Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 Read online

  (*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE

  If you are not serving immediately, return pork and sauce to casserole. Cover loosely and set in turned-off hot oven with door ajar. The meat will stay warm for a good half hour.

  VARIATIONS: SAUCES

  Any of the following sauces may be prepared while the pork is roasting, then simmered for a moment to blend with the degreased juices in the casserole.

  Sauce Diable, peppery brown sauce

  Sauce Piquante, spicy brown sauce with pickles and capers

  Sauce Robert, brown mustard sauce

  Sauce Poivrade, peppery brown sauce with vinegar and wine for use especially if the pork has been marinated in wine, this page

  Sauce Tomate, a good tomato sauce

  Sauce Moutarde à la Normande

  [Mustard Sauce with Cream]

  For about 2 cups

  After the pork has been cooked and placed on a platter, keep it warm for 10 to 15 minutes while preparing the sauce.

  Strain the meat juices into a bowl and degrease them.

  ⅓ cup cider vinegar

  10 crushed peppercorns

  Pour the vinegar and peppercorns into the casserole and boil until the vinegar has reduced to about a tablespoon. Pour in the meat juices and boil them down rapidly until they have reduced to about ⅔ cup.

  1½ cups whipping cream

  Salt

  2 tsp dry mustard mixed with 2 tsp water

  Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring in salt to taste. Beat in the mustard mixture and simmer 2 or 3 minutes more. Sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. Correct seasoning.

  1 to 2 Tb softened butter

  A warm gravy boat

  Off heat and just before serving, swirl in the butter by bits, then pour the sauce into a warm gravy boat.

  VARIATIONS

  Rôti de Porc Grand’ Mère

  [Casserole-roasted Pork with Potatoes and Onions]

  Onions and potatoes absorb a distinctive flavor when they cook with pork in this manner.

  For 6 people

  A 3-lb. boneless roast of pork previously marinated in salt for several hours, if you wish

  Roast the pork in a covered casserole with seasonings as described in the master recipe, but omit the vegetables. After 1 hour, add potatoes and onions which have been prepared as follows:

  12 to 18 peeled white onions 1 to 1½ inches in diameter

  Pierce a cross in the root end of the onions, and boil them for 5 minutes in salted water. Drain.

  12 to 18 small new potatoes or “boiling” potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½ inch ovals

  A skillet

  2 Tb rendered pork fat or cooking oil

  Salt and pepper

  Drop the potatoes into a pan of boiling salted water. Bring to the boil and boil ½ minute. Drain. Just before adding the potatoes to the casserole, roll them for 1 to 2 minutes in hot fat in skillet to brown very lightly. Season with salt and pepper.

  After the pork has cooked for an hour, arrange the potatoes and onions around it and baste them with the juices in the casserole. Cover the casserole and return it to the oven until the meat is done, basting the vegetables once or twice.

  A hot platter

  1 to 2 Tb chopped parsley

  Remove the pork to a hot platter and arrange the vegetables around it. Decorate with chopped parsley. Degrease the meat juices and either pour them over the vegetables, or into a hot gravy boat.

  Rôti de Porc aux Navets

  [Casserole-roasted Pork with Turnips]

  Turnips are wonderful when cooked in pork juices. Use the same general system described for the onions and potatoes in the preceding recipe. Peel and quarter the turnips; allow 4 to 6 pieces per person. Drop them in boiling water and boil 2 minutes. Drain. Add them to the casserole for the last hour of cooking.

  Rôti de Porc aux Choux

  [Casserole-roasted Pork with Cabbage]

  This is a great dish for lovers of cabbage. Serve it with boiled potatoes and a dry Alsatian wine, or beer.

  For 6 people

  A 3-lb. boneless roast of pork previously marinated for several hours in salt, if you wish

  Roast the pork in a covered casserole with carrots, onions, and seasonings as described in the master recipe. After an hour, add the cabbage which has been prepared as follows:

  1 lb. (about 6 cups) green or white cabbage cut into ½-inch slices

  A kettle containing 7 to 8 quarts of rapidly boiling water with 1½ tsp salt per quart of water

  Drop the cabbage into the boiling water. Bring rapidly to the boil and boil uncovered for 2 minutes. Immediately drain in a colander, and run cold water over the cabbage for a minute or two. Drain thoroughly and set aside.

  ½ tsp salt

  ⅛ tsp pepper

  Optional: ½ tsp caraway seeds

  After the pork has cooked for an hour, arrange the cabbage around it. Fluff salt, pepper, and the optional caraway seeds into the cabbage, and baste it with the juices in the casserole. Cover the casserole, bring to the simmer, and return it to the oven until the pork is done. Baste the cabbage several times with the meat juices during this period.

  A hot platter

  Salt and pepper

  Parsley sprigs

  Then remove the pork to a hot platter. Lift the cabbage out of the casserole with a fork and spoon so it will drain, and arrange it around the meat. Season it with salt and pepper if necessary. Degrease the juices in the casserole and pour them over the cabbage. Decorate with sprigs of fresh parsley.

  PORC BRAISÉ AUX CHOUX ROUGES

  [Pork Braised with Red Cabbage]

  A good dish of red cabbage is even better when a roast of pork is cooked with it. The casserole of cabbage cooks for 3 hours before the pork goes into it, and needs 2 hours more in the oven until the pork is done.

  For 6 people

  Ingredients for the braised red cabbage (omit the chestnuts if you wish, but they are a good accompaniment)

  Braise the cabbage for 3 hours in a 325-degree oven, following the directions in the recipe.

  A 3-lb. boneless roast of pork, previously marinated for several hours in salt, if possible

  Brown the pork in hot fat in a skillet. After the cabbage has cooked for 3 hours, place the pork in the casserole with the cabbage. Cover the casserole and return it to the oven to braise for two hours more or until the pork is done.

  A hot platter Salt and pepper

  Then place the pork on a platter, drain the cabbage and arrange it around the pork. Correct seasoning. Degrease and season the cooking juices, and pour them over the cabbage.

  VARIATION

  Porc Braisé avec Choucroute

  [Pork Braised with Sauerkraut]

  Use exactly the same method as for red cabbage but substitute sauerkraut. After the sauerkraut has braised for 3 hours, brown the pork, add it to the casserole, and cook for another 2 hours or until the pork is done.

  PORC SYLVIE

  [Pork Stuffed with Cheese]

  A loin of pork is cut lengthwise from the top almost to the bottom to make 3 or 4 long leaves or slices so the roast may be opened up like a book. It is marinated for several hours, then stuffed with slices of Swiss cheese and cooked in a covered casserole. Follow the recipe for veau Sylvie, but use one of the pork marinades and omit the slices of ham.

  PORK CHOPS AND STEAKS

  Côtes de Porc

  Pork chops and steaks are best, we think, when they are cut thick, browned on each side, then cooked in a covered casserole or skillet like the preceding casserole roasts of pork.

  Have the chops or steak cut between 1 to 1¼ inches thick, and ask that the backbone corners of chops be leveled or removed so the meat will lie perfectly flat on either side. All but a thin layer of fat should be trimmed off. The best chops are from the center loin or the rib loin. Second choices are the loin end or rump, shoulder loin chops, and blade and round-bone chops from the shoulder. Steaks are usually cut from the picnic shoulder or sh
oulder arm, or from the fresh ham.

  Usually 1 thick chop per person is sufficient. For steaks, count on 1 pound for 2 or 3 people. As steaks or chops are interchangeable in these recipes, we will call everything chops.

  VEGETABLE AND WINE SUGGESTIONS

  These are the same as the suggestions for roast pork.

  CÔTES DE PORC POÊLÉES

  [Casserole-sautéed Pork Chops]

  Three or four chops or one or two steaks may be cooked in a covered skillet on top of the stove. For a larger quantity oven-cooking in a covered casserole is easier.

  For 6 people

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

  6 pork chops cut 1 inch thick and previously marinated for several hours, if you wish, in salt, lemon juice, or wine

  3 to 4 Tb rendered pork fat, lard, or cooking oil

  A heavy, 10- to 12-inch fireproof casserole

  Dry the pork chops on paper towels. Heat the fat or oil in the casserole until it is moderately hot, then brown the chops, 2 or 3 at a time, on each side for 3 to 4 minutes. As they are browned, transfer them to a side dish.

  If the chops have not been marinated, season them with salt, pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of thyme or sage.

  2 Tb butter

  Optional: 2 halved cloves garlic

  Pour the fat out of the casserole and add the butter and optional garlic. Return the chops, overlapping them slightly. Baste them with the butter. Cover and heat the casserole until the meat is sizzling, then set in lower third of preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Turn and baste the chops once or twice. They are done when the meat juices run a clear yellow with no trace of rose. Make a deep cut next to the bone if you have any doubts.

  A hot platter

  ½ cup dry white wine, dry white vermouth, brown stock, canned beef bouillon, or marinade liquid

  Arrange the chops on a hot platter with whatever vegetable garnish you have chosen. The chops will have rendered about ½ cup of juices during their cooking; remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from them. Pour in the ½ cup of liquid and boil rapidly, scraping up all coagulated cooking juices, until you have about ½ cup of concentrated sauce. Taste for seasoning, and pour it over the chops.

  (*) AHEAD-OF-TIME-NOTE

  If the chops are not to be served immediately, return them to the casserole, baste them with the sauce, cover loosely, and keep warm in turned-off oven for 20 minutes or so.

  VARIATIONS: SAUCES

  Any of the sauces suggested for roast pork may also be used for pork chops. Here is another suggestion:

  Côtes de Porc Sauce Nénette

  [Pork Chops with Mustard, Cream, and Tomato Sauce]

  While the pork chops are cooking according to directions in the master recipe, prepare the following:

  1½ cups whipping cream

  ¼ tsp salt

  Pinch of pepper

  Simmer the cream, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it has reduced to 1 cup.

  1 Tb dry English mustard

  2 Tb tomato paste

  Beat the mustard and tomato paste together in a small bowl, then beat in the hot cream. Set aside.

  2 Tb fresh chopped basil, chervil, or parsley

  After removing the chops from the casserole and de-greasing the meat juices, pour in the cream mixture and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Correct seasoning, stir in the herbs, and pour the sauce over the chops.

  VARIATIONS

  Côtes de Porc Robert

  Côtes de Porc Charcutière

  [Pork Chops Braised in Fresh Tomato Sauce]

  Include sautéed potatoes and a chilled rosé wine on the menu with this good dish of pork chops. If you stir chopped pickles and capers into the sauce just before serving the chops, they become côtes de porc charcutière.

  For 6 people

  6 pork chops cut 1 inch thick and previously marinated for several hours, if you wish, according to one of the formulas on this page

  A heavy, 10- to 12-inch fireproof casserole

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brown the chops in hot fat in the casserole as described in the master recipe, and set them aside.

  2 Tb butter

  1 cup minced yellow onions

  1 Tb flour

  11 lb. ripe tomatoes peeled, seeded, and chopped (1½ cups)

  ½ tsp salt

  ⅛ tsp pepper

  ¼ tsp sage or thyme

  1 large clove mashed garlic

  Pour out the browning fat, add the butter and onions, cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes. Mix in the flour and stir over low heat for 2 minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes and other flavorings. Cover and cook slowly for 5 minutes.

  1 cup dry white wine or ⅔ cup dry vermouth (include marinade liquid, if any)

  ½ cup brown stock or canned beef bouillon

  1 to 2 Tb tomato paste

  Stir in the wine and stock or bouillon and simmer for 10 minutes. Correct seasoning and stir in enough tomato paste to deepen the flavor and color of the sauce.

  If the chops have not been marinated, season them with salt and pepper. Arrange them, slightly overlapping, in the casserole and baste them with the tomato sauce.

  (*) May be done in advance to this point.

  Cover the casserole and bring to the simmer on top of the stove, then set it in the lower third of the preheated oven. Regulate oven temperature so casserole simmers slowly and regularly for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chops are done.

  A hot platter

  1 to 2 Tb fresh chopped basil or parsley

  Arrange the chops on a serving platter. Degrease the sauce and if necessary boil it down rapidly until it is lightly thickened. Correct seasoning and pour it over the chops. Sprinkle with herbs and serve.

  VARIATIONS: VEGETABLE SUGGESTIONS

  Browned pork chops may also finish their cooking for half an hour or so in a casserole of braised red cabbage, or braised sauerkraut. Or you can add blanched onions, carrots, new potatoes, or turnips to the casserole with the browned chops so the meat and vegetables finish their cooking in the oven together.

  PORK STEWS

  Ragoûts de Porc

  The following recipes for beef stew are also very good with pork rather than beef. Use boneless pork cuts which contain a mixture of fat and lean, such as shoulder loin chops, loin-end chops, or shoulder (Boston) butt. Cooking time is 2 to 2½ hours rather than the 3½ hours required for beef.

  Boeuf à la Catalane, stew with rice, onions, and tomatoes

  Daube de Boeuf, casserole with wine and vegetables

  Daube de Boeuf à la Provençale, casserole with wine, vegetables, anchovies, and garlic

  HAM

  Jambon

  Ham is a fine dish for large parties, but a parade of plain boiled or baked hams can become woefully monotonous especially around Christmas and Easter. Here are a handful of French recipes which will lift any ham into la grande classe.

  VEGETABLE SUGGESTIONS

  Classic accompaniment

  Spinach braised with cream or with stock

  Other vegetables

  Braised celery, celeriac, or lettuce

  Braised chestnuts, pureéd chestnuts

  Braised onions, or leeks

  Mashed potatoes

  Fruits

  The French do not go in much for fruits and ham, but if you like them, see the prunes in wine in the Goose section, and the fruits suggested for duck on this page.

  WINE SUGGESTIONS

  The best choice is a not-too-heavy red wine such as Bordeaux-Médoc, or a Beaujolais, Mâcon, or Chinon.

  TYPE OF HAM TO BUY

  All of the recipes in this section call for cooked, mild-cured ham. In the recipes for whole braised ham, we have specified 8 to 10 pounds; a pound or two more will make little difference except in the braising time. You may buy whole ham, which always looks more festive, or half a ham, or a picnic or boned shoulder butt. We have allowed about 1 pound of bone-in ham for 2 people. If the ham has been boned, 1 pound should serve 3 and possibly 4 people
. When you buy ham, have the skin or rind removed, and cut off all but a ⅛-inch layer of covering fat. Hams labeled “fully cooked” usually require reheating to an internal temperature of between 130 and 140 degrees. But you should test the meat anyway, to see if a fork will pierce it fairly easily; if not, continue cooking until the ham is tender.

  JAMBON BRAISÉ MORVANDELLE

  [Ham Braised in Wine—Cream and Mushroom Sauce]

  Ham heated in a covered roaster with aromatic vegetables, herbs, stock, and wine absorbs these different flavors, and the braising liquid is easily transformed into a good sauce.