Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (176 page)

1)
Peeling the peppers

4 medium-sized peppers, green, red, yellow, or mixed

A shallow baking dish big enough to hold peppers easily, such as a pie plate

A cutting board

A sharp knife and a table fork

Preheat broiler to very hot. Arrange peppers in dish and place so surface of peppers is an inch from broiling element. As soon as skin facing broiler has puffed and blackened, in 2 to 3 minutes, turn peppers on another face, and finally on each end, so that all of skin has puffed. Remove peppers to cutting board. One by one, rapidly cut in half lengthwise, remove stem and seeds, and scrape off skin. (This should be done as soon as possible and before peppers cool; if blackened skin remains too long on pepper, it can darken the flesh under it.)

2)
Dressing the peppers

1 medium clove of garlic, mashed

¼ tsp salt

A small bowl and a pestle or wooden spoon

⅓ cup excellent olive oil

A serving dish

Plastic wrap

Mash garlic and salt until salt has dissolved completely, then beat in olive oil. Cut peppers into lengthwise strips ⅜ inch wide and arrange layers in dish, spooning dressing over each layer. Cover and let steep, tilting dish and basting with the dressing occasionally, for 20 minutes before serving.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: May be made several days in advance; cover airtight and refrigerate. Remove half an hour before serving to de-congeal oil.

FONDS D’ARTICHAUTS FARCIS, FROIDS FONDS D’ARTICHAUTS EN SURPRISE

[Artichoke Bottoms Stuffed with Mushroom Purée, Poached Eggs Optional—a Cold Entrée]

Here is one of those perfect first-course dishes for special guests and formal dinners. Whole artichokes are boiled and the leaves carefully removed to preserve the bottoms; the bottoms are then filled with a mixture of puréed and marinated raw mushrooms, the scraped-off flesh from the leaves, mayonnaise, and herbs. A helping hand is welcome here, because leaf scraping is rather slow work. However, if you are alone and unhurried, you may boil the artichokes one day, scrape them the next, and fill them on the morning of the third day. When you want to serve this as a main-course luncheon dish, add
la surprise,
poached eggs, which blend perfectly with mushrooms, artichokes, and mayonnaise.

For 6 large artichokes

1)
Preparing the artichokes

6 large, fresh, fine artichokes 4 to 4½ inches in diameter

A large kettle containing 7 to 8 quarts boiling salted water

A food mill with middle-sized disk, or a sieve

Following illustrated directions in Volume I, pages 423–5, trim the artichokes, being sure all the tough green part is cut off bottoms and small leaves are broken from circumference. Boil slowly, uncovered, for 35 to 45 minutes until bottoms are tender when pierced with a knife. (Prepare mushrooms and mayonnaise, Steps 2 and 3, while the artichokes boil.)

Drain upside down in a colander. When cool, carefully remove the leaves, keeping bottoms intact. Scrape out and discard hairy choke from center of each artichoke bottom. With a teaspoon, scrape flesh from the inside of leaves and bottom of heart (soft cone of leaves covering choke). Purée the scraped flesh through food mill or sieve, then twist hard in the corner of a towel to extract as much water as possible. Place puréed flesh in a bowl.

2)
The purée of raw mushrooms

½ lb. (1 quart) very fresh, firm, unblemished mushrooms

¼ tsp salt

Big pinch of pepper

2 Tb very finely minced shallots or scallions

1 Tb lemon juice

A 2-quart bowl

With a large, sharp knife, chop the mushrooms into a very fine mince, almost a purée. Blend them in the bowl with the salt, pepper, shallots or scallions, and lemon juice. Marinate for 15 to 20 minutes. Then, a handful at a time, twist mushrooms in the corner of a towel to squeeze out as much vegetable liquid as possible. Add the mushrooms to the bowl containing the puréed artichoke flesh.

3)
Final assembly

About 1½ cups thick homemade mayonnaise (the hard-yolk
tartare
minus the trimmings but plus the sieved egg white, Volume I, page 90, is particularly recommended)

1 Tb fresh minced tarragon or ¼ tsp dried tarragon

4 Tb fresh minced parsley (reserve half for decorations)

Salt and pepper to taste

The cooked artichoke bottoms

Optional: 6 cold poached eggs or 6-minute peeled eggs (
oeufs mollets
)

A serving dish or individual plates lined with lettuce leaves or watercress

3 to 4 Tb heavy cream,
crème fraîche,
or sour cream

The artichoke and mushroom purées are now to be seasoned and piled into the artichoke bottoms: by spoonfuls stir mayonnaise into the vegetables, adding probably 3 to 4 tablespoons in all but not enough to thin out purée, which must remain thick and hold its shape. Stir in the herbs and taste carefully for seasoning. Sprinkle artichoke bottoms lightly with salt and pepper, and mound the purée in them, smoothing it into a dome. (If you are using eggs, lay them in the artichokes between 2 layers of the purée.) Arrange the artichokes in the dish or plates. Just before serving, stir the cream into the mayonnaise, then spoon a dollop
over the top of each artichoke, and decorate with parsley.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: It is usually perfectly safe to complete the recipe the day before serving, except for the final bit of mayonnaise, and to cover and refrigerate the artichokes. To avoid all risks of turned mayonnaise, however, we suggest that you complete the final assembly only an hour or so before serving.