The big round marble cheese server appeared, as I knew it would, and by this time my four American guests were well versed in our Bourbonnais ritual: they needed no reminder to save some of the good St. Pourçain red wine in their glasses to drink with the cheese. For dessert we had a tarte aux pommes, also made the local way. The chef spreads the pastry with apple sauce in which sliced apples are attractively arranged and, at the end of the baking period, he brushes some apricot sauce over the top. Try this sometime, spreading softened butter over the pastry before putting in a rather thin layer of apple sauce. I know you will like it.
Two wines suffice for a luncheon of the kind suggested here. With the matelote, I would recommend a rather light wine, such as a Moselle Zollinger Schlossberg 1950 or an Alsace Traminer 1950, or perhaps a Rosé Anjou 1952. But with the cheese course I always prefer a red wine, something like a Beaune Clos de Cavaux 1949 or a Rhone red wine such as a Hermitage 1947.
Crêpes Surprise
In a bowl mix together 2/3 cup flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Beat 2 eggs and 2 yolks and stir them into the flour. Add gradually 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups milk, stirring until the baiter is smooth. Add 2 tablespoons inched butter. Strain the batter through a fine sieve and let it stand for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
When ready to cook the crêpes, melt about 1 teaspoon butter in a very hot, small skillet. Pour in 1 to 1 ½ table-spoons of the batter in the pan, or enough to coat the pan with a very thin layer. When the crêpe is set and brown underneath, which takes about a minute, turn and brown it on the other side. Place the crêpes on a large flat pan or tray. Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of the following filling on each and roll them up. If desired, coat each crêpe with a little aspic jelly and garnish with an anchovy filet.
Filling
Combine ½ cup each of finely diced celery and apple, 10 to 12 anchovy filets, finely chopped, and 1 cup chopped hard-cooked egg. Stir in 1 ½ cups mayonnaise collée (see below), 1 tablespoon finely chopped mixed chives, chervil, and tarragon, and 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley. Mix in 1 fresh tomato, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped and correct the seasoning with salt.
Mayonnaise Collée
Soften 1 ½ tablespoons gelatin in 3 tablespoons cold water for five minutes, then stir it over hot water until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Combine the gelatin with 1 ½ cups mayonnaise.
Soufflé d'Epinards aux Ocufs Pochés (Spinach Soufflé with Poached Eggs)
Clean and cook about 1 pound of spinach. Drain the spinach, press out as much water as possible, then chop it finely and rub it through a fine sieve. There should be about 1 cup of thick spirach purée. In a saucepan melt 1 ½ tablespoons butter, add the purée of spinach, and season it with 1 ½ tea-spoons salt, a little pepper, and a little grated nutmeg. Cook the spinach over low heat, stirring, until most of the moisture remaining in the purée is cooked away.
In another pan melt 2 ½ table-spoons butter, stir in 3 tablespoons flour. and cook until the roux is golden. Add gradually 1 ½ cups hot milk and cook. Stirling constantly with a wire whip to keep the mixture smooth, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir the sauce gradually into 6 well-beaten egg yolks, and then add the spinach purée. Beat 6 egg whites until stiff and fold them carefully into the mixture.
Spread a layer of the mixture in the bottom of a well-buttered and floured soufflé mold and arrange 6 well-drained poached eggs (see below) on it. Cover the eggs with the remaining soufflé mixture, which should come just to the top of the mold, and bake in a moderately hot oven (400° F.) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the soufflé is puffed and brown on top. Serve immediately, cutting through the soufflé so that a poached egg is in each serving.
Pouched Eggs
Put 1 quart water and 2 tablespoons vinegar in a shallow pan and bring the water to a boil. Break an egg into a saucer, sprinkle the yolk with a little salt, then slide the egg gently into the simmering water. Poach the egg over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, basting carefully with a large spoon. Eggs can be poached an hour or more before they arc used and kept warm without changing their texture if they are removed immediately from the hot water and placed in lukewarm water.
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