Recipe for making Flour Panada for all meat and fish forcemeats, les farces (Escoffier, 282).

Flour Panada

Used as a general base to thicken all meat and fish forcemeats, les farces in French cooking, this simple mixture of bread and milk is called a panada, (not to be confused with the Italian bread soup of the same name). There are five types of panada described by Escoffier, each suitable for thickening different types of forcemeats: bread panada, flour panada, Frangipane panada, rice panada and potato panada. They are generally used in a 1:2 ratio with the ingredient they are thickening, sometimes with eggs and butter added.

In a small saucepan, bring the water, salt and butter to a simmer over medium heat.

Turn down the heat, whisk in the flour, return to medium heat and stir.

Turn out onto a prepared flat surface (buttered cookie sheet, Silpat mat, or cutting board) to cool.

Store the panada in a covered plastic container in the refrigerator.

Ingredients
305g water
50g Challenge unsalted butter
salt, to taste if you like
150g Gold Medal all-purpose flour, sifted

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Measuring bowls
Kitchen knife and cutting board
Small saucepan
Wire whisk
Rubber spatula
Cookie sheet or Silpat mat
Plastic container

From the Book

282 Flour Panada
Suitable for all fish and meat forcemeats.

Ingredients:
3dl (1 1/4c) water
pinch of salt
50g (3oz) butter
150g (5oz) sifted flour

Method:
Place the water, salt and butter in a pan and bring to the boil; add and mix in the flour away from the fire, then return to a good heat and mix with a wooden spoon as for Chou Paste. Turn out onto a buttered tray or dish to allow to cool.

A. Escoffier. Le guide culinaire: the complete guide to modern cookery, H.L. Cracknell & R.J.Kaufmann, transl.