With autumn appetites well launched in most sections of this country, we look to our markets for the foods of this season to be at their best: cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, for instance, and plums, grapes, and pumpkin. Of course, we don't actually have to depend upon them when frozen foods are available the year round and fresh ones come shipped from all over the continent. Such an off-season profusion of fruits and vegetables was never dreamed of in my early days of menu planning. But I find there are still many people who like to take advantage of foods in their proper season. I'm that way myself.
Foods are so often associated in my mind with the pleasant memories of a particular time of the year that they are, so to speak, sauced with the special sights and smells of the season. Autumn takes me back to the savoriness of my mother's stuffed cabbage and the smell of her plum tarts as she brought them out of our big, black kitchen stove. Back, too, to the leaves dropping from the oak trees, to guns being cleaned and excited dogs circling around, to the smell of the wood burning in the fireplace and the wine fermenting in the cellar.
Long experience with vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli has taught me the importance of carefully cleaning them. These vegetables grow aboveground and look clean because they are well protected with leaves, but their late maturity gives insect pests a whole summer to work their way under the leaves and inside the plants. I recall a most embarrassing experience many, many years ago when I was on my very first job as a young chef at the Hotel Bristol in Paris. Queen Amelia of Portugal was staying there and had ordered cauliflower with mousseline sauce. A beautiful, firm white head was cooked and arranged on a napkin with the sauce in a sauceboat. But when the maitre d'hôtel cut through it with the serving spoon, he uncovered a big, ugly looking worm. He was quick enough to hide it by covering it with a corner of the napkin and by serving a piece from the other side. And he was mad enough to rush down to the kitchen as soon as he could and berate everyone there.
I was only sixteen, and it made a great impression on me. I promised myself it would never happen to me if I ever got to be a head chef. And it never has because I always have cauliflower cut in quarters; if a whole head is served, we reassemble it on the serving dish. I also remember an assistant I once had who was so fussy about his food that he wouldn't eat anything prepared by anyone but himself. He never trusted our vegetable man to clean broccoli, of which he was particularly fond. But one day, despite all his careful cleaning and cooking, he found a little green worm on his plate and never ate broccoli again. I laughed to myself because broccoli in those days was on the expensive list, and this experience was money in our pocket. Of course, I have reason to suspect it was a practical joker in the kitchen who put this over on him.
In cooking any vegetable, a good rule to remember, as I have mentioned before, is that most delicate spring vegetables require very little water, while more strongly flavored fall vegetables taste better when cooked in plenty of water. Here are some useful hints for cooking cauliflower. To clean this vegetable, put it in cold water and sprinkle vinegar or lemon juice over the head, especially the older heads, to draw out any insects. A trick of French vegetable chefs is to put a piece of charcoal in the cooking water to keep the head white. Of course, if it is an old head that has already yellowed, this will not whiten it.
Cook cauliflower in enough salted water to cover it well until it is just soft, or for thirty to thirty-five minutes. After twenty five minutes, it is a good idea to test with a fork because nothing is less attractive than mushy, overcooked cauliflower. After draining it, place the vegetable on a towel or napkin so that no surplus water will be left to dilute the sauce. Cream sauce, mousseline sauce, or polonaise butter are the favored sauces. If the cauliflower is old, a good trick is to sauté the flowerettes in butter after draining. It will taste better, and the yellowish color will be camouflaged.
In the case of broccoli, particular care must be made in selecting a good bunch. If the cut ends of the stalks are dry and shriveled, or if they have become moldy looking because of humid weather, they have been around the market too long and their flavor will not be delicate. And don't buy broccoli unless the tops are a good green color. As soon as they turn yellowish or the buds show the beginnings of a few yellow flowers, the vegetable is definitely too old to be good. When cleaning broccoli, use plenty of water with vinegar to draw out insects and soak the stalks long enough for the water to penetrate the compactly budded tops.
The trick in cooking broccoli is never to let it boil; the heads, which are the best part, are fragile and break apart in actively boiling water. Put broccoli in boiling salted water and when the water returns to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer the vegetable very gently. Broccoli is done when it sinks to the bottom of the pan. I believe the most important trick with broccoli is in the draining, especially of the water inside the tops which never seems to come out in just a colander. Place the stalks on a hot towel or napkin to absorb surplus water. None is left to make the serving dish untidy or to dilute the accompanying saute. Broccoli is like asparagus in that it can be served with many types of sauces, and each one seems to be a perfect complement. For instance, polonaise with its buttery crunchiness, hollandaise with its smooth delicacy, and vinaigrette with its penetrating piquancy are all so different, yet each one is excellent with broccoli.
In cooking cabbage, I have discovered that parboiling and then plunging it in cold water before cooking is a trick that insures easy digestion. When I was once a week-end guest, I suggested I cook some cabbage as it is done in France. I was intrigued with the idea myself because it had been many, many years since I had picked cabbage in a kitchen garden and brought it into the kitchen myself to prepare it. When I came back with four small heads, everyone thought I was crazy. For three people! Mow much did I think they could eat? Well, I got my host to drive to the village and get me some salt pork and a garlic sausage and I prepared the cabbage as we always did in France when serving it with duck. When I went through the parboiling, or blanching, stage, they tried to hide their surprise, but when I said I would cook it for an hour to an hour and a half, they were shocked. Although too polite to say so, they never dreamed they would eat more than a few mouthfuls.
Of course, every speck of it was eaten, as I knew it would be, and no one suffered any digestive discomfort. I was also pretty sure of that, even though the amount I prepared would ordinarily serve six. The fact that I was invited back to repeat the dinner and that now braised cabbage is a favorite autumn dish in that house speak for themselves.
If roast partridge or pheasant is substituted for duck in this recipe, it is called perdrix or faisan aux choux or perdrix or faisan en chartreuse. When using pheasant or partridge, the bird is roasted until brown and then placed in a pan and cooked with the cabbage until tender, or for about an hour.
Braised Cabbage with Duck
Cut 2 large or 4 small heads of cabbage in quarters and remove the hard center core. Clean in plenty of water. Put the cabbage into boiling water and parboil for 5 to 10 minutes, remove, and plunge it in a large pan of cold water. After 2 or 3 minutes, transfer it to a colander to drain. Parboil 1/2 pound fat salt pork to remove some of the salt and drain it.
In a large saucepan put 2 carrots, 1 or 2 onions, 2 cloves of garlic, and at faggot made by tying together 2 stalks of celery, 3 Sprigs of parsley, a bay leaf, and a little thyme. Add any poultry bones, wingtips, or neck, on hand. Add the salt pork and a garlic sausage and place the well-drained cabbage on top. Season with freshly ground pepper and a little salt and pour on enough white stock or water to cover well. Cover the cabbage with a piece of buttered paper the size of the pan with a 1/2-inch hole in the center, bring to a boil, and put the pan in a hot oven (400° F.). Or cook it gently on top of the range. Test with a fork after 1 hour and continue cooking, if not tender. Small potatoes may be added during the last 1/2 hour.
Carve the roasted duck, cut in slices, and lay these on the cabbage to reheat. This improves the flavor of the vegetable. To serve, arrange the cabbage with the slices of duck, garlic sausage, and carrot on a large serving dish. The liquor drained from the cabbage can be served as soup.
Stuffed cabbage or cabbage leaves is a tasty dish and an economical one because a little leftover meat goes such a long way. But I am told that it is difficult to make a dish that looks attractive because the cabbage falls apart during cooking. One reason for this may be because the filling is too moist and soft. It should be fairly firm, the moisture that makes the cabbage succulent coming from the sauce. The other reason may be because the cabbage is filled so full in the center that the outside leaves are not strong enough to hold it. Put the filling between the leaves, tie the cabbage firmly, and you will have no trouble. Here are the details:
Stuffed Cabbage
Wash the cabbage, remove the stem, and parboil in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and plunge into cold water. Drain again as soon as the cabbage has cooled, but this time put it top down in the colander so that all the water will drain out.
Prepare the stuffing as follows: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan, add 1 onion, finely chopped, and cook until soft. Mix this with 1/4 pound pork sausage meat, 1/4 pound leftover cooked meat, ground or finely chopped, 2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs, 1 cup cooked rice, 1 clove of garlic, crushed, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a little pepper, and 1 beaten egg.
Place the cabbage, stem end down, in a bowl and carefully cut out the hard core in the center, leaving a good thick base at the bottom. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper through the leaves. Fill the core cavity and the spaces between the leaves, distributing the filling as evenly as possible all around the cabbage. Wrap 2 or 3 slices of fat fresh or salt pork around the cabbage and tie securely with string. Arrange 1 carrot, sliced, and 1 onion, sliced, in the bottom of a casserole, place the cabbage on top, and pour boiling stewed tomatoes around to about 1/3 the height of the cabbage. Cover the casserole and cook in a moderate oven (350° F.) for about 2 hours, basting from time to time. Remove the cabbage to a serving dish. Strain the liquid into a saucepan, skim off the fat, and cook until it is reduced to about 1 cup. If any leftover meat gravy is on hand, add it to the sauce. Pour the sauce around the cabbage and serve.
Staffed Cabbage Leaves
Clean a cabbage and parboil it in boiling water for 10 minutes. Plunge into cold water, cool, and drain well. Separate the leaves, lay 2 or 3 together on the table, and spread them flat. Cover with a few spoonfuls of stuffing, as in the recipe for stuffed cabbage above. Roll up the leaves and tie with string. Arrange the rolls in a heatproof serving dish and pour boiling stewed tomatoes around to come about halfway up the rolls. Bake in a moderate oven (350° F.) for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Make the sauce as for stuffed cabbage.
If stuffed cabbage or cabbage leaves are left over, they can be sliced cold and served with vinaigrette sauce as an hors-d'oeuvre.
The trick with red cabbage is not to use too much fat in cooking it. This will make a very heavy dish and one that is liable to be indigestible. I use just a very little butter and never any pork fat. Fresh goose fat is even preferable to butter. And red cabbage should always be cut in very fine julienne for tenderness.
Red Cabbage with Wine
Clean 1 large or 2 small heads of red cabbage, cut in quarters, and remove the hard core. Cut the cabbage in fine julienne and parboil in boiling water for 10 minutes. Cool it in cold water and drain well. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, a little pepper, and a few grains of nutmeg. Melt 2 tablespoons butter or fresh goose fat in a saucepan, add 1 onion, finely chopped, and cook until it is soft. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 cups white or red wine, and 2 cups water. Add the drained cabbage and cook gently for 30 minutes. Add 2 or 3 green apples, peeled, cored, and chopped, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes longer, adding more water if necessary to keep it from scorching.
This is a very simple dish; the trick —to be sure the cabbage stands long enough in the salt.
Red Cabbage for Hors-d'Oeuvre
Clean a red cabbage, cut it in quarters, and remove the hard core. Cut in fine julienne and put in a bowl with 1 tablespoon salt. Leave it in a cold place for 24 hours, turning it over from time to time. Squeeze out all the water. Add 1 clove of garlic, 1 bay leaf, 8 peppercorns, and 2 tablespoons vinegar and let the cabbage stand for a few hours to pickle.
Right now, the markets are full of plums, but there are so many kinds that it is sometimes hard to decide which to use for what. I think the small blue plums are best for tarts. They are juicy and full-flavored and have enough pulp so that they don't cook away to nothing but juice. In making plum tarts, here are two tricks worth trying. After fitting the pastry into the tart pan. sprinkle the bottom of it with some stale cake or cookie or macaroon crumbs before arranging the fruit and sugar. The crumbs will absorb some of the juice and prevent it from boiling over the edge. Then, when the tart is done and still hot, spread some melted currant jelly over the fruit to glaze the top and add fine flavor. For a change, make an apricot and plum tart. This is a particularly good combination, since the juicy plums blend well with the drier apricots.
I think red plums are best when stewed and served in a compote. To keep them from bursting while cooking, prick the skins with a large needle or skewer and do not let them boil, merely simmer. Leave the pits in the fruit for more tang. Cook the plums in water barely to cover in which a little sugar has been dissolved and, for variety, add a few slices of lemon to point up the flavor.
I think red plums are best when stewed and served in a compote. To keep them from bursting while cooking, prick the skins with a large needle or skewer and do not let them boil, merely simmer. Leave the pits in the fruit for more tang. Cook the plums in water barely to cover in which a little sugar has been dissolved and, for variety, add a few slices of lemon to point up the flavor.
In France we have a green-yellow plum called reine Claude, something like the greengage of this country but sweeter. This is very popular for making jam and to make a delicious sweet sauce to serve with puddings.
Sauce Reine Claude (Plum Sauce)
Remove the pits from 1 pound fresh greengage plums, but do not peel the fruit. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar with 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil, and cook until it spins a thread (238° F. on the sugar thermometer). Add the green gages to the syrup and cook for about 1/2 hour, or until they are soft and the mixture is thick. Rub through a sieve and add 2 ounces kirsch.
Here are a few more tricks with soups, this time with clear soups, timely now with colder weather coming along. Of course, soup, in my opinion, is good all the year, but I notice more people eat it in cold weather than in summer. I can't emphasize too strongly the importance of bones in making soup stock. If there are enough bones, a good broth can be made with no meat at all. For example, here's a recipe for Scotch mutton broth made with bones.
Scotch Mutton Broth
Parboil 2 or 3 pounds of lamb or mutton bones for 5 minutes, drain, and put in the soup kettle. Parboiling removes any fine bits of broken bone and any other bits that will make a cloudy broth. Add 2 leeks, 2 stalks of celery, 1 carrot, 2 onions, 6 or 8 peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil, skim well, and cook slowly for 2 to 3 hours. Strain.
In another pan prepare a brunoise of vegetables as follows: Melt 1 tablespoon butter and add 1 carrot, 2 stalks of celery, and 2 leeks, all cut in small dice. Cook until they start to turn golden. Pour the strained broth over the vegetables and add 1/2 cup pearl barley that has been washed in cold water. Bring to a boil and cook slowly for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, skimming as needed. Correct the seasoning with salt before serving.
When making chicken broth, remember that the best flavor comes from amature fowl and that using the feet is a great improvement, too. They not only add flavor but also supply gelatin, and the stock can be used for making jellied soups or aspics.
The feet, however, have to be skinned before being added to the soup kettle. There are two ways of doing this. Chop off the ends of the claws with a heavy knife or ask the butcher to do it. Parboil the feet in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Plunge into cold water. Pull off the skin from the top just as a glove is pulled off. Or, the feet can be seared over the flame on the range to loosen the skin. Follow any recipe for chicken soup and add the prepared feet.
Another trick in making good chicken soup or broth is to use leeks and to avoid using too much carrot, which may overwhelm the flavor of the chicken.
I have had so many guests ask for the directions for making consommé Windsor that I feel I should include it here. Consommé Windsor is a clear consommé thickened with tiny yellow flecks of egg. and this is how it is made.
Consommé Windsor
Bring 1 quart rich beef consommé to a boil. Mix in a bowl 2 eggs, 1/4 teaspoon flour, and 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Strain through a fine sieve into the boiling consommé, stirring all the time. Place the soup where it will keep warm but not boil for a few minutes before serving.
Scallops are one of the shellfish now coming into their best season. They require a little care in cooking, but once you learn the tricks, they are no trouble at all. They must never be overcooked, and that means just a couple of minutes' cooking when they are deep-fried. The trick in sautéing them is to use oil instead of butter and then to serve them with beurre meunière (browned butter). For quick sautéing, the fat used must be very hot, and butter doesn't stand that temperature so well as oil. Frying, broiling, or sautéing are the ways most used to prepare scallops in this country, but I think scallops poached in white wine and served with a curry, paprika, or cream mushroom sauce are really more delicious. Equally good are scallops served with a Mornay sauce and browned in the shell, the well-known coquille Saint-Jacques. Actually a true coquilles Saint-Jacques is made from a special coquillage found off the coast of Brittany but not in the waters around the United States. But scallops are the nearest thing to it. I recall a request of the late Mr. Robert Walton Goelet, who built the New York Ritz-Carlton Hotel, written to me as he embarked on the boat coming home from France many years ago. It was for a coquille Saint-Jacques such as he had eaten in Brittany. I had to explain when he arrived that we could not get the classic shellfish, but that otherwise the dish was the same. This is the recipe that I always used for him:
Coquilles Saint-Jacques
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan, blend in 1 teaspoon chopped shallots, and add 5 ounces white wine. Add I pound of scallops, bring to a boil, and let them stand where they will keep hot but not boil for 5 minutes. Remove the scallops. Reduce the liquid to one half the original quantity and combine with 1 cup Mornay sauce. Add 1 teaspoon each chopped parsley and chopped chives. Correct the seasoning with salt and a little freshly ground pepper.
Reserve 1/4 cup of the sauce and fold in 2 tablespoons whipped cream. Combine the scallops with the remaining sauce and put them in scallop shells, cover the tops with the sauce containing the whipped cream, and sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese. Glaze under the broiler.
For curried scallops or creamed scallops with mushrooms, prepare the scallops as for coquille Saint-Jacques. After reducing the liquid, combine it with curry or mushroom cream sauce and serve sprinkled with parsley.