French Classics Made Easy (40 page)

2.
Bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil gently until all the moisture from the stock evaporates, about 20 minutes. Toss the garlic cloves to glaze them with the reduced stock.

VARIATION

G
LAZED
S
HALLOTS OR
P
EARL
O
NIONS

[ECHALOTES OU PETITS OIGNONS GLACÉS]

Shallots and pearl onions can be glazed in the same way as garlic. Peel them and place them in a pot with just enough stock to cover. Boil as long as needed for the stock to reduce and form a glaze. Both are good when served with steaks, roast beef, grilled or roast chicken, and veal.

GREEN BEANS

[HARICOTS VERTS]

G
REEN BEANS
or string beans, as they are more commonly known, are the most frequently served green vegetable in France. Although most varieties of green beans today are stringless, this was not always the case. One of the purposes of snapping off the ends of the beans was to remove the tough fibrous strands that ran down the sides of the bean. Although with today’s stringless beans a number of chefs have chosen to cut off only the stem end of the bean, I continue to cut or snap off both ends for aesthetic reasons.

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 pounds green beans, trimmed

3 tablespoons butter

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.
In a large pot, bring 5 quarts of water to a rapid boil over high heat (see Note). Add the beans and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

2.
Drain the beans and refresh under cold running water to stop the cooking and set the color; drain well. (This can be done several hours in advance.)

3.
To serve: Sauté (or reheat) the beans in the butter over medium to medium-high heat, tossing frequently, until they are hot and lightly coated with butter, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and serve.

NOTE

If the beans are fresh they will cook quickly and retain their bright green color. If they aren’t really fresh, a teaspoon of salt added to the boiling water will help keep them green during the longer cooking time.

IN ADDITION

Serving green beans is easy when they are cooked in advance. Reheating or sautéing them in a little butter will eliminate any excess water and heighten their flavor. Sprinkle with salt and pepper just before serving.

A common belief is that the younger the vegetable, the faster it cooks, yet when picking large and small beans from the same plant, I find they are both tender with the same amount of cooking. Freshness, on the other hand,
does
make a difference. I once took 5 pounds of freshly picked beans and cooked them, a pound at a time, over a period of ten days. Each time I cooked them, it took longer to achieve the same degree of tenderness. The first day they cooked in about 3 minutes, while on the tenth day it took 7 to 8 minutes. I have bought beans in the market that have taken more than 10 minutes of cooking to become tender. When cooked this long, the beans lose their color and invariably have poor flavor.

VARIATIONS

G
REEN
B
EANS WITH
S
HALLOT
B
UTTER

[HARICOTS VERTS AUX ECHALOTES]

Gently sauté 2 finely chopped shallots (or ½ onion, finely chopped) in the butter before reheating the beans.

G
REEN
B
EANS
A
LMONDINE

[HARICOTS VERTS AMANDINE]

Sauté ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds in the butter until lightly brown and toss with beans to reheat.

G
REEN
B
EANS WITH
G
ARLIC
B
UTTER

[HARICOTS VERTS À L’AIL]

For a delicate garlic flavor, heat 2 whole cloves of garlic in the butter before reheating the beans. Discard the garlic before serving. For a stronger garlic accent, chop 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste). Heat in the butter and toss with the beans before serving.

H
ERBED
G
REEN
B
EANS

[HARICOTS VERTS AUX HERBES]

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, basil, or mint just before serving.

G
REEN
B
EANS WITH
C
REAM

[HARICOTS VERTS À LA CRÈME]

Use ½ cup heavy cream in place of the butter to reheat the beans. Bring the cream to a boil and reduce slightly before adding the beans.

G
REEN
B
EANS
V
INAIGRETTE

[HARICOTS VERTS EN SALADE]

Toss chilled cooked beans in a bowl with a chopped shallot and enough Vinaigrette (
page 336
) to coat. These beans are excellent served with a tomato salad.

WHITE BEANS A LA BRETONNE

[HARICOTS À LA BRETONNE]

Brittany-style white beans are dried white beans that are cooked and mixed with a fresh tomato sauce. They are excellent when served with roast lamb, but more important, they serve as my base for a marvelous cassoulet (Light Cassoulet,
page 167
).

After cooking the beans, I reduce the cooking liquid, which is usually discarded, to form a sauce. This recipe can be used to cook other dried beans and legumes (such as pinto beans, limas, chickpeas, black beans, and black-eyed peas), which can be served with or without the reduced liquid and/or the tomato sauce.

SERVES 10 TO 12

2 pounds dried white beans, washed and drained

1 large carrot

1 whole onion, studded with 2 cloves, plus 3 onions, chopped

1 head of garlic, unpeeled, plus 4 cloves garlic, chopped

Double Bouquet Garni (
page 306
)

5 tablespoons butter (see Note)

2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 1 can (28 ounces) canned diced tomatoes, drained

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 sprigs parsley, chopped, for garnish (see Note)

1.
Place the beans in a large casserole or saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and allow to stand, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes.

2.
Drain the beans, discarding the soaking water. Rinse the beans in cold water, drain, and return them to the casserole with the carrot, cloved onion, head of garlic, and one bouquet garni. Add fresh water to cover by 1 inch (2 to 2½ quarts). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender yet still firm, 1 to 1½ hours.

3.
Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid, and discard the carrot, onion, head of garlic, and bouquet garni. Reduce the liquid over high heat until it thickens and only 1 cup remains. Pour this sauce over the beans and set aside.

4.
In a skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over low heat. Add the chopped onions, cover, and cook slowly until soft, about 6 minutes.

5.
Add the tomatoes, chopped garlic, and remaining bouquet garni. Season with the salt and pepper, cover, and simmer gently until the tomatoes soften and a thick sauce forms, about 30 minutes. Discard the bouquet garni.

6.
Add the tomato sauce to the cooked beans. (At this point the beans may be stored in the refrigerator for several days or frozen.)

7.
Before serving, bring the beans slowly to a boil. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve hot.

NOTE

If you are making these beans to use in the Light Cassoulet (
page 167
), omit the final butter and parsley from step 7.

BRAISED LEEKS
WITH HOLLANDAISE OR VINAIGRETTE

[POIREAUX HOLLANDAISE OU VINAIGRETTE]

Leeks, known in France as poor man’s asparagus, are generally used in America only by those who can find them. Although they are commonplace in Europe, they are not as well known here, which is a shame because this member of the onion family has a wonderful and delicate flavor.

A leek looks sort of like an enormous scallion. It has long, dark green leaves, a long white body, and white roots. A leek is usually filled with soil and needs careful washing (see “Washing Leeks,”
page 186
). The green leaves are rarely eaten, but are used in some stocks and soups. They are also blanched, to brighten them, and then cut and used in decorating aspic-coated presentations. Many recipes call for the use of “the white part only,” and in these cases the green parts can be discarded or saved for a soup.

Leeks are used as ingredients in stocks and soups, but they are also excellent on their own.

SERVES 6

12 medium leeks (¾- to 1-inch diameter), washed

Hollandaise Sauce (
page 326
) or Vinaigrette (
page 336
)

1.
Lay the leeks flat in a skillet, add ½ inch of water, bring to a simmer, and cook, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes.

2.
To serve: Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and place two leeks (4 halves) on individual plates. Serve warm with hollandaise or at room temperature with vinaigrette.

LEEKS
IN CREAM SAUCE

[POIREAUX À LA CRÈME]

In the classic version of this recipe, the white parts of the leeks are first cooked whole in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes and then boiled in heavy cream for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, producing a very delicate but very rich vegetable dish.

In the following recipe I dice, julienne, or chop the white parts of the leeks and cook them slowly in a little butter until they are tender. I then add just enough cream to bind them.

SERVES 4

4 leeks (white parts only), washed (see below) and diced, chopped, or julienned

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper

W
ASHING
L
EEKS

Leeks must be cleaned well, since dirt collects in their leaves as they grow up through the soil.

1.
Cut off the roots and trim away the dried ends of the leaves. Then insert a paring knife, with its sharp edge facing up, through the white of the leek, just below where it starts to turn green. Pull the knife up through the leaves. Give the leek a quarter turn and make a second similar cut.