Canard Braisé aux Navels (Duck with Turnips)
Clean and singe a 5- to 6-pound duck, truss the legs and wings close to the body, and season it with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook the duck in a casserole in a hot oven (425° F.) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Remove the duck from the casserole and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Add 1 tablespoon flour and cook until the flour is golden brown. Stir in 1 cup stock or water and 4 ounces of white wine and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add a faggot of 1 stalk of celery, 4 sprigs of parsley, ½ bay leaf, and a little rhyme. Return the duck to the casserole, cover tightly, and braise in a moderate oven ( 375° F.) for 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the vegetables as follows: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Add 12 small onions, sprinkle [hem with a little sugar, and cook until lightly brown. Remove the onions from the saucepan and set aside. Put 2 to 3 cups white or yellow turnips, cut in pieces, in the butter, sprinkle them with a little sugar, and cook until brown, Put the glazed vegetables in the casserole with the duck and continue to braise for 40 to 45 minutes longer. Remove the duck, carve and arrange it on a serving platter, and surround it with the onions and turnips. Skim the far from the gravy, correct the seasoning. and pour over all.
Saumon Braisé (Braised Salmon)
Clean and scale a baby salmon or a salmon trout weighing 4- to 5-pounds and season it with ½ teaspoon salt. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a casserole large enough to hold the fish, add 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or onion. some mushroom peelings, 5 ounces of white wine, and 1 cup fish stock or water. Bring the liquid to a boil and cover the fish with a piece of buttered or wax paper, cut to fit the casserole, with a small hole in the center for the steam to escape. Cover the casserole and braise the salmon over a gentle flame for 45 to 50 minutes, basting often. The fish is done when the bones detach easily from the meat. Remove the fish to a serving platter, take off the skin, and garnish the platter with 12 to 15 cooked mushrooms and the same number of cooked shrimp.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. add 1 teaspoon flour, and cook until the flour begins to turn golden. Stir in the liquid from the casserole in which the fish was braised and conk, stirring, until the sauce is well blended. Stir in 2 egg yolks mixed with ¼ cup cream and bring to the boiling point hut do not boil. Correct the seasoning, add a little freshly ground pepper and a few drops of lemon juice, and strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Pour the sauce over the hot fish and vegetables, garnish with a few slices of truffle, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Slices of French bread fried in butter or puff paste croutons in fancy shapes may be added to the platter. Other large whole fish may be cooked this way and red wine may be substituted for white.
Céleri Braisé (Braised Celery)
Split 6 hearts of celery in half or leave them whole, depending on the size. Parboil them for 5 to 6 minutes, plunge them into cold water to remove any grains of sand, and drain. Place a few slices of onion and carrot in the bottom of a casserole. Lay the celery on top and add just enough stock or water to cover it. Add a small piece of fresh beef suet and season with salt. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the casserole, and braise the celery in a moderate oven (375° F.) for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until it is very tender.
Remove the celery to a serving dish, cover it with chicken or veal gravy, and glaze quickly under the broiler flame. The liquid in which the celery was cooked, reduced to about ½ cup and thickened with manié butter made by creaming together 1 tablespoon butter and I teaspoon Hour, may be used instead of the gravy. Serve braised celery with braised or roast meat.
Endives Braisées àla Flamande (Braised Endire à la Flamande)
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a casserole and arrange 8 to 12 stalks of endive side by side on the butter. Add ½ teaspoon salt. 1 tablespoon sugar, the juice of 1 lemon, and ¼ cup water. Bring the liquid to a boil and cover the endive with a piece of buttered or wax paper, cut to fit the casserole, with a small hole in the center for the steam to escape. braise the endive very slowly on top of the stove or in a moderate oven (350° F.) for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the moisture is cooked away and the endive has begun to take on a golden color. Remove the endive to a serving dish and pour over it the butter left in the casserole. A little good meat gravy added to the butter will improve the flavor. Serve with braised or roast meal.
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