by Julia Child
MASTER RECIPE
Individual Broccoli Timbales—Molded Custards For 6 to 8 servings in 5-to-6-ounce (⅔-to-¾-cup) molds
1½ to 2 Tbs softened butter (for the molds)
4 “large” eggs
2 cups cooked, chopped, well-seasoned broccoli florets
2 Tbs grated onion
½ cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 to 3 Tbs minced fresh parsley
½ cup (2 ounces) lightly pressed down grated Swiss, cheddar, and/or mozzarella cheese
½ cup cream or milk
½ tsp salt
Several grinds of white pepper
Drops of Tabasco, optional
Smear softened butter inside the molds, slide rack onto lower-third level of oven, and preheat to 350°F. Provide yourself with a roasting pan to hold the molds, and have a kettle of boiling water ready.
Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl to blend yolks and whites, then fold in all the remaining ingredients. Taste carefully, and correct seasoning. Ladle the mixture into the molds, filling them by about two-thirds.
Arrange the molds in the roasting pan and set in the oven. Pull the rack out, and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the molds. Very gently push the rack in, and bake 5 minutes, then lower heat to 325°F and bake about 25 minutes more. Adjust oven heat so that water in pan is never boiling, just almost bubbling.
When Are They Done? When a skewer plunged into the center comes out clean.
Carefully slide the roasting pan out of the oven and let the molds settle for 10 minutes—or a little longer, if need be.
To unmold, one by one run a sharp, thin knife around the inside of each mold and reverse it, dropping the custard onto a warm plate.
Serving Suggestions. Top with a sprinkling of toasted and buttered bread crumbs, or a tomato sauce, or a béchamel sauce enriched with chopped fresh herbs.
VARIATIONS
A LARGE TIMBALE. Butter a 4-to-5-cup soufflé mold or high-sided baking dish and fill with the custard. Set in a roasting pan and pour in boiling water to come halfway up its sides. Bake as directed above.
FRESH CORN TIMBALE—CORN PUDDING. Follow the master recipe, but substitute 2 cups of fresh corn scraped off the cob (8 to 10 ears), and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley.
OTHER VARIATIONS. Cooked chopped spinach, asparagus tips, mushrooms, green and red peppers, shellfish, ham—any of these and more that you will think of can be substituted for the broccoli in the custard. It’s a versatile formula.
MOLDED DESSERT CUSTARDS
MASTER RECIPE
Caramel Custard For a 2-quart straight-sided baking dish, serving 8 to 10
1 cup sugar and ⅓ cup water, for the caramel
6 “large” eggs
5 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
1 quart hot milk
1 Tbs pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Slide rack onto lower-middle level, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the sugar and water to the caramel stage, and pour half of it into the baking dish, swirling it rapidly around to coat bottom and sides. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons water to the remaining caramel in the pan and let simmer slowly to melt the caramel, thus turning it into a sauce for later.
Stir with a whisk (but do not beat and cause bubbles) the eggs, yolks, and sugar in a bowl to blend them. Then, a little at a time at first to dissolve the sugar, stir in the hot milk, then the vanilla and salt. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into the caramelized dish. Set dish in a high-sided roasting pan on the oven rack, and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the outside of the dish.
Bake for about an hour, checking after 15 minutes to be sure water in roasting pan is maintained precisely at almost the simmer—little bubbles. If the water is too hot the custard will be grainy, but if not hot enough it will take hours to cook.
When Is It Done? When the center still trembles slightly, but a skewer plunged in 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.
Remove dish from roasting pan and let custard settle at least 30 minutes. The custard may be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled—if to be chilled, refrigerate, and cover when cold. (It can be refrigerated for 2 days.)
To Unmold. Run a thin-bladed knife between custard and edge of dish. Turn a serving plate upside down over the dish and reverse the two—the custard will slowly slip out. Pour the reserved caramel sauce around the custard.
VARIATIONS
INDIVIDUAL CARAMEL CUSTARDS. The preceding proportions will fill a dozen ⅔-cup Pyrex bowls 3½ inches across. Line the bowls with caramel as described, fill with the custard mixture, and bake in a water bath at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until set at the edges but with a slight tremble at the center. Unmold for serving.
INDIVIDUAL MACAROON CUSTARDS. Caramelize individual bowls, as described above, and when hardened, smear with butter. Sprinkle pulverized macaroons in them to cover bottom and sides. Fill with the custard mixture. Bake, and unmold as described.
CUSTARD DESSERT SAUCES AND FILLINGS
Custard sauces are certainly essential to any cook’s repertoire, the most important and useful being the classic crème anglaise, which is the basis for many desserts, ice creams, puddings, and other sauces. As with hollandaise, you have to deal with the egg yolk and its vagaries, but just remember that you are in control, and it is only the heat source that needs your full attention.
MASTER RECIPE
Crème Anglaise—Classic Custard Sauce For about 2 cups
6 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
1½ cups hot milk
3 Tbs butter, optional
1 Tbs pure vanilla extract
2 Tbs dark rum, cognac, or other liqueur, optional
Whisk the egg yolks in a 2-quart stainless-steel saucepan, adding the sugar by spoonfuls. Continue whisking for 2 to 3 minutes, until the yolks are thick and pale yellow and “form the ribbon”. By dribbles at first, stir in the hot milk.
Set over moderate heat, stirring slowly and continuously with a wooden spoon, reaching all over the bottom of the pan as the custard gradually heats and thickens—do not let it come near the boil. If it seems to be getting too hot, lift pan up, then continue as the sauce thickens. You are almost there when surface bubbles begin to disappear and you may see a whiff of steam arise.
When Is It Done? It coats the spoon in a light, creamy layer.
Beat in the optional butter, the vanilla, and the optional spirits. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Storage. Remember that this is an egg-yolk sauce, and should not sit around at room temperature for more than ½ hour. To store for 2 to 3 days, refrigerate, and cover when cold.
Floating Island
A dramatic use for crème anglaise— huge caramel-streaked baked meringue chunks floating on a sea of custard sauce. For 6 to 8 servings, butter a 4-quart straight-sided baking dish and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Set rack in lower-middle level of oven and preheat to 250°F.
Beat ⅔ cup egg whites (about 12) into soft peaks, and continue beating to stiff, shining peaks while adding 1½ cups sugar by big spoonfuls. Turn this meringue into the baking dish. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the meringue has risen 3 to 4 inches and a skewer plunged down into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool—it will sink down. (May be baked several days in advance; may be frozen.)
To serve, pour 2 cups of crème anglaise (see preceding recipe) into a round serving dish. Unmold the meringue onto a baking sheet, cut into 6 to 8 big chunks, and arrange over the sauce. Boil 1 cup of sugar and ⅓ cup water to the caramel stage, and when cooled slightly into a heavy syrup, weave decorative strands of caramel over the meringue, using the tines of a fork.
Pastry Cream—Crème Pâtissière
Custard filling for pies, tarts, cakes, and miscellaneous desserts. For about 2½ cups. Whisk 6 egg yolks in a stainless-steel saucepan, gradually adding ½ cup sugar and a pinch of salt. Continue until eggs are thick and pale yellow, and “f
orm the ribbon”. Sift on and whisk in ½ cup flour or cornstarch. By dribbles at first, whisk in 2 cups hot milk or half-and-half. Whisking slowly, bring to the boil, then whisk vigorously for a few seconds to smooth out any lumps. Simmer slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes, to cook the flour or starch. Remove from heat and blend in 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract and, if you wish, 2 tablespoons each unsalted butter and rum or kirsch. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Let cool, stirring up occasionally to prevent lumps.
To Store. Press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming; cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days or freeze.
VARIATIONS AND ADDITIONS
TO LIGHTEN THE SAUCE, fold in ½ cup of whipped cream. Or give it volume and staying power by combining it with 2 cups of Italian meringue; just fold them together and you have created crème Chiboust, which you can then use as a cake filling or frosting, or as the custard base for fruit tarts.
Sabayon
A wine-custard sauce for fruit desserts. Whisk 1 egg, 2 egg yolks, ½ cup sugar, a pinch of salt, ⅓ cup Marsala, sherry, rum, or bourbon, and ⅓ cup dry white French vermouth in a stainless-steel saucepan. When well blended, whisk rather slowly over moderately low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened and is foamy, and quite warm to your finger—but do not let it come to the simmer. Serve warm or cold.
Classic Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate mousses were of this general type before the popularity of chocolate ganache, and the ganache is far quicker and easier, being only melted chocolate and heavy cream. You can make a ganache even more attractive when you fold in beaten egg whites, and you go to even greater heights when you blend in Italian meringue. However, the following smooth, rich, velvety classic continues to be my favorite of all chocolate mousses.
For about 5 cups, serving 6 to 8. Melt 6 ounces semisweet chocolate in 4 tablespoons strong coffee, and cut 1½ sticks of unsalted butter into rough slices, so it will soften. Meanwhile, beat together in a bowl 4 egg yolks and ¼ cup orange liqueur, gradually adding ¾ cup sugar, and continue beating until it is thick and pale yellow and “forms the ribbon”. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and continue beating 4 to 5 minutes, until it is foamy, and warm to your finger. Remove from heat and beat over a bowl of cold water (or in a standing mixer) until it is cool and thick and again forms the ribbon.
When the chocolate has melted, smoothly blend in the butter, and fold into the egg-yolk mixture. Beat 4 egg whites to soft peaks, then to stiff, shining peaks with 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir a quarter of this into the yolks and chocolate, then delicately fold in the rest.
Turn the mousse into a 6-cup serving dish or individual cups or pots de crème. Cover and chill for several hours (the mousse will keep in the refrigerator several days). Serve with lightly whipped cream or the above crème anglaise.
Forming a round loaf
Beating egg whites to stiff, shining peaks
Goose ready to take off
A long-handled brush is handy for basting a turkey.
Smoothing melted chocolate
Proudly showing a finished cake
Breads, Crêpes, and Tarts
“Of course you can buy a ready-made pie shell, but it’s a shame not to have the know-how yourself.”
BREADS
Yeast bread is a vast subject, comprising not only white bread and French bread but croissants, brioches, pumpernickel, whole wheat and rye, sourdoughs, and so forth. In this little book, therefore, I am concentrating only on some of the basics that apply to all of them.
Basic Dough for White Bread, French Breads, Pizzas, and Hard Rolls Enough for one 2-quart loaf pan, 2 long fat French loaves, three 18-inch baguettes, two 9-inch round loaves, two 16-inch pizzas, or 12 rolls
1 package (a scant Tbs) active dry yeast
⅓ cup tepid water (not over 110°F)
Pinch of sugar
1 cup cold water, plus more if needed
3½ cups (1 pound) unbleached white all-purpose or bread flour, plus a little more if needed
1 Tbs rye or whole-wheat flour
2¼ tsp salt
Proof yeast in tepid water with the sugar for 5 minutes (see box below), then stir in the cold water. Measure the flours and salt into the food processor fitted with a steel blade. With the machine running, rather slowly process in the yeast and water, adding driblets more cold water if needed, until the dough balls up on top of the blade. Let it revolve 8 to 10 times, then stop the machine and feel the dough. It should be reasonably soft and pliable. If damp and wet, process in a tablespoon or so more flour; if dry, add a dribble more cold water. Let rest for 5 minutes.
TO PROOF YEAST. It’s always wise to make sure your yeast is really active. Stir a tablespoon of active dry yeast in a cup with 3 tablespoons of tepid water and a pinch of sugar. In 5 minutes it should begin to bubble. It’s alive!
Process the dough another 15 seconds or so, then remove it to a floured board and let it rest 2 minutes. Knead it vigorously by hand a good 50 times, as described in the box below.
FINAL KNEADING OF DOUGH BY HAND. If you overknead in the processor, the dough can heat up; in addition, the gluten strands can break down, preventing a full rise. To finish the dough, fold it over on itself, then, with the heels of your hands, push it out in front of you, roughly, rapidly, and vigorously. Repeat about 50 times, until it is smooth and elastic and when you stretch the dough it holds together. It should not stick to your hands unless you pinch and hold a piece.
Preliminary Rise. Turn the dough into a 4-quart fairly straight-sided ungreased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a towel, and set in a draft-free place—75°F is ideal. Dough will rise to 1½ times its original volume, usually in about 1 hour.
RESTING THE DOUGH. Flour contains both starch and gluten. The gluten holds the particles together and also allows the dough to hold its rise. However, gluten develops increasing resistance as the dough is worked, and it then becomes more and more difficult to manipulate. Whenever your dough won’t roll easily, simply stop where you are and let it rest 10 minutes or so. The gluten will relax, and you can continue.
Second Rise. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Push and pat it into a 14-inch rectangle and fold it into 3, like a business letter. Repeat a second time, then return it to the ungreased bowl, cover, and let rise again. It will rise to 2½ to 3 times its original volume, usually in 1 to 1½ hours. When almost tripled, the dough is ready to form and bake.
TEMPERATURES FOR RISING. Ideal temperatures are 70° to 75°F. Warmer, the rise is too fast and you miss out on flavor development. Colder is fine, even down to a refrigerator chill—you get flavor development—but it simply takes the dough longer to rise: the colder the environment, the longer it takes.
To Form and Bake 2 Long French Loaves
The very special movements here are designed to force the dough to develop a gluten cloak that holds as it bakes free-form into its characteristic loaf. Keep your work surface lightly floured at all times, so the gradually forming cloak will not tear. Set a smooth, lightly floured cotton or linen towel on a large rimless (or upside-down) baking sheet, to hold the formed loaves.
Cut the dough in half, then fold each piece in half. Cover one; push and pat the other into an 8-by-10-inch roughly rectangular shape.
Fold in half lengthwise. Press and pound firmly with your fist to seal the edges and flatten the dough to about its original shape.
Roll the dough so the seam is centered on top, and firmly press a rough trench into the seam with the side of your hand.
Using the seam as a guide, fold the dough in half lengthwise, and again press long edges together firmly to seal.
Starting at its center, begin rolling this length of dough under your open palms, gradually moving your hands apart and stretching the dough as you roll. Elongate the dough to about 18 inches (no longer than the length of your baking surface!) and place it seam side up on the long half of the lightly floured
towel. I now like to pinch the sealed long edges securely together, just to be sure. Cover loosely with another floured towel while you form the second loaf the same way. Make a pleat in the towel alongside the first loaf, to separate the two loaves, and lay the second in place.
Final Rise Before Baking. Usually 1 to 1½ hours. Cover both loaves with the floured towel and let rise until more than doubled in volume. Meanwhile, make everything ready for baking, so that you may proceed almost at once.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR BAKING FRENCH BREAD. French bread not only rises free-form, but it bakes free-form—not in a pan. It is difficult, even frustrating to attempt it without the proper equipment. Here is what you will need.
A Hot Baking Surface. French bread does not cook properly when baked on a metal sheet. It must be slid upon a baking stone or a pizza stone, or line your oven rack with ceramic quarry tiles—available in some cookware shops or in building-supply stores.
Unmolding and Sliding Boards. The risen loaf is unmolded from its floured towel and slid onto the hot baking surface. I use ⅜-inch plywood bought at the home-improvement store, an 8-by-20-inch board for unmolding and for sliding a single loaf, and a 20-inch board 2 inches narrower than the width of my oven for sliding several long loaves or rolls.
