French Classics Made Easy (70 page)

When making a water bath, use a pan considerably larger than the one you want to heat or keep warm. For example, I would choose an 8-inch square cake pan as the water bath for a 1-quart saucepan, or a 10-inch skillet for a 3-quart saucepan. By using large pans, you can easily monitor the temperature of the water in the water bath.

VARIATIONS

B
EARNAISE WITH
M
INT

[SAUCE PALOISE]

Substitute an equal amount of mint for the tarragon.

B
EARNAISE WITH
T
OMATOES

[SAUCE CHORON]

This delightful variation of béarnaise is wonderful with roast or grilled lamb as well as with grilled fish. Use it in the summer when you are sure to get a full-flavored, ripe tomato. Peel, seed, and finely chop 1 tomato before placing it in a fine strainer to drain well. If the pulp is not well drained, it will thin the béarnaise too much. The sauce should remain thick enough to lightly coat the meat or fish. Mix in ¼ cup chopped fresh tomato pulp or 2 heaping teaspoons tomato paste just before serving.

B
EARNAISE
S
AUCE WITH
M
EAT
G
LAZE

[SAUCE FOYOT/VALOIS]

A béarnaise with the addition of meat glaze is known by either the name
Foyot
or
Valois
and is served primarily with beef. Just before serving, add 1 tablespoon Meat Glaze (
page 309
) and salt to taste to the béarnaise. I have made similar sauces using chicken glaze or fish glaze to serve with grilled chicken and grilled fish, but I have never seen names for these sauces. This sauce can also be made with the reduced deglazed liquid from a roasting pan.

BEURRE BLANC

[SAUCE BEURRE BLANC]

Beurre Blanc Nantais, now known simply as beurre blanc, is a velvety white butter sauce, traditionally made from a reduction of vinegar and shallots to which butter is added. It was created in the area of the Loire Valley between the towns of Angers and Nantes to serve with the pike, shad, and salmon that populate the Loire River.

The recipe that follows, which is based on the original and uses only vinegar, will surprise those familiar with a contemporary beurre blanc that uses wine or a combination of wine and vinegar. It is wonderful with all forms of fish. Although flavored vinegars can be used, I generally use plain white (distilled) vinegar. Freshly chopped herbs, or even puréed herbs, can be added at the end to vary the flavor and appearance of the sauce.

MAKES 1 CUP TO SERVE 6 TO 8

2 shallots, finely chopped

½ cup white (distilled) vinegar

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) salted butter (see Note), softened to room temperature

1.
In a small, heavy saucepan, cook the shallots slowly in the vinegar over medium-low heat until only 1 tablespoon of liquid remains, about 10 minutes.

2.
Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, waiting for each addition to melt before adding the next. The sauce will be warm and thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. Keep the sauce warm in a water bath (
bain-marie
) until ready to use.

NOTE

You will note that I use salted butter for beurre blanc in place of the unsalted I normally use. When made with unsalted butter, the sauce tends to be a little thinner.

IN ADDITION

In the early ’70s, Paul Bocuse and other chefs abandoned hollandaise sauce, the butter sauce of the classic French kitchen, and started using beurre blanc exclusively. Variations developed, with wine being used in place of the traditional vinegar. Even red wine was used to create a
beurre rouge
(red butter sauce). Beurre blanc soon became the mainstay of nouvelle cuisine, and is still popular today with fish, veal, chicken, and vegetables.

VARIATIONS

B
ASIL
B
EURRE
B
LANC

[BEURRE BLANC AU BASILIC]

Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil at the end of step 1.

C
HIVE
B
EURRE
B
LANC

[BEURRE BLANC À LA CIBOULETTE]

Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped chives at the end of step 1.

T
ARRAGON
B
EURRE
B
LANC

[BEURRE BLANC À L’ESTRAGON]

Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon at the end of step 1.

W
ATERCRESS
B
EURRE
B
LANC

[BEURRE BLANC AU CRESSON]

Make a dry purée of watercress (see step 1 of Fresh Green Pasta,
page 81
), using only 1 bunch of watercress. Whisk in enough of the puréed watercress to lightly color the sauce.

MAYONNAISE

Store-bought mayonnaise serves me well for everyday uses, but whenever a special sauce merits it, or a large quantity is called for, I whisk up a homemade one especially for the occasion.

Mayonnaise is an emulsified sauce. Egg yolk is used to hold oil in suspension, and vinegar or lemon juice is used to thin and to add flavor and acidity to the sauce. Besides adding salt and pepper to season the mayonnaise, you can add any number of other seasonings to change or enhance its flavor. The most common addition is Dijon mustard. Others include curry powder, tomato paste, horseradish, saffron, a purée of fresh herbs and greens for Green Mayonnaise (
page 334
), and garlic for Aioli (
page 332
).

My technique for making mayonnaise differs from most cookbook writers’ in one significant way. Most start by combining the egg yolk and vinegar before adding the oil, whereas I add the oil before the vinegar. My reason is simple. I find the egg yolk holds the oil in suspension more easily when it is thick, and I can add the oil faster with less danger of separation than when the yolk is first thinned with vinegar. It is difficult to separate a mayonnaise once a good emulsion is formed. I add the vinegar or lemon juice when the sauce becomes too thick to stir. While adding the vinegar, I taste the mayonnaise, making sure not to add too much. If the mayonnaise tastes good yet is still too thick, simply thin it with a little water.

Although the classic mayonnaise is made only with egg yolks, it is just as easy to make it with a whole egg, producing a lighter, slightly less rich version. As in traditional mayonnaise, the eggs in this sauce are uncooked (see “Egg Safety,”
page 333
).

One egg yolk will hold up to 1 cup of oil in suspension, and I frequently make mayonnaise with only ¾ cup of oil per egg yolk. The more oil you use, the thicker the mayonnaise becomes.

MAKES 2½ CUPS

1 egg

1 egg yolk

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups light olive or other vegetable oil

2 to 3 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice

F
LAVOR
V
ARIATIONS

Oil is the major component of a mayonnaise, and will lend its taste to the sauce. I prefer to make a mayonnaise for general use with a light-flavored oil, but there are times I will add some stronger flavors. Nut oils such as hazelnut and walnut are very strong, but can add an interesting accent when used in small amounts.

Traditionally either lemon juice or plain white (distilled) vinegar is used for making mayonnaise, but with all the various flavored vinegars now available, you may wish to try one if you feel its flavor will add to your presentation.

R
EPAIRING A
S
EPARATED
M
AYONNAISE

If a mayonnaise separates, it is usually due to one or more of the following:

Oil is added too rapidly at first.

The egg or the oil is too cold.

Too much oil was added for the amount of egg used.

The easiest way to restore it is to beat the curdled sauce, slowly at first, into a bowl containing either a fresh egg yolk or 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. If your problem is due to temperature, you can first try beating the curdled sauce vigorously while adding 1 tablespoon of boiling water.