Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (159 page)

1 cup all-purpose cream, more if needed

A 2½- to 3-quart mixing bowl and a wire whip

8 “large” eggs (1½ to 1⅔ cups)

Salt and pepper to taste

A heavily buttered 6-cup cylindrically shaped baking dish about 3½ inches deep (such as a charlotte), bottom lined with buttered waxed paper

Add the cheese to the vegetables in the quart measure, and pour in enough cream, stirring, to reach the 4-cup mark. Turn the mixture into the bowl, scraping measure clean. Break eggs into measure, being sure you have at least 1½ cups; beat to blend yolks and whites, and fold into the zucchini mixture. Taste carefully for seasoning, and turn into baking dish.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: May be completed in advance to this point; cover and refrigerate. Stir up gently before proceeding. Chilled custard will probably take 10 to 15 minutes longer to bake than unchilled custard.

3)
Baking—allow 1 hour; preheat oven to 375 degrees

A pan about 3 inches deep and large enough to hold baking dish easily

Boiling water

When you are ready to bake the custard, set baking dish in pan; pour in enough boiling water to come about ⅔ the way up outside of dish. Place in lower-middle level of preheated oven. To assure yourself of a smooth, bubble-free custard, regulate oven heat so that water in pan never quite simmers throughout the cooking; lower thermostat to 350 degrees in 15 minutes, and you will probably lower it to 325 or 300 degrees near end of baking. Custard should be done in 35 to 40 minutes: the top center will look set rather than loosely liquid when you gently shake the pan. A knife or skewer plunged down through middle of custard will emerge almost clean, looking slightly oily with perhaps a tiny curd of custard clinging here and there. Remove baking dish from pan and let custard settle for 20 minutes before unmolding it.

4)
Serving

3 to 4 Tb clarified butter (melted butter, skimmed; clear liquid butter spooned off milky residue)

A small (7- to 8-inch) frying pan

½ cup dry, not-too-fine crumbs from non-sweetened homemade-type white bread

3 to 4 Tb minced fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

While custard is baking or cooling, or at any other convenient time, prepare bread-crumb and parsley garnish as follows: Heat clarified butter in pan, and when bubbling stir in bread crumbs. Sauté for several minutes over moderately high heat, stirring continuously until crumbs are lightly browned. Remove from heat, and when cool, stir in the parsley and seasonings.

A hot, lightly buttered serving plate

After custard has settled 20 minutes, run a thin knife around edge of custard. Turn serving plate upside down over baking dish, reverse the two and unmold custard onto plate. Sprinkle with the parsley and crumbs, and serve as soon as possible.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: If you are not ready to serve, do not unmold custard, but leave it in its dish in the pan of hot water and in the turned-off oven. It will stay warm for a good half hour or longer, and may then be unmolded immediately.

Stuffed Zucchini

Courgettes Farcies

Stuffed zucchini can well be a first course, especially when the stuffing is rice or vegetables. The best sizes for stuffing are 6 to 8 inches, and one zucchini half is usually sufficient for a first course or as a vegetable garnish to go with the meat course. Serve 2 or even 3 halves per person when the zucchini is the main course.

  
COURGETTES FARCIES AUX AMANDES

[Zucchini Stuffed with Almonds and Cheese]

This is a particularly attractive stuffing, not only because almonds are unusual, but also because the flavor of the zucchini survives the stuffing. Serve as a separate course, or with veal chops or scallops, or roast, broiled, or sautéed chicken.

For 6 servings

1)
Preparing the zucchini for stuffing

3 zucchini all of a size, about 8 by 2 inches

A large kettle of boiling, salted water

A grapefruit knife

Salt

Paper towels

Trim and scrub the zucchini; blanch about 10 minutes in boiling salted water, just until flesh yields to pressure, as
directed
. Cut in half lengthwise. Using grapefruit knife, hollow out the cores of each zucchini half, to make boat-shaped cases with the sides and bottom about ⅜ inch thick. Salt lightly and drain hollow side down on towels. Chop the removed zucchini flesh, squeeze out vegetable water in paper towels, and reserve flesh for stuffing.

2)
The almond, cheese, and bread-crumb stuffing—for about 2 cups

¼ cup finely minced onions

1½ Tb olive oil or cooking oil

A 6- to 8-inch pan

The chopped zucchini flesh

A 2-quart mixing bowl

2½ ounces (½ cup loosely packed) ground blanched almonds (grind them in an electric blender)

½ cup heavy cream

½ to ⅔ cup dry, fairly fine crumbs from nonsweetened homemade-type white bread

2 ounces (½ cup lightly pressed down) grated Swiss cheese (save 3 Tb for later)

1 “large” egg

Salt and pepper to taste

2 to 3 big pinches powdered clove

Stir the onions into the oil, cover pan, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until onions are tender and translucent. Uncover, raise heat and let them just begin to brown, then stir in the chopped zucchini flesh and sauté for several minutes, until zucchini is tender. Scrape into bowl, and stir in the almonds and cream. Stir in ⅓ cup of the bread crumbs, blending thoroughly, then all but 3 tablespoons of the cheese, and finally the egg. Mixture should hold its shape softly when lifted in a spoon; if too soft, beat in more crumbs by small spoonfuls, mixing thoroughly. Blend in salt and pepper to taste, and the powdered clove.