any foam that rises to the top. Simmer for 6 hours for veal or beef stock, 4 hours for poultry, or until the stock has a strong flavor. Keep the pan uncovered and the bones submerged in liquid at all times, skimming occasionally and topping up with warm water if necessary.

Pour through a coffee filter or a fine sieve and chill.

The old-fashioned version of
demi-glace
—equal parts roasted brown stock and
espagnole
sauce—is still seen on menus at fine-dining restaurants. You can create a modern version by simply reducing brown (roasted) stock until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The gelatin will thicken the sauce, so there is no need for a thickening
roux
.

VEGETABLE STOCK

MAKES ABOUT
4½
CUPS

• 1 tbsp olive oil • 2 onions, quartered with skin left on • 3 cloves of garlic, pounded flat • 2 carrots, roughly chopped • 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped • ½ bulb of fennel, roughly chopped • 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped • 8 button mushrooms, brushed or peeled and roughly chopped • 1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 10 peppercorns, 5 parsley stalks, 2 sprigs of thyme) • ½ tsp sugar • 1 tsp salt • 6½ cups
cold
water

Put all the ingredients, apart from the water, into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Fry on a high heat for 10 minutes to soften and slightly brown the vegetables. Pour in the water (add more if needed to cover the vegetables) and slowly bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Let cool before straining through a coffee filter or a very fine sieve.

L'ARBRE GÉNÉALOGIQUE FRANÇAIS DES SAUCES

THE FRENCH FAMILY TREE OF SAUCES

Sauces made the French kitchen famous and their history goes back to medieval times, but it was chef Antonin Carême (1784–1833) who classified them into four categories in
L'Art de la cuisine au X1Xe siècle
. These “mother sauces” are
béchamel
(creamy milk),
velouté
(white meat, fish, or vegetables),
espagnole
(brown meat), and
tomate
(tomato), each of which can be turned into another “secondary sauce” with a few extra ingredients.
Hollandaise
was created later, as the fifth and final mother sauce, and its spin-offs cover almost all forms of classic emulsions, such as
mayonnaise
and
béarnaise
.

It doesn't matter whether you roast, broil, poach, barbecue, or even serve some ingredients raw, a well-made sauce will take any meat, poultry, fish, or vegetables to the next level. A sauce shouldn't mask a dish but enhance and bring out its flavors, and, to avoid waste, sauces are a great way to make a delicious “new” meal out of leftovers.

ROUX

A
roux
is a paste used for thickening sauces that consists of equal amounts of flour and butter (or sometimes pork or duck fat). It is cooked until it no longer tastes of flour or has achieved a certain color, before the liquid for the sauce is added.

There are three different types of
roux
:

White—
cooked without coloring until the flour is no longer raw. Used for
béchamel
-based sauces.

Blonde—
cooked until a light golden color. Used for
velouté
-based sauces.

Brown—
cooked until almost a Coca-Cola color and with a nutty taste. Used for
espagnole
-based sauces.

SAUCE BÉCHAMEL

SERVES 4–6

A milk sauce thickened with a white
roux
and seasoned with onion, clove, and bay leaf. The easiest of the mother sauces,
béchamel
is a favorite for smothering almost anything and making it comforting—see the recipes for
Gratin au poisson fumé
(
page 50
) and
Endives au jambon
(
page 159
).

• 2 tbsp butter • ¼ cup all-purpose flour • 2 cups milk, lukewarm • ¼ onion, skin removed • 1 clove • 1 bay leaf • a pinch of nutmeg • salt and white pepper

Over a medium heat, melt the butter in a large pan and add the flour. Using a wooden spoon, beat hard to a smooth paste
(roux)
. Take off the heat.