Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Vichyssoise (Cold Leek and Potato Soup)

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I have never had vichyssoise, even though I threw the name around a lot as a kid. I loved the way the name rolled off the tongue. It sounded so foreign, so high-society. But it also seemed much too fancy for my family to eat. Little did I know that it's just leeks and potatoes, and not really all that complicated.  Definitely follow Julia's advice on the salting - the soup needs a little extra to hold up when it's cold.

Vichyssoise (Cold Leek and Potato Soup)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

3 cups peeled, sliced potatoes
3 cups sliced white of leek
1½ quarts white stock, chicken stock, or canned chicken broth
Salt to taste
½ to 1 cup whipping cream
White pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons minced chives

Either simmer the vegetables, stock or broth, and salt together, partially covered, for 40 to 50 minutes until the vegetables are tender; or cook under 15 pounds pressure for 5 minutes, release pressure, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Puree the soup either in the electric blender, or through a food mill and then through a fine sieve.

Stir in the cream. Season to taste, oversalting very slightly as salt loses its savor in a cold dish. Chill.

Serve in chilled soup cups and decorate with minced chives.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Potage Crème d’Oseille (Cream of Sorrel Soup)

I finally located some sorrel to use in this soup! You would not believe how difficult it is to find sorrel in the modern supermarket. It makes me wonder if it was much more plentiful in Julia's day. As it is, I only managed to find it in the small herb clamshells for $3 an ounce. If I made the whole recipe, needing 3 cups of sorrel, I probably would have spent my entire paycheck.

The soup is very similar to the cream of spinach and cream of watercress soups that I made previously. It's a chicken broth base with added cream, egg yolk, and butter. The sorrel has a pleasant leafy herb smell, with a little spicy note. The finished soup has a slightly sour flavor from the leaves. It's definitely something different.

Potage Crème d’Oseille (Cream of Sorrel Soup)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

⅓ cup minced green onions, or yellow onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 to 4 packed cups fresh sorrel, washed and dried in a towel, cut into chiffonade
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5½ cups boiling white stock or canned chicken broth
2 large egg yolks
½ cup whipping cream
1 to 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

Cook the onions slowly in the butter in a covered saucepan for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender and translucent but not browned.  Stir in the sorrel and salt, cover, and cook slowly for about 5 minutes or until the leaves are tender and wilted. Sprinkle in the flour and stir over moderate heat for 3 minutes.  Off heat, beat in the boiling stock. Simmer for 5 minutes.  Correct seasoning.

Blend the yolks and cream in a mixing bowl. Beat a cupful of hot soup into them by driblets. Gradually beat in the rest of the soup in a thin stream. Return soup to saucepan and stir over moderate heat for a minute or two to poach the egg yolks, but do not bring the soup to a simmer. Off heat, stir in the enrichment butter a tablespoon at a time.

Makes 6 servings

Emeril Lagasse: Deep Dish Banana Pudding

For Easter I wanted something rich and creamy, but still a little Spring-y. Because here in Texas, it's Spring already. And in my mind, banana pudding is fresh, but still rich and creamy. And the richest, creamiest pudding I have found belongs to Emeril Legasse. It's a deep dish pudding with plenty of whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top. YUM! Plus I got to use my new trifle dish.

Deep Dish Banana Pudding
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

1 (12-ounce) package vanilla wafers

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon banana extract

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

4 teaspoons dark rum

3 ripe bananas, sliced crosswise

Line the bottom and sides of a 9x9-inch square baking dish with the vanilla wafers. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and flour.  Add the milk, whisk, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking constantly, until thick, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.  Gradually whisk about ¾ cup of the hot milk into the egg. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan with the hot milk and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the butter, vanilla, and banana extract.  Whisk until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Transfer to a clean bowl and cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks begin to form.  Add the powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks start to form.  Add the rum and whip to incorporate.  Set aside.

Pour half of the pudding over the vanilla wafers, top with the bananas.  Add the remaining pudding, smoothing it over the sliced bananas.  Top with the whipped cream, and smooth with the back of a spoon.  Cover tightly and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Makes 10 servings

Ina Garten: Beatty's Chocolate Cake

This is the best chocolate cake I have ever made.  Or ever eaten.  And I'm not even exaggerating.  I threw out every other chocolate cake recipe I own.  You can't beat perfection, so why bother to try?  The cake is tender, the chocolate is rich, and the coffee just sits in the background, minding it's own business, and yet making everything else even more fabulous.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Ina Garten

Butter, for greasing the pans
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups granulated sugar
¾ cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
½ cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the powdered sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Soupe de Poisson (Strained Fish Soup)

Tonight I made something a little bit different: a fish soup. This one has been in the planning stages for a couple of weeks now, since I've been trying to locate such fabulous ingredients as 3 pounds of fish heads. I finally realized, after the tenth weird look from someone behind a fish counter, that I was not going to find fish heads at any self-respecting American grocery store.

Anyway, the soup was very...interesting. I'm still undecided. The rouille made it more interesting (and spicy!), but my overall impression is less of fish and more of garlic. And I kept feeling like the soup should have something in it, besides bread and cheese. Maybe a fish head?

Soupe de Poisson (Strained Fish Soup)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

1 cup minced onions
¾ cup minced leek, or ½ cup more onions
½ cup olive oil
4 cloves mashed garlic
1 pound ripe, red tomatoes roughly chopped, or 1½ cups drained canned tomatoes, or ¼ cup tomato paste
2½ quarts water
6 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried thyme or basil
⅛ teaspoon dried fennel
2 big pinches saffron
A 2-inch piece or ½ teaspoon dried orange peel
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt (none if clam juice is used)
3 to 4 pounds lean fish, fish heads, bones, and trimmings, shellfish remains or frozen fish (cod, sea bass, flounder, grouper, haddock, etc); or 1 quart clam juice, 1½ quarts of water, and no salt
½ cup to ⅔ cup spaghetti or vermicelli broken into 2-inch pieces
Rounds of hard-toasted French bread
1 to 2 cups grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese and rouille

In a large pot, cook the onions and leeks slowly in olive oil for 5 minutes or until almost tender but not browned.  Stir in the garlic and tomatoes.  Raise heat to moderate and cook 5 minutes more.

Add the water, herbs, seasonings, and fish to the pot and cook uncovered at a moderate boil for 30 to 40 minutes.  Strain the soup into a 3-quart saucepan, pressing juices out of ingredients.  Correct seasoning, adding a bit more saffron if you feel it necessary.  Stir in the pasta and boil for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender.  Correct seasoning again.

Pour the soup into a tureen or soup plates over the bread rounds, and pass the cheese and rouille separately.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Rouille (Garlic, Pimiento, and Chili Pepper Sauce)
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper simmered for several minutes in salted water and drained, or canned pimiento
A small chili pepper boiled until tender, or drops of Tabasco sauce
1 medium potato cooked in the soup
4 cloves mashed garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil, thyme, or savory
4 to 6 tablespoons fruity olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons hot soup

Pound first five ingredients in a bowl or mortar for several minutes to form a very smooth, sticky paste.  Drop by drop, pound or beat in the olive oil as for making a mayonnaise.  Season to taste.  Just before serving, beat in the hot soup by driblets.  Pour into a sauceboat.

Makes 1 cup

Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Aïgo Bouïdo (Garlic Soup)

I wasn't sure what to think when I saw this soup in the book. I like garlic, but I didn't think a soup made strictly for that particular flavor would be particularly appetizing. I put my faith in Julia, though, and cooked it up.  The garlic in the soup actually mellows out really nicely, leaving behind this sort of sweet roasted flavor. I absolutely loved the little toasts on the top, and I highly recommend using the Swiss cheese. It really goes with the flavor of the soup.

Aïgo Bouïdo (Garlic Soup)

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

1 separated head or about 16 cloves whole, unpeeled garlic
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of pepper
2 cloves
¼ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
½ bay leaf
4 parsley sprigs
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 egg yolks
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
Rounds of hard-toasted French bread
1 cup grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese

Drop the garlic cloves in boiling water and boil 30 seconds. Drain, run cold water over them, and peel.

Place the garlic and the rest of the ingredients in a 3-quart saucepan and boil slowly for 30 minutes. Correct seasoning.

Beat the egg yolks in a soup tureen for a minute until they are thick and sticky.  Drop by drop, beat in 3 tablespoons olive oil as for making a mayonnaise.

Just before serving, beat a ladleful of hot soup into the egg mixture by droplets.  Gradually strain in the rest, beating, and pressing the juice out of the garlic.  Serve immediately, accompanied by the bread and cheese.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Soupe Aux Choux - Garbure (Main-Course Cabbage Soup)

I'm not really sure why this soup is called cabbage soup when it's really more of a combination vegetable soup. I'm not sure the ratio of cabbage to other vegetables is high enough to warrant the name.  Maybe I should contact the French government about this issue.

This soup can basically be a meal unto itself. The full recipe nearly filled up my Le Creuset pot, so it got halved. And it still fed three people with plenty of leftovers. I would definitely remake this soup on a cold day when my nose is red and I just want my electric blanket.

Soupe Aux Choux - Garbure (Main-Course Cabbage Soup)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

3½ quarts water
3 to 4 cups peeled, quartered boiling potatoes
A 1½ pound chunk of lean salt pork, lean bacon, or smoked, unprocessed ham
2 pounds or 3 quarts of roughly sliced cabbage
8 crushed peppercorns or a big pinch of ground chili peppers
Salt as necessary, added near the end
6 parsley sprigs tied with 1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon dried thyme
4 cloves mashed garlic
2 medium onions studded with 2 cloves
2 peeled, quartered carrots
Rounds of hard-toasted French bread
Optional additions:
2 to 4 peeled, quartered turnips
2 to 3 sliced celery stalks
1 to 2 cups fresh white beans, or half-cooked navy beans, or add canned white or red beans to soup 10 to 15 minutes before end of simmering

Place water, potatoes, and meat in a large pot and bring it to the boil.  Add the cabbage and all the other ingredients.  Simmer partially covered for 1½ to 2 hours or until the meat is tender.  Discard parsley bundle.  Remove the meat, slice it into serving pieces, and return it to the pot.  Correct seasoning.  Skim off accumulated fat.  Serve, accompanied by the bread.

Makes 8 servings