Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1

by Julia Child

  The recipe we have chosen to illustrate pâté en croûte is boned duck stuffed, reformed, surrounded with decorated pastry, and baked. The same method may be used for any of the pâté mixtures previously described, and they do not have to be enclosed in duck skin. You may simply heap the mixture into a loaf on an oval of pastry and enclose it with a second oval. Or you may line a spring mold with pastry, pack the mixture into it, and cover with more pastry. All pâtés en croûte, in other words, follow the same general outline for forming and baking.

  HOW TO BONE A DUCK, TURKEY, OR CHICKEN

  You may think that boning a fowl is an impossible feat if you have never seen it done or thought of attempting it. Although the procedure may take 45 minutes the first time because of fright, it can be accomplished in not much more than 20 on your second or third try. The object is to remove the flesh with the skin from the carcass bones without piercing the skin except at the back where the bird is slit open, and at the natural openings at the vent and neck. The skin is to serve as a container for the pâté. Laid flat on a board, the pâté mixture is heaped onto it, then the skin is folded over the pâté mixture and sewed in place. When baked in a terrine and unmolded, or baked in a crust, the sutures are on the bottom, and the pâté appears to be enclosed in an unbroken, browned casing—which is the skin. It is always an impressive sight. The important thing to remember is that the cutting edge of your knife must always face the bone, never the flesh, thus you cannot pierce the skin.

  To begin with, cut a deep slit down the back of the bird from the neck to the tail, to expose the backbone. With a small, sharp knife, its edge always cutting against the bone, scrape and cut the flesh from the carcass bones down one side of the bird, pulling the flesh away from the carcass with your fingers as you cut. When you come to the ball joints connecting the wings and the second joints to the carcass, sever them, and continue down the carcass until you reach just the ridge of the breast where skin and bone meet. Then stop. You must be careful here, as the skin is thin and easily slit. Repeat the same operation on the other side of the bird. By the time you have completed half of this, the carcass frame, dangling legs, wings, and skin will appear to be an unrecognizable mass of confusion and you will wonder how in the world any sense can be made of it all. But just continue cutting against the bone, and not slitting any skin, and all will come out as it should. When you finally arrive at the ridge of the breastbone on this opposite side, stop again. Then lift the carcass frame and cut very closely against the ridge of the breastbone to free the carcass, but not to slit the thin skin covering the breastbone. Chop off the wings at the elbows, to leave just the upper wing bones attached.

  Then arrange this mass of skin and flesh on a board, flesh side up. You will now see, protruding from the flesh, the pair of ball joints of the wings and of the two second joints. Scrape the meat from the bones of the wings and pull out the bones. Repeat for the second joints, severing them from the ball joints of the drumsticks; the drumstick bones may be left in place if you wish. Discard any bits of fat adhering to the flesh, and the bird is ready to become a pâté or a galantine.

  PTÉ DE CANARD EN CROÛTE

  [Boned Stuffed Duck Baked in a Pastry Crust]

  For 12 people

  Stuffing the duck

  A 5-lb. ready-to-cook roaster duckling

  ½ tsp salt

  ⅛ tsp pepper

  Pinch of allspice

  2 Tb cognac

  2 Tb port

  Optional: 2 or 3 diced canned truffles and their juice

  Bone the duck as described in the preceding paragraphs, and lay the boned bird skin-side down on a board. Slice off the thickest layers of breast and thigh meat, and cut into cubes about ⅜ inch across. Place the cubes back on the duck, season, and sprinkle with cognac and port. Add the optional truffles and their juice. Roll up the duck, place it in a bowl, and refrigerate.

  4 cups pork and veal stuffing

  Prepare the meat stuffing and mix into it the cubed duck meat, optional truffles, and marinade.

  A trussing needle White string

  Spread the boned duck on a board, skin-side down. Heap the stuffing in the center and shape it into a loaf. Bring the duck skin up over the loaf to enclose it completely. Sew it in place with a trussing needle and white string. Make 3 or 4 ties around the circumference of the duck to give it a cylindrical shape.

  Boned duck with stuffing

  NOTE: In this and following drawings, wings bones and drumsticks have not been removed.

  Duck skin folded around stuffing

  Sewing the duck

  Duck ready for browning

  3 Tb cooking oil A large skillet

  Heat the oil in the skillet until it is almost smoking. Then brown the duck slowly on all sides. Remove, and allow it to cool. The trussing strings remain on the duck to hold its shape while baking.

  Forming the crust

  About ⅔ cup cold water6 cups (1¼ lbs.) all-purpose flour

  ¼ cup (2 ounces) vegetable shortening

  ½ cup (4 ounces) butter

  1½ tsp salt

  ¼ tsp sugar

  2 eggs

  Following directions, prepare a chilled pastry dough with the ingredients at the left.

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  A greased baking sheet

  A pastry brush

  Roll two thirds of the pastry dough into an oval ⅛ inch thick. Lay it on the baking sheet. Place the duck on the oval, breast up.

  Duck in bottom pastry oval

  1 egg beaten with 1 tsp cold water in a small bowl

  Bring the pastry up around the duck, patting it into place. Roll out the rest of the dough ⅛ inch thick and cut it into an oval to fit over the top of the duck. Paint the edges of the bottom pastry oval with a pastry brush dipped in beaten egg, and press the top oval in place. Flute or pinch the edges together to seal them.

  Pressing pastry ovals together

  Make circles or ovals with a 1½-inch cooky cutter in the remaining pastry, and press fan-shaped lines into them with the back of a knife.

  Pastry cut-outs

  Paint the top pastry oval with beaten egg, and press the pastry cutouts over it in a decorative design. Paint with beaten egg.

  Make a ⅛g-inch hole in the center of the pastry and insert a brown paper or foil funnel; this will allow cooking steam to escape. Insert a meat thermometer into the hole through the funnel, and down through the duck skin into the pâté.

  The duck is ready for the oven

  Baking the pâté

  Place the duck in the middle position of the preheated oven, and turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Bake for about 2 hours, or to a thermometer reading of 180 degrees.

  Remove from oven and allow to cool for several hours; the crust will soften if the pâté is refrigerated too soon. Then chill.

  TO SERVE

  A little preliminary work in the kitchen will enable you to present your duck with the elegance and drama it deserves. Before bringing it to the table, then, cut around the crust just under the seam of the top pastry oval; lift the oval off carefully so as not to break it. The duck will have shrunk from the crust during its baking, so you can lift it out of the bottom crust. Remove the circular trussing strings from around the duck, then cut and pull out the sewing strings underneath the duck.

  If carving is to take place at the table, put the duck back into the bottom crust and replace the top pastry oval. The carver will then decide whether to remove the duck from the crust and carve it as suggested farther on, or whether to cut right down through the crust and through the duck, making crosswise slices of duck with crust.

  If the duck is to be carved before serving, follow either of the two methods in the next paragraph, then reconstruct the duck in its bottom crust, and replace the top pastry oval.

  To carve the duck after removing it from the crust, either make crosswise slices as though you were cutting a sausage, or make a deep incision the length of the breast, and cut lengthwis
e slices angled toward the center of the duck on each side.

  OTHER COLD DISHES

  Here is a list of cold dishes which are described as hot elsewhere in the book.

  Eggs

  Oeufs brouillés pipérade, scrambled eggs garnished with a pipérade (the cooked green peppers, onions, and tomatoes used for omelette pipérade). The pipérade is mixed into the eggs after they have been scrambled; the eggs are chilled, and used to fill tomato cases.

  Fish

  Thon à la provençale, tuna or swordfish baked with tomatoes, wine, and herbs

  Poultry

  Poulet grillé à la diable, broiled chicken with herbs, mustard, and bread crumbs

  Poulet sauté and poulet sauté aux herbes de Provence, either of these two recipes for sautéed chicken beginning without the sauce

  Poulet poêlé à l’estragon, casserole-roasted chicken with tarragon. This is one of the best ways to cook a whole chicken that is to be served cold.

  Canard à l’orange, duck with orange, or with the other fruits suggested in the recipes following it. The sauce is made according to the directions in the recipe but, instead of thickening the sauce with arrowroot, dissolve gelatin in it (1 tablespoon or 1 envelope for each 2 cups), and glaze the duck as in the recipe for poulet en gelée à l’estragon.

  Beef

  Daube de boeuf, casserole of beef with wine, herbs, and vegetables.

  Lamb

  Moussaka, lamb and eggplant baked in a mold lined with eggplant skins, then unmolded. This makes a handsome cold dish, and is an excellent way to use up cold roast lamb.

  Pork and Veal

  Veau poêlé or rôti de porc poêlé, casserole-roasted veal with herbs or pork. Both of these are good cold, and if you wish to dress them up, slice the meat and spread each slice with beurre Montpellier (green herb mayonnaise with butter, anchovies, pickles, and capers), reform the roast, and spread with a covering of the mayonnaise. Chill before serving.

  Veau Sylvie or porc Sylvie, veal marinated in wine then stuffed with ham and cheese before roasting, or pork treated in the same manner.

  Ham

  Jambon braisé au Madère, ham braised in Madeira wine. See also the recipes following it, for ham braised with mushroom stuffing, and ham in a pastry crust. All of these are good cold, and a pleasant change from plain cold, baked or boiled ham.

  Sweetbreads and Brains

  Ris de veau braisés or cervelles braisés, braised sweetbreads, or brains. Either may be dressed with vinaigrette and herbs and used as a cold meat dish, or as part of a combination salad.

  Artichokes

  Artichauts au naturel or fonds d’artichauts à blanc, cold boiled artichokes, or cooked artichoke bottoms. Either of these may be served with vinaigrette or mayonnaise. You may fill cold, cooked artichoke bottoms with vegetables, meat, poultry, or fish in mayonnaise; you could also fill them with one of the aspics or mousses described in this chapter.

  Eggplant

  Aubergines farcies duxelles, eggplant cases stuffed with mushrooms. These go well with cold, roast lamb.

  Ratatouille, eggplant casserole with tomatoes, onions, and zucchini. This dish is just as good cold as it is hot, and is especially recommended with cold roast lamb, beef, pork, chicken, and fish. A bit of leftover ratatouille may be passed through a food mill with hard-boiled egg yolks to make a filling for stuffed eggs or stuffed tomatoes.

  Celery and Leeks

  Céleris braisés and poireaux braisés, braised celery, braised leeks. Either of these may be part of a cold vegetable combination, or be served with cold meats.

  Potatoes

  Gratin de pommes de terre provençale, potato and tomato casserole with anchovies. Serve this with cold meats or fish.

  Rice Salads

  Cooked rice as a base for many salads and impromptu meals; ideas and one full recipe, this page.

  CHAPTER TEN

  DESSERTS AND CAKES

  Entremets et Gâteaux

  FUNDAMENTAL TECHNIQUES

  AND INFORMATION

  ONE OR SEVERAL of the following processes will be a part of almost any dessert or cake recipe you encounter. Some can be accomplished by machine, others are better performed by hand. None is difficult, but all contribute to the success of your dish and must be done precisely.

  EGG WHITES

  Innumerable desserts, as well as soufflés and all the spongecakes, call for stiffly beaten egg whites. Successful cooking of any of these dishes is usually dependent on how voluminous and stiff you have beaten the egg whites, and how carefully you have folded them into the rest of the ingredients. As they are so important, we shall continually put in little reminders and warnings about them. Directions and illustrations for egg whites begin, in the Entrée chapter. You will note that in all the recipes for beaten egg whites in this chapter a tablespoon of sugar is whipped into them near the end of the beating; this gives them an added bit of stiffness and body. You will also note that egg whites may be folded into either a hot or a cold sauce or batter; unlike whipped cream, which liquefies when it comes in contact with hot ingredients, egg whites are actually given a boost.

  BEATING EGGS AND SUGAR TO FORM THE RIBBON

  Whenever egg yolks and sugar are beaten together the recipe will say to continue beating “until the mixture is pale yellow and forms the ribbon.” This prepares the egg yolks so that they can be heated without turning granular. To accomplish it, add the sugar gradually to the egg yolks in a mixing bowl while beating with a wire whip or an electric beater; continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture will turn a pale, creamy yellow, and thicken enough so that when a bit is lifted in the beater, it will fall back into the bowl forming a slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface of the mixture. Do not beat beyond this point or the egg yolks may become granular.

  WHIPPED CREAM

  As used in French cooking, whipped cream should double in volume, and be light, smooth, and free from granules. Much the same principles apply to it as to the beating of egg whites, in that you must incorporate as much air as possible. The stationary electric beater never produces as smooth and light a cream as could be wished; the electric blender is not recommended at all. For success every time, beat your chilled heavy cream with a large balloon whip or hand-held electric beater in a large metal bowl set in another, larger bowl containing a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them. It will take you 4 to 5 minutes to whip cream until the beater leaves light traces on the surface, and worth every minute to achieve an unbelievably beautiful and tender texture.

  Warning

  If whipped cream is to be folded into other ingredients, be sure the other ingredients are cold; otherwise the cream will lose its stiffness and thin out.

  A note on French cream

  Although French crème fraîche and American whipping cream both contain approximately the same amount of butter fat, the consistency of French cream is thicker because it is slightly fermented. It must be thinned before whipping by the addition of 1 part of cold milk, iced water, or shaved ice for every 3 parts of cream.

  Crème Chantilly

  [Lightly Beaten Cream]

  This is lightly beaten cream, which is usually specified for such desserts as Bavarian cream, and for dessert sauces.

  For about 2 cups

  ½ pint (1 cup) chilled whipping cream

  A 3-quart metal bowl set over a bowl with ice cubes and water to cover them

  A large balloon whip or a portable electric beater

  Pour the cream into the bowl set over ice, and beat it slowly until it begins to foam, while circulating the beater all around the bowl and lifting the cream as you whip it. Gradually increase the beating speed to moderate and continue until the beater leaves light traces on the surface of the cream. A bit of cream lifted and dropped on the surface will softly retain its shape.

  Stiffly beaten cream

  For desserts which require more body, continue beating a few seconds more until the cream is a little bit stiffer and forms soft peaks. Do
not beat beyond this stage or the cream will become granular, and then begin to turn into butter.

  Storing whipped cream

  Once cream is whipped, it will keep for several hours under refrigeration. As it usually exudes a bit of liquid, it is a good idea to turn it into a fine-meshed sieve and place the sieve over a bowl. This allows any seeping liquid to drop out of the cream.

  Flavored whipped cream

  Before serving, fold in 2 tablespoons of sifted powdered sugar and a tablespoon or two of brandy, rum, or sweet liqueur, or a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract.

  CREAMING BUTTER AND SUGAR

  Numerous dessert and cake recipes direct that butter and sugar be creamed together; this may be accomplished either by machine or by hand.

  Electric Beater Use the pastry-blender attachment if you have one; you may use the regular beater, but the blades will become clogged. Cut the butter into ½-inch pieces. Warm the large mixing bowl in hot water. Dry it, add the butter and sugar, and beat at a moderate speed for several minutes. The mixture is ready to be used when it is light, fluffy, and a pale ivory color.

  Hand Beating If the butter has been left at room temperature for an hour to soften, simply beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl for several minutes until they form a light, fluffy mass. For cold, hard butter, use the following system: Cut the butter into ½-inch pieces and place it with the sugar in a mixing bowl set over barely simmering water. Beat with a wooden spoon for several seconds until the butter softens. Then set the bowl in a basin of cold water and beat for a minute or two until the mixture is light, fluffy, and a pale ivory color.