Spinach en Branche
Wash thoroughly 4 to 5 pounds spinach and drain well. Cook rapidly for 6 to 8 minutes in 1 quart boiling water and ½ teaspoon salt. Turn into a colander or sieve and drain well, pressing out as much water as possible. After draining it, if too much water remains, return the spinach to the pan and dry out quickly over the fire, shaking the pan continually to keep the spinach from scorching. This way of serving spinach without either chopping it or making into a purée is customary in the spring when it is young and tender. Serve with melted butter or some of the gravy from the meat with which it will be served. Later in the summer when the leaves are larger is the time to serve puréed and creamed spinach.
Oeufs Pochés Florentine Poached Eggs Florentine)
Clean 3 pounds spinach and prepare it en branche (see above). Spread it in a shallow heatproof serving dish and place poached eggs on top. Cover with Mornay sauce (GOURMET, December 1947), sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese, and brown quickly under the broiler flame.
Soufflé d'Epinards et Jambon (Spinach Soufflé with Ham)
Wash 1 ½ to 2 pounds spinach and cook rapidly for 6 to 8 minutes in 2 cups boiling water with ½ teaspoon salt. Drain well and blanch by letting cold water run through it. Drain thoroughly, squeezing out as much water as possible, and then chop it very finely or press through a coarse sieve. Put 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan, add the spinach, and cook over a good fire, stirring all the time, until all water in it has cooked away. Add 1 tablespoon flour, a little salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg and mix all together. Add ½ cup boiling chicken stock or milk, mix well, bring to a boil, cover, and let cook slowly for about 15 minutes. Remove from the fire and add 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, 1 cup cooked lean ham cut in very small dice, 1 tablespoon butter, and 3 egg yolks. Mix thoroughly and fold in 4 stiffly beaten egg whites. Put the mixture into a buttered soufflé mold or timbale or baking dish. Smooth the surface in the shape of a dome and sprinkle the top with a little grated Parmesan cheese and a little melted butter. Bake in a warm oven (350° F.) for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve at once.
One spring vegetable that is prized very highly in France but not so much in this country is sorrel. The Marquis de Cussy, a great French gourmet, once said that one dish that should never be omitted from spring menus is l'alose à l'oseille—shad with sorrel. It also makes a very delectable cream soup with a fresh, springlike flavor often in combination with potatoes and leeks, or with chicken stock, egg yolks, and cream—soups that are frequently seen on hotel and restaurant menus. Less frequent is braised sorrel, which makes such an excellent accompaniment for meat, particularly veal.
Oseille Purée (Sorrel Purée)
For 2 cups purée, wash 3 pounds sorrel thoroughly, drain, and cook in the water that clings to the leaves, over a hot fire for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is very soft. This is called “melted” sorrel. Drain in a sieve and press out as much water as possible. Rub the sorrel through the sieve and use as desired.
Oseille Braisée (Braised Sorrel)
Make 3 cups sorrel purée from about 5 pounds sorrel (see above). Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons flour, and cook until the mixture starts to turn golden. Add the sorrel purée, mix well, and add ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ tablespoons sugar, and ¾ cup stock. Mix all together and bring to the boiling point. Cover with a piece of buttered paper, cover the pan, and cook in a moderate oven (375° F.) for about 1 hour. Remove from the oven, combine with 2 or 3 beaten eggs, and mix well. Bring back just to the boiling point, remove from the fire, and correct the seasoning. Add either 1 generous tablespoon butter, 2 generous tablespoons cream, or 3 tablespoons gravy from the meat it is to be served with.
Alose à l'Oseille (Shad with Sorrel)
Marinate the cleaned shad for 1 hour with 2 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf, a little thyme, the juice of 1 lemon, and a little salad oil. Broil on a hot greased broiler about 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with braised sorrel.
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