“Quels enfants insensés!” Grand'mère was not easily roused to anger, but when we left food uneaten on our plates, her native thriftiness was mortally offended. She would cell us that we were not only foolish, but also foolhardy, for if we threw away the food given to us by le bon Dieu, we might be punished by not having enough to eat another day. Wastefulness was more than stupid, it was sinful. See, alors, how many mighty rulers, kings, czars, and tyrants whose wasteful ways are written down in the history books have died without a crust of bread for a last meal.
Some of these wastrels may have been Frenchmen, but surely not very many of them, because to a Frenchman thrift. which is care and wisdom in the management of one's resources, is a cardinal virtue. Whether he is building a cathedral, designing an evening gown, or cooking a meal, the true Frenchman always makes the most of his resources.
No top-ranking chef can justly be accused of wastefulness. He may seem to be extravagant in his use of heavy cream, good butter, truffles, and foie gras, but actually these things are always used, and used to best advantage, and never wasted. I have the feeling that many an American household could buy heavy cream, good butter, and even truffles and foie gras with the money spent on food that is thrown away.
The French learned to make a little go far in 1870, and again in 1914 and in 1940. Three terrible wars in seventy years made the lessons of thrift lasting ones. We in America likewise learned something of kitchen economy during the recent war, when thriftiness was forced upon us by circumstances.
Often the ill wind that compels us to learn new habits proves to be a good wind after all. for the new habits turn out to be worth keeping, even after the Circumstances which bred them have changed for the better. At the old Ritz-Corlton, for instance, butter rationing made it very difficult for us to have enough butter for both table service and kitchen. Plate after plate used to come back from the dining room with unused butter on it … and we were so short of butter for our sauces! Then I found a happy solution: I asked the headwaiter to serve butter only when the guest asked for it, and the problem was solved. This arrangement is still in force in many fine restaurants today. The guests are served butter if they want it. but often refuse it if they are enjoying a richly sauced dish. So another wasteful habit, one which would have horrified my thrifty Grand'mère, is slowly being eliminated.
During the war necessity was the mother of invention. Meat was scarce, and still we had several thousand diners to feed daily. I managed very well by using the meat specialties—brains, kidneys, sweetbreads, and so on—and fish, which remained plentiful. But, principally, I solved the meat problem by thrift, by making the most of my leftovers.
In a fine restaurant the problem of leftovers requires special attention. When a roast is sliced, only the most perfect, handsome slices go into the dining room. The rest of the roast, just exactly as tender and tasty, becomes a leftover. If a piece of fish breaks on the grill or in the pan, it cannot be served. If the weather is inclement, the usually crowded dining rooms are likely to be half empty, while the kitchen is crowded with the roasted meats and fowls prepared for guests who did not come!
It is in making the most of leftovers that the thrifty cook can exercise his ingenuity to best advantage. During the depression years of the thirties, when all expensive restaurants faced grim days of empty tables and monthly statements on the red side of the ledger, leftovers were truly a bête noire. It was almost impossible to predict whether a day's business was going to be good or poor, yet we had to have meat and poultry on hand to meet any emergency. Inevitably there were quantities of leftovers. The one dish capable of many dramatic variations, which could be depended upon to use up all the leftovers, was, of course, hash! But what a hash—the most succulent and tasty hachis we could devise. The finely cut meat was combined with many different sauces and served with different borders—of rice, duchesse potatoes, purée of peas or corn, or whatever occurred to us. On some of the hachis we put a Mornay sauce and glazed the dish under the broiler flame. Some were sprinkled with bread crumbs and melted butter and browned, and some we topped with a poached egg. We served the hachis on plates with a red border, and. naturally, called them our Red Plate Luncheons. They soon became so popular that our normal supply of leftovers wasn't enough, and we had to buy and cook meal and poultry especially for the Red Plate hachis.
The most important thing to remember about cooking leftovers is that the meat, poultry, game, or fish is already sufficiently cooked, and that anything more than the briefest possible heating will overcook it, toughen the tissues, and dry out the juices. It is best to finish the sauce for the meat completely, then combine and heat the two together for a minute or two. If there is plenty of sauce, and the sauce is flavorful with tomatoes, mustard, vinegar, onion, pickles, or any of dozens of other ingredients, the leftovers will then he a success.
The garnishing and arrangement of the serving dish are even more important with leftovers than with the meat in its pristine form. If the remains of a roast can be cut into reasonably attractive slices, arrange the slices, in an overlapping pattern, on the plate. If there is not enough meat to make even slices. chop or dice the meat instead. Then sprinkle the finished dish with browned bread crumbs, or with chopped parsley or chives, and garnish the platter as attractively as possible.
Beef or Lamb Bonne Femme
In a saucepan sauté lightly 2 tablespoons chopped onion in 1 tablespoon melted butter. Add 1 tablespoon flour and continue to cook until the flour begins to turn golden. Add gradually 1 ½ cups stock and 5 tablespoons tomato puree or tomato sauce and cook slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming as necessary. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Stir in gently about 1 pound of leftover cooked beef or lamb, finely diced, and bring the sauce just to a boil.
Meanwhile peel, quarter, and boil 3 or 4 large potatoes in salted water until done. Drain, dry them over the heat, and run through a food mill or sieve into a pan. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons butter and beat with a wooden spoon. Add about ½ cup boiling milk, little by little, or enough to make creamy mashed potatoes and correct the seasoning with salt. Put the sauced beef in a heatproof shallow serving dish and cover it with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese or dry Swiss cheese. ½ tablespoon fine bread crumbs, a little melted butter, and brown in a hot oven (450° F.) or under the broiler.
Beef Parmentier
In a shallow pan heat 2 to 3 tableSpoons butter and add 2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced. Season with salt and pepper and cook, shaking the pan frequently, until the potatoes are tender and brown on all sides. Remove them to a plate and keep hot. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in the pan, add 3 cups diced, leftover cooked beef, and cook just long enough to heat the meat and brown it lightly. Add the potatoes, shake all together, and correct the seasoning with salt and a little freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and serve very hot.
Beef Fermière
In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter and in it saute 1 cup chopped onions until they are golden. Stir in 1 tablespoon Hour and cook until the butter and the flour ate combined. Stir in gradually 1 cup stock, ½ cup cooked tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt and a little pepper. Cook, stirring, until the sauce comes to a boil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes. Add 3 sliced sour pickles and, for a sharper sauce, ½ teaspoon dry mustard mixed with a little vinegar and 1 teaspoon grated horseradish. Do not let the sauce boil after adding the pickles. Slice thinly 1 pound of leftover cooked beef and overlap the slices in a shallow heatproof serving dish. Pour the sauce over the meat, sprinkle with bread crumbs and a little melted butter, and brown in a hot own (450° F.) or under the broiler. Garnish the sides of the dish with slices of boiled potatoes or fried eggplant.
Roast Beef Ménagère
In a saucepan melt 1 tablespoon butter and in it sauté 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped onion until golden. Add 2 tablespoons tomato puree or tomato saute, ½ to ¾ cup veal gravy or other good gravy, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Bring the sauce to a boil.
In a skillet melt 3 tablespoons butter, add 3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced, and cook over a brisk fire until tender, shaking the pan frequently to brown them on all sides. Season with salt. Add about 1 pound of diced, leftover roast beef to the sauce. Bring the mixture almost to a boil and stir in lightly half of the sautéed potatoes. Turn into a hot serving dish, put the remaining potatoes on top, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
Beef with Paprika
In a shallow pan heat 3 to 4 tablespoons butter and in it saute 3 cups diced, leftover cooked beef until blown, shaking the pan constantly. Remove the meat to a platter, add ½ cup chopped onions to the butter remaining in the pan, and cook until they are golden. Stir in 2 tablespoons paprika mixed with ½ cup cream and cook for 5 minutes. Add ½ cup cream sauce or béehamel sauce (see March, 1952) and the meat and bring just to a boil. Serve with rice or noodles.
Beef a l à Tartare
Slice leftover cooked beef about ¼ inch thick. Arrange the slices on a platter, season them with a little salt and pepper, and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and a few drops of vinegar. Let the meat stand for 15 minutes to absorb the seasonings. Dip the slices in Hour, coat them with 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons milk and 1 tablespoon salad oil, and dip in fine bread crumbs. In a skillet heat 2 to 3 tablespoons butter, add the slices of beef, and sauté until they are brown on both sides. Serve with sauce tartar or réimoulade (see July, 1952), tomato sauce (see April, 1952), or sauce piquante (see October, 1952).
Beef Hash Châtelaine
In a saucepan melt 1 tablespoon butter and in it sauté 2 tablespoons chopped onion until golden. Add 1 tablespoon Hour and continue to cook until the flour turns golden. Stir in gradually 1 ½ cups stuck and 3 tablespoons tomato puree or tomato sauce and cook slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming as necessary. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and 1 pound of diced, leftover cooked beef, mix gently, and bring just to the boil.
Meanwhile remove the shells and skin of 18 to 20 chestnuts and cook them for 15 to 20 minutes in water with salt and a stalk of celery. Drain and mix half the chestnuts, coarsely chopped, with the sauced meat. Correct the seasoning with salt and add a little pepper. Turn into a hot serving dish and garnish with the remaining whole chestnuts.
Cold Beef à la Parisienne
Slice 1 pound of cold boiled beef and overlap the slices in an oblong serving dish. Garnish the sides of the dish with sliced cooked potatoes, sliced tomatoes, leftover cooked green beans, carrots cut in julienne, and sliced or quartered hard-cooked eggs. Arrange very thin slices of onion on top of the meat and sprinkle with chopped parsley. To ½ cup vinaigrette sauce (see October, 1952), add 1 teaspoon each of chopped chives and tarragon, and pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
Beef Salad Country Style
Sauté ½ cup diced salt pork in pork fat until golden brown. Drain and cool. In a salad bowl combine ½ cup vinaigrette sauce (see October, 1952), ½ cup lukewarm chicken stock, 1 tablespoon mixed finely chopped paisley. chervil, and tarragon. 1 teaspoon chopped chives, ½ teaspoon salt, and a little freshly ground pepper. Add about! pound of leftover cooked beef. cut into small dice or thinly sliced, 1 cup freshly cooked warm rice, and the sautéed saltpork dice and toss gently. Arrange around the edge of the bowl 3 tomatoes, peeled and thinly sliced, and 2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced or quartered.
Brown Stock
Arrange 4 pounds of beef and veal bones, cut into rather small pieces, in a shallow roasting pan and sprinkle the bones with 1 large carrot and 2 onions, both sliced. Bake the bones in a hot oven (400° F.) for about 35 to 40 minutes. or until they are a good dark brown color. Transfer the bones to a soup kettle, add 3 quarts cold water, ½ tablespoon salt, and a fagot of 3 stalks of celery, 4 sprigs of parsley, a little chyme, and a small piece of bay leaf. Bring the water to a boil, skim thoroughly, and continue to cook very slowly for about 4 hours, or until the liquid is reduced to about 2 quarts. Remove the bones and strain the stock through fine cheesecloth. Coo! and store in the refrigerator until needed. Discard the fat and use the stock for sauces or make it into soup by cooking it with chopped vegetables, barley, or other soup garnishes, or use it as the base for French onion soup.
In using leftover fish one must bevery careful to keep the fish in pieces large enough to pick up on a fork. Mixing and stirring fragile cooked fish into a Sauce is sure to break and mash it. We always like to combine sauce and fish in layers: first some of the sauce, then a layer of fish, and then the remaining sauce, so the fish retains its identity. It is very important for a leftover fish dish to be served piping hot, not so simple as it may seem to achieve, since the fish must, for safety's sake, be kept refrigerated until the last moment. To warm the fish, put two tablespoons of water and one of butter in a shallow pan. Heat the fish very slowly in this until the water has cooked away. The Steam will heat the fish without toughening it, and the butter will keep the flesh moist and juicy. Naturally, the skin and bones of the fish must be carefully removed and discarded, and the meat must be removed from leftover cooked shellfish before these dishes can be prepared.
Creamed Fish au Gratin
Cut 1 ½ pounds of cooked fish into pieces. Put 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon butter, and a little salt in a shallow pan, add the fish, and cook over low licit until the water is Cooked away. Prepare 2 ½ cups duchesse potatoes (see March, 1952.) and 2 cups Mornay sauce (see March, 1952). Make a border of the duchesse potatoes around a flat ovenproof serving dish, using a pastry bag. Spread 1 cup of the Mornay sauce in the center of the dish, put the reheated fish on the sauce, and cover the fish with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the sauce with grated Parmesan cheese and a little melted butter. Brush the potatoes with melted butter and brown in a hot oven (450° F.) or under the broiler flume.
Coquilles of Fish
Cut 1 ½ pounds of leftover cooked fish or shellfish into pieces. Put 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon butter, and a little salt in a shallow pan. add the fish, and cook over low heat until the water is cooked away. Prepare 2 ½ to 3 cups duchess potatoes (see March. 1952) and 2 cups white wine sauce for fish (see March, 1952). Make a border of the potatoes around the edge of scallop shells and put 2 tablespoons of the sauce in the center of each. Divide the fish among the shells and cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the coquilles with a little melted butter and cook in a hot oven (450° F.) for 5 to 6 minutes.
Another method of preparing the coquilles of fish is to use the recipe for creamed fish au gratin, arranging the fish and same in individual scallop shells.
Deviled Fish
Cut 1 ½ pounds of leftover cooked fish or shellfish into pieces. Put 2 tablespoons water. 1 tablespoon butter, and a little salt in a shallow pan. add the fish, and cook over low heat until the water is cooked away. Prepare 2 cups Mornay sauce (see March, 1952). In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter, add 1 ½ teaspoons English mustard, and stir in 1 ½ cups of the sauce, Combine the sauce and the fish and season with salt and pepper. Pill scallop shells with the mixture. Fold 2 tablespoons whipped cream into the remaining ½ cup of Mornay sauce, spread it over the fish in the shells, and sprinkle with grated Par mesan cheese. Brown in a hot oven (450° F.) or under the broiler flamè.
Kedgeree
Cut into pieces 1 pound or more of leftover fish such as salmon, cod, haddock, or halibut. Put 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon butter, and a little salt in a shallow pan, add the fish, and cook over low heat until the water is cooked away. Prepare rice pilaf as follows: In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter, add 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion, and cook until soft but not brown. Add 1 cup rice, mix well and add 2 cups boiling water and a little salt. Cover the saucepan tightly and cook the rice over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the water. Turn the rice into a hot pan, add 1 tablespoon butter, and toss gently with a fork without crushing the grains of rice. Mix 1 tablespoon curry powder into 4 cups béchamel sauce (see March, 1952). Add the fish and 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped, and mix lightly. Spread half the rice in a hot serving dish and cover with half the fish mixture. Put the remaining rice over the fish and top with the remaining fish. Sprinkle with 2 hard-cooked egg yolks pressed through a sieve.
Small Fish Soufflés
Heat 2/3 pound of leftover cooked fish in a little water, drain, and chop finely. In a saucepan heat 1 tablespoon butter, add the fish, and cook over low heat for 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in 2/3 cup very thick béchamel sauce (see March, 1952) with 3 slightly beaten egg yolks and season with salt and a little white pepper. Whip 4 or 5 egg whites until stiff and fold them carefully into the fish mixture. Fill well-buttered individual souffle molds about two-thirds full and bake in a hot oven (400° F.) for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately after removing the petits soufflés from the oven.
Fish Salad
Cut 1 pound of cooked fish into pieces and mix it with about 2 ½ to 3 Cups cooked vegetables, using any combination of beans. Lima beans, peas, or carrots. Add 1 cup mayonnaise and toss gently, taking great care not to mash the fish. Arrange the salad on lettuce leaves in a salad bowl and place slices of peeled tomato and cucumber alternately around the edge. Garnish the top with quartered hard-cooked egg.
Apple Canadienne
Prepare a fish salad. Scoop out the centers of large red apples, leaving a thin shell. Discard the core and cut the apple pulp into pieces. Add the pulp and 3 stalks of celery, diced, to the salad. Cut enough cucumbers in very thin slices to make about ½ cup. sprinkle with salt, and after a few minutes press out all the juice. Add the cucumbers to the salad with 1 teaspoon each of chopped chives and parsley and a little Worcestershire sauce and toss lightly. Arrange the apples on lettuce leaves, fill them with the salad, and garnish each with a filet of anchovy. Decorate the edge of the apples with mimosa, made by mixing finely chopped hard-cooked egg with chopped parsley.
Tomato Washington
Peel 6 large ripe tomatoes and cut off and reserve the tops. Carefully scoop out the centers of the tomatoes and drain off the moisture by gently squeezing each tomato in the palm of the hand. Cut 1 ½ cups cooked fish in pieces and combine it with ½ to ¾ cup leftover cooked lobster and shrimp, if desired. cut into pieces. Add an equal amount of diced celery, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon finely chopped mixed chives, parsley, and tarragon, and a little Worcestershire sauce and toss gently. Fill the tomatoes with the fish mixture and replace the tops. Place each tomato on lettuce leaves and decorate with mimosa, made by mixing finely chopped hard-cooked egg with finely chopped parsley.