The Back-Room Cooks of the Latin Quarter

Most of my shopping is done in the Latin Quarter of Paris: we live on the He de la Cite, just by the Pont-Neuf, which leads you straight into it. Here you will find the very compact Marche de Buci and Marche de Saint-Germain-des-Pres, two of the most animated, good-value-for-money markets in Paris, where I have been buying practically everything for our kitchen since more than twenty years ago. Consequently, I have got to know intimately all the merchants, shopkeepers and cafe proprietors in the quarter.

When I recently stepped into our local grocer's shop, in the Rue Dauphine, I instantly smelt something delicious being cooked in the kitchen, in the back room. Knowing the grocer and his wife to be natives of Auvergne, I asked if they were preparing a "plat du pays." "Yes," they said, with contented smiles, "and it's a Foie de Veau a l'Auvergnate."* I had heard of this dish before and was, naturally, curious to know how it was cooked. A day or two later, I obtained the detailed recipe for it, in addition to an intriguing vegetable dish, Chou Rouge aux Marrons.*

This inspired me to set out in search of other recipes from the back-room cooks of the Latin Quarter. I next went round the corner, to the Rue de Seine, to see my friends from whom I regularly buy their freshly made pasta (spaghetti, macaroni, tagliatelli, canelloni, ravioli, etc.). They are a very friendly couple from Antibes. La patronne loves cooking and enjoys talking about it on every occasion with her enchanting accent of the Midi. From her, I managed to obtain the "home" recipes for Tagliatelli a l'Antiboise* and the Tomates du Midi.*

One Sunday, when we were expecting friends in for lunch, I went to the Marche Saint-Germain to buy some turbot for my Filet de Turbot a Undienne dish.* But Louise, the buxom, good-humored fish vendor from Marseilles, had no turbot that day and I saw nothing on her usually very well stocked stall that could replace the dish I had intended to serve. "Take a look at those mackerel," she said. "They're superb and so fresh. They're line-caught, not net-fished." When Louise saw me re­treat from the idea of offering our guests mackerel, she then divulged her own and ever-so-easy way of preparing Maquereaux en Papillote.* We tried it out, with great success. Among other recipes that Louise has since given me are her Oeufs Farcis au Thon.*

Francois, our butcher, wasn't quite so co-operative, at first, when I asked him to give me a few original ideas for preparing different cuts of meat. "The fact is," he said, "I get tired at looking at all this meat that I have to cut up and sell day in day out. Fortunately, my wife realizes this and she has recently been experimenting in our little back-room kitchen in dishes other than meat. A day or two ago she cooked an excellent Gibelotte de Lapin.* I'll ask her to give you the details; also for the Escalopes de Lapin."*

Nothing daunted, I next asked the proprietress of one of my favorite cafes—Le Lutetia, on the Quai de Bourbon— where light luncheons are served, what she could contribute by way of recipes for simple desserts. Her answer was to ex­plain how easy it is to prepare Bananes Flambees* and the amusing Martinique Egg dish.*

And that is the way it goes in France today, world center of gastronomy. If you express a genuine interest in cooking, whether it be in conversation with the jovial Louise from Marseilles, who tells you how to cook Maquereaux en Papil­lote or Alexandre Dumaine, from Saulieu, the Chef No. 1 of France, who reveals the secret of his magnificent Poularde au Vapeur de Pot-au-Feu, you can collect a mine of exciting and entertaining gastronomic information with which you can ex­periment in your own kitchen.

Hors d’Oeuvre:

Oeufs Farcis au Thon (serves 2).

Fish:

Maquereaux en Papillote (serves 4).

Entrees:

Tagliatelli a l'Antiboise (serves 4).

Tomates du Midi (serves 4).

Vegetable Dishes:

Chou Rouge aux Marrons (serves 4).

Meat:

Foie de Veau a FAuvergnate (serves 6).

Rabbit:

Gibelotte de Lapin (serves 4).

Escalopes de Lapin (serves 2).

Desserts:

Martinique Egg (serves 1).

Bananes Flambees au Rhum (serves 4).

OEUFS FARCIS AU THON (eggs stuffed with tuna fish)

Serves 2

4 hard-boiled eggs

1 tablespoon butter

2 ounces tuna fish in oil

Salt, pepper

Hardboil 4 eggs. Cool, peel, and cut them lengthways into two halves. Remove the yolks, pass them through a sieve to­gether with the drained tuna fish and the butter. Place in a bowl.

Stir the mixture well with a spoon. Slice off a small piece from the whites of the eggs so that they can sit securely. Cor­rect the seasoning. Place the mixture in a pastry bag, or cone, fitted with a decorator's tube, and fill each half egg in the shape of a mound.

To decorate, place a small round of tomato or green pepper on top of the eggs; or both, in alternative colors.

If desired, the eggs may be covered with gelatin. Leave to cool and arrange them neatly on a napkin.

MAQUEREAUX EN PAPILLOTE (mackerel cooked in greaseproof paper)

Serves 4

4 medium-sized, very  fresh mackerel  

Salt, pepper

French (tarragon) mustard

Greaseproof paper

Freshly chopped parsley

Butcher's string

1 lemon, quartered

2 teaspoons butter

Empty and clean the fish, and dry them. For each fish, cut a piece of greaseproof paper large enough so as to just enfold it and which can be tied securely either end (like a Christmas cracker).

Smear ½ teaspoon of butter and a little French (tar­ragon) mustard along the middle of each piece of paper. Salt and pepper the fish on both sides, place in the paper, enfold, and tie either end.

Place the four fish on a baking tray in a medium oven (or under the grill) and leave until the paper starts to get dark brown on top (about 15 to 20 minutes).

Remove the fish and place directly on to hot plates. Have a pair of kitchen scissors ready on the dining-room table with which your guests can cut away the ends of the papillotes. As you unroll the mackerel, most of its skin will come away. This is a sign that it is properly cooked. Serve with freshly chopped parsley and lemon quarters.

TAGLIATELLI A L'ANTIBOISE(ribbon noodles with ham and mushrooms au grattn)

Serves 4

Sauce Mornay*

1 egg yolk

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons grated Gruyere cheese

1 pound tagliatelli

4 sliced cooked ham, cut in strips

½ cup mushrooms, sliced

Bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter

Salt, pepper

SAUCE MORNAY

This is a simplified version of Sauce Mornay. All it requires, for this dish, is to make rather a thick Sauce Bechamel.* Five or 6 minutes before removing the pan from the fire, incor­porate the egg and 2 tablespoons each of grated Parmesan and Gruyere cheese into the sauce.

This dish looks and tastes better if the green tagliatelli (made with spinach) is used. Whether it be the green or the white tagliatelli, the important thing is that if just freshly made, the tagliatelli requires two minutes cooking only. If you are using packed tagliatelli, then it will need about 12 minutes' separate cooking in boiling salted water.

Divide the tagliatelli into four portions and the strips of ham into two portions. Saute the mushrooms gently in the butter for 5 minutes.

Place a layer of the tagliatelli in the bottom of a hot but­tered Pyrex dish and, on top, spread a portion of ham. Next, arrange a second layer of tagliatelli, and then the mushrooms. Then a third layer of tagliatelli, followed by the second portion of ham. Finish with the fourth layer of tagliatelli. Pour over the Sauce Mornay, sprinkle with the remaining tablespoons of grated Parmesan and Gruyere cheese, and then with the bread crumbs. Dot with tiny pieces of butter, place in the oven until nicely browned on top. Serve at once.

TOMATES DU MIDI(PROVENCAL TOMATOES)

Serves 4

4 large, fresh, firm tomatoes

1 shallot, finely chopped

Butter

½ cup sausage meat

2 tablespoons cooked rice(whatever is left over from the Riz Creole)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Freshly chopped parsley and chervil

Salt, pepper

Olive oil

Bread crumbs

Slice off the top, the lid, of the tomatoes. Drain them of their water and seeds. Be careful not to bruise or break the skins. Leave inside just the pulp of the tomatoes.

Soften the finely chopped shallot in a little butter. Make a mixture of the sausage meat, the shallot, the rice, the garlic and herbs. Salt and pepper. Stuff the tomatoes. Pour a little olive oil into a preheated Pyrex dish. Sprinkle the tomatoes with bread crumbs, place a small piece of butter on top of each, arrange in the Pyrex dish and cook in a medium oven for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to soften. Serve at once.

CHOU ROUGE AUX MARRONS(RED CABBAGE "WITH CHESTNUTS)

Serves 4

2 pounds chestnuts

1 medium-sized red cabbage, quartered

¾ cup bacon, diced

¼ cup butter

2 eating apples, peeled, and quartered

Remove the brown, outer skin of the chestnuts. Plunge them into boiling water, cover and leave for 5 minutes. Drain them in cold water and then remove the inner skin. Cook the well-skinned chestnuts in water for about one hour or until they start to get tender.

Meanwhile, quarter the cabbage. Remove the core and outer leaves and boil until it starts to soften.

Sauté the diced bacon, in the butter, in the bottom of stew pan and then add the strained chestnuts. When all is nicely browned, cover with the strained cabbage leaves and place the two quartered apples on top. Add a little of the water in which the cabbage has cooked. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

This is a dish that can be reheated. Retain some of the water in which the cabbage has cooked in the event of the contents of the pan requiring more liquid.

GIBELOTTE DE LAPIN (fricassee of rabbit)

Serves 4

1 rabbit for 4 persons

¼ cup dripping

Flour

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Red wine and water in equal quantities

Salt, pepper

24 baby onions

1 cup bacon, diced

¼ cup butter

1 pound small new potatoes

Chopped parlsey

Cut up the rabbit and brown it in the dripping in a stew pan. Dust with flour, add the garlic and sufficient, equal quantities of red wine and water to cover the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well. Bring to the boil, cover, lower the heat and cook gently for half an hour, then add the onions and the diced bacon (which have been previously browned in the butter).

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes. By the time the fricassee has cooked for another 20 minutes, after the onions and bacon have been added, the potatoes themselves should be ready to add to the pan. Cook all together very gently for another 10 minutes or so.

Pour the fricassee into a preheated serving dish, sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley, and bring straight to the table.

FOIE DE VEAU A L'AUVERGNATE (calf's liver a l'auvergnate)

Serves 6

2 pounds calf’s liver

Larding pork

12 small onions

½ cup butter

2 tablespoons fresh cream

Salt, pepper

Wrap the piece of liver in larding pork and brown on all sides, along with the onions, in the butter, in a copper casserole. Salt and pepper, cover securely, and cook gently for three quarters of an hour. From time to time, raise carefully the lid of the casserole and tilt it so that the water formed by the steam drips back into the liquid, making a natural sauce.

When the liver is cooked, remove the larding pork and place on a hot serving dish along with the onions. Remove the casserole from the fire, stir in the cream and pour the sauce over the liver. Serve very hot with braised Belgian endives and steamed potatoes.

ESCALOPES DE LAPIN (escalopes of rabbit)

Serves 2

2 slices from the back of a rabbit

Butter

2 small thin slices of ham

Salt, pepper

2 slices of fresh tomatoes

1 egg, beaten

2 small very thin slices of Gruyere cheese

Bread crumbs

Cut two good-sized slices from the back of a rabbit. Bone them and beat carefully each piece into escallops. Season and roll in the beaten egg and then in the bread crumbs. Sauté in butter for 5 or 6 minutes.

Place a slice of ham on top of each escalope, next a slice of tomato and, finally, the slice of cheese. Place in a medium oven so as to make the cheese start to melt. Remove and serve hot with a little of the nut-brown butter from the pan poured over the escallops.

MARTINIQUE EGG

Serves 1

1 individual portion coffee ice cream

1 slice pineapple(fresh or canned)

½ peach(fresh or canned)

Crème Chantilly(whipped cream)

Rum

This is a decorative and very easily prepared dessert. It in­volves no cooking!

Place the coffee ice cream on top of the pineapple. Cap it with the halved peach and arrange the cream over and around the pineapple and almost to the top of the peach, so that it looks like a fried egg. Pour over a little good-quality rum and serve chilled.

BANANES FLAMBEES AU RHUM (bananas blazed with rum)

Serves 4

8 bananas

¼ cup butter

Brown sugar

Lemon juice

½ cup rum

Peel and split lengthwise eight not too ripe bananas. Melt the butter in a shallow baking or Pyrex dish, and in it arrange the halved bananas, round side uppermost. Sprinkle lightly with brown sugar and place in a hot oven. After 10 minutes, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the bananas. Baste and replace in the oven for another 3 or 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the rum. Baste the bananas carefully once more before removing from the oven. Bring the dish straight to the table, pour over the rum, and blaze.