The 20 Minute French Gourmet

That French Cooking is the finest in the Western world, no man in his right appetite could possibly question. Too many bachelors outside France, however, make the mistake of thinking that the magnificence of the art culinaire depends upon the lavish use of one main ingredient: time. A Frenchman who's in a mood for onion soup, say, is quite content to take five hours just to simmer his stock before the first slice of onion goes into the pot. If you look up Alex-andre Dumas' recipe for leg of mutton Mirabeau (and we hereby excuse you for a full four minutes), you're told to keep the meat on the fire a comfortable seven hours before the mutton is ready for the carving board. And when you put tripe à la mode de Caen in the oven, you're warned that under no circumstances are you to open the casserole before twelve hours have elapsed. When such examples are cited, no man can be blamed for jumping to the conclusion that speed and convenience have no place in French cooking. But it isn't always so, by any means.

The word omelet should be enough to rebut those who argue that you can't follow a French recipe and cook quickly. Cooking frogs' legs more than ten minutes is a crime punishable by banishment from the proper French kitchen. The word tournedo, meaning filet mignon, is French, but a Frenchman would fly into unappeasable rage if his tournedo were kept in the pan longer than six minutes. There are thousands of Gallic recipes that are also cooked in a matter of minutes, such as supreme of chicken, breast of guinea hen under glass, steak minute, veal kidneys in white wine. The list could be extended indefinitely. More important, it's a completely serviceable list for any bachelor who likes leisure not only during and after his meal but before his meal as well.

It isn't absolutely necessary to be born in France in order to equip yourself with the finer points of French cooking. But it helps if you try to acquire that authentic individuality which, for lack of a better phrase, is called the French touch. The typical American cook, for instance, reads a recipe for cheese sauce which calls for 2-2/3 tablespoons grated cheese. The fact that the precise amount of cheese is stated gives him a feeling of security. "It has scientific exactness," he feels, not realizing that science is sometimes the clumsiest and most ineffective guide to creative cookery. A Frenchman is not so easily led. He, too, may wish to make a sauce mornay, the French version of cheese sauce. He may come across three recipes, one of which calls for two tablespoons of grated cheese, another for four and another for six. But this does not dismay him: it is procedures, not proportions, in which he is interested. Having gleaned this information, he walks to the refrigerator and finds out what kinds of cheese he owns. They may be pungent or mild, old or young, moist or dry. The matter of the cheese being settled, he prepares his mornay by adding cheese a bit at a time to the basic mixture. He will hedge, taste, ponder, debate, and only stop adding cheese when the flavor he desires is pleasantly apparent but not flagrant. This ability -- to know exactly when to stop -- is one of the major factors responsible for French cooking's being so much more polished than any other.

Additional Gallic secrets: any raw food that you start with must be fresh or ripe or right in a natural way that makes it the supreme specimen of its class: chickens that weren't permitted any exercise that might make them tough, lima beans kidnapped right out of the garden in their infancy, oysters with the breezy freshness of salt water still glistening on them, shallots so firm that their skins crackle when you touch them -- these are typical of the quality a French cook demands of his ingredients.

Butter is a household god in France. It's brushed on meat, fish and poultry before, during and after broiling. It transmutes a base can of tomato sauce into a golden delicacy. Sweet cream, too, is used imaginatively. French cooks take fresh light cream and cook it with chicken or seafood until it reduces to the thickness of heavy cream. In a piquant sauce diable a tablespoon or two of sweet cream (yes, white cream in a brown sauce) added at the last moment lifts the devil sauce to angelic heights.

If there's one thing a Frenchman can't abide at his table, it's meat or poultry or fish that's dry. A well-done minute steak is an absolute felony. When we think of the French as a nation of sauciers, it's wise to recall the French word jus. It may be the natural pink juice of rare lamb chops, mingling with butter and dripping onto the platter. It may be the almost invisible juice of a filet of fresh salmon broiled to a tender turn. If you grill a sweetbread which tends to be somewhat naturally dry, you serve it with a rich but ineffably light Béarnaise sauce. To keep his solid food flowing, as it were, a Frenchman uses wine and brandy with a lavish hand. The wine needn't be costly, but it must have the tartness and liveliness that makes the pork chop lofty and transforms the common cod into an aristocrat of the dinner table.

On, then, to the skillet. The bachelor chef who wants his dinner guests to fall under the spell of authentic French cuisine -- but doesn't want to make a career out of it -- can choose from any of the recipes that follow, each one palate-perfect for the urban gentleman who may be short on time but not on taste. For recipes -- each of which serves four -- turn to page 128. French Gourmet(continued from page 60)

[recipe_title]Fried Oysters Villeroy[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 dozen freshly opened oysters Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon onion juice[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup clam juice[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 egg yolks, slightly beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]2 whole eggs, beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]Bread crumbs[/recipe]

[recipe]Deep fat for frying[/recipe]

[recipe]1 sprig parsley[/recipe]

(Fried seafoods in this country are normally, dipped in flour, egg and bread crumbs. In France a delicate transformation is effected by substituting sauce Villeroy for flour. The French are particularly fond of oysters prepared in this manner, but the recipe can be applied with equally grating results to mussels, soft clams, shrimp or fish sticks.

Drain chilled oysters on paper toweling, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside At high speed, mix the onion juice flour and clam juice in an electric blender for ten seconds. Pour into saucepan, cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until thick, and remove from flame. Add butter and stir until dissolved. Mix several tablespoons of the resulting sauce, still hot, into the beaten egg yolks, and add to saucepan. Simmer for one minute over low flame stirring constantly. Then dip each oyster first into this sauce, then into the beaten whole eggs, and then into the bread crumbs, patting the crumbs evenly into each oyster. Preheat fat in deep fryer to 370°. Fry oysters until golden brown, drain on absorbent paper, and serve with sprig of parsley which has been fried for a minute or so in the fat.

[recipe_title]Scallops Bordelaise[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 lb. fresh scallops[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small onion, minced[/recipe]

[recipe]l/2 small carrot, minced[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small piece celery, minced[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]l/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup brandy[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup dry red wine[/recipe]

[recipe]8-oz. can tomatoes, coarsely chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons bread crumbs[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]4 slices French bread[/recipe]

Wash scallops in cold water and dry on cloth towel. If large sea scallops are used, cut each in half; if bay scallops, don't. Melt butter in heavy saucepan over moderate flame and add onion, carrot, celery, parsley and mushrooms. Sauté, stirring frequently, until onions turn yellow, and then add the brandy, wine and scallops. Set ablaze; when it subsides, add tomatoes and cover, simmering slowly for five to seven minutes. Then stir in bread crumbs and add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Serve on French bread slices fried in butter.

[recipe_title]Veal Sauté Provencale[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 lb. leg of veal, sliced paper-thin[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 lb. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons brandy[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced shallots[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon very finely minced garlic[/recipe]

[recipe]No. 2 can tomatoes, coarsely chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon dried basil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon anchovy paste[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

Pound the veal slices on both sides to tenderize thoroughly. Then cut into collops about 1-in.square. Heat the oil and butter in an electric skillet set at 300°. Sauté the meat until it is light brown. Add mushrooms and sauté them until barely tender. Pour in wine and brandy. and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated. Then add shallots and garlic, and sautè a minut or two longer. Add tomatoes, basil and anchovy paste, and simmer slowly about ten minutes more, then salt and pepper to taste.

[recipe_title]Chicken Livers with Apple Calvados[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3 Delicious or Rome Beauty apples[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 1/2 lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 lb. chicken livers[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon thyme[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup calvados or applejack[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup dry sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]l0-3/4-oz. can chicken gravy[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons heavy cream[/recipe]

Peel and core apples. Cut crosswise into l/2-in.-thick slices and sprinkle With lemon juice.Place in paper bag with flour and shake thoroughly. Pat off excess flour.Heat oil in an electric skillet set at 370°. Sauté apples until tender, set aside and keep warm. Wash chicken livers, dry with paper toweling and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Clean skillet reheat to 370°, and add butter, salad oil and thyme. Sauté livers, stirring frequently until brown--covering to avoid sputtering fat, if necessary. Then add calvados (or applejack) and sherry, and set ablaze, When blaze subsides, add chicken gravy, bring to boil, and simmer for three minutes. Add cream salt and pepper to taste. Place apples alongside livers on serving plates and serve with white or wild rice.

[recipe_title]Frogs' Legs Poulette[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 lb. fresh frogs' legs[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup flour[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 egg yolks, beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon minced chives or scallions[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon minced parsley[/recipe]

Wash frogs' legs in cold water and dry on paper toweling. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and shake well with flour in paper bag, patting off excess. Melt butter in saucepan over moderate flame, add salad oil, and sauté frogs' legs until light brown. Add wine and cream, stir well bring to boil, reduce flame, and simmer three to five minutes. Add several tablespoons of mixture to egg yolks, stirring well, and add to saucepan. Simmer about a minute longer, stirring constantly, then add chives and parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

[recipe_title]Supreme of Chicken with Béarnaise Sauce[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 boneless breasts of chicken (2 whole breasts)[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup melted sweet butter[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, coriander, sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 1/2 lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]Bread crumbs[/recipe]

[recipe]4 slices boneless rolled ham (1-1/2 ozs each)[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon tarragon vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon meat extract[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon finely minced parsley[/recipe]

Brush chicken with butter, sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper coriander, sugar and lemon j ice. Dip in bread crumbs, coating thoroughly, brush lightly again with butter, and broil six to eight minutes on each side, or until brown. Simultaneously, broil ham slices three minutes on each side. While these are broiling, pour egg yolks and vinegar into well of an electric blender and turn on for a few seconds. Then, with blender on high speed add warm melted butter a teaspoon at a time. Turn off machine, add meat extract and parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and keep lukewarm. Place chicken on ham slices on serving plates and serve sauce separately.

[recipe_title]Tournedos with Foie Gras[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 tournedos (filet mignon), about 6 ozs. each[/recipe]

[recipe]4 slices long French bread, 1/2 -in. thick[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup dry red wine[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced shallots or onions[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon tarragon vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup canned brown beef gravy[/recipe]

[recipe]2 table spoons minced parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]1 large truffle[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/3-oz. crock pâté de foie gras[/recipe]

(To some Americans truffles are expensive oddities; to the French are culinary diamonds. Their somewhat nutty flavor perfectly accents such dishes as tournedos.)

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan add olive oil, fry bread until light brown on both sides, and set aside. Preheat electric skillet to 350°, sprinkle tournedos with salt and pepper, pan broil until brown on both sides, cooking about three minutes on each side, and remove to warm platter. Add wine, shallots and vinegar to brown drippings scraped from skillet bottom, and simmer until reduced to haft its original quantity. Then add brown gravy, parsley and 2 tablespoons butter and bring to boil, stirring well, and turn off heat. Cut truffle into twelve slices, foie gras into four portions, and place tournedos on fried bread slices. Place one portion of foie gras and three slices of truffle on each, pour gravy over the top and serve at once... a swift and succulent refuta-tion of the popular fallacy that the Frenchman waits, as well as lives, to eat.