Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1
Paupiettes are thin slices of beef wrapped around a filling, and braised in wine and stock with herbs and aromatic vegetables. Although they follow the same general pattern as other fricassees of beef, their pork and veal stuffing gives them a special character. Paupiettes can be cooked in advance, and any leftovers may be reheated or may be served cold. Accompany hot paupiettes with rice, risotto, or noodles, and a garniture of sautéed mushrooms, braised onions, and carrots, or with buttered green peas or green beans, broiled tomatoes, and French bread. Serve a good simple red wine such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Chianti, or a rosé.
For about 18 paupiettes serving 6 people
½ cup finely minced onions
1 Tb butter
A 3-quart mixing bowl
Cook the onions slowly in butter for 7 to 8 minutes until they are tender but not browned. Scrape them into the mixing bowl.
6 ounces lean pork ground with 6 ounces lean veal and 3 ounces fresh pork fat, making about 1½ cups ground meat
A wooden spoon
1 clove mashed garlic
⅛ tsp thyme
Pinch of allspice
Big pinch of pepper
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 egg
Add all ingredients at the left to the mixing bowl and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended.
2½ lbs. lean beef (top round or chuck) cut into 18 cross-grain slices ¼ inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter
Salt and pepper
White string
Flatten each slice of beef to a thickness of ⅛ inch by pounding it between 2 sheets of waxed paper with a wooden mallet or rolling pin. Lay the meat flat on a board and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Divide the stuffing into 18 portions and place one on the lower third of each slice. Roll the meat around the stuffing to form cylinders about 4 inches long and 1½ inches thick. Secure each with 2 ties of string. Dry in paper towels.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2 to 3 Tb rendered pork fat or good cooking oil
A heavy fireproof casserole about 10 inches in diameter and 2½ to 3 inches deep
½ cup sliced carrots
½ cup sliced onions
3 Tb flour
1 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
1½ cups brown stock or canned beef bouillon
Heat the fat or oil in the casserole until almost smoking. Brown the paupiettes lightly, a few at a time, and remove to a side dish. Lower heat to moderate and brown the vegetables slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring. Then add the flour and brown it slowly for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove casserole from heat and immediately beat in the wine, then the stock or bouillon.
A 4-inch square of fresh pork rind, bacon rind or salt-pork rind, simmered 10 minutes in a quart of water, then drained
1 large herb bouquet plus 2 cloves of garlic: 6 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, ½ tsp thyme, and the garlic tied together in cheesecloth
Lay rind in the bottom of the casserole. Place the paupiettes over it, and add more stock or bouillon, or water, if necessary, to the liquid in the casserole so paupiettes are barely covered. Add the herb bouquet.
Bulb baster
Bring to the simmer on top of the stove. Cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so the paupiettes simmer very slowly for 1½ hours. Baste them two or three times with the liquid in the casserole.
Remove the paupiettes to a side dish and cut off trussing strings. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and degrease thoroughly. Boil down the sauce if necessary, to concentrate its flavor. You should have 1½ to 2 cups thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. Correct seasoning.
1 Tb prepared mustard of the strong Dijon type blended with ⅓ cup whipping cream
A wire whip
Off heat, beat the mustard and cream into the sauce. Simmer for 1 minute. Rearrange the paupiettes in the casserole or a fireproof serving dish, and pour the sauce over them.
(*) Recipe may be prepared in advance to this point. Film top of sauce with a spoonful of stock or melted butter. When cold, cover and refrigerate.
Parsley sprigs
About 10 minutes before serving, reheat barely to the simmer on top of the stove. Cover and simmer slowly for 5 minutes or so, basting the paupiettes frequently with the sauce. Serve from the casserole, or arrange the paupiettes on a platter, spoon the sauce over them, and surround with rice or noodles. Decorate with parsley.
VARIATIONS
Prepare, brown, and braise the paupiettes as in the preceding recipe but use the sauce ingredients and techniques outlined either for the boeuf bourguignon or for the carbonnades à la flamande.
BOEUF À LA CATALANE
[Beef Stew with Rice, Onions, and Tomatoes]
Here is a hearty dish from the Spanish-Mediterranean corner of France. Serve it with a green salad, French bread, and a strong, young red wine.
For 6 people
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
A ¼-lb. chunk of bacon
2 Tb olive oil
A heavy, 10-inch skillet
A slotted spoon
A 3-quart fireproof casserole about 3 inches deep
Remove rind and cut bacon into lardons (1½-inch strips, ⅜ of an inch thick.) Simmer in 1 quart of water for 10 minutes. Drain, dry, and brown lightly in oil in the skillet. Remove with a slotted spoon to the casserole.
3 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into squares 2½ inches across and 1 inch thick (see cuts listed)
Dry the meat on paper towels. Heat fat in skillet until almost smoking then brown the meat a few pieces at a time. Place it when browned in the casserole.
1½ cups sliced onions
Lower heat to moderate, and brown the onions lightly. Remove them with a slotted spoon and add to the casserole.
1 cup clean, unwashed, raw white rice
Still in the same fat, stir the rice over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes until it turns a milky color. Scrape into a bowl and set aside until later.
1 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
Pour any remaining fat out of the skillet, add the wine and stir for a moment over heat to dissolve coagulated cooking juices. Pour into the casserole.
2 to 3 cups beef stock or canned beef bouillon
Salt to taste
¼ tsp pepper
2 cloves mashed garlic
½ tsp thyme
Pinch of saffron
1 crumbled bay leaf
Add stock or bouillon almost to the height of the meat. Salt lightly. Stir in the pepper, garlic, and herbs. Bring to simmer on top of the stove, cover tightly, and set in lower position of preheated oven to simmer slowly for 1 hour.
1 lb. ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped (this will make about 1½ cups tomato pulp)
Remove casserole from oven. Stir in the tomatoes, bring to simmer on top of the stove, cover, and return to the oven for an additional hour or so of very slow simmering. When the meat is almost fork-tender, remove casserole from oven. Raise oven heat to 375 degrees.
Sautéed rice from above
Stock or canned bouillon if necessary
Tilt casserole and skim off fat. You should have 2 to 2½ cups of liquid; add more stock or bouillon, or waiter, if necessary. Stir in the rice. Bring to simmer on top of stove, cover, and set again in lower third of oven. Regulate heat to keep liquid at a full simmer for 20 minutes so the rice will cook. Do not stir the rice. At the end of this time it should be tender and have absorbed almost all the liquid. Remove from oven and correct seasoning.
(*) May be prepared in advance to this point. Set aside, cover askew. To reheat, cover casserole and place in a pan of boiling water for about half an hour.
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese
Just before serving, delicately fold the cheese with a fork into the hot beef and rice. Serve from the casserole or on a hot platter.
DAUBE DE BOEUF
ESTOUFFADE DE BOEUF
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TERRINE DE BOEUF
[Casserole of Beef with Wine and Vegetables — Hot or Cold]
Daube comes from daubière, a covered casserole. Estouffade is a stifling or smothering, in a covered casserole. Almost every region of France has its own daubes, estouffades, and terrines. Some of them are for a whole piece of braised beef; others are like a boeuf bourguignon. In many the meat is larded, and in most it is marinated in wine with vegetables before the cooking begins. Here is a savory, country-style daube, an informal main dish to serve with boiled potatoes, risotto, or noodles, a green salad, and a simple red wine or a chilled rosé.
Note: We have not directed that the meat be larded, but you may do so if you wish, by inserting two ¼-inch strips of larding pork or blanched bacon through each piece of meat. You may also omit the marination of the meat, and add all the marinade ingredients to the casserole with the beef.
For 6 people
3 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into 2½-inch squares, 1 inch thick (beef cuts are listed)
A large glazed earthenware bowl
1½ cups dry white wine, dry white vermouth, or red wine
Optional: ¼ cup brandy, eau de vie, or gin
2 Tb olive oil
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp thyme or sage
1 crumbled bay leaf
2 cloves mashed garlic
2 cups thinly sliced onions
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
Place the beef in the bowl and mix with the wine, optional spirits, olive oil, seasonings, herbs, and vegetables. Cover and marinate at least 3 hours (6 if refrigerated), stirring up frequently.
½ lb. lean bacon cut into 1-inch slices ¼ inch thick and 2 inches long approximately
1½ cups (6 ounces) sliced fresh mushrooms
1½ lbs. ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped (this will make about 2¼ cups tomato pulp)
Simmer the bacon for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water. Drain and dry. Prepare the mushrooms and tomatoes.
Remove the beef from the marinade and drain in a sieve.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
A 5- to 6-quart fireproof casserole 3½ inches deep
1 cup sifted flour on a plate
Line the bottom of the casserole with 3 or 4 strips of bacon. Strew a handful of the marinade vegetables, mushrooms, and tomatoes over them. Piece by piece, roll the beef in the flour and shake off excess. Place closely together in a layer over the vegetables. Cover with a few strips of bacon, and continue with layers of vegetables, beef, and bacon. End with a layer of vegetables and 2 or 3 strips of bacon.
1 to 2 cups beef stock or canned beef bouillon
Pour in the wine from the marinade and enough stock or bouillon almost to cover the contents of the casserole. Bring to simmer on top of the stove, cover closely, and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers slowly for 2½ to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
Tip casserole and skim out fat. Correct seasoning.
(*) May be prepared ahead and reheated, and is good either hot or cold.
VARIATION
Daube de Boeuf à la Provençale
[Casserole of Beef with Garlic and Anchovy Sauce]
This is the same daube given a Provençal flavoring at the end. Any cold leftovers are delicious, served with a green salad and French bread. Follow the master recipe with these additions:
10 flat anchovy filets packed in olive oil
2 Tb capers
A table fork
3 Tb wine vinegar
3 Tb olive oil from the anchovy can and/or plain olive oil
2 cloves mashed garlic
¼ cup minced parsley
Bulb baster
Using a fork, mash the anchovies and capers to a paste in a bowl. Beat in the other ingredients. After the daube has cooked for 2½ hours remove it from the oven and skim off the fat. Pour on the anchovy mixture and baste the beef with the cooking juices in the casserole. Cover and return to oven until the meat is tender.
BEEF SAUTÉS
Sauté de Boeuf
SAUTÉ DE BOEUF À LA PARISIENNE
[Beef Sauté with Cream and Mushroom Sauce]
This sauté of beef is good to know about if you have to entertain important guests in a hurry. It consists of small pieces of filet sautéed quickly to a nice brown outside and a rosy center, and served in a sauce. The following recipe can easily be prepared in 30 minutes, or in less than half the time if the meat has been sliced and the mushrooms sautéed ahead. In the variations at the end of the recipe, all the sauce ingredients may be prepared in advance. If the whole dish is cooked ahead of time, be very careful indeed in its reheating that the beef does not overcook. The cream and mushroom sauce here is a French version of beef Stroganoff, but less tricky as it uses fresh rather than sour cream, so you will not run into the problem of curdled sauce.
Serve the beef in a casserole, or on a platter surrounded with steamed rice, risotto, or potato balls sautéed in butter. Buttered green peas or beans could accompany it, and a good red Bordeaux wine.
For 6 people
½ lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
A heavy, 9- to 10-inch enameled skillet
2 Tb butter and 1 Tb good cooking oil
3 Tb minced shallots or green onions
¼ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper
Following directions sauté the mushrooms in the skillet in hot butter and oil for 4 to 5 minutes to brown them lightly. Stir in the shallots or onions, and cook for a minute longer. Season the mushrooms, and scrape them into a side dish.
2½ lbs. filet of beef; the tenderloin butt and the tail of the filet are usually used (see illustrations)
Remove all surrounding fat and filament, and cut the filet into 2-ounce pieces, about 2 inches across and ½ inch thick. Dry thoroughly on paper towels.
2 Tb butter and 1 Tb cooking oil, more if needed
Place the butter and oil in the skillet and set over moderately high heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, sauté the beef, a few pieces at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes on each side to brown the exterior but keep the interior rosy red. Set the beef on a side dish, and discard sautéing fat.
¼ cup Madeira (best choice), or dry white vermouth
¾ cup good brown stock or canned beef bouillon
1 cup whipping cream
2 tsp cornstarch blended with 1 tablespoon of the cream
Pour the wine and stock or bouillon into the skillet and boil it down rapidly, scraping up coagulated cooking juices, until liquid is reduced to about ⅓ cup. Beat in the cream, then the cornstarch mixture. Simmer a minute. Add the sautéed mushrooms and simmer a minute more. The sauce should have a slight liaison (be lightly thickened). Taste carefully for seasoning.
Salt and pepper
Season the beef lightly with salt and pepper and return it to the skillet along with any juices which may have escaped. Baste the beef with the sauce and mushrooms; or transfer everything to a serving casserole.
2 Tb softened butter
Parsley sprigs
When you are ready to serve, cover the skillet or casserole and heat to below the simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, being very careful not to overdo it or the pieces of filet will be well done rather than rare. Off heat and just before serving, tilt casserole, add butter to sauce a bit at a time while basting the meat until the butter has absorbed. Decorate with parsley, and serve at once.
VARIATIONS
Sauté de Boeuf à la Bourguignonne
[Beef Sauté with Red Wine, Mushrooms, Bacon, and Onions]
For 6 people
2½ lbs. filet of beef prepared and sautéed as in preceding master recipe
A 3-ounce chunk blanched bacon
1½ cups red wine
1½ cups brown stock or canned beef bouillon
1 clove mashed garlic
1 Tb tomato paste
¼ tsp thyme
Sauté the beef and set it aside. Cut the blanc
hed bacon into 1-inch strips ¼ of an inch thick. Brown lightly in the sauté skillet and pour out fat. Add rest of ingredients at left and slowly boil down by half.
1 Tb flour mashed to a paste with 1 Tb butter—beurre manié
A wire whip
Remove from heat and beat in the flour-butter paste. Simmer for 1 minute, beating with wire whip.
18 small braised onions
½ lb. sliced mushrooms sautéed in butter
Salt and pepper
A fireproof serving casserole
Add onions and mushrooms and simmer 2 minutes. Correct seasoning. Season the sautéed beef, and arrange it and the sauce, bacon, and vegetables in the serving casserole.
(*) Recipe may be prepared ahead to this point. Set casserole aside uncovered.
2 Tb softened butter
Parsley sprigs
When ready to serve, cover and reheat at below simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Off heat, add the butter by bits, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce until the butter has absorbed. Decorate with parsley and serve immediately.