French Regional Cuisine

I wasn't very excited last week with the prospect of five days of French regional cuisine up ahead. Almost everything we have learned so far has been French cooking, so my goal was to get through the week because next week we start Italian regional cuisine which sounds much more exciting.

Although I have been to France a couple of times, I clearly had no idea how varied and exciting regional cooking in France can be. Each region has a distinctive cuisine which shows heavy influence from bordering countries and commitment to using local and seasonal ingredients.

Brittany and Normandy:

Homard à l'Américaine

These two regions are found in the northwestern part of France. Brittany has a huge coastline and is well known for its seafood, especially Belon oysters. In class we made a the famous dish Lobster à l'Américaine, which in case you were wondering, has nothing to do with Americans. The name comes from the bastardization of the region which is known as Armorica in the Celtic dialect spoken in Brittany.

Souffles d’Alencon en Timbales

The cuisine of Normandy is heavily dependent on milk, cream, and butter. The region is known for its exceptional dairy products which include many famous soft ripened wash-rind cheese such as Camembert, Brie, Explorateur, and Pont l'Eveque. To celebrate the wonderful dairy products found in Normandy, we made a twice baked cheese soufflé which was light, fluffy, and incredibly addicting.

Cotes de Porc Normande

Brittany and Normandy are the only two regions of France that do not produce wine. What they do produce is hard cider and an apple brandy called Calvados. Because of the abundance of dairy and apples, any dish prepared à la Normande will have a cream sauce made with cider. In class we pan-fried pork chops and then baked them with cream sauce and apples.

Alsace, Lorraine, and Champagne:

On our second day of French regional cuisine we traveled to northeastern France. This region, which currently borders Germany, and has been under German rule many times in the past really reflects Germanic heartiness in its cuisine.

Choucroute Garni

The most famous Alastian dish, which we tried to recreate in class, is made with sauerkraut, potatoes, and sausages. Lorraine is well known for is quiche, which is made with eggs, cream, and bacon and Champagne is famous for the sparkling wine produced in the region. The whole region is also well known for its patés, terrines, foie gras, fruit preserves, and savory tarts.

Tarte aux Pommes de Terre

In class we made two tarts. Both were delicious but the first was too rich for my taste. It was filled with layers of potato, hard boiled egg, bacon, and cream. The other tart, which I would definitely make again, was kind of like pizza topped with white sauce, caramelized onions, and bacon.

Tarte Flambée

Midi:

This is the southwest region of France and it gets its name from the French word for noon because the sun is so intense during that time. The regional cuisine of this area is influenced by the Basque region of Spain, which it borders, and Roman influence that has remained since the time of the Roman empire.

Salad of Duck Confit with Red Cabbage, Chestnuts, and Watercress

The duck confit salad we made in class does a good job of highlighting well known items from the region, such as duck and chestnuts. As amazing as this salad was to eat, I don't think I would have the patience to make it at home. The word confit just means something preserved in its own fat but the process of making a confit took two days. On the first day we trimmed the duck legs of excess fat, cured them with salt, and pressed them overnight to squeeze out excess moisture. The fat was melted, strained, and saved for the next day. After curing, we scraped off all the salt and cooked the the duck legs really, really slowly in the fat we had purified the day before. When the meat was almost to the point of falling off the bone we place it into storage containers and completely covered the legs with fat. At this point, the confit could have been stored in the refrigerator for months but we used it to make our salad.

Cassoulet

Another well known dish of the midi region is cassoulet, named after the casserole dish that it is traditionally cooked in. It is a hearty meat and white bean stew with the type of meats varying from city to city. In Toulouse it is made with lamb and sausage, while in in Castelnaudary it is made with pork rind and lots of garlic. We made ours with lamb, sausage, salt pork, and duck confit. It was definitely my favorite dish of the week.

Provence:

Provence is in the southeastern part of France and is located on the Mediterranean sea. The typical Mediterranean climate plus the fact that Provence shares a border with Italy greatly influences this regions cuisine. Elements such as garlic, olives, olive oil, basil, lavender, shallots, and honey are used to prepare simple foods with tons of flavor.

Provençale Stuffed Vegetables

In class we made stuffed mushrooms, tomatoes, and zucchini which tasted very Italian (probably because everything was topped with a generous handful of Parmesan cheese). We also made a bourride which is pretty much the same thing as bouillabaisse, the famous fish stew of Marseilles. As far as I can tell, the main difference is that a bourride doesn't use rockfish and is topped with aioli for extra flavor.

Bouridde

At the beginning of culinary school I made a commitment to try everything at least once with an open mind. As much as shellfish creep me out, I have at least tasted everything we have made. However, at this point, I can safely say that I do not like shellfish. Luckily I had a friend over for dinner the day we made bourride and he said it turned out pretty well.

Burgundy and Lyon:

Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of France. It is surrounded by incredible ingredients such as Charolais beef, and Bresse poultry, as well as fantastic wines from Burgundy. The salad we made in class was good but it was nothing special. It is the combination of high quality ingredients and good cooking techniques that produce the extraordinary food of Lyon.

Salad Lyonnaise with Warm Vinaigrette

Of course we couldn't leave Burgundy with out making its signature dish, Beouf Bourguignon. I remember thinking, "what could be so special about a beef stew?" when I was watching the movie Julie and Julia. It turns out that when it's made with good ingredients and lots of love, a simple beef stew can be very special. I will definitely be making it again soon.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Eat With Your Eyes

Food presentation is almost as important as food preparation. No matter how delicious something actually is, if it looks bad my opinion of how it tastes will be tainted. Color, balance, shape, texture, temperature, and flavor all contribute to the instantaneous judgments we make about food. Which is why our last week of class was devoted to learning about food styling and plate design.

Sautéed Halibut with Warm Vinaigrette

Sautéed Sea Scallops with Parsnip Sauce, Braised Cabbage Chiffonade, and

Pommes Maxime

As a class, the majority of our day was spent preparing mise en place for our plates which required a ridiculous amount of time consuming components. This is not the type of cooking I would attempt at home. Even with 16 people working furiously for four hours, we were only able to produce one appetizer, a first course, and a second course each day. Don't get me wrong. Plating is fun, but these recipes are way too much work for a home kitchen.

Tuna Carpaccio with Horseradish Mayonnaise, Micro-greens, and Fried Capers

Sautéed Arctic Char with Citrus Vinaigrette, Mediterranean Salad, and

Fines Herbes Oil

Overall, This week was exactly what I imagined culinary school would be like before I started. Everyone in the class was in charge of one component of one dish. Over the course of the week I fried capers, made a horseradish mayonnaise, roasted vegetables to make timbales, and prepared a tomato coulis.

Sautéed Quail Breasts with Sweetbread Marmalade, Cranberry Sauce, and

Foie Gras Bread Pudding

Venison Medallions with Chestnut-Red Wine Reduction, Butternut Squash and

Pine Nut Relish, and Wild Mushroom Gratin

After about three hours of preparation and cleaning, everything was laid out on tables, like in a cooking show on the food network, and we were given half an hour to cook and plate all three dishes. It was fun because I only had to prepare a few things, but I still got to cook and plate everything!

On the first day my plates didn't look very good and I spent so much time trying to fix them that by the time I presented my food, it was cold. In general I consider myself an artistic person, but I just don't have an eye for plating. Nevertheless, this week was about learning and my plating techniques did improve with practice.

Sea Scallops with Grapefruit Vinaigrette, Baby Mizuna Salad, and Tobiko

Sautéed Tournedos of Beef with Truffle Sauce, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes,

Sugar Snap Peas, and Yellow Snap Beans

Walking around the kitchen and looking at everyones plates before they were destroyed by hungry forks and shoveled into takeout containers was an interesting way to see how my classmates think. Their were the minimalists who highlighted one ingredient on their plate with a carefully placed garnish and other people who crowded their plates with way too much food. Their were people who didn't take the time to wipe the rim of their plate with a damp cloth and others who patiently created a pattern with drops of herb oil in a citrus vinaigrette. Overall, I was shocked by how different the same food can look when it is plated by two different people.

Roulade of Magret with with Spinach and Foie Gras, Braised Cipollini

Onions, and Wild Rice

Roasted Vegetable Timbales with Goat Cheese, Micro-greens, Parmesan

Tuiles, and Beet Vinaigrette

Breakfast + Lunch = Brunch

Every time I try to make an omelet at home I end up eating scrambled eggs. Not that there is anything wrong with scrambled eggs, but in school we had to learn how to make omelets. A good French omelet is a perfectly rolled cylinder without a skin and without any brown spots. The eggs should be creamy, not rubbery, and any filling should be cook separately and only added when the eggs are almost done.

French Omelets

Based on my very limited experience, it seems like the key to a perfect omelet is a non-stick pan that is at just the right temperature, lots of clarified butter, and good hand-eye coordination. The consequences of having too much heat, too little heat, not using enough butter, and failing to flip the eggs properly are all too apparent above. Considering the fact that I only managed to make one acceptable omelet, I don't think I am qualified to tell you any more.

Frittata

Compared to the intricacies of making a good omelet, making a frittata is a piece of cake. The filling of a frittata is cook first. The eggs are poured over the filling, the pan is covered with a lid, and the eggs cook slowly over low heat. When the eggs are cooked through, the top of the frittata is browned under the broiler. Unlike an omelet, a frittata is served in slices because it is usually made to serve multiple people.

Eggs Benedict

My new favorite food to eat for breakfast is eggs benedict (unless I'm at Angelo's in Ann Arbor in which case I will most definitely be getting a spinach feta omelet). Nothing compares to the satisfaction of breaking the yolk of a poached egg and watching the intense yellow ooze out and mingle with the creamy goodness of hollandaise sauce. The only problem with eggs benedict is the hollandaise sauce which will go bad if it sits around for too long after being made. As a personal rule, I never order anything with hollandaise if I don't know and trust the restaurant I am eating in because it's just too easy to mess up. The best way to ensure your eggs benedict is perfect is to make it yourself!

In addition to learning how to cook eggs, eggs, and more eggs during our lesson on breakfast foods, we also made pancakes, waffles, French toast, oatmeal, grits, granola, and a muesli parfait. It was a nice change to eat normal breakfast foods for breakfast instead of the steak and pork chops that I usually have, but my euphoria was short lived because I went home and found that I had nothing to eat for dinner. I am so used to living off of the food that we make at school that I rarely go grocery shopping for anything other than yogurt and bananas. It's okay though, because the next day was all about salads, which is a really good thing considering the lack of vegetables in my diet.

Composed Salads

When I hear the word salad the image that usually comes to mind is green lettuce topped with raw vegetables and tossed with dressing. Going beyond my limited imagination into the realm of composed salads was a lot of fun. A well planned salad can be a delicious meal and although we generally think of salads as being healthy, there is no rule saying that they have to be. On the left if the classic Cobb Salad which is drowning in bacon and blue cheese. In the middle is that Parson's Garden Salad which is topped with poached quail eggs, fried carrots, and fried celery root, and on the right is the Tuna Niçoise Salad.

Tea Sandwiches (Smoked Salmon, Egg Salad, Deviled Ham)

I think sandwiches are pretty self explanatory. I don't usually take the time to make a sandwich with more than two ingredients (namely peanut butter and jelly), but our lesson on sandwiches felt like a challenge to use my imagination. Once I make the decision to be creative, the hardest part is narrowing down my choices because there is such a wide variety of sandwiches out there: tea sandwiches, open face sandwiches, hot sandwiches, and cold sandwiches.

Open Face Sandwiches (Tuna Salad, Shrimp, Curried Chicken)

Of all the sandwiches we made, my favorite was the curried chicken salad sandwich. It wasn't a very complicated recipe and it was definitely something I would make at home. Although the next time I make it, it wont be as an open face sandwich on top of a toasted baguette. Instead, I think I would like to eat it on soft slices of whole wheat or nutty multi-grain bread. Here is the recipe adapted from Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen from the Culinary Institute of America.

Curried Chicken Salad

1/2 lb cooked chicken meat, cut into small cubes

2 stalks celery, cut into small cubes

1 red delicious apple, peeled and cut into small cubes

4 oz cashews, toasted

6 fl oz mayonnaise

1 tbs curry powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

• Combine every and mix well
• Serve with a couple pieces of lettuce on sliced bread

Warm Sandwiches (Reuben, Grilled Chicken, Croque Monsieur)

I can't believe it, but that was the end of module two. A few more weeks and I'm going to be half way through the program. Last week we had a lecture on preparing resumes and writing cover letters because it's already time to start looking for an externship.

Coming up next is a week of plate design and presentation.

Vegetables, Grains, and Legumes

As excited as I was to stop medium dicing potatoes for homework every night, being asked to tourné potatoes for homework was an even more daunting task. The tourné is a decorative cut used almost exclusively in really expensive French restaurants. It involves trying to carve a 7 sided football-ish shape with blunt ends from a root vegetable.

Glazed Root Vegetable Tournés

After a week of practicing, my tournés are about the right size and kind of close to the correct shape. Unfortunately, if I were to take a close-up picture you would see that my cuts are jagged and rough and I am not even close to having only seven sides. My friend was kind enough to remind me that learning to tourné isn't a complete waste for me because at least I am developing motor skills for dental school! Nevertheless, I don't plan on tournéing any more vegetables when culinary school is over.

In other news, now that we are done with both dry and moist heat cooking methods, we have three days to focus on vegetables, grains, and legumes. Although I think these ingredients deserve more than three days of attention, I'll take what I can get.

Vegetable Preparations:

"Fish and meat are kind of unidimensional in their texture and flavor, whereas I've always felt vegetables were the most interesting part of what's on a plate."

-Charlie Trotter as quoted in The United States of Arugula

The vegetable dishes that we learned in class were basic recipes that taught me to understand the purpose of each ingredient and each step in the process of preparing vegetables as side dishes. I generally prefer to think of vegetables as an integral part of the meal rather than a side dish, but nevertheless, I learned a lot.

Potato Gratin

Probably the most important thing I learned on vegetable day was the rule that root vegetables should always be cooked in cold liquid that is brought up to a boil. When we made potato gratin, the potato slices were started in cold milk that was slowly brought up to a boil and simmered until tender. The basic recipe for any gratin is to evenly slice the vegetables and then cook the slices until tender. Layer the vegetable slices in an oven proof dish and moisten them with a little bit of the cooking liquid. Cover the top of the gratin with grated cheese and/or breadcrumbs and bake it until the cheese melts and starts to brown.

Carrot Timbale

A timbale is a custardy mixture of vegetable purée, eggs, and milk/cream that is baked in a water bath. The finished product is smooth and creamy with a texture that is similar to that of a flan. I didn't particularly like the recipe we used in class, but I loved the method and have added it to my list of food related things to experiment with.

Broccoli Soufflé

Vegetable soufflés are also a mixture of vegetable purée, seasonings, and eggs. The difference between an soufflé and a timbale is the eggs are separated in a soufflé; the yolks are blended into the purée and the whites are whipped and folded into the purée right before it is placed into the oven. A soufflé rises because egg white have a lot of water in them. When they are whipped air pockets also get incorporated into their structure as well. When the soufflé is heated the water becomes a gas and causes the air pockets to expand which makes the soufflé rise.

Grains:

Wheatberry Salad

I had never cooked with wheatberries before our lesson on grains but I will definitely be using them more often because they are absolutely delicious. A wheatberry is exactly what it sounds like; the entire kernel of wheat with only the hull removed. Cooking them is really simple too. Just rinse them off and boil them in water until they become really tender and taste cooked.

A cooked wheatberry has an interesting contrast of textures because it's both soft and crunchy. Tossed with some vegetables and a light dressing the wheatberries make a great salad but I'm sure they would be a good addition to soups as well.

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is another interesting grain (except that it isn't a true cereal). It has a high protein content and a balanced set of essential amino acids which makes it one of the few plant based foods that is considered a complete protein. Quinoa comes in three colors, white, red, and black, but in general, I think they all taste the same. The key to cooking quinoa is to rinse it really, really, well because the outside of the grain is coated with a bitter compounds called saponins. After rinsing the quinoa you can cook it just like rice. You could even use a rice cooker if you wanted. Just be sure to fluff the quinoa with a fork before adding other ingredients. In addition to eating quinoa in a salad, I think it would be a good addition to the breakfast table if you mix in some chopped nuts and berries.

Legumes:

Lima Bean Stew

When I was little my mom used to make an Indian dish with lima beans and I always hated them. I tried them in again after a really long time in class and it turns out I still don't like lima beans. So lets just move on to something else...

What I do like is falafel. Especially freshly fried falafel that are extra crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. I don't even need the sandwich. Just give me some tahini sauce for dipping and I'll be extremely happy.

Falafel Sandwiches with Tahini Sauce

Moist Heat Cooking Methods

"Time slows down in the kitchen, offering up an entire universe of small satisfactions"

-Ruth Reichl*

No matter what I am doing, whether it's listening to the sound of something simmering away on the stove or feeling the texture of a pinch of salt while sprinkling it onto a dish, I love getting lost in the process of producing great food from simple ingredients. Every time I put on my apron and pull out my knives it's like starting with a blank canvas and having the opportunity to create anything I can imagine.

Braising and Stewing:

Osso Buco

Of all the cooking techniques I have learned so far I think braising and stewing are my favorite. Maybe its the cold weather persuading me to make a warm and hardy stew for dinner or maybe its the promise of tender pieces of meat which I can already feel melting into pure deliciousness in my mouth or it might even be the enticing smell that I know will engulf the entire floor. What ever it is, it is only helped by the fact that I know my dinner will taste even better the next day.

Chicken Tagine with Couscous

Braising is a long, slow, moist heat cooking technique in which items are partially submerged in a simmering liquid and cooked until tender. The difference between braising and stewing is very subtle. Stewing is also a long, slow, moist heat cooking technique, however, the meat is generally cut into smaller pieces and completely submerged in the simmering liquid.

Stewed Korean Short Ribs

Not only are braising and stewing incredibly easy, they are also very economical because they are best suited to less expensive, tougher cuts of meat. If you tried to braise a tender cut of meat it would become tough and dry. This is because lean protein becomes firm and expels moisture when heated.

In contrast, tougher cuts become tender during long, slow cooking processes because they tend to have a lot of connective tissue which breaks down into collagen when heated. As the collagen continues to cook in a moist environment it dissolves into gelatin which adds a deep flavor and full bodied, luxurious texture to the dish. While this is happening the muscle fibers in the meat contract and expel moisture (which seems counterintuitive) but as they continue to cook in gentle heat the fibers eventually relax and start to absorb the melted gelatin and other flavors in the braising or stewing liquid. A lot of care goes into preparing the braising liquid because there is a big flavor exchange between the two elements of the dish.

Coq au Vin

I used to be afraid of recipes that had a lot of ingredients and required a lot of time. It turns out all it takes is a little planning because by the time you have gathered all your ingredients more than 50% of the work is already done. Especially if you are using a crock pot, in which case all you have to do is toss in the ingredients, turn the crock pot on, and wait.

Blanquette of Veal

(A blanquette is any white stew that is finished with egg yolks and cream)

Of course braising and stewing can get more complicated as well. There are two main methods that can be used; brown braising and white braising. Items that are being brown braised are seared before being put into simmering liquid where as items that are being white braised are not seared. White braises and stews are more commonly associated with fish and vegetables, but the blanquette of veal we made in class was also a white braise.

Provençale Lamb Stew

Here is the basic method for brown braising a protein.

• Sear the protein in oil to develop color and flavor
• Remove the items from the pan and set them aside
• Add the vegetables and aromatics to the same pan and cook them until they are lightly caramelized
• Deglaze the pan with wine making sure to scraping up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan
• Reduce the wine by half to cook off the alcohol
• Add enough stock to come half way up the sides of the protein when it gets put back into the pan
• Bring the liquid to a boil and then return it to a simmer
• Add the protein back to the pan
• Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid or with aluminum foil
• Place the pan into a 350-400°F oven
• After 15 minutes, check the braising liquid to make sure it is simmering and adjust the oven temperature if necessary
• Let the braise cook until the protein has become fork tender (the cooking time will depend on a lot of factors like the type of protein, the size of the pieces, and the temperature of the oven)
• Depending on the recipe, the braising liquid could be strained and reduced, thickened with a roux, finished with butter or any number of other things before it is served with the protein

Turkish Eggplant and Lentil Stew

Vegetables can also be braised and stewed. In general only tougher vegetables like fennel, cabbage, and endive will be braised, however, just about any vegetable can be made into a stew.

Ratatouille

Steaming:

When I think about steamed food the first words that usually come to mind are healthy and boring. Although its true that steaming can be an incredibly healthy cooking technique because little or no additional fat is required, steamed foods are not always boring.

Clams with Saffron and Tomatoes

Steaming is a moist heat cooking method in which items are cooked by being suspended above a boiling liquid. It is knows as the purest method of cooking because steamed foods maintain their intrinsic flavor and lose very few nutrients during the cooking process. In addition to making steamed shellfish in class, we also steamed a whole fish with vegetables and jasmine rice. The fish was moist and tender with a very clean flavor and the vegetables had just the right amount of bite.

Moules Marinière

The next method of steaming we learned seems easier and far more convenient to execute at home. Cooking en papillote is a method of steaming in which the ingredients are sealed in a parchment paper package and cooking in the steam produced by their own juices. We made salmon in class, but you could really use any combination of fish and vegetables if you are willing to experiment with the cooking time a little.

Salmon en Papillote

Yield: 1 serving

Canola oil, as needed for brushing

1 salmon fillet, 6-8 oz

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 oz shallot, minced

1/2 oz red pepper, julienne

1/2 oz leek, julienne

1 oz snow peas, julienne

1 oz carrot, julienne

1 sprig thyme

1 tsp olive oil

1 tbs white wine

• Get a piece of parchment paper that will be big enough to form a pocket for the fish
• Fold the parchment in half and brush the inside with a little canola oil to prevent it from burning
• Place the vegetables and fish onto one half of the parchment paper
• Season the fish with salt, pepper, and a sprig of thyme
• Drizzle olive oil and wine over the fish and then fold the other half of the parchment paper over it
• Seal the papillote by making small folds inwards around the circumference of the packet, making sure that each fold overlaps the previous fold (I'm sorry if those directions aren't clear enough. The goal is to create a sealed package that doesn't allow any steam to escape. Play around with it and I'm sure you will figure something out.)
• Bake papillote on a sheet tray for 10-12 minutes at 400°F or until the papillote has puffed and the salmon is cooked through (The cooking time depends on the thickness of the fillet. As a general rule, fish cooks in about 10 minutes per inch of thickness.)

Poaching:

Paupiettes of Sole

Poaching is our last moist heat cooking method. It involves cooking items in a flavorful liquid that is just below a simmer. In a traditional deep poach the items are completely submerged in the cooking liquid. A shallow poach is more like a combination of braising and steaming because the items are only partially submerged in the cooking liquid and covered before going into the oven to finish cooking.

Whole Poached Fish with White Wine Sauce

The key to poaching is to maintain the cooking liquid just below a simmer. I think the best way to do this is to bring the liquid to a simmer and then turn the heat down right before adding the item.

I personally didn't care for this method of cooking. Although it resulted in extremely tender food, I thought there was a lack of flavor in comparison to the other methods we learned.

Poached Salmon with Saffron Aioli

*I just finished reading Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in food. It's a light and easy read about her life as a food critic for the New York Times and it literally made me hungry listening to her talk about the incredible meals that she ate.