Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (145 page)

Broccoli with poached eggs

Omit the hard-boiled egg in the preceding recipe, and substitute one hot poached egg per person. When broccoli is cooked, arrange on hot serving dish and place hot poached eggs on top. Sprinkle the hot, browned bread crumbs over all and serve immediately.

Sauces to serve with plain boiled broccoli

Beurre au citron
—A lemon-butter sauce, Volume I, page 98.

Sauce hollandaise,
its variations with cream—
sauce mousseline,
or the orange-flavored variation—
sauce maltaise,
all of which are in Volume I, pages 79–83.

Cold boiled broccoli

Broccoli, peeled and blanched in the French manner, is delicious in cold vegetable combinations, accompanied by a vinaigrette or mayonnaise. So that it will retain all its fresh color and texture after cooking, spread it out on a clean towel as soon as you have removed it from the boiling water. When cold, refrigerate in a covered bowl.

BROCCOLI RECIPES THAT MAY BE PREPARED AHEAD

Brocoli Sautés à la Niçoise

[Broccoli Sautéed with Onions, Bacon, and Bread Crumbs]

Like the
brocoli à la polonaise,
this could well be a first course or served in place of the salad, or it could accompany poached or scrambled eggs, plain broiled chicken or fish, or pork or veal chops. In this recipe you may blanch the broccoli in advance, and sauté it just before serving.

For 1 bunch (1½ to 2 lbs.) broccoli

3 strips bacon

An 8-inch frying pan, no-stick recommended

⅓ cup (lightly pressed) crumbs from fresh homemade-type white bread

½ cup finely minced onions

3 Tb olive oil

1 large clove mashed garlic

The blanched broccoli

Salt and pepper

Before blanching the broccoli (
Master Recipe
) prepare the following garniture. Cook the bacon until lightly browned, and drain on paper towels; crumble when crisped and cool. Sauté the bread crumbs in the bacon fat, stirring, and when light brown scrape into a side dish. In the same pan, cook the onions in the olive oil for 8 to 10 minutes or more, until tender and translucent; stir in the garlic, and set pan aside.

Just before serving, reheat onions, add the cooked broccoli pieces, season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss and turn gently over moderately high heat, shaking and swirling the pan by its handle. When heated through, add browned crumbs and crumbled bacon, swirling and tossing for a moment more. Turn out onto a hot dish and serve immediately.

  
Brocoli Étuvés au Beurre

[Broccoli Braised in Butter]

When you cannot give broccoli last-minute attention you may blanch it until
al dente,
meaning not quite completely cooked, pack it into a casserole, and bake it with butter. It finishes cooking while you are having the first course, but do not leave it in the oven too long or it will lose its lovely fresh quality.

For 1 bunch (1½ to 2 lbs.) broccoli, serving 4 to 6

1 Tb soft butter

A 6-cup flameproof casserole or baking dish

The
broccoli
, blanched for 4 minutes only

Salt and pepper

4 to 5 Tb melted butter

A round of waxed paper

A cover for the casserole

Smear inside of dish with butter. Arrange cooked broccoli stalks in bottom of dish, season lightly and dribble on ⅓ of the butter. Arrange broccoli heads attractively on top, season, and dribble on the rest of the butter. Lay waxed paper on top and set aside until about 20 minutes before you are ready to serve. Preheat oven to 350 degrees in plenty of time. If casserole is heavy, heat on top of the stove. Cover, and set in middle level of oven until broccoli is bubbling hot. Serve as soon as possible, to preserve fresh taste and green color.

VARIATION

Brocoli Gratinés au Fromage
or
à la Milanaise

[Buttered Broccoli Gratinéed with Cheese]

Follow the preceding recipe but add ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese to the ingredients. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese inside the buttered dish before arranging the broccoli on it, and sprinkle cheese over each layer of broccoli along with the butter. Cover and heat until bubbling in the oven, then set under a low broiler for a moment or two to brown cheese lightly.

Chopped Broccoli

Another solution for the chef-host-butler is to blanch the broccoli, cool it quickly, then chop it and reheat at leisure in one of the following ways.