Garlic and mustard are his allies, too. Those who like highly seasoned dishes will find unsuspected joys in Alsace.
But another culinary mood exists there. It is subtle and restrained, depending upon the sheer goodness of Alsatian products. It is from this quieter realm that the following Alsatian recipes have been chosen and adapted to the American kitchen. We hope that some of them deserve a permanent niche in your epicurean gallery, and we almost implore you to try the simple and utterly delicious dish which follows:
Suprêmes de Volailles Strasbourgeoise
Cut all the white meat carefully from 2 uncooked young chickens of 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. Divide this into 4 nice suprêmes without skin. The rest of the chicken may be cooked for chicken salad or aspic. Sauté the suprêmes in 3 tablespoons hot butter over medium heat until they are tender, but nor brown. Salt lightly, remove them from the heat, and keep them hot. Put into the pan 1 1/4 cups cream. Allow this to boil up, season with salt, and add 1 generous tablespoon foie gras already rubbed smooth with I tablespoon cream. Blend this well into the sauce. Meanwhile, cook 1/2 package fine spaghetti in boiling salted water. Drain, shake around in the pan with I tablespoon butter, some small cubes foie gras, and 1 truffle, sliced, saving some of the choice slices for garnish, Make a bed of the spaghetti on a hot platter, arrange the slices of chicken on this, 1 slice truffle on each suprême, and pour the sauce over all. The more foie gras you use, the more seraphic your dish becomes! This will serve four.
Here is an ingenious way of sublimating the lowly potato:
Alsatian Pϐutters
Peel, boil, and mash 2 pounds potatoes. Blend 2 tablespoons flour and 2 eggs, beaten, with the potatoes and add 1 clove garlic, mashed, 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Mix these well and place in a buttered baking dish by large tablespoons, placing them so they do not quite touch each other. Bake in a medium oven (325° F). for about 12 minutes. Place under the broiler flame at the last, to brown to a tempting golden color. Pour on a bit of melted butter and serve.
Perhaps you have been struck with the narrow range of recipes involving calf's liver. You can escape the invariable frying pan, bacon, and onions by trying this old Alsatian formula:
Lewerknepfle (Liver Dumplings)
Put I pound calf's liver through the meat grinder. Add to this 1/2 teaspoon salt, a good quantity freshly ground pepper, 1 generous pinch each nutmeg and cinnamon. Chop 2 medium-sized onions and sauté them in 1 generous tablespoon butter until soft. Add these to the liver, together with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 2 cups bread crumbs softened with a little milk and well squeezed out, 2 eggs, yolks and whites beaten separately, and 2 tablespoons flour. Mix all well together and form into balls on a floured dish. Drop these into gently boiling water and poach for 20 minutes. Drain well, arrange on a hot platter, and pour over the dumplings about 3 tablespoons butter which has been heated until lightly browned. Add bread croutons fried in butter.
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