Escoffier At Home

Category: Escoffier Recipes

Escoffier recipes

0139. Sauce Normande, Normandy Sauce

Escoffier recipe for making sauce normande, Normandy Sauce, at home (Escoffier 139).

This sauce is special for serving with Sole Normande but also has a wide range of applications as a basis for other fish sauces. It is a very smooth, white, cream-based sauce with a light, but complex, taste. Perfect in recipes using whitefish, such as sole or tilapia.

Not the easiest of recipes unless you already just happen to have some velouté de poisson, mushroom stock, mussel stock and fumét de poisson laying around…

Mise en place for sauce normande:

Sauce Normande

In a large stockpot, whisk together fish velouté, mushroom stock, mussel stock and fish fumét. Bring to a simmer.

In a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, egg yolks and 180g of heavy cream. Whisk this “sour” milk into the just-simmering sauce, and reduce it by one-third on low heat. This will take some time, as you’ll want to keep the heat low to avoid scorching the sauce.

Once it has reduced, remove the sauce from the heat and strain into a clean saucepan. Finish the sauce by whisking in 114g of cubed, room temp butter and 120g of heavy cream.

Let cool and store in a sealed plastic container.

Ingredients
660g (2 3/4 cups) fish velouté
111g (1/2 cup) mussel stock
130g (1/2 cup) mushroom stock
167g (2/3 cup) fish fumét
3g (1/2 teaspoon) lemon juice
5 egg yolks
180g (3/4 cup) heavy cream
114g (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
120g (1/2 cup) heavy cream

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Kitchen knife and cutting board
Measuring bowls
Large stockpot
Wooden spoon
Wire whisk
Rubber spatula
Strainer or chinois
Medium Saucepan
Plastic containers

24 November 2012
0282. Flour Panada

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.

24 November 2012
0281. Bread Panada

Escoffier recipe for making Bread Panada for les farces de poisson, fish forcemeats (Escoffier, 281).

Used as a base to thicken firm-textured fish forcemeats, farces de poisson 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.

Bread Panada

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Remove their crusts and then cube the bread slices.

Soak the cubed bread in boiled milk until very soft.

Process the soaked bread in a food processor to form a smooth paste.

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

Ingredients
270g stale white bread, cubed
305g Strauss Family Creamery whole milk

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Measuring bowls
Kitchen knife and cutting board
Small saucepan
Wire whisk
Food processor
Rubber spatula
Mixing bowl
Plastic container

From the Book

281 Bread Panada
Specially suitable for forcemeats of firm textured fish.

Ingredients:
3dl (1 1/4c) boiling milk
250g (9oz) stale white breadcrumbs
5g (1/6oz) salt

Method:
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk until the milk is completely absorbed, add the salt, then mix with a wooden spoon over a good heat so as to dry it out and leave the sides of the pan clean. 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.

20 November 2012
0017. Sauce Espagnole Maigre, Fish Espagnole Sauce

Escoffier recipe for making sauce espagnole maigre, fish espagnole, or lenten espagnole sauce, at home (Escoffier, 17).

Also called Lenten Espagnole, this sauce is made with fish fumét and mushrooms instead of brown stock and meat (usually salt pork or bacon) as in regular Espagnole. Guess you can get away with having this rich sauce during Lent, eh?

I made a quick version of this sauce instead of the two-day Escoffier method. (Ha! Only 6 hours.)

Classic Sauce Espagnole Maigre

fish stock + brown roux + mirepoix + bouquet garni + mushrooms + butter + wine + tomato

Classic Sauce Espagnole

brown stock + brown roux + mirepoix + bouquet garni + salt pork + butter + wine + tomato

Modern Sauce Espagnole

brown stock + brown roux

Mise en place:

Sauce Espagnole Maigre

In a large stockpot, sauté a mirepoix of diced carrots, onion, mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf in the butter until translucent.

Then add the tomato paste and let brown. Deglaze the pot with the dry white wine and reduce until almost dry.

What kind of dry white wine is best for fish-based sauces?

Ever notice they never say what kind to use? It’s always the very vague ‘dry white wine’ you’ll see in recipes. I’ve found sauvignon blanc, chablis, and Noilly Prat vermouth work well. Each has its own flavor, and will affect your end result. But go for the lighter whites, stay away from the sweet whites like sauternes and reislings, or oaky whites like chardonnay.

Add the fish fumét.

Gently simmer to reduce the stock, skimming off any foam from the surface, for about 5 hours.

Strain and add the brown roux to the reduced stock. Simmer gently for another hour, stirring so it does not stick.

Brown roux can sometimes have a pronounced flavor. Try the sauce, and if it has a floury flavor, simmer some more.

Remove from heat, strain, and stir occasionally until the sauce is completely cold.

Ingredients
65g (1/2 cup) diced carrots
40g (1/4 cup) diced onions
65g (3/4 cup) diced button or brown mushrooms
35g (7 1/2 teaspoons) unsalted butter
33g (2 tablespoons) tomato paste
100g (1/2 cup) dry white wine
1000g (4 cups) fish fumét
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 fresh bay leaf
125g (1 cup) brown roux

Total time: Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 6-8 hours

Yields: 2-4 quarts of stock, depending on how long you simmer it.

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Kitchen knife and cutting board
Measuring bowls
Large stockpot
Wooden spoon
Wire whisk
Rubber spatula
Strainer or chinois
Medium Saucepan
Plastic containers

20 November 2012
0022. Velouté de Poisson, Fish Velouté

Escoffier recipe for making velouté de poisson, fish velouté sauce, at home (Escoffier, 22).

Velouté (“veh-looh-TAY”) is one of the five ‘mother sauces’ of classical French cuisine. Fish velouté, or velouté de poisson (“veh-looh-TAY day PWAH-sohn”) is used in making lighter-colored and compound sauces such as Sauce Bercy, Sauce Normandie, and others. Fish veloute is a white sauce lightly flavored with fish stock, or fumét, and thickened with a blond roux.

Mise en place for fish velouté:

Fish Velouté

Heat the fish fumét up in a medium saucepan, and gradually stir in the cold (or room temp) blond roux. Colder roux works best when it is mixed with a hot liquid. A couple general rules about roux: The darker the roux, the more flavorful it will be; and the lighter the roux, the less you’ll need to thicken a sauce. This is because the longer you cook your roux, the quicker the starch in the flour breaks down. A blond roux does well to both flavor and thicken a velouté de poisson, while keeping the velouté light in color.

Simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid a skin forming on the surface, and voila! There you have it.

Ingredients
1000g (4 cups) fish fumét
155g (1 1/4 cups) blond roux

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Measuring bowls
Medium saucepan
Wire whisk
Rubber spatula
Plastic containers

20 November 2012
0013. Roux Brun, Brown Roux

Escoffier recipe for making roux brun, brown roux, at home (Escoffier, 13).

What is a roux? It’s a simple thickener, made with only two ingredients – butter and flour! Roux brun (“roo BROWN”), is made the same way as roux blanc and roux blond. The only difference is it’s cooked longer, until the flour turns a strong brown color. Its taste is described as very toasty or nutty.

Mise en place for brown roux:

Roux Brun, Brown Roux

Make some clarified butter, by melting the unsalted butter, skimming off its foam and saving the yellow butterfat.

Mix the clarified butter and flour together in a heavy pan and cook on low heat, whisking for about 30-35 minutes — or until the flour turns a strong brown color.

This dark roux may used to thicken up many types of gravies and heavy, darker sauces. When you cook the roux for this length of time, the clarified butter separates from the flour. Escoffier even suggests the butter may be saved for another use. I just stir it up to re-incorporate the oil a bit before using.

When mixing a roux into sauce, be careful to either a: mix cold roux into a hot sauce, or b: mix hot roux into a cold sauce. This activates the starch so it will thicken your sauce.

White roux and blond roux are made the exact same way, only cooked for shorter lengths of time. Here’s a shot of them side-by-side for comparison. From left to right: white, blond and brown roux.

Ingredients
225g clarified butter, unsalted
275g sifted, all-purpose flour

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Cutting board and kitchen knife
Heavy-bottomed pan or medium saucepan
Wire whisk
Plastic container

20 November 2012
0014. Roux Blond, Blond Roux

Escoffier recipe for making roux blond, blond roux, at home (Escoffier, 14).

What is a roux? It’s a simple thickener, made with only two ingredients – butter and flour! Roux blond (“roo BLON”), is made the same way as roux blanc. The only difference is it’s cooked few minutes more, until the flour starts turning a golden blonde color. Keep cooking it and you get roux brun.

Mise en place for blond roux:

Blond Roux

Make some clarified butter, by melting the unsalted butter, skimming off its foam and saving the yellow butterfat.

Mix the clarified butter and flour together in a heavy pan and cook on low heat, whisking for about 15-20 minutes — or until the flour smells nutty and begins to turn a golden color. It may take more or less time depending on the level of heat used.

This roux is used to thicken up lighter-colored sauces, like fish velouté.

White roux and brown roux are made the exact same way, only cooked for different lengths of time. Here’s a shot of them side-by-side for comparison. From left to right: white, blond and brown roux.

Ingredients
225g clarified unsalted butter
275g sifted, all-purpose flour

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Cutting board and kitchen knife
Heavy-bottomed pan or medium saucepan
Wire whisk
Plastic container

20 November 2012
0015. Roux Blanc, White Roux

Escoffier recipe for making roux blanc, white roux, at home (Escoffier, 15).

What is roux? It’s a simple thickener, made with only two ingredients – butter and flour! Roux blanc (“roo BLONK”), is cooked much shorter than roux blond and roux brun. This can be made in just a few minutes.

Mise en place for white roux:

Roux Blanc, White Roux

Make some clarified butter, by melting the unsalted butter, skimming off its foam and saving the yellow butterfat.

Mix the clarified butter and flour together in a heavy pan and cook on low heat, whisking for 5-10 minutes — or until the flour smells a little nutty and takes on a sheen. It may take more or less time depending on the level of heat used.

Remember, you want to cook it just long enough to cook out the real floury taste.

This roux may used to thicken up white sauces.

Blond roux and brown roux are made the exact same way, only cooked longer until the flour browns more. Here’s a shot of them side-by-side for comparison. From left to right: white, blond and brown roux.

Ingredients
225g clarified unsalted butter
275g sifted, all-purpose flour

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Cutting board and kitchen knife
Heavy-bottomed pan or medium saucepan
Wire whisk
Plastic container

20 November 2012
0175. Beurre Clarifié, Clarified Butter [1907]

Escoffier recipe for making beurre clarifié, clarified butter, at home (Escoffier, 175 [1907 ed]).

What is clarified butter? It’s one of the easiest things to make in your kitchen, and so useful in a wide variety of recipes. You’ve no-doubt already had it in some American seafood restaurant as ‘drawn butter’ with trout, steamed lobster tail or crab claws.

It’s easy as 1-2-3!

1. Melt some butter.
2. Skim the foam from the surface.
3. Save the clear yellow liquid.

This is called ‘clarifying’ the butter. What’s left is the actual butterfat, also known as ‘butter oil.’

If you heat it until it’s a little nutty smelling, you have Indian ghee. If you heat it some more, you have brown butter, or French beurre noisette. And if you whisk butter into a little boiling water, you have beurre monté.

Beurre Clarifié, Clarified Butter

Cut some butter up in cubes. I like Challenge Dairy brand, but use your own favorite unsalted butter. Don’t use salted or sweet butter. And margarine is right out — that’s a no-no.

Melt the butter over slow heat in a saucepan. Be careful not to heat it too quickly. You don’t want to burn the butter.

Cooking until a salty foam separates to its surface. This is salt and casein, which has separated from the pure yellow butterfat.

Remove from the heat and skim off the top layer.There will be a clearer liquid layer at the bottom – water and whey.

You can strain the butter through a sieve or damp cheesecloth if you really feel like it, but it’s not necessary. When saving, leave the last watery layer in the pan.

Clarified butter may be saved just as regular butter in the fridge. If you’re planning on using it in a recipe, keep it warm while preparing your other components, as it will start to solidify at room temp. I keep mine on the stovetop, nearby a burner (not on direct heat).

Ingredients
16oz unsalted butter

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Cutting board and kitchen knife
Medium saucepan
Wire whisk
Strainer and/or cheesecloth
Plastic container or pan

Total time: Prep: 1 minute, Cook: 5 minutes

Yields: 14 oz clarified butter.

From the Book

175—Clarified Butter

A certain quantity of clarified butter should always be kept ready and handy.

To prepare this butter, put one lb. to melt in a saucepan large enough to hold twice that amount. Place the saucepan on the side of the fire, over moderate heat; remove all the scum which rises to the surface, and, when the butter looks quite clear and all foreign substances have dropped to the bottom, put the liquid carefully away and strain it through muslin.

— A. Escoffier, A guide to modern cookery, 1907.

20 November 2012
0006. Fumét de Poisson, Fish Fumét, Fish Stock

Escoffier recipe for making fish stock, fish fumét, fumét de poisson, at home (Escoffier, 6).

Fish Stock

In French, fish stock is called fumét de poisson. If you buy your fish whole and clean it yourself, this is really easy to make with the leftover bones and scraps. And you’re not wasting anything!

Fish stock, or fumét, is a ‘foundation’ recipe, used as a base in fish soups, chowders, dishes and sauces like Lenten Espagnole, Normandie and Genevoise. You want a good, clean, subtle flavor for your stock. So use mild, lean, whitefish like sole, halibut, cod or flounder. Avoid fatty, oily fish like salmon, trout or mackerel. Their taste can overpower your stock. (Which is not to say that’s a bad thing — rich sauces such as Genevoise call for salmon and red wine!)

You can use any lean whitefish scraps and bones for stock. If you don’t feel like gutting and cleaning the fish yourself, go to a local Asian market and buy some whole fish. You can have the butcher fillet it for you and ask them to split the heads, and keep the scraps for stock. Some places even sell fish heads and tails for this very reason.

I went to Seafood City Supermarket (1420 East Plaza Blvd. Building C, National City, CA 91950, 619-477-6080) and bought a whole carp for an Escoffier recipe I was cooking. It’s a local favorite of mine for finding great buys on fish, and was even featured on Bizarre Foods. (Yes, I know, I know, I used carp — which is not the whitest of fish for the stock, but hey — it was what I was working with.)

This version of the recipe differs from Escoffier’s slightly. Instead of all onion, we use half onion and half leek, which is milder. You could easily use the whole amount of onion and omit the leek. And optionally, we add a bit of thyme for more flavor.

If you’re using them, rinse off the heads and tails. Roast the fish bones and scraps in a little canola oil in a 400ºF oven until browned, about 15 minutes. Roasting the bones will help give your stock natural color and enhance its flavor.

Mise en place:

In a large stockpot over low heat, sauté the chopped onion, leek and mushrooms in butter until they become translucent, about 5-10 minutes.

Add the roasted fish bones and scraps and cook for about 5 minutes more. Deglaze the pan with dry white wine and reduce until almost dry.

What kind of dry white wine is best for fish stock?

Ever notice they never say what kind to use? It’s always the very vague ‘dry white wine’ you’ll see in recipes. I’ve found Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Noilly Prat vermouth work well. Each has its own flavor, and will affect your end result. But go for the lighter whites, stay away from the sweet whites like Sauternes and Reislings, or oaky whites like Chardonnay.

Add the water, chopped parsley, peppercorns, thyme and lemon juice. Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any foam off the surface.

Let cool, then strain the stock through a chinois. Reserve the stock in plastic containers.

Fish stock be refrigerated for several days, or frozen and used later. Note: do not cover and refrigerate hot stocks or sauces, as they can sour quickly in the fridge — always let them cool before you refrigerate!

Ingredients
1000g (2 1/4 pounds) fish heads, bones, tails and scraps
Canola oil to cover bottom of roasting pan
28g (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
100g (2/3 cup) chopped white or yellow onion
100g (1 cup) chopped leek
128g (1 1/2 cups) chopped white button mushrooms
200g (3/4 cup) dry white wine
5000g (1 1/2 gallons) water, to completely cover fish bones
20g (1/3 cup) chopped parsley
12 black peppercorns
60g (4 tablespoons) lemon juice
5g (5 teaspoons) fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Measuring bowls
Cutting board and kitchen knife
Large stock pots
Wooden spoon
Chinois, strainer or sieve
Spoon or small strainer for skimming
Small bowl
Plastic containers

Total time: Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 45 minutes

Yields: 2-4 quarts of stock, depending on how long you simmer it.

From the Book:
6 Fish Stock
Place the onions, parsley stalks and mushroom trimmings into a pan, add the bones and trimmings of fish, cover with the water and add the wine and lemon juice. Bring to the boil quickly and skim carefully. Allow to simmer very gently for 20 minutes then add the peppercorns and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Pass through a strainer and use as required.

Notes:
1) The use of inferior quality white wine will cause the stock to go a grey colour and it is far better to omit the wine altogether rather than use one of doubtful quality.
2) This stock is used mainly in the preparation of fish sauces; if it is to be used for making Lenten or fish Espagnole the ingredients should be stewed in a little butter before the liquid is added.

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

11 October 2012