The French Market Cookbook (14 page)

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1⅓ pounds / 600 g French endives

1 cup / 100 g walnut halves, toasted and roughly chopped

1. Segment the oranges over a medium salad bowl to collect the juices; set the segments aside.

2. Add the honey, mustard, and salt to the bowl and stir until smooth. Whisk in the olive oil.

3. Cut the endives lengthwise into quarters, carve out and discard the core, and cut the leaves crosswise into ½-inch / 1 cm slices, leaving the delicate tips whole. Add to the bowl and toss to coat.

4. Add the orange segments and walnuts and toss to combine. Serve immediately or let sit for up to 1 hour.

FRENCH ENDIVES

French endives (also marketed as Belgian endives) look like torpedo-shaped lettuce hearts, about as big as a hand, with smooth, cream-colored leaves and slightly ruffled yellow-green tips. They are not to be confused with another type of endive, which may also be sold as curly endive, chicory, or frisée, that comes in light green, frilly salad leaves. When choosing French endives, make sure they are firm and their leaves unblemished and tightly bundled; if they feel loose and soft at your gentle squeeze, they’ve been picked too long ago.

SEGMENTING AN ORANGE

Segmenting (or supreming) an orange means cutting it into pretty, flesh-only segments, with no peel, pith, or membranes. It takes a little practice, but you won’t regret developing the skill; the resulting segments burst into juice as you bite them and they make handsome additions to desserts and salads.

With a well-sharpened knife, slice off the top and bottom of the orange horizontally, cutting off just enough so that the flesh is exposed. With the fruit resting on the cutting board on one of its now-flat ends, slice off a strip of peel from the top edge to the bottom, working the blade along the curve of the orange to remove the peel and white pith along with the thinnest sliver of flesh possible. Repeat until you’ve rid the fruit of all its peel.

You can now make out the segments, separated by a thin white membrane. Holding the orange in one hand, slice into the orange vertically, inserting the blade of a paring knife as closely as possible along one membrane wall, until you reach the core. Make a similar cut on the opposite side of the wedge you’ve started to loosen to extract the segment. Repeat until you’ve cut out all the segments.

Roasted Beet Soup with Baby Spinach and Squash Seed Pesto

ROASTED BEET SOUP WITH BABY SPINACH AND SQUASH SEED PESTO

Velouté de betterave rôtie, pistou de pousses d’ épinard et graines de courge

SERVES 4 TO 6

Roasting beets transforms them in a way no other cooking method does, bringing out their sweetness, but also a hint of smoke from their skin’s exposure to high heat. Once peeled, roasted beets may enter into myriad preparations. Blitzing them into a soup with homemade vegetable stock is a particularly gratifying endeavor; their flavor can then shine through in a dramatic purple velouté, the French word for a puréed soup, evoking its velvety consistency.

While beet fans may be content to drink it up like a smoothie, I usually serve this soup with a quickly made parsley and squash seed pistou, the Provençal pesto, which provides a lightly nubby texture and accents the flavors of the soup nicely.

2 pounds / 900 g small or medium red beets, evenly sized

2½ ounces / 70 g baby spinach leaves (about 4 cups)

¼ cup / 40 g hulled pumpkin seeds, toasted

¼ cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cups / 1 liter Vegetable Stock

1. Scrub the beets but do not peel. Put them in a baking dish large enough to accommodate them comfortably.

2. Place in a cold oven and turn it to 475°F. / 250°C. Roast until a knife can be easily inserted into the center of the beets, 1 to 1½ hours depending on their size. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into chunks.

3. While the beets are roasting, prepare the pesto: In a blender or food processor, combine the spinach, pumpkin seeds, oil, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and a generous grinding of pepper. Process until smooth, adding more oil as needed to reach your preferred consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

4. In a blender, or in a medium soup pot if you’re going to use an immersion blender, combine the beets, stock, cumin, and ½ teaspoon salt. Process until smooth and velvety; wear an apron and watch out for any splatter.

5. Reheat over medium-low heat, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm, topped with the pesto.

pantry gem

BEETS

Like most root vegetables, beets are harvested before the first frost and kept in storage for the duration of winter. Early-season beets are sold in bunches, with their leaves still on, and these you can handle like you would chard greens, spinach, or radish tops (see Radish-Top Pasta). Later in the year, beets are sold sans greens and it becomes necessary to check that they feel firm and smooth, rather than soft or wrinkled.

Beets are classically eaten cooked—boiled, steamed, or roasted—but don’t overlook their potential as a raw vegetable, grated or very thinly sliced. Unless you’re using golden beets, the flesh and juice can stain your clothes and skin, so handle them carefully.

Curried Leek Tart Tatin

CURRIED LEEK TART TATIN

Tatin de poireaux au curry

SERVES 4

Beyond the original apple tart, baked upside down with the fruit at the bottom and the dough on top, the tarte tatin format can be applied to all manner of fillings, sweet or savory, and it is most flattering to vegetables that might otherwise dry out in the oven. This makes it well suited to leeks, which fare best in a moist environment, and are encouraged to soften under the protective mantle of the tart crust. The leek segments also look quite pretty, sitting upright in concentric circles, once the tart is flipped crust-side down.

I cook the leeks in a skillet first, to initiate the browning, and season them with curry powder, which is a perfect complement to their natural sweetness. I use a very flavorful curry powder called Kari Gosse, developed by a Breton apothecary in the early nineteenth century, when ships from the Far East still docked in local ports to unload their treasured spices. Use whichever curry powder you like, as long as it tastes fresh and not dusty.

3 pounds / 1.4 kg leeks, trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking, plus more for the pan

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

5 ounces / 140 g fresh goat cheese, cold from the fridge, cut into thin slices

Freshly ground black pepper

Yogurt Tart Dough

½ cup / 20 g finely chopped fresh chives

1. Slice the leek whites into ¾-inch / 2 cm lengths. Put them in a bowl of cold water and swoosh them around gently to remove any sand or dirt, but keep the sections whole. Drain well.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, placing them cut-sides down and in a single layer. Sprinkle with the salt and curry powder, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes without disturbing, checking regularly that the leeks don’t brown too much underneath; reduce the heat if they do. Let cool to room temperature.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. / 175°C.

4. Grease a 10-inch / 25 cm cake or tart pan with olive oil and arrange the leeks browned side up (the other side will brown while the tart bakes) in the pan in a single, tightly packed layer, leaving a ¾-inch / 2 cm margin all around. Top evenly with the goat cheese and sprinkle with pepper.

5. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper into a 12-inch / 30 cm round. Remove the top sheet of paper and, placing your hand underneath the dough, flip it onto the pan so it lands more or less centered over the ingredients; adjust if necessary. Remove the parchment paper, tuck the dough into the pan around the leeks, and pierce 3 to 4 holes in the top of the dough to make steam vents.

6. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Run a knife around the crust to loosen and, holding the pan with oven mitts, invert it onto a serving plate. Any piece of leek that remains stuck to the pan can be placed back on the tart where it belongs.

7. Sprinkle with pepper and chives and serve.

LEEKS

Pick firm leeks that are on the thinner side, with as long a white part as possible and an outer layer that feels smooth and fresh, rather than parched or wrinkled. Check the color of the leaves; they should be a vibrant emerald green with no discoloration.

Because leeks are grown in sandy soil, they can hoard sand and dirt between their layers, so you should clean them carefully.

BUCKWHEAT AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS OPEN RAVIOLI

Ravioles ouvertes sarrasin et choux de Bruxelles

SERVES 6 AS A STARTER OR 4 AS A MAIN DISH

I was introduced to ravioles ouvertes, or open ravioli, while dining at one of Michelin three-star chef Anne-Sophie Pic’s restaurants in Valence. Instead of painstakingly assembling ravioli pockets, and holding your breath when you cook them for fear they will spill their contents into the boiling water, this offers a simpler, conceptual take on the ravioli: little piles of filling mounded on the plate and a single piece of pasta dough draped over each to simulate ravioli tops.

In this version, I opt for thinly sliced and sautéed Brussels sprouts topped with squares of buckwheat pasta—inspired by crozets, tiny squares of buckwheat pasta popular in the Savoy region—and drizzle everything with a lemony olive oil. It makes for an elegant and delicious starter fit for a holiday meal. If you prefer, you are welcome to cut the pasta dough into tagliatelle and simply toss them with the Brussels sprouts and lemon oil.

½ recipe Buckwheat Pasta Dough

Cornmeal, for sprinkling

½ medium yellow onion (3 ounces / 85 g), finely sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

Fine sea salt

1¼ pounds / 560 g Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

1 cup / 130 g cooked shelled chestnuts, diced (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

Grated zest of 1 organic lemon

Parmesan or other hard cheese, cut into shavings (optional)

1. Roll out the dough thinly and cut it into 2¾-inch / 7 cm squares. You should get about 30. Set aside on a tray sprinkled with cornmeal.

2. Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often to prevent coloring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, ¾ teaspoon salt, and the chestnuts (if using). Cook, stirring often, until the sprouts are browned in places but still vibrantly green, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

3. While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, in a bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest, and juice.

4. Bring salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. When the Brussels sprouts are just about done, add the pasta squares to the water one by one, to prevent sticking. Once they bob back to the surface, boil for 1 minute, until al dente. Drain and keep warm.

5. Arrange 6 warm pasta plates on your work surface. You will have to work fast so the food remains hot; you can ask someone to assist you. Onto each plate, scoop 5 mounds of the Brussels sprouts mixture, about 1 tablespoon each, and top each with a pasta square, picking it up with tongs or chopsticks. Drizzle with the lemon olive oil and top with a few shavings of cheese, if using. Serve immediately.

note note You can make the pasta squares in advance and freeze in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal to prevent sticking. Once they are frozen solid, collect them in a freezer bag and return to the freezer for up to a month.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Too often boiled to a bitter mush, Brussels sprouts are a perfect delight when roasted but still a little crunchy in the middle (carve a deep “X” through the stem end to promote even cooking) or thinly sliced into ribbons and sautéed until browned in places but still leafy and alert, as in this recipe. When shopping for Brussels sprouts, pick small ones that look like tightly closed baby fists, with a healthy green color and no signs of yellowing. Use within a couple of days.

Mushroom and Chive Quiche

MUSHROOM AND CHIVE QUICHE

Quiche aux champignons à la ciboulette

SERVES 4 TO 6

While the quiche often has slight frou-frou connotations outside its birth country, it is nothing but the most homey and comforting of dishes in France, where it is among the first preparations beginner cooks learn to make. Indeed, once you’ve adopted a crust recipe you like and know the basic proportions for the custard filling, you can run away with the concept and garnish your quiches with whatever vegetables you want, or need, to use.

Mushrooms taste fantastic with anything cream-or egg-based, so I am very fond of them in a quiche. And because the dough can be prepared the day before and the mushrooms cooked some time in advance, too, this is a flexible dish to serve for a simple dinner with friends, possibly paired with the equally easygoing French Endive, Orange, and Walnut Salad.

2¼ pounds / 1 kg brown mushrooms or a mix of varieties

Olive oil for cooking

1 medium yellow onion (6 ounces / 170 g), finely sliced

Fine sea salt

Olive Oil Tart Dough

All-purpose flour, for rolling

⅓ cup / 80 ml heavy cream or unsweetened nondairy cream

½ cup / 120 ml milk (not skim) or unflavored, unsweetened nondairy milk

½ cup / 20 g finely chopped fresh chives

1. Trim the mushrooms and cut into bite-size chunks; I prefer this to slices, as the morsels of mushrooms retain more of their meaty texture.