Potage Saint-Germain aux Croûtons
Sole de la Manche Sautée
aux Fines Herbes
Suprémes de Canard des Marais à la
Fine Champagne
Riz Sauvage au Beurre
Dindonneau Farci aux Marrons
Sauce Canneberges
Coeurs de Céleris Braisés
Beignets de Maïs
Terrine de Foie Gras Truffé an Porto
Salade de Cresson
Crème Sainte-Cécile aux Fruits Macérés
Biscuits à la Cuiller
Café
For food lovers le mois de Novembre is an exciting month because certain longed-for delicacies make their annual first appearance on l'étage de gastronomie: truffles and chestnuts, all kinds of game, and barnyard birds grown to roasting pan plumpness. In America the high spot of this bountiful month is Thanksgiving, but in France it is the Feast of St. Martin, which comes on November 11 and honors the patron saint of France.
When I first came to the old New York Ritz some forty years ago, I was struck by the similarity of these two holidays. Both are really harvest celebrations in which the spiritual desire to thank le bou Dieu for the summer's bounty is expressed in the form of a wondrous feast, and in particular by a thumping bird, stuffed and roasted to a golden turn, that presides majestically on the family table. Here, in this country, turkey, of course, takes the bow; in France, goose has the limelight.
How well I remember the preparations for St. Martin's Day when I was a boy in Montmarault. Since mon grand-père was a farmer, and since St. Martin's is traditionally a rural celebration, the day was always a fitting climax to a long summer of hard work. Farm work, as everyone knows, becomes increasingly heavy as spring turns into summer and summer into fall, and on any large farm extra hands must be hired for these busy months. In France this seasonal employment runs from St. Jean's Day in June to St. Martin's in November, by which time the crops would all be in. On the eve of St. Martin's the best-looking goose in the flock, lazily heavy from the choice tidbits that had been daily fed it by grand-mère et ses filles, was killed and plucked for the morrow's feasting. Terrines of game stood cooling in their aspic coverings, soup bubbled gently on the back of the stove, and the vegetables were cleaned and trimmed, ready to go into the big earthenware casseroles, Meanwhile I would accompany grandpère down to the cool damp cellar; there he would carefully and lovingly set bottle upon bottle of good vin du pays upright in a big basket for an overnight settling before bringing them upstairs. It was a stingy farmer indeed who didn't send off the season's extra hands with a hearty reminder of the summer's job well done.
The gala menu above emphasizes the many foods of November. And for its piece de resistance I have chosen turkey. For until Christmas draws near. the markets of this country show few geese, but they are replete with excellent turkeys, from small to very large birds, to suit any size of family. This meal is typical of the Thanksgiving dinners formerly served at the old RitzCarlton, and enjoyed for so many years by more famous gourmets than I could ever list—those hearty connoisseurs who lingered slowly, the way true appreciation requires, over the numerous courses of rich fare.
The menu one plans for a certain type of meal poses its own special problems. This menu, for example, has a heartiness consistent with the occasion and the season. Its heartiness, however, is balanced by the simplicity of its sauces. There is no rich hollandaise or béarnaise, no sumptuous Mornay or cream sauce. Even cream itself is used sparingly: a little in the soup, a bit of it whipped to garnish the dessert. Since the meal begins with a hearty potage, there is no reason to include horsd'oeuvre of any kind at the beginning. Instead, a terrine of truffled foie gras is served as a cold entree after the roast, and the elegance and richness of the foie gras is counterbalanced by the simple water cress salad. In the same way. the rich stuffing of the turkey is modified by the character of the accompanying vegetables.
This process of analyzing a menu in terms of balancing and contrasting flavors is just what a chef or maitre d'hôtel does to decide what goes with what in a well-planned meal. And. personally, I always prefer a menu in which any course that is inconvenient to prepare or serve or perhaps not to one's particular taste can be omitted without impairing the excellence of the meal.
The dishes in this month's menu should not prove to be difficult, if the recipes are carefully followed, as they should be the first few times you try them. The preparations of three of the dishes, however, may be unfamiliar to some American households, and so I think a few words on them are in order. Game cookery is one type of culinary preparation that I find many people hesitate to attempt.
The real wild ducks shot by hunters are to be preferred to the domesticated wild ones raised on game farms. The flavor of the true wild birds is better, their breasts are larger and plumper, and they have more blood, which is an important ingredient in making the sauce for them. Wild ducks ate always cooked rare, and usually only the breasts are served. In carving the breasts every drop of blood that runs out should be saved for the sauce, and added to the juices extracted when the carcass is crushed. Any restaurant which serves much game has a duck press to squeeze the carcass and obtain the blood and juice needed for the sauce. Few homes can boast a duck press, but you can accomplish almost the same thing by running the chopped-up carcass through the meat grinder, using the coarsest blade, and straining the extracted juice through a fine sieve.
Making a terrine of foie gras will be a new experience, I know, to many of you. You can of course buy pâté de foie gras for this course, but if you can obtain fresh goose liver, you will certainly impress your guests if you make your own terrine. The best goose liver comes from specially fattened geese, and you can recognize the quality of the liver by its color, the finest having a creamy color with just the slightest tinge of pink. The liver should be firm, not overly soft. The most renowned goose liver comes from Alsace or Toulouse in France, and sometimes the livers weigh as much as three to four pounds, although two and one-half pounds is considered a good weight.
If the finished pate is to be kept for some time, it should be unmolded when it has cooled and the terrine thoroughly washed and dried and the bottom and sides spread with lard. Then after the molded mixture is returned to the terrine, more fat should be spread over the top, and each rime the pate is sliced, the exposed surface should be spread with fat so that it will be completely sealed.
Although the hostess takes over all the responsibility for the menu and its execution—from the marketing to the sealing of her guests—the host must nor forger that he too has responsibilities, and very important ones. He supervises the cellar—I mean, naturellement, the wines, the whites and reds and some rosés, apéritifs, sherry, Dubonnet, Madeira, a bottle or two of port, some champagne for special occasions, a good cognac, and at least a small selection of other liqueurs. When host and hostess have worked together on their party plans, you will find that a specially good dinner is insured. The foods selected, the tine preparation of the dishes, do and should take the place of honor, but the wine is the soul of the meal, its life—la joie—and brings out good fellowship and joy in the gathering.
Everyone should know that white wines are served cold, preferably from coolers filled with ice, and served in chilled glasses. Champagne is traditionally served this way, and in many fastidious households it is customary to place a cube of ice in each glass and remove the ice just before pouring in the champagne. Red wines, however, are best served at room temperature, which is needed to bring out their bouquet.
For this November menu I suggest a Vouvray or dry sauterne, imported or domestic, with the fish; a Volnay or Corton with the wild duck; and Chateau Lafite or a St. Estèphe with the turkey. After the turkey, the champagne may be opened, unless you want to serve another wine with the terrine; in that case, I recommend a red Château Haut Brion. And finally, there is nothing more suitable for an after-coffee finish to this harvest repast than cognac or another preferred liqueur.
Potage Saint-Germain (French Pea Soup)
Sunk 2 cups split peas in water to cover for 2 hours. Drain and put the peas in a deep saucepan with 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. firing the water to a boil, skim, and cook slowly, Covered. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan and in it saute ½ cup diced fat salt pork and 1 onion, finely chopped. until the onion is golden. Add 1 carrot and the green part of 2 leeks, both chopped. 1 cup chopped spinach or lettuce leaves, half a small bay leaf, and a little thyme. Cook for a few minutes and add to the split peas. Continue cooking for about 1 hour, or until the peas are soft. Rub the soup through a fine sieve and if the mixture seems very thick, add 1 cup boiling water or chicken stock, Bring the soup again to a boil and skim. Correct the seasoning with salt and add I teaspoon sugar. If fresh peas are available, cook 1 cup. rub through a sieve to make a puree. and add it to the soup. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and ½ cup fresh cream and serve the soup with croutons made by sautéing small dice of fresh bread it) butter.
Sole de la Manche Sautée aux Fines Herbes (Sautéed Channel Sole with Herb Butter)
Clean 2 whole sole, each weighing from 1 l/4 to 1 ½ pounds, and remove the heads, the rails, and the skin from both sides. Trim off the edges. Dip the fish in milk, drain, and dredge well in flour. Then shake off the surplus Hour. Heat oil or clarified butter in a shallow pan and in it sauté the fish for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are golden brown on both sides. When done, the flesh will separate easily from the bones. Remove the fish from the pan, Carefully lift off the top filets and remove the backbones. They will lift out easily if the fish are properly cooked. Season the lower filets with a little salt, trim again to make the edges neat all around, and replace the top filets. Place the fish on a serving dish and keep warm.
Pour off all the oil from the pan, add 1 tablespoon butter for each serving, and cook the butter until it is hazelnut brown. Mix together 1 teaspoon each of chopped chives and parsley and ½ teaspoon each of chopped chervil and tarragon and sprinkle the herbs over the fish. Pour the butter over the fish, sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice, and garnish with lemon slices sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Suprémes de Canard des Marais à la Fine Champagne Breasts of Wild Duck in Brandy Sauce)
Clean 2 or 3 wild ducks and truss the legs and wings close to the body. Put the roasting pan in the oven and heat the oven to 450° F. Put the ducks in the hot pan and cook them for 12 to 15 minutes, depending upon the weight of the birds. (Wild ducks are always served very rare.) Let the ducks stand for about 10 minutes, then remove the breasts, and put them where they will keep warm but not cook. Save all the blood. Chop the remaining carcasses and press in a duck press or, lacking a press, break up the carcasses and put them through a meat grinder using the coarsest blade and strain the juke which is extracted through a fine sieve.
Prepare the following sauce: Saute 1 or 2 chicken or duck livers, chopped, it, hot fat or butter for 2 to 3 minutes, turning them as they cook. They should be rare. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In another pan put 1 tablespoon chopped shallot, 1 small bay leaf, a little thyme, 5 peppercorns, and 6 tablespoons red wine and cook slowly until the wine is reduced by one-third. Stir in 2 tablespoons brown sauce (see January, 1953) or good gravy and bring again to a boil. Add the cooked livers, mix well, and pass through a fine sieve. Return the sauce to the pan and add very gradually the blood saved when the breasts were carved and the juice from the carcasses, having first skimmed through a meat grinder using the finest blade, and mix well. Add I teaspoon salt and a pinch of poultry seasoning, 1 pound of chestnuts, shelled and cooked, and 1 cup fresh bread crumbs. Toss all together lightly. The stuffing may be moistened with ¼ cup Madeira or sherry. Fill the cavity of the bird without packing the stuffing in too firmly. This is sufficient for a 10to 12-pound bird.
To Prepare Chestnuts for Stuffing
With a very sharp knife cut a cross in the rounded part of each chestnut. Put the chestnuts in a hot oven (450° F.) or under the broiler flame for 8 to 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the shells and the skin between shell and nut. Put the nuts in a saucepan with enough water or chicken stock to cover them well, add salt and 2 or 5 stalks of celery, and bring to a boil. Cook the nuts gently for 25 minutes and leave them in the liquid to cool.
Coeurs de Ceteris Braise's (Braised Hearts of Celery)
Cut off the green leaves and remove the coarse outside stalks from 8 to 10 heads of celery and wash the celery well. Parboil the celery in water for 10 to 15 minutes and cool in running water. Open up the stalks to let the water run through and clean the stalks thoroughly.
In a deep pan put 1 onion and 1 carrot, both sliced, and 2 or 3 slices of larding pork and arrange the Celery on top. Place slices of salt pork or beef suet on the celery and add stock or water to cover. Bring the liquid to a lx)il and cook the celery slowly in a hot oven (425° F.) or on top of the stove for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve the celery whole or split in any of the following ways: Arrange the celery in a shallow heatproof baking dish, pour some good meat gravy over it, and glaze in a hot oven or under the broiler flame. Or serve with pieces of poached marrow and brown sauce (see January, 1953) on top. Or spread over the celery 1 tablespoon melted butter mixed with a little chopped parsley.
Beignets de Mais (Corn Fritters)
Bring 1 cup water or half milk and half water to a boil with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon sugar, and ¼ cup butter. Add 1 cup flour and cook, stirring rapidly, until the mixture is smooth and rolls away from the sides of the pan, Remove the batter from the heat, cool a little, and add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating each one in thoroughly before adding the next. If the eggs are small and the mixture seems quite heavy, add part of another egg. Stir in 1 cup well-drained cooked corn. Slip the batter by spoonfuls into hot deep fat (375° F.) and fry until the fritters arc puffed and brown on all sides. Drain on absorbent paper towels and serve very hot.
Terrine de Foie Gras Truffé all Porto (Pâté of Truffled Goose Liver with Port Wine Aspic)
Divide in half a firm goose liver weighing about 2 pounds and trim each half to make regular-shaped pieces. Save the trimmings. Make a hole in each half with a skewer and insert a piece of truffle. Season the liver with ½ teaspoon salt mixed with a pinch of poultry seasoning, place it in a bowl. and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cognac. Let the liver marinate for 2 hours, turning occasionally. Meanwhile cut ¾ pound of lean fresh pork and 1 pound of fat fresh pork in pieces, mix with the trimmings of the goose liver, and run through a meat grinder, using the finest blade. Add ¼ to ½ cup truffles cut into small dice, season with ½ teaspoon salt mixed with a pinch of poultry seasoning and ½ cup Madeira or sherry. Mix well.
Line the bottom and sides of a terrine