Long ago, many years before my time, every city of any size in France had its roving vendors of fried foods. These frituriers ambulants sold their hot, fragrant wares at busy street corners, setting up business near one of the bridges that trass the Seine or, on a feast day, nor too far from a church. The peddler of fritures was ingeniously equipped. Attached to a belt around his waist was a large shallow basket, un éventaire. In this basket he carried a little stand. Over bis shoulder was slung another basket, une botte, this one large and deep, to hold the food and the far. And in his band he carried a third basket to bold the réchaud, the little stove, and the pan for the cooking. When he found a likely spot, the friturier would disen-cumber himself of the baskets, unfold his stand, heat the fat on the réchaud, and commence to hawk his wares of pommes de terre frites and fritures de charcuterie, crisp fried potatoes and delectable fried-pork specialties.
When I was a young man in Paris, although that, too was many years ago. the frituriers were no longer ambulants. The frituiers and their equipment were permanently housed in street stands, and could oiler an assortment of fried funds Fish was a standard item. The French love fish, and since most of the great cities of France are located on or near rivers, fish was easily come by. Even inexpensive. common fish are good when they are freshly caught—as they were then a dozen times a day—and plunged at once into the hot fat at the frying stands. In Prance we say that our fried food stands inspired the famous fish and chips shops of England.
During my military service I was stationed for a while in Vichy. When we had a night off, we would go for dinner to one of the little restaurants along the Allier River. These were stone or brick collages with ten or twelve tables set out on a terrace which overlooked the water and the pleasant lawns and gardens on the riverbank. From the terrace we could watch the river traffic: There were always a few rowboats with soldiers and their girls and usually some Vichy fishermen going about their business. As day-light faded, strings of lights flickered along the water's edge. Even on a hot summer evening it was always cool and fresh by the water.
I can still remember the taste of the fritures de goujons. The goujon was a particularly delectable local fish, and we always had some, as well as various kinds of fried characteries and thick slices of crusty bread, all for about ten or fifteen sous. We never ordered pommes frites, which I'm sure must have been very good, because we had French-fried potatoes every day at our soldiers' mess, and they were no treat! But we drank quantities of the vins du pays at a special soldier's price of six sous a quart, and were never surprised when an irate householder, not entertained by our lusty songs as we tramped back to the barracks late at night, baptized our music with a large pitcher of cold water tossed from an upper window!
We never called the fritures “French fried” because in France there is only one sort of frying. The French sauté food in a shallow pan with just enough fat to cover the bottom, or they fry it in a deep pan filled with enough fat for the food to float. The anonymous sort of cooking which is perpetrated in a shallow pan with an inch of fat in it is never condoned in France as it is in other countries—which then deplore, as well they should, the unattractive, grease-soaked foods which they call “fried.”
Deep-fat frying is a French specialty for two very good reasons: France has been fortunate in having a constant and excellent supply of frying fat and oils—the olive oil of the South, the nut oils of Other regions, and the rendered beef and pork fats from areas where animal husbandry is the principal occupation. And Prance has never had enough fuel. When fuel is not plentiful, top-of-the-stove cookery is less extravagant than oven cookery, and what thrifty Frenchman would be foolish enough to waste precious fuel to heat an oven when the same food can be cooked so quickly in a kettle of fat … and the fat, unlike the fuel, can be used over and over again!
I think that deep-fat frying is the quickest and simplest kind of cooking, if you know how.
First, there are tricks to learn about far. There should be no problem about selecting a fat, because there are so many good kinds available on the market. The canned shortenings made from vegetable oils are a good choice. Salad oils are good, although olive oil is not usually advised, since at high temperatures it imparts its own flavor to the food cooked in it. Rendered beef fat is a good choice for meats, fish, croquettes, and the less delicate foods, but it takes time to cook the fat from the suet fibers. This rendering is a slow process, because the cooking must be done over very low heat, and it must be carefully watched to prevent scorching. Poultry far and butter are not suitable for deep frying because they scorch at such a low temperature, to say nothing of the cost of a kettle of butter! There must be enough fat, enough so that the foot! can actually be submerged and be completely surrounded with hot fat during the brief cooking process.
When the food to be fried is raw. it should be cur into pieces, not too large or too thick. Otherwise the heat cannot get to the center of the food and cook it before the outside becomes overbrown and hard. And, of course, the temperature of the fat cannot be lowered to allow longer cooking, as is done in oven cooking, because very hot fat is essential to successful deep frying. It is important to maintain the temperature of the fat. Cold food stropped into hot fat will lower the temperature twenty to twenty-five degrees, and the more quickly the temperature is raised again, the better the finished product will be.
It is helpful, if not absolutely necessary. to have a pan of very heavy metal for deep frying. The heavy metal helps to hold the fat at a fairly constant temperature. I like to use a wire frying basket to lower the food slowly into the hot fat. Then, if the fat starts to bubble up and threatens to run over onto the stove, the basket can be lifted our for a moment until the bubbling dies down. When the fried food is ready to be removed from the fat, the basket allows most of The surplus far to drain off readily.
A thermometer saves guesswork in judging the temperature of the fat, but a one-inch cube of bread will serve almost as well. For uncooked foods, such as fish-chicken, fritters, and potatoes, the temperature of the fat should be about 370° F. At this temperature a cube of bread will brown in forty-five to fifty seconds. For cooked foods, such as croquettes, the fat should be about 390° F., and at this temperature a cube of bread will brown in twenty-five to thirty seconds.
Properly fried foods come from the kettle golden brown in color, crisp, and tender. There are a few tricks which help to keep them that way. Remove the basket from the fat and shake off as much of the surplus fat as possible. Then spread the food—do not pile it up—on absorbent paper rowels, which will absorb the remaining fat. Fried foods must never be put on a cold serving dish, because hot food on a cold plate becomes damp, and a cold plate will work havoc with the crisp crust of the fritures. At the old Ritz-Carlton we always used a paper doily to protect the crispness, and of course the serving plates were heated, too. The platter must never be covered; a cover would cause the formation of steam and make the food limp and soggy.
But let us go back and begin at the beginning. There are various ways of preparing food for the deep-fat kettle, Some foods can be fried without any sort of amine: potatoes, for example. The trick with potatoes is to wipe them dry. If there is any moisture on the potatoes, the temperature of the fat will drop drastically, and the potatoes will develop a hard, thick crust before they are cooked through.
Most foods should be coated for frying, Three different coatings are ordinarily used: The food may he dipped first into milk and then into flour—this is the method used for small fish, such us smelts. and for vegetables, such as eggplant. Some foods should be coated with flour, egg. and bread crumbs—the coating called à l'aaglaise —to achieve a crumbly, crusty surface on croquettes. fish filets, and many other foods. The third familiar coating is a fritter batter, used to coat fruits and vegetables and to bind chopped mixtures. Corn fritters are made with a fritter baiter. A fourth coating, less known but especially delicious, is pastry. A rich pie dough or puff paste is rolled out and cut into squares. A little of the filling is spooned into the center of the squares, and the pastry is folded over to enclose it. The filled pastries are called rissoles. We shall deal with these last two coatings more specifically in another article.
Simple Coating for Fried Foods
Dry the food to be fried thoroughly. Dip in milk and roll in flour. Shake to remove surplus flour. Only a thin, even coating of flour should remain. Use for smelts, whitebait, small fish filets, onion rings, eggplant cut into strips, and similar foods.
A l'Anglaise Coating
Dry the food to be fried thoroughly. Dip in flour and then into 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon salad oil, and ½ teaspoon salt. Drain well and dip into line bread crumbs. To make the crumbs, trim the crusts from day-old white bread. Crumble the bread finely and rub the crumbs through a coarse sieve. These fresh crumbs are best for fried desserts and delicately flavored foods. For fish, chicken, and less fragile foods, dry bread crumbs are better. These may be grated from hard dry bread, or the day-old crumbs may be allowed to dry. The anglaise coating is used for fish, chicken, croquettes, and vegetables, and for almost all deep frying.
Villeroy Mixture for Coating Fried Foods
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan, add 6 tablespoons flour, and took slowly, stirring, until the roux begins to turn golden. Add gradually 4 cups hot white stock, stirring vigorously with a wire whip to keep the sauce smooth. Add 4 white peppercorns, salt as necessary, and 1 cup mushroom peelings or stems, if available. Cook gently, stirring often and skimming from time to time, until the mixture is reduced to 3 cups. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, return to the fire, and reduce to 2 cups. Add a little of the sauce to 2 slightly beaten egg yolks and stir the eggs into the sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture almost reaches the boiling point. Cool to lukewarm before using.
I said earlier that deep-frying fat can be used over and over again, and it can, except that fat used to fry fish cannot be used for any other food. At the Ritz we always had two pans of fat: one for the more delicate foods and the other for fish. After the cooking has been finished, the fat should he boiled, strained through fine cheesecloth, and stored in a cold place. The fat is beyond use and ready to discard when it will no longer produce a fine golden crust.
Most fried foods are sprinkled with salt or sugar after they have been cooked. Neither salt nor sugar can be absorbed by a fried surface, and the grains will remain on the surface, so very finely pulverized seasoning should be used to avoid a gritty sensation in the mouth.
Fried Chicken
Cut a young, tender chicken into serving pieces, coat the pieces à l'auglaise (see above), and cook them in hot deep fat (370° F.) for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until they come to the surface of the fat and are a golden brown. Drain the chicken on absorbent paper and serve on a paper doily with fried parsley. Serve tomato sauce (see April, 1952) or cream sauce (see March. 1952) on the side. The dish may be garnished with fried bananas and beignets of apple or corn.
Breast of Chicken Xenia
Remove the breast from a chicken weighing about 3 to 3 ½ pounds. Cur the breast away from the bone, splitting the meat in half, and discard the skin. Pound the filets until they spread into very thin slices. Season the slices with a little salt and pepper and spread the center with 1 teaspoon maitre d'hôtel butter (sec June. 1952). Place a piece of pâte de foie gras containing a bit of truffle on the butter, fold the meat around the filling, and secure the rolls with toothpicks Coat the filets à l'an-glaise (See above) and store them in the refrigerator. When the filets are ready to serve, try them in hot deep fat (370° F.) for about 4 minutes, or until they rise to the surface and are golden brown. Remove the toothpicks and serve immediately, so quickly, in fact, that when the rolls are cut with the fork, the butter and foic gras will not be melted, but just creamy. Garnish with slices of canned pineapple and peeled apple quarters sautéed in butter, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and glazed under the broiler. The garnish must be ready before the chicken is put in the fat to cook. Serve with sauce suprême of allemande (see April, 1952). Serves two.
Chicken Croquettes
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small heavy saucepan, add 3 tablespoons flour, and cook until the roux starts to turn golden. Add gradually 1 cup boiling milk, stirring constantly with a whip or wooden spoon, and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce is very thick, stirring to keep it smooth. Add ½ teaspoon salt and a little white pepper and stir in 2 eggs lightly beaten with a little of the hot sauce. Add 2 cups diced cooked chicken and 6 cooked mushrooms, diced, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture cleans the sides of the pan. Correct the seasoning with salt and spread the mixture on a buttered platter to cool. Shape the croquettes in cylinders, cones, or balls, coat them à l'anglaise (sec page 22), and cook in hot deep fat (390° F.) until they are golden brown. Serve with supréme or tomato sauce (see April, 1952).
Wild Rice Croquettes
Follow the recipe for chicken croquettes, substituting cooked wild rice for the diced chicken and using ½ cup cooked diced mushrooms.
Corn Croquettes
Follow the recipe for chicken croquettes, substituting corn kernels for the diced chicken. The mushrooms may be omitted.
Skewered Chicken
Cut cooked chicken into large dice and cook as many medium-sized mushrooms as there are dice of chicken. Alternate on a small skewer a mushroom, a piece of chicken, and a piece of truffle until the skewer is filled. Roll the whole in thick, lukewarm Villeroy sauce (see page 22), coat them à l'anglaise (see page 22), and cook the skewers in hot deep fat (390° F.) until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve on a paper doily accompanied by supréme or tomato sauce (see April, 1952) and 3ny desired vegetable.
Sweetbread and Chicken Croquettes
Follow the recipe for chicken croquettes. substituting cooked, diced sweetbreads for half the chicken. Two tablespoons chopped cooked ham or smoked ox tongue may be added, and 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped truffles will give the croquettes a very special flavor.
Skewered Sweetbreads
Follow the recipe for skewered chicken, substituting cooked diced sweetbreads for the chicken and omitting the truffles. Serve with suprême or tomato sauce (see April, 1952).
Croquettes of Game
Dice finely enough cooked game to make 2 cups. Add 6 cooked mushrooms, finely chopped, and 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped truffles. Reduce 1 cup of Madeira sauce (see June, 1952) or brown saute (see April, 1952) until it is very thick and mix it with the other ingredients. Cool. Shape the mixture into croquettes, coat the croquettes à l'anglaise, and cook them in hot deep fat (390° F.) until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve with any desired sauce.
Croquettes of Lobster
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan, add 3 tablespoons flour, and cook until the roux starts to turn golden. Add gradually 1 cup boiling milk, stirring constantly with a wire whip or wooden Spoon, and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes until the sauce is very chick, stirring often to keep it smooth. Add ½ teaspoon salt and a little pepper and stir in 2 eggs, lightly beaten with a little of the hot sauce. Add 2 cups cooked lobster, 6 cooked mushrooms, both finely diced, and 1 tablespoon chopped truffles. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture cleans the sides of the pan. Correct the seasoning with salt and spread the mixture on a buttered dish to cool. Shape into croquettes, coat the croquettes à l'anglaise (see page 22), and cook them in hot deep fat (390° F.) until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and serve with white wine sauce (see March, 1952).
Friture of Goujons, Whitebait, or Smelts
Clean and dry the fish well. Dip them in milk and then in flour. Shake off the surplus flour and cook the fish in hoc deep fat (370° F.) for 2 to 3 minutes (2 minutes for goujons or whitebait, 3 for smelts). Drain the fish on absorbent paper and sprinkle them with fine salt. Serve with lemon slices and tartare mayonnaise or sauce rémoulade (see July, 1952).
Filets of Sole à la Mode de Goujons
Cut filets of any good white-fleshed fish into pieces about the size of the little finger. Dry them well and dip in milk and then in flour. Shake off the surplus flour and cook the filets in hot deep fat (370° F.) until they are golden brown. Drain the fish on absorbent paper and serve with lemon slices and tartare mayonnaise or sauce rémoulade (see July, 1952).
Fried Fish Filets
Dry the filets well, and if they are large, cut them into serving pieces. Dip the fish in milk, then in flour. Shake off the surplus flour and fry the filets in hot deep fat (370° F.) until they are golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with slices of lemon, fried parsley, and tartare mayonnaise or sauce rémoulade (see July, 1952).
Fried Oysters Orly
Dry raw oysters well, dip them in flour, and coat à l'auglaise (see page 22), using fresh bread crumbs, Fry in hot deep oil (390° F.) for not more than 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper.
Fried Oysters Villeroy
Poach raw oysters for about 1 minute. Trim off the fringe, dry the oysters well, and roll them in flour. Cover the oysters very thoroughly with Villeroy mixture (see page 22) and cool. When the oysters are ready to serve, coat them à l'auglaise (see page 22) and fry them in hot deep fat (390° F.) until they are golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.
Fried Scallops
Rinse scallops to remove any sand and dry them well. Dip them in milk and then in flour, Shake off the surplus flour and cook the scallops in hot deep far (390° F.) for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are golden brown. They will rise to the surface when done. Drain the scallops on absorbent paper and sprinkle them with a little salt. Serve on a paper doily accompanied by tartare mayonnaise (see July, 1952). Fried parsley and broiled bacon are often served with them.
French-Fried Potatoes
Peel potatoes and cut them into pieces about as long and thick as the little finger. Dry them thoroughly on a towel. Put the potatoes into a frying basket and lower them slowly into hot deep fat (370° F.). Raise them out of the fat if it tends to bubble up too much, return them, and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, or until they are brown.
Remove the potatoes from the fat and drain. When ready to serve, return them to the fat which has been heated to 390° F. and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. The potatoes will rise to the surface when they are done. Drain them well on absorbent paper, sprinkle with fine salt, and serve immediately. Do not cover the serving dish. For straw or shoe-string potatoes, cut potatoes into julienne, or very thin, strips, and for potato chips, cut in very thin slices and cook as above.
Fried Sweet Potatoes
Cook unpeeled sweet potatoes in boiling water for about 30 minutes or until they are tender, but not too soft. Drain, cool, and peel them. Cut the potatoes in pieces about as big as the little finger or in ¼-inch slices and cook them in hot deep fat (390° F.) until golden brown. Drain the potatoes on absorbent paper and sprinkle them with a little salt.
Potato Croquettes
Prepare potatoes duchesse as follows: Peel and boil 1 pound of potatoes in salted water until they are soft. Drain the potatoes, dry them well over the heat, and rub them through a sieve into a hot saucepan. Work the puree with a wooden spoon until it is very smooth and add 1 tablespoon butter, ½ teaspoon salt, a little white pepper, a bit of ground nutmeg, and 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk. Mix well and cool. Shape the mixture into croquettes, coat the croquettes à l'anglaise (see page 22), and fry them in hot deep fat (370° F.) until they are golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.