The Frenchman, following the moods of the seasons, likes to take his case in August. You recognize this everywhere you go. In Paris almost all the shopkeepers and proprietors of small eating places put out the sign Ferme ture annuelle jusqu' au mois de Septembre, and close their doors. Many of the larger establishments do this too. The city takes on a dreamy, Sunday sort of aspect. And where do they all go? Alors, some who have come to the cities to seek their fortunes go back to visit their families in the country sections where they were raised, and which they still think of as mon pays, my countryside.
August is a month when all fine eating places dramatize their cold specialties and show off their artistic skills with such decorative assets as truffles, tarragon leaves, chervil, pimientos and so on, all carefully secured in aspic or mayonnaise collée. It is a great treat just to look at these cold buffets with their beautifully prepared and garnished dishes; a greater pleasure, of course, to eat them. At this season of the year most of the formal dinners include a few cold favorites such as the saumon froid and mousse de jambon which I have suggested in our menu classique for August.
The king of the buffet has long been salmon, and in this country August is the end of its season of abundance. In trance, where it is also a summer favorite, salmon has always been considered a luxury fish, for until recent years it was not overly plentiful and consequently was quite expensive. But after the last war, Canada sent many thousands of salmon eggs to France to be distributed for propagation in the Allier, the Loire and other rivers. And because salmon return eventually to the place where they were born to bring forth another generation, these French rivers are now full of fine salmon every spring. Vive le roi du buffet!
But the real August treat for connoisseurs comes when the first game of the season, the Scotch grouse, makes its appearance in this country the second week of the month. Until the outbreak of World War II. the first shipment of grouse to leave Great Britain after the opening of the season was consigned to New York' s old Ritz-Carlton.
As chef of the Ritz my responsibilities in securing the first of each kind of game as it came into season, and serving it properly prepared, could never be taken lightly. The owner of the Ritz, Mr. Robert Walton Goelet, was a famous hunter and fisherman as well as a great connoisseur of food and cooking. Once when he was fishing in Canada, he suddenly remembered it was about time for the first grouse to be coming into New York so. on the spur of the moment, he got on the train and came down. He walked into the lobby of the Ritz at about six o' clock on an August evening, a strange sight in his fishing togs, shabby old hat and clothes and boots—so strange that no one, not even the manager, recognized him, much to his amusement and the manager' s embarrassment. But as usual Mr. Goelet was right about the date, and in no time at all he was dressed for dinner and arranging with me the details of a grouse dinner for which he was gathering together a group of friends. Two days later we had to cook all the grouse left in our cold room and send them down to the ship he was taking to France. He thought grouse was just as delicious cold as hot, but didn' t trust too many chefs to cook them for him.
The consommé suggested in this menu will be long remembered by your guests, who may wonder how you have achieved the rich celery flavor. Not many people realize that a strong, fresh flavor of celery is not obtained by boiling the vegetable in the consomme: The trick is to let it infuse as you do in making tea—letting it stand, however, for a longer time. Another trick you must remember is that in clarifying soup you stir the egg white and soup mixture constantly until it starts to boil. but stop stirring the minute it reaches a boil. This consommé is also particularly good when served cold and jellied.
Wines for this dinner should be fairly light in character. For the cold salmon I can heartily recommend a cool bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé 1949 or 1950, unless you prefer a slightly sweeter wine. Then I' d suggest a Barsac 1947 or 1949- A pleasant accompaniment for the sweetbreads would be cither a Château Pontet-Canet 1943 or 1945 or a Chateau Léo- ville-Barton. But when you come to the grouse. I' m sure you will appreciate a more robust wine: a Burgundy, a Pommard or a bottle of Clos de Vougeot 1937, 1943 or 1945. And certainly nothing is better in summer than the refreshing sparkle of a good champagne with dessert
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.
Haricots Verts Fins au Beurre (Tiny Green Beans in Butter)
Cur the ends from 1 pound of young green beans. Put 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and add the beans. Cook over a brisk fire for 15 to 20 minutes, or until done. Drain and run cold water over them to cool them quickly. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the saucepan, add the beans, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook the beans in the butter, shaking the pan or tossing the beans with a fork so as not to break them. until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.
Grouse d' Ecosse Rôtie sur Canapé (Roast Scotch Grouse on Toast)
Allow 1 grouse per person. (Usually only the breasts are eaten because the legs are apt to be tough.) Clean the birds, season them with salt, and cover each with a slice of far salt pork or bacon. Put a roasting pan in the oven and when the oven has reached 450° F. put some good fat (fresh beef or pork drippings) in the pan and arrange the birds in it. Cook the grouse for 10 to 12 minutes, basting often. Arrange each bird on a slice of toast spread with rouennaise. Pour off all the far from the pan. add 1 tablespoon butter and. ½ cup chicken broth or stock, and cook until the sauce is reduced to about half. Serve this sauce separately.
Rouennaise
In a shallow pan melt 2 tablespoons salt pork fat and add 1 cup chopped duck or chicken livers, a little thyme, 1 small bay leaf, ½ teaspoon salt, and a little pepper. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, shaking the livers in the fat to cook them evenly. Add ¼ cup cognac or Madeira or sherry and rub the livers through a fine sieve.
Mousse de Jambon Norvégienne (Ham Mousse Norwegian Style)
Grind ½ cup chopped cooked ham through a food chopper 2 or 3 times and then press it through a fine sieve. Mix this ham puree with ½ cup thick bechamel sauce (see January, 1954) and add ½ cup meat broth, ½ cup tomato juice, and 1 2 teaspoon paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil and add 1 tablespoon granulated gelatin, softened in 2 tablespoons cold water. Stir until the gelatin is thoroughly combined, rub the mixture through a fine sieve, and cool, stirring occasionally. Beat 1 cup heavy cream until stiff and carefully fold in the cooled ham mixture. Stir in 1 tablespoon sherry.
Have ready 2 cups cool but still liquid chicken aspic (see June, 1954). Four the aspic into a chilled mold and roll the mold around so that all surfaces arc well coated as evenly as posse with the aspic. Decorate the mold with slices of truffles and set in a bowl of cracked ice. When the aspic is firm and the truffle decorations are well secured, fill the mold with the ham mousse. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, dip the outside of the mold carefully in warm water to loosen the aspic and invert on a chilled serving dish. The mousse mixture may also be poured into a china or glass serving bowl, the top covered with aspic and decorated with truffles and chilled. This way it is served directly from the bowl.
Péche Annette (Peach Annette)
Make a light syrup by boiling 2 cups water and 5/4 cup sugar for 5 minutes. Put 6 firm ripe peaches, peeled, in a saucepan, pour the syrup over them, and add either a piece of vanilla bean or a slice of lemon, depending on which flavor is preferred. Bring the syrup to a boil and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the peaches are cooked but not too soft. Cool. When ready to serve, drain the peaches and place them on individual servings of coffee ice cream or arrange them around a mold of ice cream or in the center of an ice-cream ring. Cover with kirsch-flavored sauce riche. Garnish with crystallized violets, if available, and mask with spun sugar.
Sauce Riche au Kirsch (Kirsch-flavored Rich Sauce)
Make a vanilla sauce as follows: Scald ½ cup milk and 1 ' 2 cup cream with ½ vanilla bean over boiling water-Combine 2 egg yolks (3 if the eggs arc small) with ¼ cup sugar and beat until the mixture is very smooth. Combine the eggs with the milk and cream and cook over gently boiling water, stirring constantly with a whip or a spoon, until the mixture is as thick as custard. Strain through a fine sieve and cool, whipping from time to time. This sauce may be kept in the refrigerator for several days. When ready to serve. Add 1 4 cup kirsch and fold in 1 cup heavy cream, whipped.