If there's one reality of French cooking it's that butter is the ruler of all fats. Well, ideally, duck fat is the supreme sultan, but butter is most common. Butter is a nice suit, and duck fat is a tuxedo. The French even drop tablespoons of butter over sauces to prevent film from developing on the surface - a technique called "tamponner" (tahm-pun-ay). Butter is the real McCoy, and we're using plenty of it in class.
The last three classes haven't been an exception. We've dedicated our attention to fish and learned how to fillet and prepare them in several delicious ways. Tonight we focused on shellfish and prepared mussels, lobsters, and scallops. Here's a look at some of the dishes we've made.
"Coquilles Saint-Jazques, Coulis Au Persil" / Seared Scallops with Parsley Coulis
A "coulis" is a thick sauce made from puréed vegetables or fruits.
Poached Lobster in Sauce Américaine
Sauce Américaine is a rich sauce made from lobster trimmings, fish stock, vegetables, white wine, tarragon, tomatoes, and cream.
"Moules A La Marinere" / Steamed Mussels
The mussels were steamed in white wine and shallots and finished with a reduction of white wine and cream.
"Filet De Truite A La Grenobloise" / Sautéed Trout, Grenoble Style
Grenoble style is a variation of cooking fish that has been lightly floured and fried in butter. Capers, lemon supremes, and croutons define the variation.
"Poisson En Papillote" / Fish Baked in Parchment
This dish is extremely straight-forward and simple. We took striped bass and baked it in parchment paper with white wine, julienned vegetables, and fresh thyme. The parchment envelope creates a steam oven for the fish during baking.
"Goujonettes De Limande Aux Deux Sauces" / Bread Crumb-Coated Flounder With Two Sauces
The flounder was presented in a potato fry basket and served with a red bell pepper purée and sauce rémoulade, which is a mayonnaise emulsion with herbs, capers, anchovy paste, and cornichons.
There hasn't been a hungry moment.
