French Classics Made Easy (29 page)

3.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the ¼ cup Cognac, and flame (see “How to Flambé,”
page 282
). When the flames die, add the wine, stock, and 2 teaspoons of the rosemary. Cover and simmer until the rabbit is tender, 30 to 40 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through the cooking.

4.
Remove the rabbit pieces to a serving platter and keep warm. Reduce the liquid in the skillet over high heat to about ¾ cup, about 10 minutes.

5.
Whisk in the mustard and the meat glaze (if using). Add the cream and the remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary, and boil the sauce until it thickens enough to lightly coat a spoon. (The dish can be prepared ahead to this point. Return the rabbit to the sauce, cover, and refrigerate. Before serving, slowly return to a simmer, then remove the meat to a serving platter and proceed.)

6.
To serve: Strain the sauce, stir in the 1 teaspoon Cognac and three-quarters of the chopped parsley. Pour the sauce over the rabbit. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley. If available, use a sprig of rosemary to decorate the platter.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Start with chilled melon. Steamed rice or buttered noodles are the ideal accompaniment for this cream-sauced dish. Follow with a mixed green salad and a fruit tart or sorbet for dessert.

WINE

Serve the rabbit with a dry white wine.

VARIATION

S
AUTEED
C
HICKEN WITH
M
USTARD AND
R
OSEMARY

[POULET SAUTÉ À LA MOUTARDE ET AU ROMARIN]

Substitute a 3½-pound chicken cut into serving pieces. Reduce the mustard and rosemary to 2 teaspoons each.

ROAST SQUABS
WITH OLIVE SAUCE

[PIGEONNEAUX AUX OLIVES]

Green olives and dark-meat birds such as squab (and duck) are traditional companions in France. The olives are used not only to flavor the sauce but are treated as an accompaniment to the squab. Blanching them several times to extract salt makes the olives a lovely and delicately flavored vegetable.

Whereas classic recipes for squab with olives cook the birds in the sauce, I have designed this recipe so the sauce can be prepared several days in advance, if desired, and simply reheated for serving. Making the sauce ahead of time also gives the birds time to age, something I do to improve their taste. Many people complain that squab has a gamey or livery taste. I have noticed this taste whenever the birds are very fresh, but by allowing them to age for a few days, the strong taste disappears and is replaced by a uniquely delicious flavor. If the birds you have are frozen, defrost them in the refrigerator and let them age 2 to 3 days before roasting. If they are freshly killed, allow them to age 4 days in the refrigerator.

SERVES 6

B
LANCHING

Food is blanched either by adding it to already boiling water, or starting it off in cold water and bringing it to a boil. The latter, cold-water blanching, is used to extract excess salt, as in blanching olives or bacon. Blanching in boiling water is used to retain flavor, color, and nutrients for such things as herbs or green vegetables. Blanching is also used to loosen the skin of tomatoes, peaches, and almonds, making them easier to peel.

6 squabs (about 1 pound each)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 small carrot, diced

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups dry white wine

4 cups beef stock, homemade or canned (see chart,
page 305
)

3 shallots, sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon tomato paste Bouquet Garni (
page 306
)

1 tablespoon Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¾ pound pitted green olives 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter

¼ teaspoon salt

1.
Remove the squabs’ hearts, necks, wing tips, and gizzards and set aside. Truss the birds (see “How to Truss a Bird,”
page 133
).

2.
In a medium-size saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the hearts, necks, wings, and gizzards and brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion and carrot and brown them lightly, 3 to 4 minutes.

3.
Reduce the heat to medium, sprinkle the flour into the pan, and brown well, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. By the time the flour is browned, the carrot and onion will be dark brown.

4.
Add the wine, stock, shallots, garlic, tomato paste, bouquet garni, meat glaze (if using), and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring from time to time and skimming off any fat or foam that comes to the surface.

5.
Meanwhile, blanch the olives by placing them in a saucepan and covering with cold water. Bring to a boil, drain, and rinse with cold water. Taste and repeat, if necessary, until they are just slightly salty to the taste.

6.
When the sauce is done, it will have a rich brown color and be the consistency of light cream. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Add the olives and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. (The sauce can be made several days in advance. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. Just before serving, bring to a boil.)

7.
Preheat the oven to 475°F.

8.
Place the birds on their sides in a roasting pan, dot with the butter, and season with the salt and additional pepper to taste. Roast until tender and the juices run clear when the birds are pricked with a roasting fork, about 15 minutes on each side, basting two or three times. Turn the squabs breast side up for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. (I generally roast squabs until thoroughly cooked, yet still moist and tender. Many people enjoy these birds medium-rare, and if this is your preference, reduce the cooking time by 10 minutes.)

9.
Using a large fork, lift the squabs to allow the interior juices to drain. Then partially carve them to let more juices out (see “Serving Small Birds,” this page). Place the squabs on individual serving plates, surround with olives and sauce, and serve.

S
ERVING
S
MALL
B
IRDS

When serving a small whole bird with a sauce, it is necessary to carve it partway to let out the excess juices. If this is not done, the plate will fill with these juices and dilute your sauce. (On the other hand, when you serve the birds without a sauce, then these juices are desirable.) To partially carve a squab, place the bird on its side. Place the blade of your knife flat on the body, with the sharp edge facing the bird’s hip joint (where the thigh joins the body). Move the knife toward the hip, passing the blade under the drumstick. At the joint, cut through the skin (but not through the joint). Repeat on the other side. Then make one or two slices into each breast. Although I prefer serving small birds whole in this fashion, I realize that some guests will have difficulty in cutting them. So for easier serving, the birds can be cut in half.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Begin with an Endive and Pink Grapefruit Salad (
page 28
). Steamed potatoes or rice go well with the distinctive olive sauce. For dessert, serve Almond Cake with a Raspberry Purée (
page 244
).

WINE

Both Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Hermitage wines will complement the olive sauce.

VARIATIONS

G
RILLED
S
QUABS WITH
O
LIVE
S
AUCE

[PIGEONNEAUX GRILLÉS AUX OLIVES]

Make the olive sauce (steps 2 through 6). Cut the squabs in half and grill them for 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Serve each half on a plate covered with the olives and sauce. Serve the other half as a second serving.

S
AUTEED
S
QUABS WITH
O
LIVE
S
AUCE

[PIGEONNEAUX SAUTÉS AUX OLIVES]

Make the olive sauce (steps 2 through 6). Cut the squabs in half and brown in butter or oil, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. When browned, reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes longer. Serve with the olives and sauce.

R
OAST
D
UCK WITH
O
LIVE
S
AUCE

[CANARD AUX OLIVES]

Make the olive sauce (steps 2 through 6) using the duck heart, neck, wings, and gizzards. Roast a 5-pound duck at 425°F for 30 minutes on each side and 10 minutes breast up. Omit the butter and the basting. Serve a quarter of the duck per person, covered with the sauce.

DUCK A L’ORANGE

[CANARD À L’ORANGE]

A classically prepared
canard à l’orange
is one of the most satisfying and delicious dishes in the French culinary repertoire, yet no one—including most restaurants—seems to have the patience for it anymore.

Admittedly still a fairly time-consuming affair, my version does manage to make things easier. To begin with, I make the sauce a day or more in advance (which has the beneficial side effect of allowing the ducks to age and improve in flavor), and I prepare the sectioned oranges for the accompaniment the night before. I have also shortened the time in the oven by using a high-temperature roasting method, a technique that works well to
remove excess fat yet leaves the meat succulent and tender. Finally, to avoid any last-minute scramble, I carve the duck before the guests arrive, and then reheat it briefly in a hot oven just before serving.

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 ducks (about 5 pounds each)

2 tablespoons rendered duck fat (see step 3) or vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

1 small carrot, diced (optional)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¾ cup dry white wine

2 cups beef stock, homemade or canned (see chart,
page 305
)

2 shallots, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced Zest of 1 orange (see Note)

Bouquet Garni (
page 306
)

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon water

¼ cup white (distilled) vinegar

2 tablespoons Madeira

1 tablespoon plus a dash of Cognac

5 large oranges

1.
Prepare the ducks for roasting: Cut off the first two joints of the wings (leaving the third portion of the wing attached to the body). Set the wings aside with the necks, hearts, and gizzards. Chop the liver and set aside if you would like to use it in the sauce (see step 6). Remove the fat from the inner cavity at the tail section and set aside. Truss the ducks (see “How to Truss a Bird,” facing page). If you are making the sauce ahead of time, wrap the ducks in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

2.
Cut the necks, hearts, and gizzards into small pieces. If you do not have a nonstick roasting pan, save the wings to use as a makeshift roasting rack (see step 11); otherwise, cut up and add to the giblets.

3.
In a medium-size saucepan, heat some of the reserved duck fat over medium heat. Pour out all but about 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Add the cut up parts and giblets and cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and carrot (if using) and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, sprinkle with the flour, and brown well, being careful not to burn the onion, 3 to 4 minutes.