The Little Paris Kitchen (18 page)

People can be put off by Belgian endive because it sometimes tastes bitter. When buying, go for the small ones that are firm and closed. These tend to be less bitter.

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER

For the
béchamel
sauce:
2 tbsp butter • ¼ cup all-purpose flour • 2 cups milk, lukewarm • ¼ onion, skin removed • 1 clove • 1 bay leaf • a pinch each of white pepper and nutmeg • salt

• 4 Belgian endives • a pinch of sugar • 4 slices of ham

MAKE THE SAUCE:
Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the flour and beat hard until you have a smooth paste. Take off the heat and leave to cool for 2 minutes, then gradually add the milk, whisking constantly. Place the pan back over a medium heat; add the onion, clove, and bay leaf, and simmer gently for 10 minutes, whisking frequently. If the sauce becomes too thick, whisk in a little more milk.

Remove the outer leaves and stems from the endives and simmer the endives in salted water with a pinch of sugar for 10–15 minutes or until tender.

Drain the endives well. Wrap a slice of ham around each one and place in individual baking dishes (or one large dish if you prefer).

Finish the sauce by removing the onion, clove, and bay leaf, then add the pepper and nutmeg and season with salt. Cover the endives with the sauce and put under a hot broiler for a couple of minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes

There are many myths about this French classic, but it mainly comes down to science—it's the heat that makes the bubbles in the egg whites expand when a soufflé is baked. There's no need to stick to the age-old rule of not daring to open the oven while the soufflé is baking. The mixture won't fall unless it actually starts to cool down and, even if it does start to sink, it will rise again. Soufflés and the stories surrounding them are, quite literally, full of hot air.

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER

For the cheese sauce base:
3 egg yolks • 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard • a generous pinch each of cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and salt • 1½ tbsp all-purpose flour • 1 cup milk • 3½ oz Gruyère or mature Comté cheese, or a mature hard cheese of your choice, grated

• 2 tbsp soft butter, for brushing • 4–6 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
*

• 4 egg whites • a pinch of salt • a couple of drops of lemon juice

TO MAKE THE CHEESE SAUCE BASE:
Put the egg yolks into a bowl with the mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until light and thick, then whisk in the flour. Bring the milk to a boil in a pan and then pour in a slow stream onto the egg mixture, whisking vigorously all the time.

Pour the mixture into a clean pan and whisk continuously over a medium heat, making sure to scrape the side and the bottom of the pan otherwise the mixture will burn. Once the sauce starts to thicken and release a bubble or two, take the pan off the heat.

Stir in the grated cheese and taste for seasoning—the sauce should be slightly overseasoned to allow for the egg whites being added later. Cover the sauce with plastic wrap, patting it down so that it sticks directly onto the sauce. Refrigerate until cool (you can prepare the sauce to this stage up to 2 days in advance).

When you are ready to make the soufflés, preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush four ramekins with softened butter, working with upward strokes from the bottom to the top. Check that the entire inside of each dish has been covered with butter before adding a heaped tablespoon of bread-crumbs. Roll and tilt each ramekin so that the breadcrumbs coat the inside evenly.

In a clean glass or metal bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks with the salt and lemon juice. Beat the cold cheese sauce until smooth and then mix in half the egg whites until fully incorporated. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.

Divide the mix between the ramekins and tap the base of each dish on the work surface to ensure that there are no air pockets. Level the surface of each soufflé by pulling a palette knife (or the back edge of a large knife) across the top of the dish, then clean any drips off the outside or they will burn. To help the soufflés rise, run your thumbnail around the top edge of each ramekin to make a groove.

Put the ramekins into the oven immediately and reduce the temperature to 350°F. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the soufflés have risen by two-thirds of their original size and wobble a little when moved. Serve straightaway.

*
For a flavored coating, mix a generous pinch of ground cumin, chile powder, dried oregano, or finely chopped thyme or rosemary with the breadcrumbs.

•
Butter (using upward brushstrokes) and coat the ramekins properly; otherwise the soufflés will stick
.

•
Make sure to separate the eggs carefully. Any traces of egg yolk in the whites will stop the whites whisking into peaks
.

•
Don't use a plastic bowl to whisk the egg whites, as traces of oil or grease from previous use may remain. Any traces of fat will stop the egg whites forming stiff peaks
.

•
Make sure the oven is preheated to the correct temperature. Too cold and the soufflé won't rise; too hot and it will burn on the top before being cooked through
.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Chilling time: 45 minutes
Baking time: 15
–
20 minutes

France's gastronomic capital is Lyon. Chef Paul Bocuse is based in the area, and two of France's favorite wines, Côtes du Rhône and Beaujolais, come from the region. Then there's the excellent produce (especially charcuterie) and the classic dish of dumplings in a creamy sauce.
Quenelles lyonnaises
are not the lead-balloon type of dumplings—whipped-up egg whites make them light and fluffy.

SERVES 4–6 AS A MAIN COURSE

• 14 oz raw pike fillets,
*
without skin and bones • ½ cup plus 1 tbsp soft butter • 1¼ cups milk • 1 cup plus 1½ tbsp all-purpose flour • 6 eggs, separated • 1 tsp salt • a generous pinch each of pepper and nutmeg • a handful of chopped parsley (optional)

For the sauce:
**
2 tbsp dry white wine • 1 tsp fish sauce • 1 tbsp tomato paste •
⅔
cup crème fraîche • a generous pinch of cayenne pepper • a pinch of sugar

Whizz the fish and butter in a blender to make a paste. Bring the milk to a boil, add the flour, and beat hard over a low heat until it forms a ball. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then whizz in the blender with the fish paste and egg yolks until smooth. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the fish paste and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Spread the mix over a large tray and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and preheat the broiler on its highest setting. Using two large, deep spoons, form the mixture into
quenelle
shapes. Dip the spoons in warm water between each scoop—this will help stop the mixture sticking.

Lower the dumplings into the boiling water (in batches so as not to overcrowd the pot) and cook for 5 minutes or until they float to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a baking dish, being careful as they're very fragile.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
Mix together the wine, fish sauce, tomato paste, crème fraîche, cayenne, and sugar.

Then pour the sauce over the dumplings and put under the broiler for 5–10 minutes or until golden and bubbling. If you like, sprinkle parsley on top before serving.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Resting time: overnight
Cooking time: 20 minutes

In the Middle Ages, white chicken meat and blanched almonds were used to make
blanc-manger
(
blanc
meaning “white” and
manger
“to eat”). The delicate, sweet flavor of shrimp goes very nicely with almonds and asparagus in this cool blancmange. Perfect for a hot summer's day.

SERVES 6 AS A STARTER

• 1 tbsp butter • 12 oz unshelled large raw shrimp • salt • 10 oz asparagus, ends trimmed • 1
⅔
–2 cups unsweetened almond milk
*
• 1 tsp fish sauce • a generous pinch of cayenne pepper • 4 gelatin sheets (0.07 oz per sheet)

Heat the butter in a large, deep frying pan. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Leave until cool enough to handle, remove the shells and heads, and put these back in the pan. Cut the shrimp in half lengthwise and devein. Place four halved shrimp, cut-side in, against the wall of each of six disposable aluminum cups (2 inches diameter by 1½ inches deep).
**
Chop the rest into small cubes.

Cut the tips off the asparagus (slightly longer than the depth of the cups) and halve them lengthwise. Cut the rest of the asparagus into small cubes. Blanch the asparagus tips and cubes in salted boiling water for 1 minute or until tender but slightly crunchy. Drain and hold under very cold running water for a couple of minutes. Use the tips to line the cups, squeezing them in between the shrimp.

Add 1¼ cups of the almond milk, the fish sauce, and cayenne to the shrimp shells. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a pan, using the back of a spoon to press out as much liquid as possible. Measure and add more almond milk to make the total 1¼ cups. Taste for salt.