We Frenchmen are noted for our love of frogs’ legs. When I was a boy in France, catching frogs was a combination game and business, a sport from which some extra pocket money could be realized, Frogs are so stupid iliac they are very easy to catch; they will go for almost any bait and many different ways of catching them, seem to work equally well. One of our neighbors designed a gadget that consisted of a pole with a long sharp metal prong at the end to impale the bait and spear the frog. As soon as the frog took the bait a spring controlled by a wire that reached to the handle could be released, and—voilà— the frog was caught! Another easy way to catch frogs was to go out at night with a lantern, The light attracted the frogs to the water's edge where they could easily be pulled into a net. But this method was frowned on as being unsportsmanlike. Besides, farmers chased these nocturnal frog hunters from their property because along with the frogs they stole fish from the ponds and too often damaged the property to boot.
Fresh frogs’ legs are very perishable, so when you buy frogs’ legs you must order them in advance at most fish markets. But they can also be purchased frozen. The frozen ones must be prepared as soon as they are defrosted and the fresh ones should not be kept longer than overnight. A strong odor indicates that the frogs’ legs have been kept too long and must be discarded. Frogs vary in size; the medium size, which I prefer, ranges from eight to twelve legs to the pound. Larger legs are apt to be old and tough. The very small ones, ranging from eighteen to twenty to the pound, are usually very tender; but, of course, there’s much less to eat on the leg. The meat is extremely delicate and very delicious; it tastes something like the white meat of a small squab chicken. There is no way that I know of to tell whether frogs’ legs will be tender or not, although now that they arc raised in captivity, they are more apt to be uniform in tenderness as well as in size. But when you cook them, it is very easy to predict how tender they will be, because as soon as a tough and stringy leg is touched by the heat, it stiffens out straight in the pan. The tender legs remain relaxed and supple.
Frogs purchased in the market are already skinned; but if you catch them yourself, you must skin them and cut off the feet with a pair of kitchen scissors. Then you should soak them in cold water for about two hours, changing the water occasionally. This makes the flesh white and plump. Allow three pairs or more for each serving, depending on the size of the legs.
Dry the legs well on a towel if you plan to sauté them; otherwise they won’t brown and have the characteristic crusty surface. The Eat should be very hot when you put the legs in and they should cook at a high temperature. Allow seven or eight minutes for the small ones and ten to twelve for large legs, turning them as they cook so that they brown on all sides. All in all, a frog’s leg is just about as easy to cook as a piece of bacon.
Frogs’ Legs Meunière
Clean frogs’ legs, cut off the feet, and soak them in cold water to cover for 2 hours. Drain and dry them thoroughly. Dip them in milk, then in flour. Shake off the surplus flour, to prevent its scorching.
Cover the bottom of a frying pan well with clarified butter or oil. Heat the oil well and in it sauté the frogs’ legs on all sides to a golden brown. This takes 7 to 9 minutes, allowing the longer rime for the heavier legs. Transfer the legs to a serving dish and season them with salt, a little freshly ground pepper, and a few drops of lemon juice. Discard the oil in the pan and add ½ tablespoon butter for each serving. Cook the butter until it is nut brown, pour it over the frogs’ legs and sprinkle all with finely chopped parsley. Garnish with slices of lemon sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.
Frogs’ Legs Parmentier Sauté frogs’ legs as for frogs’ legs meunière. In another pan sauté raw potatoes cur in small dice until they are golden brown. Combine the potatoes with the cooked frogs’ legs and season with salt, a little freshly ground pepper, and a few drops lemon juice. Finish with brown butter.
Frogs’ Legs Provençale
Follow the recipe for frogs’ legs meunière, adding a little finely chopped garlic to the brown butter about a half minute before it is ready to pour over the frogs’ legs.
Or peel, seed, and chop 1 or 2 tomatoes and cook them quickly in a shallow pan until most of the moisture is cooked away, add a little finely chopped garlic, and pour this sauce over the frogs’ legs with the brown butter.
Frogs’ Legs Amandine.
Follow the recipe for frogs’ legs meunière, adding blanched, slivered almonds, lightly toasted in the oven, to the brown butter.
Frogs’ Legs Poulelte
Clean 2 pounds frogs’ legs, cut off the feet, and soak the legs in cold water to cover for 2 hours. Drain and dry them thoroughly.
Clean and slice ½ pound fresh mushrooms and put in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon chopped shallots or onion and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the frogs’ legs and ½ cup white wine. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook the legs for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are tender. Remove the frogs’ legs and mushrooms to a serving dish and reduce the liquid in the pan to not more than ½ cup. Add ½ cup cream, boil the sauce again, and cook it for 2 or 3 minutes. Thicken with manié butter made by creaming 1 tablespoon butter with 1 teaspoon flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. Season with salt and a little freshly ground pepper, and if desired a few drops of lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the frogs’ legs and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley.
A richer sauce may be made by adding ½ cup cream sauce to the liquid in the pan and thickening the mixture with I egg yolk mixed with 3 tablespoons cream. Add a little of the hot sauce to the egg and cream. Combine the mixtures. Cook the sauce, stirring constantly, until it comes to the boiling point, but do not allow it to boil up.
Frogs’ Legs Marinière
Follow the recipe for frogs’ legs poulette, omitting the mushrooms.
Fried Frogs’ Legs with Eggs
Clean frogs’ legs, cut off the feet and soak the legs in cold water to cover for 2 hours. Drain and dry them thoroughly. Heat 2 whole eggs lightly, season them with a little salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg and add 2 tablespoons cream. Dip the frogs’ legs in this mixture and in fine, fresh bread crumbs. Fry the legs in deep hot fat or oil to a golden brown. Drain them on absorbent paper. Serve with tomato sauce to which a few drops of lemon juice have been added.
Turban of Frogs’ Legs with Curry
Prepare enough rice pilau to fill a ring mold; keep it warm.
Clean 3 or 4 dozen frogs’ legs, cut off the feet, and soak the legs in cold water to cover for 2 hours. Drain and dry them thoroughly.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and add 1 tablespoon chopped shallots or onion. Add the frogs’ legs and ¼ cup white wine. Cover the pan and simmer the legs for 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons curry powder and add 1 cup cream. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook slowly 6 or 7 minutes longer. Remove the frogs’ legs from the pan and bone them. Reduce the liquid to about half its original quantity and add 1 cup cream sauce. Correct the seasoning with salt. Toss about 3 tablespoons of this sauce with the cooked rice pilau and pack the rice firmly in a buttered ring mold. Set the mold in a pan of hot water to keep it hot. Return the frogs’ legs to the sauce and keep them hot. To serve, unmold the rice ring on a serving dish and fill the center of the ring with the frogs’ legs and sauce. Serve very hot.
Riea Pilau
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a pan with a tight-fitting cover. Add I tablespoon finely chopped onion and cook until the onion is soft but not brown. Stir in 1 cup rice, 2 cups boiling water or white stock, and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pan closely and cook the rice in a hot oven (400° F.) or over very low heat on top of the stove for 18 to 20 minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just cooked through. Turn the rice into a hot dish and with a fork mix in 1 tablespoon hot melted butter. Keep the rice in a warm place.
Scallops, which like oysters live in the waters of many parts of the world, vary, like the oyster, in size, flavor, and texture according to their habitat. There arc almost three hundred different species of scallops. Their shells are very beautiful—and useful, too, since they are used as baking and serving dishes for the fish, which accounts for the fact that in the early days in New England any creamed dish baked in the oven was called “scalloped.” The scallop shells can be bought in housewares stores. They are inexpensive, but they are a bit fragile, and although they are not affected by heat, they will break easily. You should buy about twice as many as you need so that you have replacements ready at hand.
The decorative radial ribbing on the scallop shells has given us a way of tracing their history. For example, the shells were incorporated in many old coats of arms, and they were worn in the middle ages by pilgrims to the Shrine of Saint James the Great at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The Hispanic Society in New York has a sixteenth century statuette of Saint James the Great which shows the saint in pilgrim’s dress with the shell in the center of his wide brimmed hat, as the pilgrims wore it. Some say these shells were merely souvenirs of the pilgrimage, others that they were a charm to protect the pilgrims during the long journey home from the shrine. But Sir Waller Raleigh, who made this pilgrimage, wrote of the “scallop shell of quiet,” and obviously regarded it as a symbol of meditation.
There are several French names for scallops, but they are seldom used. The scallop is always called coquille Saint-Jacques, literally Saint James’ shellfish. In France you buy scallops in the shell and open them yourself by heating them very slightly in the oven just enough to relax the muscle that holds the shell closed. In the center of the shell is the muscle or edible portion. The shells are then cleaned and used for cooking and serving the fish. In France, the delicate orange coral is always cooked with the scallops, which have a finer texture and a less robust flavor than our American scallops.
In this country two kinds of scallops arc available; the bay scallop and the sea scallop. Bay scallops are small and there may be as many as forty to the pound. They are expensive, too, because they are sweeter and more tender than sea scallops, which run only twelve or fifteen to the pound. The large sea scallops may be cut in thick slices for cooking. In this country scallops are always removed from their shells as soon as they are caught and frozen or iced immediately for shipment. Like other frozen sea foods, scallops must be cooked as soon as they are defrosted. Even the freshly caught ones should not be kept longer than overnight. Bay scallops are best in cold weather, but in the summer months shipments come to our markets from cold northern waters.
Scallops arc not only delicious but practical and economical, too. No trimming is necessary—a pound of scallops is a pound of food—and they can be cooked in many ways: sautéed, fried in deep fat, or prepared with various sauces. They are ready for the table in a matter of minutes.
Of course, I have always missed the coral that I was accustomed to using with scallops in various dishes. It never accompanies the scallops I buy here as it did in France. But I got around the problem by including a few shrimp cut in small dice in the sauce for the coquilles Saint-Jacques that we served at the old Ritz. Carlton in New York.
There is one very, very important rule to remember in cooking scallops— and I cannot emphasize it too strongly. Do not overcook scallops, or their fine, tender flesh will shrink and change to something as tough as leather. To cook them in fat, allow only about three minutes, or five at the most. To cook them in their own juices or in a court-bonillon. which of course is not as hot as hot fat, six minutes is sufficient. And never boil scallops; turn the heat down when the liquid reaches the boiling point and simmer them. Always dry the scallops very carefully when they are to be sautéed or fried, and put them in very hot fat so that they brown immediately before any of their own moisture can cook out. The brown crusty surface serves to protect their inner succulence.
Never try to cook scallops ahead of time and keep them hot for later serving. They must be served as soon as they come from the fire, on a heated plate or in the shell in which they were cooked. A pound of scallops sautéed or deep fried will serve three or four persons, but when mushrooms and a sauce arc combined with the scallops the pound will make six servings.
Coqnilles Saint-Jacques
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and add 1 tablespoon chopped shallot, 6 to 8 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, ½ cup dry white wine and 1 pound scallops. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the scallops for about 5 minutes. Add 12 to 15 cooked shrimp and heat all together for 2 minutes. Remove the scallops, shrimp, and mushrooms and reduce the liquid to about 2 or 3 tablespoons. Add 1 1/3 cups Mornay sauce (March, 1957), and strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Combine the sauce with the scallops, shrimp, and mushrooms, add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and correct the seasoning with salt. Pour the mixture in to 6 scallop shells. Add 1 tablespoon whipped cream to ½ cup Mornay sauce and spread the sauce over the filled shells. Sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan or grated Swiss cheese and brown the coquilles under the broiler or in a very hot oven.
Scallops Meunière
Wash scallops and dry them thoroughly. Dip them in milk and in flour and shake off the surplus flour. Sauté the scallops in very hot oil, searing them quickly so the juice will not come out, for not more than 5 minutes, until they are a golden brown all over. Turn the scallops into a serving dish, season them with salt and freshly ground pepper, and sprinkle them with a little lemon juice. Pour off the oil in the pan, add ½ tablespoon butter for each serving, and cook the butter until it is nut brown. Pour the browned butter over the scallops, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and garnish with slices of peeled lemon sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.
Scallops Carlier
Mix 2 ½ cups cooked spaghetti, cut in 1 ½ inch lengths, with ¼ cup cooked ham and i i cup cooked ox tongue Cut in small julienne. Heat all together well in melted butter. Add 1 tablespoon julienne of truffle. Prepare 1 pound scallops meunière. Put a mound of the spaghetti mixture at each end of serving platter and arrange the scallops in the center. Pour brown butter over the scallops and sprinkle them with chopped parsley. Serve very hot.
Scallops au Gratin
Clean 1 pound mushrooms and slice enough of the best ones to make 1 cup. Sauté the slicest mushrooms in a little butter and set them aside. Chop the remaining mushrooms very fine and cook them with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon chopped shallot or onion until all moisture is cooked away. Add ½ cup tomato sauce, ½ cup brown sauce (November, 1956) and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes, correct the seasoning with salt, and add a little pepper. Wash 1 pound scallops in cold water and cover them with white wine court-bouillon (June, 1957). Bring the court-bouillon to a boil and cook the scallops slowly for about 8 minutes. Drain them and cut them in thick slices. Put 1 tablespoon of the mushroom sauce in each of 6 scallop shells and divide the sliced scallops and mushrooms evenly among the shells. Cover the mushrooms with the sauce and sprinkle the coquilles with bread crumbs and a little melted butter. Bake in a hot oven (400° F.) until the topping is golden brown. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice and a little chopped parsley and serve hot.
Scallops Florentine
Wash 2 to 3 pounds spinach and cook it for 5 or 6 minutes in the water that clings to the leaves. Drain the leaves well. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, add the spinach, and cook it until it is as dry as possible. Season the spinach with salt and pepper and spread it in a shallow heatproof serving dish. Poach 1 ½ pints scallops in their own juice for 5 to 6 minutes, drain them well and lay them on the spinach. Cover all with 1 ½ to 2 cups Mornay sauce (March, 1957) and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Brown the topping under the broiler or in a very hot oven.
Scallops Ménagère
Clean and slice 8 mushrooms and saute them in a little butter. Wash 1 pound scallops in cold water, cover them well with white wine court-bouillon (June, 1957) and simmer them for about 8 minutes. Drain the scallops and cut them in thick slices. Combine the scallops with 2 cups béchamel sauce (January, 1957) and the mushrooms and divide among 6 scallop shells. Top the coquilles with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs mixed with 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan and sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Brown the topping under the broiler or in a very hot oven.
Scallops Hongroise
Make the following paprika sauce: Melt 1 ½ tablespoons butter in a saucepan and in it cook 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions to a pale gold. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons sweet paprika and mix well. Add 2/3 cup light cream and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 cup thick cream sauce and correct the seasoning with salt.
Poach 1 ½ pints scallops in their own juice for 6 minutes, drain them well, and combine their with the sauce. Reheat just to the boiling point and serve very hot.
Scallops Marinière
Wash 1 ½ pints to 1 quart scallops and put them in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot, ½ teaspoon salt, a little white pepper, and 1 cup dry white wine. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the scallops for 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the scallops to a heated serving platter. Reduce the liquid to one-third its original quantity, add 1 cup cream sauce, and bring it to a boil. Mix 2 beaten egg yolks with ½ cup cream and a little of the hot sauce and return it to the pan. Bring the sauce gradually to the boiling point, stirring it constantly, but do not allow it to boil. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and any scallop juice which may have drained into the bottom of the serving dish, correct the seasoning with salt, and pour the sauce over the scallops.
Fried Scallops
Wash scallops and dry them thoroughly. Dip them in milk, roll them in flour, and shake off the surplus Hour. Brown them quickly in very hot fat or oil. Drain on paper towels and season with a little salt. Serve very hot with fried parsley, a wedge of lemon for each serving, and a sauceboat of tartar sauce.
Scallops with Curry Sauce
Prepare curry sauce as follows: Melt 1 ½ tablespoons butter, and in it cook 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion until it is soft but not brown. Add 1 bay leaf, a pinch of thyme, and 1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder, to taste. Add ¼ cup white stock, bring the stock to a boil, and add 1 ½ cups cream sauce. Cook the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain it through a fine sieve, add ¼ cup cream, and bring it back to the boil. Poach 1 ½ pints scallops in their own juices for 6 minutes, drain them well, and combine them with the sauce. Reheat the sauce to the boiling point. Serve with rice pilau (page 56).