ACCORDING to a favorite story. the Emperor Napoleon stopped for luncheon one day at the little town of Royat, at an inn called La Belle Meunière because its proprietor was a miller and it was the miller's pretty wife who did the cooking. Napoleon asked for the specially of the house, and la belle meunière served him a delectable fruits suntée, dressed with butter cooked to a hazelnut brown. The Emperor was So pleased with his trout that he immediately christened it truite à la belle meunière, and to this day any fish served in browned butter is called by the same name.
That part of France where Napoleon are truite à la belle meunière is not far from my own pays. We were too far from the coast to be able to enjoy the salt-water varieties of fish, but we had the most wonderful trout in the world. When I did my military service, my brother was teaching at a school not far away, at Vertolaye in the Auvergne section, When I had a few hours' leave, and had let my brother know he could expect me. I could count on him to catch some trout for our lunch. There never were trout with flesh so pink, so delicate, so tasty as these. Or is it a kind of nostalgia that makes these trout I shared with my brother so much better than any I eat today?
I learned recently that salmon trout are going to be hatched in the Allier, the river which skirts the Bourbonnais country of my childhood. The Canadian government has sent by air to Parts 100,- 000 salmon eggs from the fish hatcheries of the Gaspé, and there will be truite sanmonée sautée to look forward to next summer in mon pays, which already boasts some of the best trout streams in the country.
I have heard that some American fishermen catch trout only pour le sport and do not trouble to cook and eat them, This, to me. is shocking and pitiful. I cannot help but feel sorry for the fisherman who has never enjoyed the special flavor of a trout freshly pulled from a stream and sautéed in sputtering bacon fat over a camp fire. There is, however, good news to counteract this bad news: American ingenuity has perfected a method of immediate quick freezing which enables persons who love fresh trout, no matter where they may live, to enjoy this inimitable delicacy whenever they wish.
Almost any gourmet presented with fresh or fresh-frozen trout will prefer to sauté the fish, a method of cooking Almost any gourmet presented with fresh or fresh-frozen trout will prefer to saute the fish, a method of cooking which by its very simplicity accentuates all the native flavor of the fish. Trout or any small fish, sautéed and served without any sauce except the butter in which it was cooked, finds an appropriate place on many menus; with a green salad it may make an entire meal, or it may provide welcome contrast in a long and elaborate menu.
But regardez, when I say sauter, I mean only sauter, to cook in a shallow skillet in a small amount of fat or oil. There is no place in fine cookery for that irregular, unclassified kind of frying that uses a couple of inches or so of fat and turns out deplorably grease-soaked foods. Frying should be done in deep hot fat. deep enough for the food to float, and hot enough to cook without soaking. But it is sautéing with which I deal here.
A heavy skillet is important for proper sautéing. A light pan retains heat unevenly and permits scorching. The low, slightly flaring sides of a skillet allow the steam to escape from the pan and give the food a crispy brown crust.
Fish are prepared for the skillet in different ways. They should be cleaned. of course, and the fins trimmed close to the body. The head may be left on or not, as desired; small fish may be very attractively served, heads and all. If the fish has a heavy thick skin. I prefer to remove it before cooking. If the skin is thin. I simply slash it diagonally three or four times on each side. Both these tricks serve a double purpose: They prevent the fish from being pulled out of shape when the heat shrinks the skin, and they allow the fish to cook thoroughly, because the heat can reach the center of the flesh more easily.
When the fish is cleaned, dip it in milk and then in flour seasoned with a little salt. Shake off any surplus flour— I hold the fish by the tail for this operation—so that no bits of flour will drop off to make unattractive burned specks in the skillet. The fat in the skillet should be very hot, I prefer to use one-fourth inch of salad oil or clarified butter for saucéing fish. To clarify butter, simply melt it and pour the clear fat off the milky sediment which settles in the bottom of the pan, and which should be discarded. Cook the fish in this hot fat until it is golden brown on both sides, a matter of twelve to fifteen minutes for the average small fish, longer of course for larger ones. To test the fish, insert a small thin knife carefully into the side. If the flesh Bakes easily from the bone, the fish is cooked.
The sautéed fish may be served just as it comes from the skillet with the browned butter poured over it on a hot platter. Or the bone may first be removed. To do this, first detach the top filet, in two sections if it is large, and lay if on the side of the serving dish. Then remove and discard the backbone and the small bones along the edge, which come away easily in a well cooked fish. Season the inside with a little salt and pepper and lay the top filet back in place. If oil has been used for the sautéing. pour it off and brown some butter in the same pan; if butter his been used, add enough butter to make 1 tablespoon brown butter sauce for each serving. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the browned butter, or sprinkle the fish with the lemon juice —as you like—and pour the butter over the fish, which should be kept hot on a hot plate. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley or parsley mixed with chives, and garnish the dish with slices of lemon dipped in chopped parsley.
Fish diets may be sautéed like whole small fish, but they are usually thin and fragile and likely to dry out in cooking. and on the whole I prefer to poach filets and serve them with some more elaborate sauce than the delicious but simple belle meunière.
Truite Sautée Belle Meunière (Sautéed Trout with Brown Butter)
Clean 1 trout, weighing about ½ pound, far each serving, and make three or four small incisions in the skin on both sides. Dip the fish in milk, then in flour seasoned with a little salt. Shake off any surplus flour. In a skillet heat about ¼ inch salad oil and in it saute the trout for 6 to 7 minutes on each side. or until the flesh flakes easily from the bones. Remove the fish to a hot serving dish, season them with a little salt and freshly ground pepper, and sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice. Discard the oil from the pan and add 1 tablespoon butter for each fish cooked. Cook the butter until it turns a hazelnut brown and pour it over the fish. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and garnish with a slice of lemon, dipped in finely chopped parsley.
Truite Sautée Amandine (Sauséed Trout with Almonds)
Prepare and sauté trout as described above. Cmit the lemon juice. Make the browned butter and add 1 tablespoon blanched sliced, and toasted almonds for each serving.
Truite Saumonée Sautée Meunière (Sautèed Salmon Trout)
Prepare a 2 to 3-pound salmon trout as for truite sautée. In a pan large enough and long enough to hold the whole fish, heat about ¼ inch salad oil and in it sauté the salmon until it is golden brown on one side. Turn the fish and cook it on the other side until golden brown and done, basting it frequently after it has been turned with the hot of in the pan. This basting will cook th? side which is away from the hear and prevent it from drying out. Test by inserting a small sharp thin knife in the side. The flesh detaches easily from the bones when the fish is cooked. Serve with browned butter, parsley, and lemon as for truite santée. Serves 4.
Sautéed Kingfish, Bluefish, Sea Bass
Kingfish, bluefish, sea bass and other fish are sautéed by following the directions for trout if the fish are small, and the recipe for salmon trout if the fish weigh more than 2 pounds.
Filets de Safes Mural
Cut 4 to 6 filets of sole en goujon, that is, in small strips about as big as your little finger (the size of the goujons found in the French rivers). Dip the strips in milk, then in flour seasoned with a Utile salt. In a skillet heat 3 tablespoons butter and in it sauté the strips until they are golden brown all over, turning them as required. Cook 1 cup potatoes, cut into very small julienne, in butter until well browned and tender and sauté 6 or 8 cooked artichoke bottoms, each cut into 6 or 7 pieces, in butter. Mix the vegetables with the fish and arrange on a serving platter. Or the fish can be put in the center of the dish and the potatoes and artichokes arranged alternately around it. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons butter to the pan, cook until it is hazelnut brown, and pour over all. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice and a little finely chopped parsley.
Filets de Soles Moderne
Follow the recipe for filets de soles Mural, substituting 1 cup knob celery for the artichoke bottoms. To prepare the celery, cut it in small pieces about the size of olives, and parboil the pieces for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the celery knob and cook it in butter until done.
Filets de Soles Sautés Réjane
Cut some very small incisions in the top of each filer. Dip the filers in milk and then in flour seasoned with a little salt. In a skillet heat enough clarified butter to cover the bottom well and in it sauté the filets over moderate heat until they are golden brown on both sides. Arrange them on a hot serving dish and sprinkle them with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Add to the pan 1 tablespoon butter for each serving and cook until it is hazelnut brown. Add a few drops of lemon juice and pour the butter over the fish. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and garnish with sautéed cucumbers.
When I served my apprenticeship as a pastry chef at Moulin, the pâtiserie where I worked was across the street from a charcuterie, or pork shop. Like most shops of the sort it had the same mirrored walls, marble-topped counters. and shining nickel fixtures as our pâtis serie. and the boys there prepared horsd'oeuvre, sausages, and various cooked pork products just as we prepared petits fours. gâteanx, and fancy pastries. Those were the similarities; the difference anyone could smell. The odors which Hosted from our side of the street to theirs were sweet and strong with vanille. The perfume which they sent over to us was pungent with vanille de Marseille, which was, of course, garlic!
French housewives frequently have their pork chops sautéed for them at the churcuterie; if the pork chops, or chops or escalopes of veal, are to be cooked at home, they must be cooked slowly until they are very well done.
Côtelettes de Porc Sautées (Soutéed Pork Chops)
Trim the surplus fat from four pork chops. ¾ inch thick. Season the chops with salt and pepper and rub them with flour. In a heavy frying pan render the surplus fat. Arrange the chops in the pan and sauté them slowly for about 12 to 15 minutes on each side. Remove the chops to a serving dish and add about ½ cup water or stock to the pan. Cook slowly until the liquid is reduced to half, stirring in all the brown crustiness around the sides of the pan. Skim off the fat and pour the pan gravy over the chops. If a butter sauce is desired instead of the pan gravy, pour the fat from the pan after the chops have been removed and add 2 tablespoons butter. Cook the butter until it turns hazelnut brown and pour it over the chops. Serves 4.
Côtelettes de Pore Charcutière (Pork Chops Delicatessen Style)
Prepare and cook pork chops as described in côtelettes de pore sautées, Remove the chops to a serving dish and melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion and cook until the onion is golden. Add 3 ounces white wine and 1 tablespoon vinegar and cook until the liquid is reduced to three-fourths. Add I cup brown sauce (see April, 1952) and 3 tablespoons tomato sauce or puree and cook slowly for 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon prepared mustard, 3 slices of sour pickles, and 1 teaspoon chopped parsley and correct the seasoning with salt. Return the chops to the pan and cook until the sauce almost reaches the boiling point. Do not let the sauce boil after the mustard and pickles have been added. Remove the chops to the serving dish and pour the sauce over them. Serves 4.
Escalopes de Veau Sautées (Veal Sautéed in Butter)
Cut 1 ¼ pounds leg of veal into ½-inch-thick slices and flatten each slice with a wooden mallet. Season the meat with salt and pepper and rub it lightly with flour. In a large frying pan melt 4 tablespoons butter and saute the veal in it for about 6 to 7 minutes, or until it is golden brown on both sides. Transfer the meat to a serving platter and pour the butter over the meat. Add ½ cup stock or water to the pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring in all the brown crustiness in the pan. Pour the gravy over the meat and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Serves 4.
Escalopes de Veau Sautées Chasseur (Sautéed Veal Hunter Style)
Prepare and cook veal as for escalopes sautées. Remove the meat to a serving dish and add to the butter in the pan ½ pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced. Cook gently until the mushrooms are soft. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or onion and ¼ cup white wine and cook until the liquid is reduced to half. Add 3 tablespoons tomato sauce, and 3 tablespoons gravy or beef extract or brown sauce (see April, 1952) and cook for a few minutes longer. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and a little chopped tarragon and pour the sautéed vegetables over the meat. Serves 4.
Escalopes de Veau Panées (Breaded Veal Cutlets)
Cut 1 ¼ pounds veal into ½-inch thick slices and flatten each slice with a wooden mallet. Rub the pieces with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, dip them into 1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon salad oil. and ½ teaspoon salt, then dip in fine dry bread crumbs to cover the entire surface.
In a frying pan sauté the veal slices in 3 to 4 tablespoons melted butter for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides. Arrange the veal on a serving dish and pour the butter from the pan over it. Serve with slices of lemon. Serves 4.
Petites Escalopes de Veau
Cut 1 pound veal into thin slices and pound each slice with a wooden mallet until it is paper thin. Season the slices with salt and pepper and rub them with flour. In a frying pan sauté the meat in 3 to 4 tablespoons melted butter until it is golden brown on both sides. If the slices are thin enough, they will be done as soon as they are brown. Remove the meat to a serving dish and add to the pan a few tablespoons sherry, Madeira, or Marsala, and a little leftover meat gravy or water. Cook for a few minutes, stirring in all the brown crustiness in the pan. Add 1 tablespoon butter, swirling it in by moving the pan around in a circular motion, and pour the wine sauce over the meat. Other sauces such as chasseur, portugaise, mushroom, may be served with the veal. In all cases, the sauce should be made in the pan after the veal has been removed. Serves 4.
Côtes de Veau à l'Estragon (Veal Chops with Tarragon)
Season 4 veal chops. 1 inch thick, with salt and pepper and rub them with flour. Saute the chops slowly in 3 tablespoons melted butter for about 12 to 15 minutes on each side and arrange them on a serving platter.
Parboil 24 of the choicest leaves from 4 sprigs of tarragon in a little boiling salted water for 1 minute, drain them, and plunge them into cold water. Chop the remaining tarragon sprigs and add them to the pan in which the chops have been cooked with a scant ¼ cup while wine and cook for a few minutes, stirring in all the brown crustiness from the sides of the pan. Add ½ cup veal gravy or stock and 1 tablespoon beef extract and bring the sauce to a boil. Decorate the veal chops with the parboiled tarragon leaves and strain the gravy over them. Serves 4.
Côtes de Veau à la Grand'mère (Grandmother's Veal Chops)
Season 4 veal chops, 1 inch thick, with salt and pepper and rub them with flour. In a frying pan melt 3 tablespoons butter, add ¼ pound fat salt pork or bacon, diced, parboiled for 5 minutes, and drained, and cook until the dice are golden brown. Set the dice aside. Arrange the chops in the pan with 12 small onions and sauté them over gentle heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 large potatoes. diced, and continue to cook for about 25 minutes, turning the chops when brown on one side and moving the onions around to brown them evenly. Remove the chops and vegetables, add ½ cup Stock or water to the pan, and cook for a few minutes, stirring in all the brown crustiness to make the gravy. Return the chops, vegetables, and pork dice to the pan and cook about 5 minutes longer to reheat them. Sautéed mushrooms may be added, if desired, Serves 4.
Meat specialties such as liver and kidneys are suitable for sautéing, and are both quick and easy to do.
Foie de Porc aux Oignons ( Port Liter with Onions)
In a frying pan sauté 2 onions, sliced. in 2 tablespoons butter until they are golden and tender. Season 8 thin slices pork liver with salt and pepper and rub them with flour. Melt some pork fat in another pan and in it saute the liver over a quick fire for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is brown on both sides. Remove the liver to a serving dish and pour off the fat from the pan. To the pan add 2 tablespoons vinegar and the cooked onions. Bring to a boil, stirring, and pour onions and vinegar over the liver. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4.
Rognom de Veau Sautés (Sautéed Veal Kidneys)
Remove the membrane and trim the surplus fat from 4 veal kidneys. leaving just enough fat to keep the kidneys moist. Split the kidneys in half, but don't cut them all the way through, and open them so that they lie flat. Season the kidneys with salt and pepper and rub them with flour. In a frying pan melt 4 to 6 tablespoons butter. Cook the kidneys in the butter, over moderate heat, partly covered, for about 10 to 12 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and tender. Arrange the kidneys on a serving planer and pour over them some of the butter from the pan. Add ½ cup veal gravy or chicken stock to the pan and cook, stirring in all the brown crustiness. Pour the pan gravy over the kidneys. Serves 4.
Rognons de Veau Sautés aux Champignons (Sautéed Veal Kidneys with Mushrooms)
Remove the membrane and fat from 4 veal kidneys, cur them into small pieces, and season with salt and pepper. In a frying pun heat the fat removed from the kidneys, Cook the kidneys in this fat over a quick fire for about 5 minutes, and turn into a colander to drain. Discard all the fat in the pan, add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 onion, chopped, and cook until the onion begins to turn golden. Add ½ pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, and cook until the mushrooms are soft. Stir in 1 tablespoon flour, ¼ cup white or red wine, 1 cup cooked tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Add the kidneys and cook until they are heated through, without letting the sauce boil. Serves 4.
Rognons d'Agneau Sautés (Sautéed Lamb Kidneys)
Trim all the far from 8 lamb kidneys, peel off the thin membrane covering them, and season with salt and pepper. In a frying pan heat 2 tablespoons fat, sauté the kidneys in it over a quick fire for 2 to 3 minutes, and turn them into a colander to drain. In the pan put 2 tablespoons butter and ½ pound mushrooms, whole or sliced, and saute the mushrooms until they are soft. Stir in 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or onion, 1 tablespoon flour, ½ cup cooked tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons good meat gravy and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes longer, correct the seasoning with salt, and add a scant ¼ cup sherry or Madeira. Add the kidneys and cook until they are heated through. without letting the sauce boil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon chopped parsley. If ½ cup brown sauce (see April, 1952) and 2 tablespoons tomato sauce or puree are used instead of the cooked tomatoes and gravy, the flour may be omitted.
Any cuts of beef or lamb which are usually broiled may also be sautéed. In this case, they should he cut thinner. The filet of beef is cut into tournedos 1 to 1 ½ inches thick, and the lamb chops are cut 1 inch thick. The first rib of beef, just the thickness of the bone, is a popular cut abroad for sautéing.
To Sauté Tournedos of Beef, Minute Steak, or Lamb Chops
Season the meat with salt and pepper. Melt enough butter in a frying pan to cover the bottom of the pan well. Put in the meat and cook over a quick fire for 2 to 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the meat and the degree of doneness desired. Remove the meat to a serving dish and to the pan add ¼ to ½ cup stock or water. Cook until the liquid is reduced to half, stirring in all the brown crustiness in the pan. Add 1 tablespoon butter, swirling it in by moving the pan with a circular motion, and cook until it is just inched. Red or white wine may be used instead of the water or stock.
Emincé de Boeuf an Vin Rouge (Hamburgers in Red Wine)
Add 3 tablespoons water or cream and a little salt to I ½ pounds very lean chopped beef, mix well, and shape the mixture gently into cakes. The added moisture and the light handling insure succulent hamburgers. In a frying pan heat enough suet or fat to cover the bottom generously. Samé the hamburgers in the fat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for rare, longer for very thick or for well-done cakes.
Arrange the hamburgers on a serving dish. Discard the fat from the pan and add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot or onion and cook until the onion is soft. Add ¼ cup red wine and cook until the wine is slightly reduced, stirring in all the brown crustiness in the pan. Pour the pan gravy over the meat.
Côte de Boeuf Sautée (Sautéed Rib of Beef)
Have a butcher cut the first rib from a roast of beef. It will probably be about 1 inch thick and weigh 2 pounds or a little more. If the rib is very long, have it trimmed about an inch longer than the meat. In a frying pan heat enough beef suet or veal far to cover the bottom generously. Sear the meat in the fat over a quick fire until it is golden brown on both sides. Discard the fat from the pan and season the meat with sale Add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. reduce the heat, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. The meat will be medium rare. Remove the meat to a serving dish, add 2/3 cup stock or water to the pan, and cook until the liquid is reduced to ½ cup, stirring in all the brown crustiness in the pan, Serve with the meat. Serves 4.
A platter of sautéed fish or meat is most attractively garnished with vegetables which have also been sautéed. Many vegetables, even some potatoes, can be sautéed without parboiling. Carrots Vichy are cooked only in butter, for instance, It is a wise precaution, however, to judge the tenderness of the vegetable before attempting to sauté it; large carrots, which have been a long time growing and developing cellulose, will surely require a preliminary cooking in water.
Sautéing is an excellent way of using leftover boiled potatoes, particularly when the potatoes have been cooked in their jackers. Peel and slice the potatoes and cook them slowly until they are golden brown on both sides. After the potatoes have been removed from the pan to drain on absorbent paper, the same butter may be used for other vegetables.
Sautéed Cucumbers
Peel cucumbers and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and cut the halves into pieces about 1 inch long. Parboil the pieces in boiling salted water for 10 minutes and drain well. Sprinkle the cucumbers with a little salt and sugar and saute them in a frying pan in a little butter until they are golden brown.
Sautéed Eggplants
Peel an eggplant and cut it into slices 1/3 to ½ inch thick. Dip the slices in milk and salted flour. In a skillet heat enough salad oil to cover the bottom well and in it sauté the eggplant for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until it is golden brown and tender.
Green Beans Lyonnaise
Chop finely 1 medium onion and cook it slowly in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons butter until soft and golden. Meanwhile wash 1 pound green beans. snap off the ends, but leave them whole. Cook in boiling salted water until tender, but still Crisp. Drain the beans well and add them to the onions in the pan, Sauté the beans for a few minutes, shaking the pan to mix beans and onions together. Correct the seasoning with salt and sprinkle with a little freshly ground pepper and 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley.
Sautéed Mushrooms
Stem 1 pound mushrooms, wash the caps and sprinkle them with salt and a little pepper. In a saucepan sauté the mushrooms in 4 tablespoons hot butter until they are golden brown on both sides. Serve with the butter from the pan and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Use the stems for soup or stock.
Sautéed Mushrooms Provençale
Sauté mushroom caps as described above. When they are browned, remove them from the pan and to the butter in the pan add 1 teaspoon chopped shallots or onion and 1 clove of crushed garlic. Sauté the shallots and garlic for 2 minutes, return the mushrooms to the pan, and cook a few minutes longer to reheat the mushrooms, shaking the pan constantly. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Sautéed Tomatoes
Cut firm tomatoes into thick slices. Season the slices with salt and roll them in flour. In a skillet heat some oil or butter and in it saute the tomato slices until they are brown on both sides.
And when considering garnishes for sautéed foods, don't overlook two fruits that are particularly good when sautéed. bananas and apples. Sautéed apples are often much more desirable than applesauce as a meat accompaniment because they are not so watery and not so sweet as the sauce.
Sautéed Bananas
Peel bananas and cur them in half or in quarters lengthwise. In a skillet heat enough butter to cover the bottom well and in it sauté the bananas until they are golden brown on both sides.
Sautéed Apples
Select firm apples. Rome Beauty and Spitzenburg are two kinds that sauté well. Peel and cut the apples into small sections or olive shapes, and dust them with flour. In a skillet heat enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan well, and in it saute the apples until they are golden brown all over, turning them as required.