The Essential James Beard Cookbook (74 page)

6 whole black peppercorns

Kosher salt

Put all of the ingredients except the salt in a stockpot. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch—about 3 quarts—and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Skim off the scum that forms on the surface, using a wire skimmer or large spoon. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 to 2½ hours. Season with the salt.

Strain the stock through a colander lined with several thicknesses of rinsed cheesecloth into a large bowl and cool thoroughly. Save the gizzards (they are good eating) and discard the other chicken parts and vegetables. When the stock is cool, refrigerate until chilled. Before using, remove the layer of fat that has formed on the surface. [
Editor: The stock can be stored in airtight containers and frozen for up to 3 months.
]

BEEF STOCK

MAKES ABOUT 2½ QUARTS

Editor: Although canned broth has improved much over the years, it is still difficult to find a good-tasting beef broth. It is worth making homemade beef stock and freezing it in one-quart containers.

2 to 3 pounds veal or beef marrowbones

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 pounds beef shin

1 large yellow onion, peeled and stuck with 2 whole cloves

1 carrot, scraped

1 leek, white and pale green part only, well washed to remove grit

1 small white turnip, peeled

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley

6 whole black peppercorns

Kosher salt

Dust the bones with flour and place on the rack in a broiling pan. Place under a broiler (or in a preheated 500°F oven), and cook, turning once, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes (or about 20 minutes in the oven). Put the bones and the remaining ingredients, except the salt, in a stockpot. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch—about 3 quarts—and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Skim off the scum that forms on the surface, using a wire skimmer or large spoon. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 to 2½ hours. Season with the salt.

Strain the stock through a colander lined with several thicknesses of rinsed cheesecloth into a large bowl and cool thoroughly. Discard the solids. When the stock is cool, refrigerate until chilled. Before using, remove the layer of fat that has formed on the surface. [
Editor: The stock can be stored in airtight containers and frozen for up to 3 months.
]

VARIATION

VEAL STOCK:
Substitute 4 pounds meaty veal bones for the beef bones and beef shin.

Stock or Broth

Editor: The difference between stock and broth can be semantics; both are cooking liquids based on meat and bones. Some cooks feel that a stock is unseasoned and used only as a recipe ingredient, but broth is fully seasoned and can be eaten like a soup. Here is Beard on the subject:

“The other morning my old friend Helen McCully [
Editor: Food editor of
House Beautiful] called me at an early hour and said, “Now that you’re revising your fish book, for heaven’s sake, define the difference between a stock, a broth, and a bouillon.”

“The reason no book does is that they are all the same thing. A stock, which is also known as a broth or a bouillon, is basically some meat, game, poultry, or fish simmered in water with bones, seasonings, and vegetables. Food writers have been known to wax nostalgic about the thrifty French housewife who, according to them, kept a stockpot permanently simmering on the stove, putting in leftovers from other meals. If this ever happened, which I very much doubt, it would have resulted in a ghastly mess of hot garbage. No one in his right mind would throw picked-over chicken and lamb bones, vegetable scraps, and all the other bits and pieces from the dinner table into the pot.

FISH STOCK

MAKES ABOUT 6 CUPS

If you can’t buy fish bones and heads, use an inexpensive bony white fish such as whiting but not an oily fish. I like to add salt to taste after the stock has cooled, as the fish throws off a good deal of natural salt. Stock may be frozen until needed.

Editor: Porgy is another good option if you are buying whole fish. Do not simmer this stock for more than 30 minutes, as the thin bones of fish give off their flavor quickly, and overcooking yields a bitter stock.

2 pounds fish bones and heads or 2 pounds bony fish

3 cups water

3 cups dry white wine

1 lemon slice

1 small yellow onion, stuck with 2 whole cloves

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

6 crushed black peppercorns

Kosher salt

Wash the fish well and remove the gills from the heads. Combine in a large saucepan with all of the other ingredients except the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer 20 to 30 minutes. Strain and discard the solids. Taste the stock and add salt as needed. Cool, cover, and refrigerate until needed. [
Editor: The stock can be stored in airtight containers and frozen for up to 1 month.
]

VEGETABLE BROTH

MAKES ABOUT 3 QUARTS

For certain vegetable soups, a delicately flavored broth is preferable to a strong, rich beef stock. As vegetables contain their own natural sodium, season with salt after making the broth.

3 quarts water

3 carrots, finely chopped

6 celery ribs, finely chopped (3 cups)

3 medium yellow onions, finely chopped

½ pound white mushrooms or mushroom stems, sliced

3 leeks, white and pale green parts, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt

Combine all of the ingredients except the salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 2½ hours. Strain the broth, discarding the vegetables. Season with the salt. [
Editor: The stock can be stored in airtight containers and frozen for up to 3 months.
]

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP SAUCE

Editor: Every cook should know how to make this basic white sauce, which can be spun off into many variations.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk, heated

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Melt the butter over low heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Whisk the flour into the butter and cook slowly, whisking all the time, for 1 to 3 minutes, or until the roux is well blended. Gradually whisk in the hot milk. Increase the heat to medium and cook, whisking all the time, until the sauce is smooth, thick, and at the boiling point. Let the sauce simmer over low heat, whisking often, for 3 to 4 minutes, then season with salt and pepper, and the nutmeg, if desired.

If you are not using the sauce right away, butter a piece of waxed paper large enough to fit inside the pan and lay it on the surface of the sauce, buttered side down, to prevent a skin from forming.

VARIATIONS

CAPER SAUCE:
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons drained nonpareil capers, according to your taste, to the finished sauce.

MUSTARD SAUCE:
Stir 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard into the finished sauce. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. This makes a fairly hot sauce. For a milder sauce, use less mustard.

SAUTÉ VELOUTÉ:
Substitute 1 cup
Chicken Stock
or canned chicken broth for the milk. Add ½ cup heavy cream to the finished sauce, and continue simmering for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has returned to its original thickness.

SAUCE SUPRÉME:
Substitute 1 cup
Chicken Stock
or canned chicken broth for the milk. Whisk 1 cup heavy cream with 3 large egg yolks in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in half of the hot finished sauce. Return to the saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until heated through and lightly thickened, but do not boil.

QUICK BROWN SAUCE

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

This is an easy, economical brown sauce, not as time-consuming as the classic version. It will keep in the refrigerator for a week or two.

One ½-inch slice of ham, fat removed, diced

2 medium yellow onions, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

2 tablespoons unsalted buter

1 quart
Beef Stock

½ bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or 1 tablespoon tomato paste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup dry red wine (optional)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (optional)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (optional)

Sauté the ham, onions, and carrots in the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until the onion is browned, about 10 minutes. Slowly mix in the stock. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Simmer gently for 1 hour over medium-low heat. Add the tomato and the wine, if you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a further half hour, then strain through a wire sieve. If the sauce does not seem thick enough, boil down to the required consistency. (Or thicken with beurre manié: Mash the butter and flour together in a small bowl with a rubber spatula until smooth. Whisking quickly, add bits of the butter mixture into the strained, simmering sauce, and let cook until thickened as desired. Simmer for 5 minutes to remove any raw flour taste.)

VARIATIONS

BORDELAISE SAUCE:
Reduce 1 cup of dry red wine (preferably a Bordeaux or American Cabernet Sauvignon) in a small saucepan over high heat to ½ cup. Sauté 2 finely chopped shallots in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup Quick Brown Sauce and the reduced wine. Simmer 3 or 4 minutes to amalgamate the flavors; correct the seasoning. Strain, if you wish. [
Editor: This is a fine sauce for roast beef and grilled steaks.
]

MADEIRA BROWN SAUCE:
Add 3 or 4 tablespoons Madeira to taste to the finished sauce.

SAUCE DIABLE:
Sauté 2 finely chopped shallots in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup Quick Brown Sauce. Season with ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon hot dry English mustard (or prepared Dijon mustard), ¼ to ½ teaspoon Tabasco, according to your palate, plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Simmer 3 or 4 minutes to amalgamate the flavors; correct the seasoning. Strain, if you wish.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

MAKES 1 CUP

This rich, suave butter and egg sauce, which tastes so elegant with freshly cooked asparagus, artichokes, poached fish, or eggs Benedict, takes care and patience unless you make it in a blender or food processor, in which case it is practically foolproof. When you make hollandaise by hand, over direct heat or hot water, you have to be very careful that the sauce doesn’t overheat or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.