Category: Escoffier Recipes

Escoffier recipes

  • 0139. Sauce Normande, Normandy Sauce

    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:
    Mise en place for Normandy Sauce

     

    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.

    Normandy Sauce

    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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 0017. Sauce Espagnole Maigre, Fish Espagnole Sauce

    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:
    Mise en place for Fish Espagnole

     

    Sauce Espagnole Maigre

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

    Saute the mirepoix

    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.

    Simmer the fish Espagnole stock

    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.

    Sauce Espagnole Maigre

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

    Lenten Espagnole sauce

    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

  • 0022. Velouté de Poisson, Fish Velouté

    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 Veloute

     

    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.

    Veloute de Poisson

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

    Veloute de Poisson

    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

  • 0013. Roux Brun, Brown Roux

    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:
    Mise-en-place for making roux

     

    Roux Brun, Brown Roux

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

    Make clarified butter

    Clarified Butter

    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.

    Brown Roux

    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.

    Clarified butter will separate from the brown roux

    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.

    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

  • 0014. Roux Blond, Blond Roux

    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:
    Mise-en-place for making roux

     

    Blond Roux

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

    Make clarified butter

    Clarified Butter

    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.

    blonde roux

    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.

    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

  • 0015. Roux Blanc, White Roux

    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:
    Mise-en-place for making roux

     

    Roux Blanc, White Roux

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

    Make clarified butter

    Clarified Butter

    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.

    whisk flour and butter together

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

    roux blanc

    This roux may used to thicken up white sauces.

    white roux

    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.

    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

  • 0175. Beurre Clarifié, Clarified Butter [1907]

    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.

    Melt some unsalted butter

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

    Salt and casein rise to the surface

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

    Skim off the foam from the butter's surface

    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

    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.

  • 0006. Fumét de Poisson, Fish Fumét, Fish Stock

    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.

    Fish scraps for fish fumet

    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:
    Mise-en-place for fish stock

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

    Saute the vegetables for the base of the fish stock

    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 roasted fish bones to the vegetables

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

    Skim the stock

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

    Finished fish stock

    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.