Master Class #19 | 11:12 am | 23 December 2004
Not one big meal! Three separate dinners.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1
Soufflé de Saumon, pp. 166-67
SalmonSoufflé
This didn’t stay as dramatically high as the cheese souffé, because the one pan we have was a little too large for the recipe. It sure was tasty, though!
Bifteck Sauté Bercy, pp. 294-95
Pan-broiled Steak, with Shallot and White Wine Sauce
Rematch, advantage, me! The last time we made this it was sort of nasty, but we used vermouth that had gotten a very poor ranking from Cooks Illustrated. This time, I used a quite drinkable white wine, and damn! so good! This is a very simple trick: sauté the steak, set it aside, sauté shallots in the pan for a minute, deglaze with white wine (or good vermouth) and reduce, then whisk in some additional butter and parsley. Oooh la fucking la!
Suprêmes de Volaille à Brun, p. 270
Chicken Breasts Sautéed in Butter
Another dish that couldn’t be simpler and couldn’t be more perfect. Sauté chicken in clarified butter, set aside, add some more clarified butter; when it’s hot, throw in three tablespoons of parsley; remove from heat and whisk in some lemon juice. That’s it. Wow!
Chou-fleur, Beurre Noir, p. 457 & p. 98
Cauliflower with Brown Butter Sauce
Simple and delicious sauce with browned butter, parsley, and lemon. We served this with the Bifteck Sauté Bercy, and it was wonderful.
I’m really coming to see that while in French cuisine there are some showy and complex dishes that require advanced technique, for the most part, it is simply taking ordinary ingredients and — without much fuss — making spectacular-tasting food.
