On that sunny morning in 1911, when I first saw the grand old statue holding her torch high over New York harbor, I had the mixed emotions common to all immigrants. Would I like America? Would America accept me?
Alors, I was certainly on my own. Three thousand miles of blue Atlantic separated me from my loved ones; the only friends I had in my new home were a few chefs I had known in la belle France. Fortunately, the New York Ritz-Carlton, where I was coming to work, was almost like home to me, because it was so much like the other famous Ritz establishments where I had already spent several years. All the familiar equipment was in my kitchens, and I had a supporting staff of fine chefs to help me provide the same cuisine française that we had prepared for many of the same guests at the Ritz in Paris and in London.
Some of the rules of these original Ritz hotels might interest you. They were run like small exclusive clubs, in which the guests became welcome babitués, returning again and again. The guest's preferences came first: he could ask for special foods, and any small attentions he required were thoughtfully supplied. If a guest issued a complaint, however trivial, in the dining room, the manager immediately appeared, extended a personal apology, and tore up the check. A waiter could survive two complaints, but the third indicated either slackness or lack of interest, and meant instant dismissal.
My kitchen equipment included everything imaginable. One never lacked for any sort of pan or utensil. What did bother me was the difficulty I had in procuring the foodstuffs that French chefs consider essential. What French cook can work without leeks, what saucier can do without shallots? Yet in New York at that time, such ingredients could not be obtained; equally scarce were artichokes, English sole, herbs of various kinds, and many other foods now sold everywhere.
Since I had worked in London, I had some command of the language. Then. too. a young Englishman, Bob Trudge, who had worked by my side in Paris as a commis-chef, had decided to come to this country. And Monsieur Bordeaux, my old friend from Paris who had lived in England for some time as Huron Rothschild's chef, came to New York to be my night chef. He also spoke English with me. So in spite of the fact that French was used so generally at the Ritz, I soon managed to master English. But always there are a few words, usually those spelled the same in the two languages, that trip you up. Which brings us to the subject of this month's article, cooking en casserole.
So many times, when guests asked me for recipes for good casserole dishes, I couldn't understand why those that I suggested seldom seemed to be what they wanted, The clue, of course, lay in the quite different meanings given to the word “casserole” in French and in English.
A casserole to the French chef is any deep cooking utensil. It may be a metal saucepan or a kettle with a handle. Or it may be made of clay or enameled iron and have two small side handles. So the French use a casserole to boil potatoes and cabbages, as well as for dishes like stews and coq au vin (February, 1958). The casserole does not necessarily come to the table as a serving dish, although this very often is done. But in this country, as I understand the term, “casserole” refers to an attractive baking dish that almost invariably appears at the table.
In France, en casserole dishes are usually cooked on top of the stove, although the oven would serve equally well. The reason, of course, is a premium on fuel in French homes, and it lakes much less fuel for gentle simmering over direct heat than for oven cookery. This method, in turn; affects the choice of utensils. The pot must be able to withstand the direct heat; consequently, china, even ovenproof china, docs not suit the purpose. However, the brown clayware that people consider so typically French can be used if an asbestos pad is put between it and the heat, and the heat is kept low. Most French cooks rely on the Sturdy casseroles made of enameled ironware.
The well-equipped kitchen needs two or three casseroles of different sues. You'll find that even when you are Serving the same number of people, the size of casserole you need will vary with the recipe. If, par example, the recipe includes several vegetables and also potatoes, the casserole will have to be larger than one used for a recipe that calls for just one or two vegetables with the meat My advice is to add up roughly the cups of ingredients the recipe requires and then to use a casserole of suitable size.
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