Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 Read online

  The following recipe makes no attempt to cut corners, for the concoction of a good cassoulet is a fairly long process. You can prepare it in one day, but two or even three days of leisurely on-and-off cooking are much easier. It calls for a roast loin of pork, shoulder of lamb braised in wine, homemade sausage cakes, and beans cooked with pork rind, fresh bacon or salt pork, and aromatic vegetables. The meats are cut into serving pieces and arranged in a casserole with the beans and various cooking juices. Then the dish is baked in the oven for an hour to blend flavors. Time could be saved if the lamb were roasted whole or if leftover roast were used, but flavor would be lost, and there would be no splendid braising liquid to give character to the cassoulet. Polish sausage could cook with the beans, replacing the homemade sausage cakes. But after you have made the dish once or twice, you will see that you can pretty well invent your own formula as long as you supply excellent flavor through one means or another. Suggestions for other meats are at the end of the recipe.

  MENU SUGGESTIONS

  Any cassoulet worthy of the name is not a light dish, and is probably best served as a noontime dinner. The rest of the menu should consist of a simple first course if any—a clear soup, jellied soup, or oysters—then a green salad and fruits. For wine, choose a strong, dry rosé or white, or a young, full-bodied red.

  THE BEANS

  Most French recipes specify simply “dry white beans.” A few call for white beans from certain localities in France such as Cayence, Pamiers, Mazères, Lavelanet. We have found American Great Northern beans to be entirely satisfactory, but they should not be old and stale. If you wish to pressure-cook them instead of using the open-pot method, soak them as directed in the recipe, then add all the ingredients listed and, following the directions for your cooker, bring them quickly to 15 pounds pressure. Cook for exactly 3 minutes, then allow the pressure to go down slowly by itself, 15 to 20 minutes. Let the beans stand uncovered in the cooking liquid for at least 30 minutes so they will absorb its flavor.

  A NOTE ON THE ORDER OF BATTLE

  All of the various steps leading up to the final assembly in the recipe below may be carried on at various times or almost simultaneously. Once the cas soulet is made ready for the oven, it may be refrigerated and baked a day or two later.

  CASSOULET DE PORC ET DE MOUTON

  [Beans Baked with Pork Loin, Shoulder of Mutton or Lamb, and Sausage]

  For 10 to 12 people

  The pork loin

  2½ lbs. of boned pork loin, excess fat removed (It will taste even better if marinated overnight in salt and spices.)

  Following directions roast the pork to an internal temperature of 175 to 180 degrees. Set it aside to cool. Reserve cooking juices.

  The beans

  2 lbs. or 5 cups dry white beans (Great Northern, preferably)

  An 8-quart kettle containing 5 quarts of rapidly boiling water

  Drop the beans into the boiling water. Bring rapidly back to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let the beans soak in the water for 1 hour; they will cook in the soaking water, and the cooking should proceed as soon as possible after the soaking process is completed.

  ½ lb. fresh pork rind or salt pork rind

  A heavy saucepan

  Heavy shears

  While the beans are soaking, place the rind in the saucepan and cover with 1 quart of cold water. Bring to the boil and boil 1 minute. Drain, rinse in cold water, and repeat the process. Then, with shears, cut the rind into strips ¼ inch wide; cut the strips into small triangles. Cover the rind again with a quart of cold water, bring to the simmer, and simmer very slowly for 30 minutes. Set saucepan aside. This process freshens the rind, and softens it so it will lose itself as it cooks with the beans.

  A 1-lb. chunk of fresh, unsalted, unsmoked lean bacon (or very good quality lean salt pork simmered for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water and drained)

  1 cup (4 ounces) sliced onions

  The pork rind and its cooking liquid

  A large herb bouquet, with garlic and cloves: 6 to 8 parsley sprigs, 4 unpeeled cloves garlic, 2 cloves, ½ tsp thyme, and 2 bay leaves tied in cheesecloth

  No salt until later if you have used salt pork; otherwise 1 Tb salt

  Place all the ingredients at the left in the kettle with the soaked beans. Bring to the simmer. Skim off any skum which may rise. Simmer slowly, uncovered, for about 1½ hours or until the beans are just tender. Add boiling water if necessary during cooking, to keep beans covered with liquid. Season to taste near end of cooking. Leave beans in their cooking liquid until ready to use, then drain. Reserve cooking liquid. Remove the bacon or salt pork and set aside. Discard the herb packet.

  The lamb or mutton

  2 to 2½ lbs. boned shoulder or breast of mutton or almost mature lamb, fell (skin covering meat) and excess fat removed

  4 to 6 Tb rendered fresh pork fat, pork-roast drippings, goose fat, or cooking oil; more if needed

  A heavy, 8-quart fireproof casserole

  About 1 lb. cracked mutton or lamb bones; some pork bones may be included

  2 cups (½ lb.) minced onions

  Cut the lamb or mutton into chunks roughly 2 inches square. Dry each piece in paper towels. Pour a 1/16-inch layer of fat into the casserole and heat until the fat is almost smoking. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, on all sides. Set the meat on a side dish. Brown the bones and add them to the meat. If fat has burned, discard it and add 3 tablespoons of fresh fat. Lower heat, and brown the onions lightly for about 5 minutes.

  4 cloves mashed garlic

  6 Tb fresh tomato purée, tomato paste, or 4 large tomatoes peeled, seeded, and juiced

  ½ tsp thyme

  2 bay leaves

  3 cups dry white wine or 2 cups dry white vermouth

  1 quart brown stock or 3 cups canned beef bouillon and 1 cup water

  Salt and pepper

  Return the bones and lamb or mutton to the casserole and stir in all ingredients on the left. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove, season lightly with salt. Cover and simmer slowly on top of the stove or in a 325-degree oven for 1½ hours. Then remove the meat to a dish; discard the bones and bay leaves. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat and carefully correct seasoning of cooking liquid.

  Final flavoring of beans

  Pour the cooked and drained beans into the lamb cooking juices. Stir in any juices you may have from the roast pork. Add bean cooking liquid, if necessary, so beans are covered. Bring to the simmer and simmer 5 minutes, then let the beans stand in the liquid for 10 minutes to absorb flavor. Drain the beans when you are ready for the final assembly farther on.

  Homemade sausage cakes—a substitute for Saucisse de Toulouse

  1 lb. (2 cups) lean fresh pork

  ⅓ lb. (⅔ cup) fresh pork fat

  A meat grinder

  A 3-quart mixing bowl

  A wooden spoon

  2 tsp salt

  ⅛ tsp pepper

  Big pinch allspice

  ⅛ tsp crumbled bay leaf

  ¼ cup armagnac or cognac

  A small clove mashed garlic

  Optional: 1 chopped truffle and the juice from the can

  Put the pork and fat through the medium blade of the meat grinder. Place in bowl and beat in the rest of the ingredients on the left. Sauté a small spoonful and taste for seasoning, adding more to the mixture if you feel it necessary. Form into cakes 2 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. Brown lightly over moderate heat in a skillet. Drain on paper towels.

  Final assembly

  An 8-quart fireproof casserole 5 to 6 inches high: brown earthenware glazed inside is typical, but other types of glazed pottery or enameled iron will do nicely

  2 cups dry white bread crumbs mixed with ½ cup chopped parsley

  3 to 4 Tb pork roasting fat or goose fat

  Cut the roast pork into 1½ to 2 inch serving chunks. Slice the bacon or salt pork into serving pieces ¼ inch thick. Arrange a layer of beans in the bottom of the casserole, then continue
with layers of lamb or mutton, roast pork, bacon slices, sausage cakes, and beans, ending with a layer of beans and sausage cakes. Pour on the meat cooking juices, and enough bean cooking juice so liquid comes just to the top layer of beans. Spread on the crumbs and parsley, and dribble the fat on top.

  (*) Set aside or refrigerate until you are ready to take up the final cooking of about an hour. The cassoulet should be served soon after its baking, so it will not dry out or overcook.

  Baking

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring the casserole to the simmer on top of the stove. Then set it in the upper third of the preheated oven. When the top has crusted lightly, in about 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Break the crust into the beans with the back of a spoon, and baste with the liquid in the casserole. Repeat several times, as the crust forms again, but leave a final crust intact for serving. If the liquid in the casserole becomes too thick during the baking period, add a spoonful or two of bean cooking liquid. The cassoulet should bake for about an hour; serve it from its casserole.

  VARIATIONS

  Here are some additions or substitutions for the meats in the preceding recipe.

  Preserved Goose, Confit d’Oie. This is goose, usually from the foie gras regions of France, which has been cut into wing, leg, and breast sections, poached in goose fat, and preserved in goose fat. It can usually be bought in cans from one of the food-importing stores. Use it instead of, or even in addition to, the roast pork in the recipe. Scrape the fat off the pieces of goose, and cut the goose into serving portions. Brown them lightly in some of the fat from the can. Arrange the goose in the casserole with the beans and meats for the final baking.

  Fresh Goose, Duck, Turkey, or Partridge. Roast or braise any of these, and carve into serving pieces. Use along with or instead of the roast pork in the recipe, arranging the pieces with the beans and meats in the casserole for the final baking.

  Ham Hock or Veal Shank. Simmer either of these with the beans. Cut into serving pieces before arranging in the casserole for the final baking.

  Polish Sausage. This sausage can usually be bought in any American market, and is a good substitute for such French sausages as de campagne, de ménage, à cuire, à l’ail, or de Morteau. First simmer the whole sausage for ½ hour with the beans. Then cut it into ½-inch slices and arrange in the casserole with the beans and the other meats for the final baking. Polish sausage may be used instead of or in addition to the sausage cakes in the recipe.

  SAUTÉED CALF’S LIVER

  Foie de Veau Sauté

  It is most important that calf’s liver be sautéed in very hot butter and oil, so a crust will form on the outside which will keep the juices in. Do not crowd the skillet, use two skillets if necessary, and do not use a skillet too large for your source of heat. Sautéed liver should be pink inside, its juices will run a very pale rose when the meat is pricked with a fork. Have the liver cut into even slices ⅜ inch thick, and ask that the surrounding filament be peeled off each slice; if this is left on, the liver will curl as it cooks.

  WINE AND VEGETABLE SUGGESTIONS

  Broiled tomatoes, braised spinach, or ratatouille (eggplant and tomato casserole), and sautéed potatoes go well with liver. Wine choices would be chilled rosé, or a light red such as Bordeaux or Beaujolais.

  FOIE DE VEAU SAUTÉ

  [Sautéed Calf’s Liver]

  For 6 people

  6 to 12 slices of calf’s liver ⅜ inch thick, with surrounding filament removed

  Salt and pepper

  ½ cup of sifted flour on a large plate

  Just before sautéing, season the slices with salt and pepper, roll in flour, and shake off excess flour.

  1 or 2 heavy skillets

  2 Tb butter and 1 Tb oil for each skillet

  A hot platter

  A vegetable garniture, water cress, or parsley

  Place the butter and oil in the skillet or skillets and set over high heat until you see that the butter foam has almost subsided, indicating it is hot enough. Then arrange the liver in the skillet, leaving a ¼-inch space between each slice. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, regulating heat so butter is always very hot but not burning. Turn the liver with a spatula and sauté for a minute or so on the other side. The liver is done when its juices run a very pale pink if a slice is pricked with a fork. Remove the liver to a hot platter and serve, surrounded by whatever garniture you have chosen, or decorated with water cress or sprigs of parsley.

  SAUCES TO SERVE WITH SAUTÉED LIVER

  Sauce Crème à la Moutarde

  [Cream and Mustard Sauce]

  For about 1 cup

  ½ cup brown stock or canned beef bouillon

  ¾ cup whipping cream

  As soon as the liver has been removed to a platter, pour the stock or bouillon into the skillet and boil down rapidly until it has reduced by half. Then add the cream and boil for a moment to reduce and thicken it slightly.

  1 Tb prepared mustard, mashed with 2 Tb softened butter

  Parsley sprigs

  Off heat, swirl the mustard-butter into the skillet. Pour the sauce around the liver, decorate with parsley, and serve.

  Other Sauces

  The sauces in the following list can be prepared in advance; either serve them separately, or pour them around the sautéed liver. About 1½ cups should be sufficient.

  Coulis de Tomates, fresh tomato purée with herbs

  Sauce Robert, brown sauce with mustard and onions

  Sauce Brune aux Fines Herbes, brown herb sauce

  Sauce à l’Italienne, tomato-flavored brown sauce with diced mushrooms, diced ham, and herbs

  Beurres Composés, flavored butters. These include butter creamed with mustard, with herbs, with garlic, and with wine and herbs. Spread a spoonful over each slice of sautéed liver, or cut chilled, flavored butter into pieces and pass separately.

  FOIE DE VEAU À LA MOUTARDE

  [Liver with Mustard, Herbs, and Bread Crumbs]

  This is an appealing way to prepare liver. It is sautéed very briefly to brown lightly, then painted with mustard and herbs, rolled in fresh bread crumbs, basted with melted butter, and set under a hot broiler to brown the crumbs. The preliminary sautéing and crumbing may be done several hours in advance of the final cooking, which takes about 5 minutes. For this recipe, the liver is sliced thicker, so it will not cook too quickly.

  For 6 servings

  6 slices of calf’s liver cut ½ inch thick, outside filament removed

  Salt and pepper

  ½ cup sifted flour on a large plate

  2 Tb butter

  1 Tb oil

  A heavy skillet

  Season the liver with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, and sauté for 1 minute on each side in very hot butter and oil. The slices should be very lightly browned and slightly stiffened, but not cooked through. Remove to a dish.

  3 Tb prepared mustard of the strong, Dijon type

  1 Tb finely minced shallots or green onions

  3 Tb minced parsley

  ½ clove mashed garlic

  Pinch of pepper

  3 cups fine, white, fresh bread crumbs spread on a large plate

  A greased broiling pan

  Beat the mustard in a small bowl with the shallots or onions and seasonings. Drop by drop, beat in the liver sautéing fat to make a mayonnaiselike cream. Paint the liver slices with the mixture. One by one, lay the slices in the bread crumbs and heap bread crumbs on top, gently shake off excess, and pat the adhering crumbs in place with the flat of a knife. Arrange the liver on the broiling pan.

  (*) If not to be broiled immediately, cover with waxed paper and refrigerate.

  Shortly before serving, heat broiler to very hot.

  6 Tb melted butter

  A hot platter

  Baste the liver with half the melted butter. Place so its surface is about 2 inches from the broiler heat to brown for a minute or two. Turn, baste with the remaining butter, and brown the other side quickly. Arrange on a hot platter and
serve.

  SWEETBREADS AND BRAINS

  Ris de Veau et Cervelles

  Sweetbreads and brains have much the same texture and flavor, but brains are more delicate. They both receive almost the same treatments. Both must be soaked for several hours in cold water before they are cooked, to soften the filament which covers them so that it may be removed, to dissolve their bloody patches, and to whiten them. Some authorities direct that they always be blanched before cooking—that is, poached in salted and acidulated water or a court bouillon; others do not agree. If the sweetbreads or brains are to be braised, blanching is a useless and flavor-losing step. If they are to be sliced and sautéed, blanching firms them up so they are easier to cut, but removes some of their delicacy and tenderness. Both brains and sweetbreads are perishable, and if they are not to be cooked within 24 hours, they should be soaked and blanched which will help to preserve them.

  SOAKING SWEETBREADS AND BRAINS

  Wash in cold water, then place in a bowl and soak in several changes of cold water or under a dripping tap for 1½ to 2 hours. Delicately pull off as much as you easily can of the filament which encloses them, without tearing the flesh. This is a rather slow process. Soak them again for 1½ to 2 hours, this time in several changes of cold water containing 1 tablespoon of vinegar per quart. Peel off as much more filament as you can, and they are ready for trimming and cooking.