Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (174 page)

4 Tb rendered goose fat, pork fat, or butter

⅓ cup all-purpose flour (measure by scooping dry-measure cup into flour and sweeping off excess with a knife)

A wooden spoon and wire whip

The hot turnip-cooking juices

¼ cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

A lightly buttered warm vegetable dish

Fresh parsley

Melt the fat or butter in the saucepan, blend in the flour, and stir over moderate heat until flour and fat foam together for 2 minutes without browning at all. Remove from heat, and when it has stopped bubbling blend in 1 cup of the cooking juices, beating vigorously with wire whip until mixture is perfectly smooth. Return over moderately high heat, stirring with whip as mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Boil, stirring, for 2 minutes. Sauce should be very thick, but not so thick that it will not combine with the puréed turnips: beat in more cooking liquid (or milk) by spoonfuls if you think it necessary. Finally beat the turnip purée and the cream into the sauce, and season carefully to taste.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTES
: May be prepared even a day in advance; cover and refrigerate when cool.

About 30 minutes before serving, cover and reheat over simmering water, stirring occasionally. To serve, turn into a hot vegetable dish and decorate with parsley.

PETITS NAVETS SAUTÉS, EN GARNITURE

[Fresh, Young White Turnips Sautéed in Butter]

Winter and early spring are the time for early crop turnips, which are tender enough to need no blanching and are at their best cooked simply in butter. Whether round, oval, or top-shaped and with or without their green leaves, buy them smooth, firm, small, clean, unblemished, and all of a size for even cutting and shaping. Their flesh, when you cut into them raw, must be moist, crisp, and sweetly turnipy. Serve sautéed turnips with duck, goose, turkey, pork, roast beef or lamb, steaks or chops. They are also attractive as part of a vegetable garnish in combination with such others as glazed carrots and sautéed mushrooms, or buttered fresh peas. The following recipe is for a small amount, but if you wish to cook more, do the preliminary sauté in batches, and finish them off all together in a covered casserole in a 325-degree oven.

For 4 to 6 servings

About 12 fresh, young white turnips 2 to 2½ inches in diameter (2½ lbs. without tops)

2 or more Tb butter

1 or more Tb olive oil or cooking oil

A large (11-inch) frying pan (no-stick recommended)

¼ tsp salt, more as necessary

Big pinch pepper

A cover for the pan

With a small, sharp knife, peel the turnips, removing outer skin and the white underskin that covers the moist flesh. You now want to cut them in the form of large garlic cloves, all pieces approximately the same size: if you have round turnips, for example, quarter them lengthwise, and round off the sharp edges, saving trimmings for turnip soup or adding them to one of the preceding purées.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 of oil in frying pan over moderately high heat. When butter foam is beginning to subside, indicating fat is hot enough, add as many turnips as will fit in one crowded layer. Toss and turn frequently, shaking and swirling the pan by its handle, for 4 to 5 minutes, until turnips are beginning to brown very lightly. (If you are sautéing in 2 batches, turn browned turnips into a side dish, add more butter and oil if needed, brown the second batch, then return all to the pan.) Toss turnips with the salt and pepper, cover pan, and cook over very low heat, tossing occasionally, for about 10 minutes more or until turnips are tender. Be careful turnips do not brown too much. Be sure also not to overcook them; they should be just tender but still hold their shape.

2 to 3 Tb more butter

Salt and pepper as needed

3 to 4 Tb fresh minced parsley

A hot vegetable dish or the meat platter

Just before serving, reheat to sizzling, toss with more salt and pepper as needed, then with the additional butter, and finally with the parsley. Turn into hot vegetable dish or onto platter and serve.

CRÊPES À LA PIPÉRADE

[Pepper, Onion, Tomato, and Cheese Pancakes]

Cooked bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, cheese, and herbs plus a light batter to bind them all together are the basic ingredients for this attractive vegetable combination, which is cooked like pancakes. Serve them with roasts, chops, or broiled chicken, and any leftovers are delicious with cold hors d’oeuvre or on a picnic. They are, in addition, a splendid background for diced poultry, veal, or pork leftovers, which you may include in the mixture; topped
with a poached or fried egg and a tomato or cheese sauce, they are an ample main course for informal meals.

For 12 4-inch pancakes

1)
The crêpe batter—for ¾ cup

⅓ cup flour, preferably “instant blending” (measure by scooping dry-measure cup into flour and leveling off with knife)

1 “large” egg

¼ tsp salt

1½ tsp cooking oil

⅓ cup milk, plus a little more if needed

An electric blender, or a bowl, whip, and sieve

Either whirl all ingredients in a blender; or place flour in bowl, beat in rest of ingredients, and strain through sieve. Batter should be like heavy cream; if too thick, thin out with drops of milk. You may use it immediately if you have instant-blending flour; otherwise let it rest for an hour at least.

2)
The pipérade mixture—for 1½ cups