When I was a child, there would always be one morning in every year when we opened the window shutters to find the air had taken on a certain almost imperceptible softness, a kind of gentle hint that spring was approaching. A morning when the smoke seemed to curl more slowly from the chimneys, dispersing more lazily into the blue instead of being whipped by the wind into leaden skies. A morning when our mother didn't bother about the baked potato for each pocket to keep our hands warm and to be munched as we trudged along the snowy roads to school. Now my older brother, the student in our family, would begin Hiking time off from his books to put his trout-fishing gear into readiness. Mais another spring was about due and country youngsters knew the signs.
And then the day would come when every kitchen doorway we passed on the way home from school sent out drifts of that special odor that told us that Mardi Gras beiguets were sizzling inside. Many a hot crispy pet de nonue sprinkled with sugar or beignet souffle with vanilla or apricot sauce made for the evening's festivities would pass our willing lips before bedtime. These and fender crétpes rolled up with all kinds of fillings were, in fact, favorite foods during the weeks before Good Friday arrived.
Religion and food, traditional companions in mon pays, found themselves more closely entwined in the Lenten season than at any other time of the year. In France the rich and hearty eating of fall and midwinter gives way to simpler fare when the somber forty days and forty nights begin on Ash Wednesday. Even those who are not religiously inclined recognize the benefits of less expansive meals and follow Lenten food customs.
So instead of a classic dinner menu, I'm giving you for February a menu for luncheon, one that I might have planned for you at the old Ritz had you been a guest from France longing for something that reminded you of home. This is a classic French luncheon menu for February, a meal of four courses which can easily be trimmed to three by leaving out either the soup or the entree. And you will still have an admirable little meal. The foods here are simple. The light sauces far from rich, but elegance can be curtailed without being missed when a menu provides the sophistication of such vigorous foods and flavors as bouillabaisse, poulet Bordelaise, onions, artichokes, and such a traditional favorite for dessert as a beignet souffle or a crâpe Bourbonnaise.
Bouillabaisse requires no real skill and very little time in the actual cooking but it isn't too practical a dish to make for a few people: It requires so much fish that you have to make a large Amount Getting the fish and other ingredients ready for the kettle is what takes the time. You need a large knife with a heavy blade, a heavy board on which to work, and a good stiff if brush for scrubbing the clams and mussels. Once you have everything ready for the pot, you can serve up your bouillabaisse in about half an hour.
Poulet saute Bordelaisev is a dish which attracted many to the Ritz dining room. I first made it for Mr. Keller, our president and a gourmet of international reputation. He liked it so well that he often had it served for special business luncheons or when he entertained small groups of connoisseurs. You'll find chat any poulet saute can be put together quite quickly and makes a good selection for a meal which may be delayed for late arrivals.
Both beignets and créepes are easy to make. The beignets are fun to cook because as you watch them. they turn over in the fat of their own accord and announce that the underside is sufficiently cooked. Today the frying of them has been greatly simplified by the automatic fryers that can keep the fat at just the right temperature and also can cook them away from the range which may be needed for other dishes in a meal.
In making crépes, be careful not to bear them too much because overworking the baiter results in toughness. At home we had crâpes at this time of year with sugar or marmalade or molasses. But at my grandmother's we had them with Applesauce made of apples picked from her own trees and sliced and dried by grand'mere. Crepes can be a main dish, too, when stuffed and rolled up with fillings of creamed chicken. spinach or anything suitable. At the old Ritz, we had a fine chef entremetier who was a master hand at crepes and he never missed fixing crâpes with spinach for Mr. Keller and me on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. We both had the same European habits and liked to observe the traditions.
For your wines, consider a white one for the bouillabaisse, but one with strength and character; the kind of a wine you would drink with lobster Américaine. I'd recommend a white Gorton Charlemagne 1947 or a MeurSault Perrière 1947. With the chicken either a Chateau Margaux 1948 or Ponter-Caner 1948 or 1949, or perhaps a Chateau La Tour 1945. And with cheese a good red wine is always desirable. something like a Macon 1947. 1949 or 1950, or a Morey-St.-Denis 1947.
Bouillabaisse
Cut in 1-inch slices 2 live lobsters, each weighing from 1 5/4 to 2 pounds. 1 pound of fresh eel, 1 ¼ pounds each of striped bass and sea bass, and 2 ¼ pounds of Spanish mackerel or red snapper or other firm-fleshed fish. Scrub very thoroughly 2 dozen clams and 2 dozen mussels.
In a large kettle, heat 1 '2 cup olive oil, add 2 large leeks. 2 onions and 1 large carrot, all chopped or cut into julienne, and cook slowly until the vegetables take on a light golden color. Add 1 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped, or I can of tomatoes, 2 or 3 doves of garlic, crushed, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon saffron, I small hay leaf, a little thyme, a pinch of chopped fresh fennel tips if obtainable, I teaspoon salt and a little pepper. 2 cups tomato juice, 2 quarts of water and the lobster and eel. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the striped bass, sea bass, mackerel and red snapper and cook for 10 minutes longer. Add the clams and mussels and continue to cook until their shells open. Correct the seasoning with salt if necessary.
To serve, dish up the fish in deep bowls or individual casseroles, giving each person a piece or two of each kind, and pour some of the liquid over it. Remove the shells from the lobsters and place a couple of pieces on (op of each serving. Remove the upper shells of the clams and mussels and place the lower shells with the clams and mussels around the lobster. Serve the soup in separate deep bowls with slices of crusty French bread in each to thicken the soup. Or rub the slices of bread with garlic, fry in olive oil and serve separately.?
Poulet Sauté Bordelaise (San/vat Cbicken Bordelaise)
Clean and singe 2 young chickens. each weighing from 2 ½ to 3 pounds, and cut them into serving pieces. Season the chickens with 1 teaspoon salt and a little pepper, roll the pieces in flour, and shake off all the surplus flour that doesn't cling to them. Spread 4 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan and arrange the pieces of chicken on it skinside down. Cook the chickens slowly until the pieces are golden brown on the skinside. Turn the pieces over, place the cover on the pan so that it partially covers but allows some escape of steam, and continue to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the breast meat and cook the remaining pieces for 5 minutes longer, or until done. To test for doneness, pierce the thickest part of the piece with a sharp lined fork and if no pink juice follows the fork when withdrawn, the chicken is done.
Remove the chicken from the pan to a hot serving platter, and to the juices in the pan add 1 tablespoon chopped shallots or onions and 1 tablespoon flour, and mix well. Stir in gradually 1 ½ cups red wine and 2 tablespoons tomato puree or sauce or ½ cup tomato juice; bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Add 1 ½ tablespoons glace de viande or meat extract, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and 1 teaspoon chopped chives. Correct the seasoning with salt. return the chicken to the same, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes,
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the garnishing of sautéed artichoke bottoms, fried onions and fried parsley. To serve, arrange the chicken on the serving platter with the back, legs and second joints first. then the breasts. Place the garnish around the chicken. alternating artichoke bottoms, fried onions, fried parsley, and rissoié potatoes. Pour a little of the sauce over the chicken and serve the rest separately.
Fords d'Articbants Sautes (Sautéed Artichoke Bottoms)
Break Off the stems from large artichokes. trim the bottoms and rub with lemon juice to keep the flesh from darkening. With a sharp knife cut off the leaves about ½ inch from the base. Cut each artichoke into 6 to 8 pieces, depending upon the size, and remove the prickly chokes. In a saucepan, mix 1 tablespoon flour with a little water and add I teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon vinegar or 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Add 1 quart water, bring the liquid to a boil, and add the artichoke pieces. Cook the artichokes over moderate heat for about 30 minutes. or until done. Drain well. In a shallow pan heat 2 tablespoons butter until it turns a hazelnut brown, add the artichoke pieces, and saute them for a few minutes on each side.
Oignons Frits (French Fried Onions)
Slice large onions ¼ inch thick and separate the rings. Dip the rings in milk, then in flour, and fry them in deep hot fat (385° F.) until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.
Persil Frit (French Fried Parsley)
Wash parsley well and dry it very thoroughly. Drop clusters in deep hot fat (350° F.) and fry for just a few seconds, or until the parsley rises to the surface of the fat and is crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and sprinkle lightly with salt.
Pommes de Terre Parisienne Rissolées (Potatoes Parisiennec)
Pee! potatoes and cut them into small balls with a French ball cutter. Parboil the balls in salted water for about 5 minutes and drain. For each cup of potatoes heat 2 tablespoons good fat in a skillet, add the potatoes and sauté until they are tender and golden brown all over. Remove the potatoes to absorbent paper to drain and pour off all the fat remaining in the pan. Put in the pan 1 tablespoon butter for each cup of potatoes, add the potatoes and roll them in the butler as it melts. Season with a little salt and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
Salads de Doucetts (Field Salad)
Clean thoroughly 1 pound of the young field greens that come to the markets in the early spring. Drain them well. Handle carefully because these salad greens are very fragile and bruise easily. Just before serving toss the greens with vinaigrette sauce until the leaves are coated with the dressing.
Sauce Vinaigrette (French Dressing)
In a cold bowl put a little salt and pepper and. if a sharp dressing is preferred. a little dry mustard. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and stir in little by little 6 tablespoons olive oil and add 1 teaspoon each of Chopped paisley, chives, tarragon and chervil.
Beignets Soufflés
In a saucepan put 1 cup water or half milk and half water, ½ cup butter, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. When the butter is melted remove the mixture from the heat and add 1 cup flour all at once. Mix quickly with a wooden spoon, return to the heat, and cook, stirring briskly, until the mixture rolls away from the sides of the pan without sticking. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating the baiter thoroughly after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Fill a tablespoon with the mixture and slip half of it off into a pan of deep hot fat (375° F.). Then slip off the other half, making 2 beignets from each tablespoon. As soon as the beignets are cooked and brown on the underside they will turn over of their own accord to finish cooking on the other side. As soon as they are brown on both sides they are done. Remove the beignets from the far and drain them on absorbent paper. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar or serve plain with sauce vaniile.
Sauce Vanille (Vanilla Sauce)
Beat 1/3 cup sugar and 2 large egg yolks with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add I teaspoon flour. Scald 1 ¼ cups milk with a piece of vanilla bean and add it to the egg yolk and sugar mixture, little by little, stirring vigorously. Cook the mixture over a gentle heat, stirring constantly, until it almost teaches the boiling point. Remove the vanilla bean and cool the sauce, stirring vigorously at first and then at intervals to prevent a crust from forming on the surface. For a coffee-flavored sauce, use ½ cup strong coffee and ½ cup light cream instead of milk. For chocolate flavor add grated chocolate to taste to the scalded milk.
Crâpes à la Bourbonnaise
Into a bowl sift 2/3 cup flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir in gradually 2 whole eggs and 2 yolks, well beaten, and I ½ cups milk, and stir until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1teaspoon rum or cognac. Strain the batter through a fine sieve and let it stand for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
To make the crâepes, put a little butter in a very hot skillet, just enough to butter it well, and pour in a very thin layer of the crâpe batter, about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons. The batter should be thin and the pan hot enough so that the crâpe will be “set” and browned on the underside in about a minute. Using a flexible spatula turn the crâpe to the other side and cook until brown. They must, be cooked quickly because long cooking toughens them, Place 3the crâpes on a warm platter as-each is done. Put a generous, tablespoon crème patissière on each crepe, and roll them up so that the filling is enrobed in the crâpe, and place side by side in a shallow baking dish or chafing dish. When ready CO serve pour a hot, rather thin sauce abricot over the crâpe and sprinkle with warm Kirsch or rum. Ignite the liquor and serve the crepes flaming.
Crème Pâtissière
ln a bowl beat ¼ cup sugar and 5 large egg yolks with a wooden spoon until the mixture is creamy and light in color. Add 1/3 Cup flour and mix just enough to combine it. Scald 2 cups milk with a piece of vanilla bean and a bit of salt, and stir into the egg yolk and sugar mixture, little by little. Cook over a slow fire, stirring constantly, until the mixture almost reaches the boiling point, and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring vigorously and being careful the cream does not boil. Remove the vanilla bean and strain the cream. Cool, stirring vigorously at first and then at intervals to prevent a crust from forming on the surface.