Escoffier At Home

Tag: flour

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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