The proper use of garlic is of special importance in French cuisine. Although the flavor, as we all know, is a strong one. the result of its use under a knowing hand is so subtle many people do not even recognize it as the flavor of garlic. This strange little bulb is used in most of the cookery along the Mediterranean. and in France it is often referred to as la vanille de Marseille. But you get the right flavor effects with garlic only if you know the tricks in handling it.
If you slice off a piece of the garlic bulb into your tossed salad and are not able to take it out because it has become lost in the greens, you will surely regret it. Someone always gets it in the mouth, an unhappy situation. On the other hand, if you chop up that piece of garlic, put it in the bottom of your salad bowl with the salt and pepper, and then crush it thoroughly with the back of a spoon until it is completely mashed with the seasonings before adding the oil and vinegar, you will find that no one will recognize the flavor at all when the salad is tossed. They will instead comment on the delicious flavor of the salad. Crushing and mashing seem to release the heavy flavor.
To prove how subtle the flavor of garlic is when properly handled, I can point to the situation of one of our guests, allergic to garlic in even a small amount. When she eats in our hotel, she always has to ask the waiter to find out whether the salad dressing, the sauce, the ragout, or stew she is ordering has any garlic in it. She wouldn't be able to tell by the flavor because it is so well controlled and blended, so she would find out only after she had finished her meal—and then unhappily.
There are some dishes in which garlic is essential, dishes in which it is used in large amounts to give a strong garlicky taste Escargots—French snails— for example, are always served with a butter sauce rich with garlic and parsley Bouillabaisse, too, depends upon garlic for its characteristic flavor. And most people like a little garlic in roast leg of lamb. If lamb is approaching the mutton stage, the garlic treatment is especially desirable. The trick is to cue little slits in the surface of the meat near the bony parts and to insert a thin slice of garlic. Or for a stronger taste, drop and crush the garlic with some salt and pepper and rub this mixture over the surface of the leg before roasting it.
The whole clove of garlic can be cooked in the stew or ragout, but I prefer to crush it here, too. After garlic is cooked any length of time in liquid, the strong flavor disappears and only a subtle overtone remains in the dish. Hut if there is a whole clove in the sauce. be sure to take it our, because anyone getting this in the mouth will find the full strength there when he bites bites through to the center of it.
For salads, garlic can be crushed as described above, or it can be cut in two and the bowl rubbed well with the cut side. Then when the salad is tossed, a very delicate flavor is imparted to the salad. The other trick is to put chapons in the salad bowl. These are small pieces of bread crust that ate rubbed with a Cat piece of garlic, and tossed in the salad. They can be discarded or left in the bottom of the bowl when serving, but that's a shame because they soak up a bit of the dressing and have a delightful flavor.
There is one trick with garlic that few people seem to know about in this country but which is fairly common in France. That is its use in seasoning an earthen casserole. Cut several cloves of garlic in half and use them to rub completely the inside and outside of a new casserole. This will harden and toughen the clay. Then fill the utensil with water and add onion skins, the tops of leeks. celery tops, paisley stems, and bits of carrot or any other vegetables. Put in the oven or on an asbestos pad on top of the stove and bring slowly to the boil. Let it cook for an hour or so. Remove. empty, and wash the casserole. It will never have the earthy taste that is often imparted to food cooked in a new casserole that has not had this seasoning treatment.
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