Consommé an Fumet de Céleri (Celery-flavored Consommé)
Pur in a soup kettle 2 1 /2 quarts beef stock, free of fat, 1 ½ pounds of very lean, coarsely chopped beef, prefery from the leg with all the fat re moved, 1 small carrot. 2 leeks, and 2 stalks of celery, all finely chopped, and a few chicken necks or a chopped carcass or chicken feet, scalded, and and skinned. Add 2 egg whites and mix all together well with a spoon. Bring the stock to a boil, stirring constantly. Stop stirring as soon as it boils. turn the heat down very low. and simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Carefully skim off the meat, vegetables and egg whites which have risen to the surface, correct the seasoning with salt if necessary, and strain Through fine cheesecloth. The con sommé should be sparkling clear.
Place the consommé over boiling water and add a good bunch of cleaned celery. Allow at least 20 minutes for the celery flavor to infuse. Remove the celery when ready to serve the consommé and garnish each serving with a little cooked celery cut in fine julienne.
Saumon Froid à la Parisienne (Cold Salmon, Parisian Style)
Select a salmon suite in size for the number of people to be served. For a large party a whole fish; for 6 to 8 people a small one or half a salmon; for 2 to 4 people purchase slices ½ to ¾ inch thick, allowing 1 slice for each two servings. Cook as follows: Make a court-bouillon by boiling for about 1 hour 2 quarts water, 12 cup vinegar, 1 onion and 1 carrot, both sliced. 3 sprigs of parsley, 1 stalk of celery, 1 bay leaf. a little thyme. 1 tablespoon salt, and 5 or 6 peppercorns. Put the fish in a shallow pan and strain the court-bouillon over it. Bring the court-bouillon back to a boil and simmer very gently without boiling until the fish is done. Allow 30 to 40 minutes for a whole fish, 18 to 20 minutes for a half fish or the slices. The fish is done when the flesh separates easily from the bones. Cool the salmon in the cooking liquid.
While the fish is cooking and cooling, prepare the following garnish: cut carrots. turnips, and green beans into small dice or bâtonnets (strips ¾ to 1 inch long) and COOK each vegetable in salted water until done. Drain and cover with cold water to cool them quickly. Cook green peas and tiny lima beans the same way. Mix the cold vegetables with mayonnaise and fill nests of small lettuce leaves. Also peel medium-sized tomatoes. cut a slice from the tops, and gently Squeeze Out seeds and water. Peel end remove the seeds from cucumbers; slice them thinly. Sprinkle the slices with salt and let them stand in a bowl (or about 20 minutes. Then squeeze out all the water, sprinkle with a little (hopped parsley and chopped chives, and fill the tomatoes.
When the salmon is cool remove it from the liquid, take off the skin, and cut away the dark flesh on the underside of a whole or half fish. Coat the fish with clear aspic (see May, 1954) and decorate with tarragon leaves which have been parboiled for a couple of minutes. chilled in cold water, and thoroughly drained. Around the fish platter arrange the nests of vegetable salad and the stuffed tomatoes, Serve with green sauce or mayonnaise (see July, 1954).
Ris de Veau Braisés Favorite (Braised Sweetbreads favorite)
Place 3 pairs of sweetbreads in cold water and leave them for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain. cover with fresh cold salted water, and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, drain again, and plunge the sweetbreads into fresh cold water. When they arc cold, remove them from the water and cut away and discard the “throat” and sinews. Spread them on a dish, placing a heavy plate on top to flatten them, and put them in the refrigerator until ready to braise.
Put 1 tablespoon butter in a sauce-pun or casserole, add 1 onion and I carrot. both sliced. 1 small bay leaf, a little thyme, 3 sprigs of parsley, and the trimmings of the sweetbreads. Season the precooked sweetbreads with a little salt and pepper and place them on the vegetables. Cook on top of the stove for a few minutes, or until the vegetables take on a little color. Add 4 ounces white wine or sherry and 1 cup veal gravy or stock and cook in a hot oven (375° F.) for 45 to 50 minutes, basting often. The sweetbreads should be well done, golden brown and nicely glazed. Remove the sweetbreads to a warm serving dish. The sauce should have a little thickness, but if it doesn' t, stir in 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrow-root mixed with a little sherry and cook for several minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve over the sweet-breads. For each serving, sauté 3 or 4 mushrooms in butter and garnish the sweetbreads with these and with fine julienne slices of truffles.
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