Nuts in the Kitchen (11 page)
The Perfect Salad Dressed with Nut Oil Vinaigrette
Makes 8 servings
The first nut oil I ever had was made from fresh walnuts harvested by hand in the orchard on the Dubois farm in the Dordogne. The nuts would leave in big baskets, to return from the oil mill as golden oil, tidily packaged in bottles that were stored carefully away from light and heat, to be used throughout the year.
My friend Dany uses the oil in everything from vinaigrettes to a dressing for green beans or frying eggs for a last-minute first course. She started me on a similar course, and since those halcyon days of discovery I’ve tasted oil made from just about every nut and used them in a variety of dishes. Salads remain my favorite vehicle for nut oils, though, and here I give you a basic recipe. Use the nut oil, the salad greens, and the toppings of your choice and make unforgettable starters or finishes for your meals.
1½ tablespoons best-quality sherry vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 shallot, sliced paper-thin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1
/
3
cup (80 ml) nut oil (walnut, hazelnut, peanut, pumpkin seed, almond, macadamia, sesame)
10 cups (9 ounces/270 g) mixed salad greens and fresh herbs, such as curly endive, escarole, dandelion greens, arugula, radicchio, thyme, small sage leaves, or lemon verbena
½ cup (50 g) walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
4 ounces (110 g) soft goat cheese, Roquefort, or feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
5 to 6 freshly picked blossoms, including nasturtiums, pansies, thyme flowers, rose petals, geranium petals
Note:
If using sesame oil from Japan, you will want to use half the amount and add another oil (peanut, olive, or canola) for the balance. If you are serving the salad as a first course, you’ll want to add the cheese and toasted nuts. If serving the salad after the meal, you’ll just want to serve the salad greens dressed in the vinaigrette.
1.
In a large salad bowl, whisk together the vinegar, shallot, and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly, until the mixture has emulsified. Add the greens and toss until they are thoroughly coated with the vinaigrette. If you are serving the salad before the meal, scatter it with the toasted nuts or seeds and the cheese. If this is a postmeal salad, serve it with just the flowers.
Portrait of a Nut Oil Mill
The buttery aroma of hazelnuts wafts up from the crisp green salad on the plate, yet there isn’t a nut to be seen. The salad is that exquisite French creation, a mélange of tender-fresh lettuce leaves dressed lightly in a tangy vinaigrette. Yet that hazelnut aroma is devilishly palpable. Where, oh where, is it coming from?
Jean-Charles Leblanc, from the village of Iguérande in Burgundy, turns out to be the sorcerer behind the aroma of hazelnuts in the salad I am enjoying. He is head of a family enterprise called l’Huilerie Artisanale J. Leblanc et Fils, which supplies France and beyond with the world’s finest nut oils. The oils, which come from just about every nut in the world, including the rare argan nut from Morocco, make their way into more than just salads. I’ve had the Leblanc almond oil drizzled over a tender fish fillet, the walnut oil in a moist cake, the pine nut oil perfuming a bowl of pasta, and the pistachio oil seasoning a plate of avocado and grapefruit.
The Leblancs aren’t the only nut oil producers in France. There are too many to count, since nearly every region that produces nuts claims small mills that produce oil for local consumption. But the Leblancs’ oils are something special.
Jean-Charles follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, who started the mill in 1878. Then local farmers brought their walnuts and rapeseed to the mill.
The mill still sits in the family barn at the
edge of the D982 road, which runs right through Iguérande, a wide spot on this southern Burgundian road. Anne Leblanc, Jean-Charles’s sister, who grew up in the house next to the barn and now runs the family shop in Paris, describes Iguérande as
paumé,
or “lost, nowhere.” But nowhere has become somewhere because of the family oil mill.
While en route to a recent visit, the minute I turned onto the D982 I knew I’d arrived, for the air smelled of toasting nuts. I walked into the Leblanc boutique and was greeted warmly by Mme. Leblanc, Jean-Charles’s mother. She called her other son, Jean-Michel, the accountant and communications director for the company, and within minutes we were standing in the heart of the oil mill.
Daniel Demours, one of the company’s two employees who aren’t family members, scooped the coarsely crushed nuts into a blackened pot that sat over a gas flame. “We cook the nuts to add flavor and allow the oil to separate,” Jean-Michel said. Mr. Demours checked the cooking nuts every few minutes. “These are pine nuts, and they cook quickly,” he said as he opened the lid and deftly stirred the mash, which had already turned from solid to almost liquid in the heat. “Most of the nuts cook for about twenty minutes, but you’ve got to watch these carefully; they take about five.”
He walked over to the presses and checked the flow of oil coming from them. It was pine nut oil, and the trickle was thin, signaling that the presses were ready for more. He ran to the pot, removed the lid and inhaled, then tipped the runny mass into a container. “The nuts are cooked. That’s what we do here really—cooking,” he said with a nod.
He opened a press and removed the flat disks of compressed, nearly dry nut paste left after the oil is extracted. Each was separated by a woven mat, which filters the oil.
He poured some cooked pine nuts into the press, covered it with a filter, poured in more nuts, and continued until the press was nearly full. Then he cinched it closed, put a barrel under the spigot, and waited for the golden liquid to flow into a waiting barrel.
Once a barrel is filled, it sits in the cool barn for a period of days to allow the oil to decant. The oil is then bottled, labeled, and stocked in a warehouse behind the mill. “I say it’s stocked,” Jean-Michel said with a laugh. “We don’t really have any stock, because we sell all we produce as quickly as we produce it.”
Just then a farmer and his wife walked into the barn with a sack of walnuts. Jean-Charles weighed it on an old scale. “This is the last of this year’s harvest,” the farmer said. “I bring them in when I need more oil.” The couple left with a gallon jug of oil.
The Leblancs now get only one-third of their walnuts locally, with the rest coming from nearby Périgord. As for the other nuts that go into more than a dozen varieties of oils they produce, their provenance reads like a map of the world. Hazelnuts from Italy and Turkey, pine nuts from China (those from Italy don’t give as much oil), almonds and pecans from California, pistachios from Iran, poppy and squash seeds from Austria, peanuts from the southern United States.
The Leblanc oil mill produces about 300 liters (quarts) of oil per day, 365 days a year. The elder Mr. Leblanc, Jean-Charles and Jean-Michel’s father, who is eighty-two, still delivers to clients within a fifty-mile radius. One of these is Franck Lesaige, chef and owner of Le Relais St. Julien in nearby St. Julien de Jonzy.
“I use the Leblanc primarily in first courses,” said Mr. Lesaige. “One of my favorites now is a Royale de Foie Gras. I dress quarters of artichoke heart in pistachio oil, balsamic vinegar, shallots, and chives, then top it all with a foie gras cream.” He adds hazelnut oil to
tête de veau,
or boiled head/cheese, and generally slips nut oils in whenever he has the inspiration.
Like that hazelnut oil on my salad, the Leblanc oils permeate the culinary culture of France and beyond, making it a warmer, toastier, more flavorful place.
Spiced Mackerel in Parchment with Pine Nuts
Fish Fillets Stuffed with Dill, Pine Nuts, and Parsley
Marinated Fish with Sesame and Macadamias
Gingered Fish on Spiced Macadamia Butter
Hanger Steak with Horse radish and Walnuts
Lamb Shoulder with Apricots and Walnuts
Pistachio- and Pepper-Stuffed Lamb Fillet
Lamb and Apples with Pistachios
Roast Pork with Pistachios and Dried Apricots
Duck Breast with Almonds, Garlic, and Cumin
Chicken with Walnuts and Pomegranate Molasses
Main Courses
M
ain courses offer so much ground for creativity and experimentation. The dishes in this chapter offer more than just gorgeous flavor and texture. They offer new ideas and the promise of many wonderful meals.
The biggest surprise in this chapter may be the abundance of seafood and nut dishes. I discovered this near-holy association when I worked on the
Great American Seafood Cookbook
and have been pursuing it ever since. Why do seafood and nuts complement each other to such a satisfying degree? I think it is a subtle contrast between lean and rich, tender and crunchy, toasty and smooth. And there is always the element of surprise to consider as well, for combining mussels, for example, with toasted hazelnuts doesn’t automatically come to mind. Try it once, however, and you’ll be addicted.
As good as seafood is with nuts, so are meat and poultry. Lamb is particularly felicitous with nuts, but beef is wonderful, and so are veal and pork. And of course there is poultry, which goes with everything.
Note:
When buying fish, make sure it is firm and sweet smelling and looks appetizing. Never buy any fish or seafood that smells fishy or of ammonia. If you cannot find the quality or variety of fish you are looking for, get something that looks better or wait to buy fish another day, when the selection is up to your standards.
When buying shellfish, look at it carefully—it should look fresh and smell fresh. Shrimp is fine when frozen—to thaw it, leave it in the refrigerator overnight or, in a pinch, run it under cold water.
If your recipe calls for a fillet, try to get one with the skin on, as it holds the meat together during cooking. Cut across the fillet to make the individual servings or ask your fish merchant to do this for you. If you can find only skinless fillets, use them and transfer the fish carefully from cook pot to plate. Be sure to let cooked fish rest for at least 5 minutes before dressing a platter or plate. As it rests it will give up watery juices, which should be drained away since they contain little flavor and will dilute any sauce or condiment added to the fish.
When you buy poultry, insist on quality, just as you do for all the rest of your ingredients. Try to buy organic poultry directly from the person who raised it. If you cannot, be discerning in the best way you can. Be careful of labels with words like
natural
or
free range,
which don’t mean an awful lot. As an example, the official definition for
free-range poultry
is that the poultry must be “allowed access” to the out-of-doors, and “access” can be the presence of a window in a barn or hangar. The same goes for meat—if you can, buy directly from the producer.
And now, as we say in France,
“A vos fourchettes!”
(“To your forks!”)
Makes 6 servings
Traditionally, each element of this Indian dish is prepared separately, then layered in a dish and baked in the oven. I have taken the liberty of deconstructing it and omitting the baking step because I want you to appreciate the individual flavors and the way each contributes to the harmony of the whole. It’s also easier. The cashews are primordial to this dish, adding a contrasting toasty crunch and their characteristic smooth butteryness. Try this with a dry Riesling.
FOR THE RICE:
1½ cups (260 g) basmati rice
1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted clarified butter (Chapter Main Courses)
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
2 teaspoons ne sea salt
FOR THE TOPPING:
3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted clarified butter (Chapter Main Courses)
1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup (70 g) raw cashews
1 tablespoon raisins
Fine sea salt
FOR THE SHRIMP:
4 garlic cloves, peeled
One 1-inch (2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled
One 1-inch (2.5 cm) chile such as Thai pepper or jalapeño, seeded
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted clarified butter (Chapter Main Courses)
1 pound (450 g) onions, very thinly sliced
1
/
3
cup (3 g) mint leaves, rmly packed
½ cup (5 g) cilantro leaves, loosely packed
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon curry powder, preferably Madras
½ teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
½ teaspoon freshly ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1
/
8
teaspoon freshly ground cloves
Seeds from 5 cardamom pods, crushed, or about 20 black seeds
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Fine sea salt
1 pound (500 g) fresh or frozen medium shrimp, peeled, deveined if necessary (see Note on shrimp)
Freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro and mint sprigs for garnish
Note:
Garam masala is a spice mixture that is the foundation of much Indian cooking. A basic garam masala contains cumin, peppercorns, ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, coriander seeds, and bay leaves. If you don’t have any among your spices, you can either make it or do as I do and add the individual spices as you go.
If using frozen shrimp, place them in the refrigerator the night before you plan to use them, in a strainer set over a bowl, to give them a chance to thaw at least partially and rid themselves of any coating of ice they may have. If you don’t have time to do this, give the shrimp a quick rinse under cool water, place them in a tea towel, and rub them to remove the ice coating. Otherwise the dish will be watery. The recipe calls for 1 pound (500 g) medium shrimp, which will give you 31 to 35 individual shrimp. You may add or subtract from that amount as you wish.
Don’t omit the salt when you pound the garlic, ginger, and chile; it creates some friction and helps any liquids emerge from the ingredients.
1.
Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs nearly clear. Place the rice in a small bowl,
cover it with water, and soak for 30 minutes. Let it drain for 30 minutes before cooking.
2.
Once the rice has drained, heat 1 tablespoon of clarified butter in a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the saffron and cook just until it begins to send its aroma into the air, about 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it looks translucent, about 2 minutes. Add 3 cups (750 ml) boiling water and the 2 teaspoons fine sea salt. Cover and cook until the rice is fluffy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. The rice will stay warm for at least 40 minutes with the lid kept on the pan.
3.
While the rice is cooking, make the topping. Place a sieve over a heatproof bowl. Heat the 3 tablespoons of clarified butter in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring and shaking the pan often, until the onion turns dark golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the cashews and raisins and sauté until the cashews are golden and the raisins are plump, 3 to 4 minutes. Season generously with salt, mix well, then transfer the topping to the sieve and reserve.
4.
Place the garlic, ginger, and chile in a mortar or a small food processor with a pinch of salt and either crush or process to a rough paste. Reserve.
5.
Melt the final 2 tablespoons clarified butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted but before it is blistering hot, add the onions and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to turn golden at the edges, about 8 minutes.
6.
Mince the mint and the cilantro leaves.
7.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and cook, stirring, until the aroma of the paste fills the air, about 2 minutes. Add the spices and the minced mint and cilantro leaves and cook, stirring gently, until the spices send up their aromas and are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, then pour on ¾ cup (185 ml) hot water and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir and cook the onions until they are softened and half the water has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Add the shrimp to the onions, stir until they are coated with the onions and spices, and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the shrimp turn pink and curl, 5 to 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning and remove from the heat. Don’t be concerned if the shrimp aren’t cooked through; they will continue to cook in residual heat and will be cooked by the time they are served. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8.
To serve, place the steaming rice on a large serving platter and make a well or a trough in the center of the rice. Top the rice with the shrimp and onion mixture. Garnish with the reserved topping and several of the fresh herb sprigs. Serve immediately. The result is a dish of vivid liveliness, one that will cheer you up if you’re down or take you a notch higher if you’re not!
Note:
There are several ways to clarify butter: a quick method is to take cultured, organic butter and put it in a pan over medium-high heat. When the butter melts and begins to boil, let it boil for about 4 minutes, then remove from the heat. When the butter has cooled, skim off any foam from the top. Carefully pour off the beautiful golden liquid you find in the pan, being careful to leave behind all the milk solids that have settled in the bottom of the pan.
