Tag Archives: Julia Child

September 27, 2014 · 9:29 am

MADELEINES AND PROUST

Every week I meet with my writing group to read some interesting poems, write some poetry, and read our work to one another. Sometimes we read bits of really classic writing. Seems like a good platform for reading a little of Swann’s Way from Remembrances of Things Past and thinking about madeleines. Also a good excuse for baking some madeleines. Years ago, I tried making them from one of Julia Child’s recipes, and they were a total flop, so I have never been brave enough to try them again until now. My recipe is a tweek of the version in Marion Cunningham’s Fannie Farmer Baking Book. If you follow the directions carefully, it is an easy effort. You should also have all of the ingredients assembled and equipment at the ready before you start. (remember, mis en place.)

Also, I’ve never read Remembrance of Things Past, so I was anxious to find out what the fuss was all about. Here’s a quote from Proust:

 Many years had elapsed during which nothing of Combray… had any existence for me when one day in winter, on my return home, my mother seeing that I was cold, offered me some tea…She sent for one of those squat, plump little cakes called “petites madeleines,” which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell.. I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shivver ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me.  An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with not suggestion of its origin… I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent, mortal. Whence could it have come to me, this all powerful joy? I sensed that it was connected with the taste of the tea and the cake, but that it infinitely transcended those savours, could, no, indeed, be of the same nature.

No wonder everyone wants to  be transformed by a madeleine with tea.

None of the group writes as well as Proust, but I thought we might get some inspiration with a fresh madeleine.

Madeleine pans
Shell mold
Heavily buttered molds
Lemon zest
Mis en place
Eggs, sugar, and lemon zest
Egg mixture being heated in a simmering water bath
Out of the oven
A single madeleine
Cooling
Tea and madeleine a la Proust

RECIPE

Madeleines

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • ½ cup sugar
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour placed in a flour sifter
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter. melted
  • 4 tablespoons soft butter to coat lining of baking forms
  • confectioner’s sugar (optional)

Method

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest. Set the bowl in a pan of simmering water. Be sure the level of the water is above the level of the egg mixture. (See my post on seven-minute frosting.) Using an instant-read thermometer, beat on low speed with an electric mixer until the temperature is 130 – 140° F. If it is too cool, the batter will not come together. If it is too hot, the eggs may scramble and you will have to start again.
  2. Remove the bowl from the water bath. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is tripled in volume and is light and fluffy – about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
  4. Sift half of the flour over the egg mixture and fold in with a spoon or spatula. Pour in the melted butter, and sift in the remaining flour, folding in gently until the batter is smooth.
  5. Spoon the batter by generous tablespoons into madeleine molds that have been greased generously with the remaining butter. There should be enough batter for 24 regular-sized molds.
  6. Bake for 12 minutes in the middle of an oven that has been pre-heated to 400°F. The edges of the cookies should be golden and lift easily from the molds. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. The cookies should be served within a few hours or wrapped and frozen. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar if desired.

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April 18, 2013 · 4:10 pm

HAM, POTATO, AND ONION GRATIN – CLEARING OUT THE FREEZER, PART THREE

In my quest to get to the bottom of our freezer, I found a plastic bag containing four thick ham slices separated by waxed paper. I managed to break one of them free and decided to make a gratin of potatoes, onions, and ham. One of our family favorites is Julia Child’s râpée morv andelle (Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volume 1, page 153). In that recipe, though, you are supposed to grate the potatoes and finely dice the ham. The ham steak from the freezer seemed too big and thick to suffer the indignity of fine dicing.

I was reminded of a wonderful dish that a Swedish friend of ours always prepared for her Christmas smörgåsbord: Jansson’s frestelse (Jansson’s Temptation). Potatoes and anchovy filets were arranged in alternating rows and then topped with onions, cheese, cream, and eggs. The casserole was baked until the mixture was puffed and golden.  I decided to try that same thing, substituting thinly sliced potato for the grated potatoes and ham cut into bâtonett instead of dice. Scallions would serve as the onion representative.

RECIPE

Ham, Potato, and Onion Gratin

Ingredients

  • 1 medium russet potato, unpeeled
  • 1 ham steak, ½ inch thick and about 8 ounces
  • 3 scallions including green tops, cut into ¼ inch rings
  • 4 ounces Swiss (Emmental) cheese, grated
  • 3 extra-large eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • nutmeg
  • salt
  • pepper

Method

  1. Using a mandoline, slice the unpeeled potato crosswise into 1/16 inch thick rounds. Soak in water until ready to assemble the casserole.
  2. Remove any fat and bone from the ham steak and cut into strips ½ inch x ½ inch x 2 inches. Set aside until ready to assemble the casserole.
  3. Combine the beaten eggs with the cream and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
  4. In a well-greased 8 x 8 x 2 inch ovenproof glass pan, arrange an overlapping row of potato slices that have been drained and patted dry.
  5. Next to the row of potatoes, arrange a row of the ham slices. Then begin a second row of potatoes, another row of ham pieces, and finish with another row of potato slices.
  6. Sprinkle the top with half of the cut-up scallions, half of the grated cheese, and cover with half of the egg and cream mixture.
  7. Make a second layer of alternating potato and ham slices, using all of both. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and grated cheese.  Cover with the remaining egg and cream mixture
  8. Bake in the middle of a pre-heated oven at 350° (175°C) for 1 hour and 15 minutes. If the top becomes too brown, cover with aluminum foil.
  9. When the casserole is golden brown and the potatoes are tender (test with a small knife), remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes to set up a bit, and serve immediately while still warm.
First layer of alternating rows of thin potato slices and ham, topped with onions and Swiss cheese
Shreds of cheese and ham pieces
Alternating rows of potato and ham
Cheesy topping
Baked
Ham and potato gratin served with a side of coleslaw

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August 9, 2012 · 4:39 pm

SALADE NIÇOISE

Another classic composed salad for summer, this version has its origins in Volume I of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and friends.

Instead of pasta, rice, or quinoa serving as the base, French-style potato salad pulls everything together. Haricots verts, hard-boiled eggs,  ripe tomatoes, black olives, and canned tuna are essential. If you can find good-quality Spanish anchovies, they should also be included, but beyond that you are limited only by your imagination.

Salade Niçoise can be served chilled or at room temperature, but it goes without saying that it needs a chilled white wine and crusty French bread to be a complete summer meal.

RECIPES

French Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 medium russet potatoes
  • 3 quarts boiling salted water
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • ¾ cup vinaigrette
  • 6 scallions, cleaned and cut into ¼ inch slices, including the green tops
  • handful parsley leaves, chopped finely

Method

  • Add the unpeeled potatoes to the boiling water. Return to the boil and cook until the potatoes are done and can be pierced easily with a sharp fork, about 30 minutes.
  • Drain the potatoes and cool until they can be handled. Peel by pulling the potato skin off with a sharp paring knife.
  • Slice the potatoes into ¼ inch thick rounds, return to the dry pot, and pour in the wine. Stir gently until the wine is completely absorbed.
  • Add the vinaigrette, scallions, and parsley and stir gently until well combined, being careful not to break up the potatoes too much. Chill until ready to compose the salad.

Salade Niçoise

Ingredients

  • ¼ pound haricot verts, trimmed and blanched (good green beans if haricot verts unavailable)
  • 12 very thin stalks asparagus, trimmed and blanched
  • ½ cup vinaigrette
  • 1 small head, butter lettuce, washed and the leaves separated
  • 1 batch French potato salad (see above)
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 5 ounce can best quality solid albacore tuna in water, drained
  • 14 ounce can black olives, drained
  • Spanish anchovies (optional)

Method

  • Arrange the lettuce leaves in a large salad bowl
  • Heap the potato salad in the middle of the bowl
  • Dress  the beans and asparagus lightly with vinaigrette and then arrange them across the top of the potato salad
  • Sprinkle the olives over the top of the potato salad and arrange the tomatoes and eggs around the edge.
  • Arrange the tuna, flaked gently with a fork, in the middle of the salad.
  • Serve immediately. This will serve two, perhaps with some leftovers.

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April 5, 2012 · 12:53 pm

ONION SOUP WITH GARLIC CROUTONS AND MELTED CHEESE

Yellow onions

Who doesn’t like onion soup? My older daughter for one. She actually doesn’t like anything with onions. I can’t understand her taste, because for me a well-made bowl of onion soup topped with a crisp round of garlic crouton and melted Gruyère cheese approaches the perfect simple evening meal. The problem is that there is many a bowl of not-well-made soup. The dehydrated variety doesn’t even really qualify as soup, and the canned sort is not much better. Sometimes you see a version of onion soup in the steam table on a buffet line. That, too, is usually not very appealing. And all of this is too bad because the real thing is so easy to make.

Thinly-sliced onions

Julia Child showed Americans how to make a good soup, along with a lot of her other revelations on good cooking. From time to time we still watch Julia making soup on a black-and-white DVD of her early shows I got as a gift from my children many years ago. I also check out her classic recipe in our tattered, disintegrating copy of Volume One of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” (pages 43-45). As is always the case, Julia took no shortcuts, and her instructions can sometimes appear daunting.  Those may be the reasons that onion soup is not a mainstay of most kitchens. Another reason may be that the soup is viewed by  modern cooks as a bit old-fashioned. I say too bad to that! The final reason may be that many, like my daughter, don’t like onions. That remains a mystery to me.

Caramelized onions

The version  that follows is a riff on Julia Child’s recipe, but I have tried to simplify preparation a bit so that you can whip up soup in the afternoon for dinner in the evening. Add some crusty French bread and fresh butter along with a bottle of chilled dry white wine, and you have everything you need for a relaxing evening at home.

Soup at the simmer

RECIPE

Ingredients  

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 medium yellow onions, slice as thinly as possible (use a mandoline)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablesoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 Cups beef stock (home-made or packaged)
  • ½ Cup dry, white vermouth
  • pepper to taste
  • 4 half-inch slices of French baguette
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half crosswise
  • 2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated coarsely

Ready to pop under the broiler

Preparation

  1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan with lid. Add the onions and salt. Stir and cover to sweat the onions. Be careful not to let them burn.
  2. When the onions are translucent and soft, remove the lid, turn up the heat to medium-high, and stir in the sugar.
  3. Stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, caramelize the onions until they are golden brown. They will not begin to brown until most of the liquid has boiled off. Be very careful not to let the onions burn.
  4. When you are satisfied with the color of the onions,  add the flour, stirring until the onions are completely coated. Cook a few minutes so that the flou loses its raw taste.
  5. Add the beef stock and vermouth; adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover and turn the heat to simmer so that the mixture just barely bubbles every few seconds. Simmer for at least two hours.
  6. While the soup is simmering, prepare the croutons by placing the baguette slices on a sheet pan in an oven preheated to 200°. Bake until the bread has dried out a bit. Then remove from the oven and scrape the cut garlic over both sides of the bread slices. Return to the oven and continue to bake until the bread has completely dried and turned a light brown color. Remove from the oven, cool the croutons,  and set aside.
  7. When your soup has simmered long enough, ladle it into four oven-proof soup bowls. Top each bowl with a garlic crouton and cover with the grated cheese.
  8. Place the bowls on a sheet pan and slide under a pre-heated broiler for just a few minutes until the cheese is melted and – if you prefer – lightly browned.
  9. Serve immediately.

Is it soup yet? Definitely!

Serves two if you’re really hungry or four if you would rather enjoy the wine.

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