French Classics Made Easy (69 page)

Depending on the amount of meat to be marinated, you can easily increase the quantities shown below.

MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS/ENOUGH FOR ABOUT 5 POUNDS OF MEAT

1 small onion, halved and sliced

1 carrot, sliced

2 shallots, sliced

1 rib celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 sprigs parsley

3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried leaves

1 small sprig fresh rosemary or ¼ teaspoon dried

1 bay leaf, crumbled

8 juniper berries, crushed

5 peppercorns, crushed, or ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 whole clove or whole allspice berry

1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine

½ cup white (distilled) vinegar

½ cup vegetable oil

1.
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl or deep roasting pan and place the meat you are using in it. The meat should be at least half covered by the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 days. Turn the meat in the marinade twice a day.

2.
When you are ready to cook the meat, drain the marinade (see Note), and dry the meat before browning.

NOTE

If you are making any of the game sauces (see facing page), reserve the marinade and the vegetables.

IN ADDITION

If you are fortunate enough to have game, marinate it for several days and then either braise it, using a little of the marinade together with some game stock as the braising liquid, or make
ragoût
(stew) using the same combination of liquids.

TOMATO SAUCE

[SAUCE TOMATE]

This simple, chunky tomato sauce can be used with pasta, veal, chicken, or fish. When your tomatoes are not as ripe or as red as you may wish them to be, add 2 teaspoons of tomato paste or ½ cup tomato purée to improve both the color and flavor of the sauce (or use canned tomatoes). A variation can be made by using a blender or processor to purée the cooked sauce to make it smooth.

MAKES 2 CUPS TO SERVE 6

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped, and drained, or 3 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes.

2.
Add the garlic and the tomatoes, increase the heat to high, and cook the sauce until most of the moisture has evaporated, leaving a medium-thick sauce, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper. (The recipe can be prepared ahead to this point 1 to 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Bring back to a boil before proceeding.)

3.
Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the basil. Use at once.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

[SAUCE HOLLANDAISE]

This classic hollandaise sauce, an emulsion of egg yolks and butter flavored with lemon, is a perfect match for fish. The sauce is also used with poached eggs and with vegetables. For eggs I omit the lemon juice completely, and I use only a touch of lemon when serving with vegetables. I like to vary the sauce by adding chopped fresh chives when available.

The sauce is most often made in a double boiler. This technique is tedious and the resulting sauce is quite heavy. When made with the following technique, hollandaise is much lighter and quick to prepare. It will help if you have a small, heavy saucepan that conducts heat well, preferably one with a core of either aluminum or copper. Also important is a good 8-inch wire whisk with several layers of wire loops.

Once made, the sauce can be kept warm in a water bath (
bain-marie
) for 15 to 20 minutes while you put the finishing touches on the meal. The water in the water bath should never be hotter than warm to the touch. If the water gets too hot, the sauce will curdle.

MAKES 1¼ CUPS TO SERVE 8 TO 10

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons water

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) butter, melted

¼ teaspoon salt

A few drops of lemon juice, or more to taste

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, to taste (optional)

1.
In a small, heavy saucepan, whisk the egg yolks and water together over medium heat until thick and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. As soon as the sauce thickens enough so you can see the bottom of the pan while whisking, remove it from the heat. (Too much heat at this point can cause the yolks to set and look like scrambled eggs. If this happens, start again.) Continue whisking the mixture off the heat for several seconds. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to your whisk.

2.
Allow the pan to cool for a minute before slowly adding the melted butter, which should be no hotter than the egg yolks. Whisk constantly while adding the butter, a little at a time, as you would for a mayonnaise. Add the salt and lightly flavor with lemon juice. Stir in the chopped chives (if using) and keep warm in a water bath (
bain-marie
) for 15 to 20 minutes.

IN ADDITION

Most classic recipes for hollandaise call for the butter to be clarified. To clarify butter, it must be heated sufficiently to separate the milk solids from the fat, yielding clear butter. When this is done, the sweet, fresh taste of butter is destroyed. For this reason, I am careful to just melt the butter, and often remove my pan from the heat before the butter is completely melted.

R
EPAIRING A
C
URDLED
H
OLLANDAISE

Should your sauce curdle, try one of the following:

Place a fresh egg yolk in a clean bowl and slowly whisk in the curdled sauce a little at a time, making sure the sauce is smooth before adding more curdled sauce.

Put 1 to 2 teaspoons of cold water in a clean bowl and slowly whisk in the curdled sauce a little at a time, making sure the sauce is smooth before adding more curdled sauce.

In both cases, the sauce should return to its emulsified state provided the egg yolk has not set. If that is the case, strain the sauce and serve the flavored butter.

BEARNAISE SAUCE

[SAUCE BÉARNAISE]

A béarnaise sauce is essentially a hollandaise sauce made with a reduction of tarragon, chervil, shallots, pepper, wine, and vinegar instead of lemon juice. Its delicious blend of flavors makes it one of France’s most popular sauces. Although usually served with grilled steak, it is also ideal with other grilled meats, fish, and poultry.

Classically, the shallots are first sautéed to soften, and only vinegar is used in the reduction. I do not sauté the shallots, creating a slightly stronger flavor, which I find most people enjoy. Adding white wine to the vinegar reduction rounds out the flavor.

Leftover béarnaise is excellent on sandwiches made with leftover roasts, and I often serve the sauce at room temperature with cold, sliced fillet of beef.

MAKES 1½ CUPS TO SERVE 8 TO 12

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or crushed dried tarragon

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chervil or crushed dried chervil

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar or white (distilled) vinegar

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 tablespoons water

2 egg yolks

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) butter, melted

¼ teaspoon salt

1.
Place the shallots, tarragon, chervil, pepper, vinegar, and wine in a small saucepan. Over high heat, reduce until only 1 teaspoon of liquid remains, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. (This can be done several hours in advance.)

2.
Add the water and egg yolks and whisk constantly, over medium heat, until thick and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. As soon as the sauce thickens enough so you can see the bottom of the pan while whisking, remove it from the heat. (Too much heat at this point can cause the yolks to set and look like scrambled eggs. If this happens, start again.) Continue whisking the mixture off the heat for several seconds. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to your whisk.

3.
Allow the pan to cool for a minute before slowly adding the melted butter, which should be no hotter than the egg yolks. Whisk constantly while adding the butter, a little at a time, as you would for a mayonnaise. Add the salt. The sauce should taste of tarragon and have a slight bite from the vinegar and a hint of salt. If necessary, add 1 to 3 drops of vinegar, additional tarragon, and a sprinkle of salt. Keep warm in a water bath (
bain-marie
) for 15 to 20 minutes.

U
SING A
W
ATER
B
ATH

It is often necessary to keep things warm at temperatures well below the boiling point, and a water bath (
bain-marie
) is ideal for this purpose. The temperature of the pan is kept below boiling by placing it in another pan containing water (this second pan is the water bath). Even if the water in the water bath boils, the contents of the pan will not. (A double boiler works similarly to a water bath.)