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A guide to modern cookery by A. Escoffier

2. The same holds with objects treated with batter. Hence the absolute

868 words  |  Chapter 93

necessity of ensuring that setting which means that the covering of batter solidifies immediately. As the substances constituting these various dishes are cooked in advance, it follows that their second heating and the colouring of the coating (egg and bread-crumbs or batter) take place at the same time and in a few minutes. The third temperature, “very hot,” is used (1) for all objects that need a sharp and firm setting; (2) for all small objects the setting of which is of supreme importance, and whose cooking is effected in a few minutes, as in the case of whitebait. 265—FRYING MEDIUM FOR FISH Every frying medium, used for work on a large scale, which has acquired a too decided colouring through repeated use, may serve in the preparation of fish even until its whole strength is exhausted. Oil is best suited to the frying of fish, especially the very small kind, owing to the tremendous heat it can withstand without burning, for this heat guarantees that setting which is so indispensable. Except in this case, however, the temperature of the frying medium should be regulated strictly in accordance with the size of the fish to be fried, in order that its cooking and colouring may be effected simultaneously. Except _Nonats_ and whitebait, which are simply rolled in flour, fish to be fried are previously steeped in slightly salted milk and then rolled in flour. From this combination of milk and flour there results a crisp coating which withholds those particular principles that the fish exude while cooking. When finished, fried fish are drained, dried, slightly salted, and dished on a serviette or on paper, with a garnish of fried parsley-sprays and sections of channelled lemon. 266—THE QUANTITY OF THE FRYING MEDIUM This should always be in proportion to the quantity or size of the objects to be fried, bearing in mind that these must always be entirely submerged. Without necessarily exaggerating, the quantity should invariably be rather in excess of the requirements, and for this reason, viz., the greater the amount of fat, the higher will be the temperature reached, and the less need one fear a sudden cooling of the fat when the objects to be treated are immersed. This sudden cooling is often the cause of great trouble, unless one be working over a fire of such fierceness that the fat can return in a few seconds to the temperature it was at before the objects were immersed. 267—THE CARE OF THE FRYING MEDIUM Every time a frying fat is used it should, after having been melted, be strained through a towel, for the majority of objects which it has served to cook must have left some particles behind them which might prove prejudicial to the objects that are to follow. Objects that are “_panés_” always leave some raspings, for instance, which in time assume the form of black powder, while those that have been treated with flour likewise drop some of their coating, which, in accumulating, produces a muddy precipitate on the bottom of the utensil. Not only do these foreign substances disturb the clearness of the fat and render it liable to burn, but they are exceedingly detrimental to the objects that are treated later. Therefore, always strain the fat whenever it is used—in the first place because the proper treatment of the objects demands it, and, secondly, because its very existence as a serviceable medium depends upon this measure. 268—GRATINS This culinary operation plays a sufficiently important part in the work to warrant my detailing at least its leading points. The various kinds of the order “Gratins” are (1) the Complete Gratin; (2) the Rapid Gratin; (3) the Light Gratin; (4) Glazing, which is a form of Rapid Gratin. 269—COMPLETE GRATIN This is the first example of the series; it is that whose preparation is longest and most tiresome; for its principal constituent, whatever this is, must be completely cooked. Its cooking must moreover be coincident with the reduction of the sauce, which is the base of the gratin, and with the formation of the gratin proper, _i.e._, the crimped crust which forms on the surface and is the result of the combination of the sauce with the raspings and the butter, under the direct influence of the heat. In the preparation of complete gratin, two things must be taken into account:—(1) The nature and size of the object to be treated, and (2) the degree of heat which must be used in order that the cooking of the object, the reduction of the sauce, and the formation of the gratin may be effected simultaneously. The base of complete gratin is almost invariably ordinary or Lenten duxelle sauce (No. 223), in accordance with the requirements. The object to be treated with the gratin is laid on a buttered dish, surrounded with slices of raw mushrooms and chopped shallots, and covered with duxelle sauce. The surface is then sprinkled with raspings, and copiously moistened with melted butter. Should the piece be large, the amount of sauce used will be proportionately greater, and the reverse, of course, applies to medium or smaller sizes. Take note of the following remarks in the making of complete gratins:—
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Chapters

1. Chapter 1 2. PART I 3. CHAPTER I PAGE 4. CHAPTER II 5. CHAPTER III 6. CHAPTER IV 7. CHAPTER V 8. CHAPTER VI 9. CHAPTER VII 10. CHAPTER VIII 11. CHAPTER IX 12. CHAPTER X 13. PART II 14. CHAPTER XI PAGE 15. CHAPTER XII 16. CHAPTER XIII 17. CHAPTER XIV 18. CHAPTER XV 19. CHAPTER XVI 20. CHAPTER XVII 21. CHAPTER XVIII 22. CHAPTER XIX 23. CHAPTER XX 24. CHAPTER XXI 25. CHAPTER XXII 26. CHAPTER XXIII 27. PART I 28. CHAPTER I 29. 2. The brown stock or “_estouffade_,” game stocks, the bases of 30. 5. The various essences of poultry, game, fish, &c., the complements 31. 7. The basic sauces: Espagnole, Velouté, Béchamel, Tomato, and 32. 8. The savoury jellies or aspics of old-fashioned cooking. 33. 6. The various garnishes for soups, for relevés, for entrées, &c. 34. CHAPTER II 35. 2. Be scrupulously careful of the roux, however it may be made. By 36. CHAPTER III 37. 1. After having strained the braising sauce, completely remove its 38. 2. Strain the poëling stock, for ducklings or wild ducks, through 39. 1. Heat two oz. of butter in a stewpan, and insert one lb. of raw 40. 2. Pass the sauce through a strainer, pressing the aromatics; add a 41. 2. Substitute white fish jelly for poultry jelly. 42. 1. The Soubise is rather a cullis than a sauce; _i.e._, its consistence 43. 2. The admixture of Béchamel in Soubise is preferable to that of rice, 44. 3. In accordance with the uses to which it may be put, the Soubise 45. 2. The Villeroy Tomatée may be finally seasoned with curry or paprika, 46. 1. Add one-quarter pint of fish _fumet_ to one pint of thickened 47. 2. Almost entirely reduce one-quarter pint of fish _fumet_. To this 48. 3. Put the yolks of five eggs into a small stewpan and mix them with 49. CHAPTER IV 50. 1. If the sauce forms badly, or not at all, the reason is that the 51. 2. It is quite an error to suppose that it is necessary to work over 52. 3. It is a further error to suppose that the seasoning interferes with 53. 3. Excess of oil in proportion to the number of yolks, the 54. CHAPTER V 55. 2. That it be only added to the aspic when the latter is already 56. CHAPTER VI 57. 3. To apportion the wine and water in the ratio of two-thirds 58. 1. _Court-bouillon_ must always be prepared in advance for all fish, 59. 2. When a fish is of such a size as to need more than half an 60. 3. Fish, when whole, should be immersed in cold _court-bouillon_; when 61. 4. If fish be cooked in short liquor the aromatics are put under the 62. 5. _Court-bouillon_ for ordinary and spiny lobsters should always be at 63. 6. Fish which is to be served cold, also shell-fish, should cool in the 64. CHAPTER VII 65. 2. _Acid seasonings._—Plain vinegar, or the same aromatised with 66. 3. _Hot seasonings._—Peppercorns, ground or _concassed_ pepper, or 67. 4. _Saccharine seasonings._—Sugar and honey. 68. 2. _Hot condiments._—Mustard, gherkins, capers, English sauces, such 69. 3. _Fatty substances._—Most animal fats, butter, vegetable greases 70. 1. The quantity of spiced salt varies, a few grammes either way, 71. 2. According to the purpose of the forcemeat, and with a view to 72. 3. As a rule, forcemeat should always be rubbed through a sieve so as 73. 4. Whether the foie gras be added or not, chicken forcemeat may always 74. 1. _To roll quenelles_ it is necessary to keep the forcemeat somewhat 75. 2. _To Mould Quenelles with a Spoon._—This method may be applied to all 76. 3. _To Form Quenelles with a Piping-bag._—This process is especially 77. 4. _To Mould Forcemeat with the Fingers._—This excellent process is 78. CHAPTER VIII 79. CHAPTER IX 80. CHAPTER X 81. introduction into the vocabulary of cookery is comparatively recent, 82. 1. In all circumstances, _i.e._, whatever be the nature of the soup, 83. 2. The correct consistence of the soup is got by means of milk 84. 4. They are not buttered, but they are finished with one-fifth or 85. 1. If the liquor is required to be clear it need only be strained, over 86. 2. If, on the contrary, a sauce be required, the liquor should 87. 1. Too violent evaporation, which would reduce the liquor and disturb 88. 2. The running of a considerable risk of bursting the piece of poultry, 89. 1. All red meats containing a large quantity of juice should be 90. 2. In the case of white meats, whose cooking should be thorough, the 91. 3. With small game the fuel should be wood, but whatever fuel be used 92. 1. If the objects in question are _panés à l’anglaise_, _i.e._, dipped 93. 2. The same holds with objects treated with batter. Hence the absolute 94. 1. If too much sauce were used in proportion to the size of the object, 95. 2. If the sauce used were insufficient, it would be reduced before the 96. 3. The larger the piece, and consequently the longer it takes to cook, 97. 3. The blanching of certain other vegetables, which in reality 98. PART II 99. CHAPTER XI 100. CHAPTER XII 101. CHAPTER XIII 102. 2. Thick soups, which comprise the Purées, Veloutés, and Creams. 103. 3. Of a purée of asparagus-tops combined with a few cooked spinach 104. 4. Of a carrot purée (Purée Crécy). 105. 2. Cut six rectangles out of lettuce leaves; spread a thin layer of 106. 3. Prepare two tablespoonfuls of a coarse _julienne_ of carrots and 107. 1. Make a broth of the flesh of turtle alone, and then add a very 108. 2. Make an ordinary broth of shin of beef, using the same quantity 109. 2. The flavour which typifies them should be at once decided and yet 110. 3. When the flavour is imparted by a wine, the latter should be of the 111. 4. Supper consommés never contain any garnish. 112. 2. The velouté d’éperlans should, like almost all fish veloutés, be 113. 3. For this soup I elected to use a panada as the thickening element, 114. CHAPTER XIV 115. 1. +Crayfish Mousse+ with fillets of trout, decked with crayfish tails 116. 2. +Lobster Mousse+ with fillets of trout, decked with slices of 117. 3. +Shrimp Mousse+ with fillets of trout, decked with crayfish tails 118. 4. +Capsicum Mousse+ with fillets of trout, decked with strips of 119. 5. +Physalia Mousse+ with fillets of trout, decked with chervil, 120. 6. +Green Pimentos Mousse+ with fillets of trout, decked with strips of 121. 7. +Early-season Herb Mousse+ with fillets of trout, decked with 122. 8. +Volnay Mousse+ with fillets of trout, decked with anchovy fillets, 123. 9. +Chambertin Mousse+ with fillets of trout decked like No. 8. 124. 1. Put a preparation of Duchesse potatoes in a piping-bag fitted with 125. 2. Bake some large potatoes in the oven. Open them; remove their pulp, 126. 2. A garnish consisting of twelve rolled or folded fillets of sole 127. 1. For a mould capable of holding one quart, fold twelve small fillets 128. 1. A hot ravigote sauce combined with the gravy of the lobster, from 129. 2. Strain the contents of the dripping-pan (cleared of all grease) 130. CHAPTER XV 131. 2. At either end a nice heap of potatoes, shaped like long olives, and 132. 1. With a preparation of sweet potatoes, made after the manner of 133. 2. Cut some chow-chows in thick slices, _paysanne fashion_; parboil 134. 1. About one-quarter lb. of carrots turned to the shape of elongated 135. 3. The calf’s feet cut into small, square, or rectangular pieces. 136. 2. VEAL. 137. CHAPTER XVI 138. 1. The various pheasants, grey and red partridges, the Tetras 139. 10. The ortolans. 140. CHAPTER XVII 141. 1. _Oil seasoning_ may be applied to all salads, and is made up of 142. 2. _Cream seasoning_ is particularly well suited to salads of 143. 3. _Egg seasoning_ is prepared from crushed hard-boiled yolks of egg, 144. 4. _Bacon seasoning_ is used especially for dandelion, red-cabbage, 145. 5. _Mustard with cream seasoning_ is used particularly with beetroot 146. CHAPTER XVIII 147. 2. The green, Parisian asparagus, which is very small, and of which the 148. 4. English asparagus, which is somewhat delicate in quality, but 149. 2. Flemish chicory, which is genuine endive in its primitive state, 150. 3. Brussels chicory, or the Belgian kind; obtained from cultivating the 151. 2. Red cabbages: used as a vegetable, as a hors-d’œuvre, or as a 152. 3. Round-headed or Savoy cabbages: specially suited to braising and the 153. 4. Scotch kale and spring cabbages: always prepared in the English 154. 5. Cauliflowers and broccoli: the flower of these is most commonly 155. 7. Kohlrabi: the roots of these may be dished as turnips, and the 156. CHAPTER XIX 157. 1. The simplest way is to cover the pieces of toast with a thick layer 158. 2. The original method consists in melting the dice or slices of cheese 159. CHAPTER XX 160. 1. Extract the butter-milk, which is always present in more or less 161. 2. Make it sufficiently soft to mix with the various ingredients of 162. 3. For the quantities given (No. 2373), eight oz. of fresh Gruyère, cut 163. 4. Surprise omelets. 164. CHAPTER XXI 165. CHAPTER XXII 166. CHAPTER XXIII

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