French Classics Made Easy (18 page)

1 egg, beaten

ANCHOVY BUTTER

10 tablespoons (1 stick; 4 ounces) butter, softened to room temperature

10 anchovy fillets, finely chopped Juice of ½ lemon

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack set in the lower third of the oven. Lightly butter a 17 x 14-inch baking sheet.

2.
Roll the pastry into a rectangle ⅛ inch or less thick, and large enough to cover the baking sheet. Sprinkle the baking sheet with water. Lift the pastry onto a rolling pin and unroll it onto the baking sheet, pressing down gently. Trim the edges of the pastry even with the edges of the baking sheet. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

3.
Cut the chilled pastry into strips 3½ inches long and 1 inch wide, for a total of 64. The pastry can be made ahead to this point. Refrigerate or freeze on the baking sheet. Bake without defrosting, adding 1 minute to the cooking time.

4.
Bake the pastry strips for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and browned evenly. Transfer to a rack, but while still warm, split the strips in half horizontally. (The strips can be baked in advance and reheated in a 350°F oven for 3 minutes before serving.)

5.
Make the Anchovy Butter: Cream the butter with a whisk. Add the minced anchovy fillets, lemon juice, mustard, and pepper and blend well.

6.
Spread the bottoms of the pastry strips evenly with the anchovy butter, replace the tops, and serve lukewarm.

VARIATION

P
UFF
P
ASTRY WITH
G
RUYERE

[FEUILLETÉS AU FROMAGE]

Omit the Anchovy Butter. In step 2, after brushing with the egg, sprinkle the top of the pastry with an even layer of grated Gruyère cheese (about ½ cup). Cut into strips, bake as directed, and serve warm.

PUFF-PASTRY SHELLS
FILLED WITH
S
EAFOOD IN
W
HITE
W
INE
S
AUCE

[BOUCHÉES DE FRUITS DE MER]

Bouchées are puff-pastry shells that can be filled with seafood, chicken, or sweetbreads along with a sauce and served as a first or main course. The shells can also be filled with fruit and served as dessert: For example, use the bouchées in place of the square-cut puff -pastry case in Strawberry-Topped Puff Pastry Tartlets (
page 232
).

Seafood tossed in a rich white wine sauce and served in warm, flaky puff-pastry shells makes a delicious and elegant first course, especially if served with Champagne. (The seafood sauce served over rice also makes a great main course.)

SERVES 8

Butter, for baking sheet and skillet

½ recipe Rough Puff Pastry (
page 230
) or 1 pound store-bought puff pastry

1 egg, beaten, plus

3 egg yolks

3 medium shallots, finely chopped

½ pound mushrooms, sliced

1 pound sea scallops, tendons removed

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined About

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack set in the middle position. Lightly butter a large baking sheet.

2.
Roll out the pastry about ⅛ inch thick. Cut out 16 rounds and cut out the centers of 8 of the rounds (see “Making Bouchées,” facing page).

3.
Sprinkle the baking sheet with water. Place the solid rounds on the baking sheet. Brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg. Place a pastry ring on the top of each round and press together gently. Brush the surface lightly with the beaten egg. Prick the center several times with the point of a knife. (The bouchées can be made ahead up to this point. Refrigerate or freeze. Bake without defrosting, adding about 1 minute to the baking time.)

4.
Bake until the pastry has risen and colored evenly to a golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. With a sharp paring knife, following the inside edge of the rim, cut out the pastry in the center, going down about ½ inch. Gently lift this piece out with the tip of the knife and set aside to use as a lid. With your fingers, pull out the remaining excess pastry in the center, leaving a well to be filled. (These pastry shells can be baked in advance and reheated in a 350°F oven for 3 minutes before serving.)

5.
Lightly butter a 12-inch skillet and sprinkle with the chopped shallots. Add the mushrooms, scallops, and shrimp to the pan in that order. Pour in enough white wine to cover the seafood halfway. Cut a piece of waxed paper to fit over the surface of the seafood, and cover the pan with a lid.

6.
Place the pan over low heat and bring slowly to a simmer, 10 to 15 minutes. When the seafood begins to simmer, it should be done. Check to make sure the seafood has turned opaque. If not, simmer an additional minute, but do not overcook.

7.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the seafood and mushrooms to a bowl and keep warm. Reduce the liquid over high heat until about ½ cup remains, and pour it into a small saucepan.

8.
Add the egg yolks to the reduced poaching liquid in the saucepan and whisk over medium-high heat until thick and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and immediately beat in 1 tablespoon of the butter. Remove from the heat and add the second tablespoon of butter. Season with the salt and pepper.

9.
Pour off and discard any liquid that may have accumulated in the bowl with the seafood. Toss the seafood with the sauce and fill the warm pastry shells, allowing some of the seafood and sauce to overflow onto the plates. Serve immediately.

M
AKING
B
OUCHEES

To make pastry shells (bouchées), you will need two round pastry cutters: one 3½ or 4 inches in diameter, fluted if possible; the other 2 to 2½ inches in diameter and plain. Cut out rounds of pastry with the larger (fluted) cutter, and then use the smaller (plain) cutter to cut out the centers of half of the rounds to form rings. (Use the centers for another purpose.) The rings are placed on top of the solid rounds to form a border.

VARIATION

P
UFF
P
ASTRY
S
HELLS A LA
N
ORMANDE

[BOUCHÉES À LA NORMANDE]

Omit the scallops. In a large saucepan steam 16 scrubbed oysters and 16 scrubbed and debearded mussels in the cup of dry white wine over high heat until the shells open, about 5 minutes. Strain the cooking liquid and use in step 5 to poach the mushrooms and shrimp. Remove the cooked mussels and oysters from their shells (discarding any that have not opened) and toss with the white wine sauce, shrimp, and mushrooms in step 9.

PASTA

Making pasta and bread is very much alike. Each uses flour and water to make an inexpensive food that is enjoyed by all. In developing a pasta recipe for my classes, I wanted to create one that would be easy to roll out by hand (since many people do not have pasta machines) and delicious enough for people to want to make on special occasions.

A good noodle exhibits a slightly chewy or springy texture when eaten. The elastic texture is developed by kneading and rolling the dough. The same elasticity makes noodles difficult to roll out. Over the years, chefs have added butter, cream, oil, or extra egg yolks to help relax the dough, making it easier to roll.

I add about three times as much oil as others do, making the dough relatively easy to roll and stretch. You can vary the type of oil used to change the flavor of the dough.

FRESH PASTA

[PÂTES FRAÎCHES]

For me, the difficult part of making pasta is the kneading process. Although there are those who will insist on kneading by hand and rolling by machine, I find the opposite easier. What normally takes many minutes of strenuous hand labor requires only seconds to accomplish with a food processor.

In addition to the sauces in the recipes following, I also like to serve homemade noodles simply with butter, or Cream Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes (
page 70
), or Tomato Sauce (
page 325
).

MAKES ABOUT 1 POUND/SERVES 4 TO 6

2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour

3 eggs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon water

1½ teaspoons salt Butter or your favorite sauce, for serving

1.
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until a smooth, soft dough forms, about 1 minute. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time. If the dough is too firm, add more water, ½ teaspoon at a time.

2.
Remove the dough from the machine and divide in half. Shape each half into a rough square or rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. (If the dough is not to be used within 24 hours, freeze it and bring back to room temperature before proceeding.)

3.
Dust the work surface and the dough lightly with flour and roll one of the squares of dough into a sheet as thin as possible, between 1/16 and 1/32 of an inch and about 16 x 18 inches, dusting and turning the dough so it does not stick to the surface. If the dough becomes too elastic to flatten or roll out, allow it to rest, covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying, for 3 to 5 minutes before continuing. (If you have the space, roll out both pieces of dough at the same time, alternating from one to the other as they build up tension.)

4.
Cut into noodles: Lightly dust the surface of the dough to prevent sticking and fold the fully rolled-out dough in half, then in half again, always folding in the same direction. Using a large chef’s knife, cut crosswise to form noodles of a desired width (for extremely thin, delicate noodles, see “Stretching Noodles,”
page 82
). The noodles can be cooked at this point if desired; see step 5. (You can make the noodles ahead to this point. Allow the noodles to dry on a flat surface or draped over a drying rack for 15 to 30 minutes. They will still be flexible, but may begin to crack when folded. Place the noodles in plastic bags and freeze if not using within 24 hours. Frozen pasta does not have to be thawed before cooking.)

5.
To cook the noodles, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Drop the noodles into the pot and cook until tender yet a bit
chewy, 3 to 5 minutes. The drier the noodles are, the longer they will take to cook.

6.
Drain the noodles and toss them with butter or one of your favorite sauces. Serve immediately.

IN ADDITION

If you have a pasta-rolling machine and are accustomed to using it, by all means do. I also encourage you to roll it by hand to see which method is easier for you.

FRESH PASTA
WITH
C
REAM,
P
EAS, AND
P
ARMESAN

[PÂTES FRAÎCHES AUX PETITS POIS]

Although spectacular when made with fresh noodles and fresh, sweet peas, this recipe is so good that I often make it with refrigerated store-bought pasta and frozen baby peas. The peas can be taken from the freezer and heated in the cream while it thickens in step 2. (Increase your cooking time by 1 to 2 minutes.)