The first thing a budding chef learns in cooking school is how to make soup. Soup is so much more than tossing a bunch of stuff in a pot, topping it with water or stock, and boiling away. Having said that, a perfect stew, when put on the right course, practically cooks itself. Soup is one of my favorite dishes to prepare. Following proper techniques and using good ingredients pretty much ensures a satisfying bowl of soup.
Just about everything in French cooking but ice cream starts with a mirepoix (even then that is questionable given the boundaries of modern French cooking). The mirepoix is a combination of vegetables that creates a solid base for the soup. With a stew, most often the meat is browned and then the vegetables are cooked in the brown bits of goodness to take on the flavor of the meat. With soups, the vegetables are the first flavor, the first step, the first brick in the foundation. With both, the vegetables must be “sweated”—cooked over low heat—to reduce the liquid and concentrate the flavors. Aromatics are then added—the bouquet garni, a bundle of herbs and spices—to enhance the flavors. The stock is the vehicle for all the flavors. It’s what drives the soup, so using the best-quality stock is essential.
However, even as a culinary professional, I don’t always use homemade stock. Meme always used bouillon cubes, and Mama does the same. I generally stay away from those because they are far too high in sodium. If I am using store-bought stock, I look for reduced-fat, low-sodium broth in the box, not the can. In those instances, I also add ingredients to the broth to augment and boost the flavor. When I am prepping my mirepoix, I save the peels and trimmings. If I am taking apart a chicken, I reserve the neck bone and wing tips. I may chop a fresh onion or carrot or add a bunch of herbs. I add these fresh ingredients to the store-bought broth to help boost the flavor.
In terms of thickeners, most Southern soups and stews use all-purpose flour. French soups often use rice or potato. Of course, the most classic way to thicken a Southern soup is with a roux. The most celebrated use of a roux is in gumbo. When I was growing up in Louisiana, Mama made gumbo throughout the fall and winter, using shrimp, duck, quail, and chicken. I remember as a child our neighbor made a pot of gumbo. Peering into the pot I was shocked by a squirrel’s head, with his ratlike curved teeth smiling back at me. Mama still laughs and says my eyes were big as saucers. It may sound rustic and primitive, but even proper techniques must be followed to make squirrel gumbo. (Personally, I think not using the head may be one of them.)
Southern soups like gumbo or Brunswick stew are traditionally hearty and filling, often serving as the entire meal, paired with cornmeal griddlecakes or a buttered biscuit. Many French soups are served as the first course of a meal. The French have a litany of words to describe soup and stews, including soupe, potage, garbure, consommé, purée, velouté, and crème.
The French definition of soupe is much like our own, a predominantly liquid dish made by cooking meat, seafood, or vegetables in water or stock. A potage is a thick soup. Crème is close to potage, but not quite. Generally a crème is a purée of meat or vegetables that has been thinned, or loosened, with stock or broth. When a crème is enriched with the velvety soft caress of eggs and cream, it is deemed a velouté. At the most simple, we have garbure, a hearty stew that often includes cabbage, beans, and salted or preserved duck, goose, turkey, or pork. In the opposite direction is consommé, a classically clear composition.
My hope is that by the end of this chapter, you will be as clear as consommé about how to prepare a satisfying bowl of soupe.
SERVES 4 TO 6
I love, love, love making consommé. It’s the technical prowess, somewhere between cooking and a science experiment that makes me “jump up and down” happy. I learned to use canned tomato juice from my chef, a Chinese gentleman named Sam, when I worked at Asia Nora, owned by Nora Pouillon. I don’t remember his last name; I only ever called him chef. He left shortly after I started, but he taught me a great deal in a short period of time. I drank in his wisdom like a sponge. Chefs can appear sometimes like caped crusaders, superheroes in uniform. The whites confer automatic authority. Only some deserve to own superhero status, and, believe me, it has nothing to do with being on television.
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
1½ cups egg whites (from 1 dozen large eggs)
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
4 cups tomato juice
4 cups V-8 juice
Combine the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the egg whites and stir to combine. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Set aside.
Combine the tomato juice and V-8 juice in a tall, straight-sided pot. Add the vegetable mixture and whisk to combine. (Yes, whisk it all together and make a real mess.) Bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. The protein will coagulate and a solid “raft” of the vegetables will form.
Using your ladle, make a small opening in the top of the raft. Ladle the consommé out of the stockpot one ladle at a time and pour through a sieve lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth (or with paper towels or a coffee filter) into a second saucepan. The consommé should be crystal clear. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt, but not pepper. (Pepper will not dissolve and will mar the perfect clarity of the soup.) Heat until quite hot over medium-high heat. Ladle into warmed bowls. Serve immediately.
This prissy, sexy little Brilliant twist takes the classic tomato soup and cheese sandwich flavor combination to a whole new level.
In a bowl, toss together 1½ cups freshly grated (not powdered or ground) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 6 ounces) and 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle about 1½ tablespoons of the cheese mixture into the skillet to form a 4-inch round. Cook until the cheese starts to melt and become firm, 1½ to 2 minutes. Using a small offset spatula, turn; continue cooking until firm and slightly golden, 15 to 30 seconds more. Immediately drape the softened cheese round over a lightly greased wine bottle or rolling pin, and let cool slightly to set the shape. Repeat with the remaining cheese mixture. (If the skillet gets too hot, remove it from the heat for several minutes before continuing.) Makes about 1 dozen. To serve, ladle the consommé into warmed bowls. Garnish with a Parmesan tuile. Serve immediately.
Roasted Tomato Soup
SERVES 4
Roasting the tomatoes with a little brown sugar intensifies the flavors. The acidity of the tomatoes combines with the sweetness of the sugar and takes this dish to a whole new level. But what really makes this recipe sing is a little chemistry. Tomatoes contain alcohol-soluble flavors that can only be delivered to your taste receptors in the presence of alcohol. The red wine makes this basic recipe shine.
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained, with juices reserved
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Pinch of ground allspice
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup dry red wine
½ cup heavy cream or crème fraîche (optional)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking liner.
Working over a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and using your fingers, open the whole tomatoes and squeeze as many seeds out as possible (without making yourself completetly crazy), catching the juices in the bowl. Discard the seeds and reserve the juices.
Spread the tomatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar. Bake until all liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes begin to color, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly; remove the tomatoes and transfer to a small bowl.
Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, tomato paste, and allspice. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined. Whisking constantly, gradually add the chicken stock. Add the reserved tomato juices, wine, and roasted tomatoes; cover and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, purée the soup. Leave it coarse and chunky if you prefer a more rustic soup, or purée until smooth for a more elegant soup. Add the cream and heat through, about 3 minutes. (If I am making the creamy flan below, I omit the cream.) Remove from the heat. Taste, adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
As a child, I loved when Mama served tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Consider these cheesy, creamy flans a Brilliant grown-up version of that favorite pairing.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush six 1-cup ramekins with 2 tablespoons room-temperature butter. In a blender, combine 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese, 5 large eggs, ¾ cup whole milk, 2 ounces room-temperature cream cheese, a pinch each of freshly grated nutmeg, freshly ground white pepper, and salt. Blend until smooth. Divide the custard among the prepared ramekins, filling each one three-quarters full. Cover each ramekin with aluminum foil and place in a roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until just set but still wiggly and slightly soft in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Using a metal spatula or tongs, transfer the ramekins to a rack. Run the blade of a thin metal spatula around the edge of each flan to loosen. When ready to serve, unmold each flan into the center of a warmed shallow soup bowl. Ladle the soup around the flan, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. Serves 6.
SERVES 6 TO 8
There are some cooks who are borderline professionals, beyond amateur, but don’t actually count on cooking to pay the bills. My friend Melita Easters is one such cook. She serves this soup in silver Jefferson cups or porcelain demitasse cups as a passed hors d’oeuvre, something I like to do with my Wild Mushroom Soup, as well.
Melita entertains more than any one I know and is practically a professional hostess. She is an indefatigable fund-raiser and works very hard to advance her causes. I used to cater her parties, but she’d continuously pull me out of the catering kitchen to talk to her and her guests. I’d join the party under protest in my chef’s whites for a bit, then scurry back to the kitchen. In true Melita fashion, the woman who works to get what she wants, she eventually fired me from catering to have me just where she wanted me.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder, preferably Madras
6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
9 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup maple syrup
2 to 3 sprigs thyme
⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
Melt the butter in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and curry powder and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, stock, syrup, thyme, nutmeg, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft, about 25 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs from the soup.
To finish the soup in the stockpot, use an immersion blender and purée the soup. Or, ladle the soup into a blender and purée until smooth, a little at a time. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a second large pot, discarding any solids. Rewarm the soup over medium-low heat. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and white pepper. Ladle into warmed serving bowls and serve immediately.
The boozy bite of sugary rum is the adult addition to transform this Basic recipe to Brilliant. The tiny hint of the acidic lemon helps bring out the sweet flavor of the rum.
In the chilled bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add ¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons good-quality dark rum. Continue whipping until the cream is stiff. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Makes about 2 cups.
To serve, heat the soup and ladle into warmed bowls. Top with a dollop of the Rum Cream.
SERVES 6
Porcini, or cèpes as they are known in French, are incredibly rich, meaty, and fragrant mushrooms. I like to combine an inexpensive mushroom, such as white button, with dried porcini, as the fairly benign white mushrooms will take on the earthy flavor of the porcini. Given the fact that fresh porcini are about thirty dollars a pound when you can find them, this is a very economical alternative.
During the holidays, I like to serve this soup as a passed hors d’oeuvre in demitasse cups or shot glasses.
½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped
2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms (such as white button, cremini, shiitake, morel, and chanterelle), sliced
3 cups homemade vegetable stock or low-sodium vegetable broth
Bouquet garni (5 sprigs thyme; 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley; 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh; and 10 whole black peppercorns, tied together in cheesecloth)
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Add the dried porcini mushrooms to the boiling hot water to plump, about 15 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and squeeze out the excess liquid. Place the mushrooms in a bowl. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve or coffee filter into another bowl. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the stock, reserved mushroom liquid, and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to simmer. Cook until the mushrooms are very soft, about 30 minutes.
Remove the bouquet garni. Purée the soup with an immersion blender. Leave it coarse for a more rustic soup, or purée it until smooth for a more elegant soup. Add the cream and stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately.
Finishing a soup with heavy cream is Basic, but topping it with Herbed Whipped Crème Fraîche is Brilliant. I don’t have to feel guilty regarding sometimes hard-to-find ingredients like crème fraîche, since I’ve included a
recipe.
In the chilled bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 1 cup crème fraîche until soft peaks form. Add ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Makes about 1 cup.
To serve, ladle the Wild Mushroom Soup into warmed bowls. Add a dollop of the Herbed Whipped Crème Fraîche and serve immediately. Ummm. Doesn’t that taste Brilliant?
SERVES 6
Traditional or not, it doesn’t make sense to me to make soup with dried beans at the height of summer with the widespread availability of fresh, seasonal produce. So, I’ve substituted butter beans. Other suggestions would include fresh black-eyed peas, lady peas, crowder peas, cranberry beans, or flageolet beans. If you are without fresh beans, or want to go the traditional route, you can substitute cooked dried beans, or if you are in a real pinch for time, frozen. I find canned beans far too soft for long cooking.
Pistou is essentially a nutless pesto traditionally made in a mortar and pestle. As long as I am casting off the shackles of traditionalism, I suggest making the pistou in a food processor, a common appliance many cooks have, instead of a mortar and pestle, which many home cooks do not.
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
2 onions, preferably Vidalia, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 cups water, plus more if needed
1 ham hock or ham bone (optional)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces green beans, ends trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup elbow macaroni or orzo
Pistou (recipe follows)
In a large, heavy Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, and celery and cook until the onions are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add 4 cups of the water and the ham hock. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then decrease the heat to low. Simmer until the mixture is flavorful and well combined, about 30 minutes.
Add the green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, bay leaf, parsley, basil, and red pepper. Add more of the remaining 2 cups water as needed to cover the vegetables by about 1 inch. Continue to simmer slowly over very low heat until the vegetables are just tender, 20 minutes more. Add the pasta and more water, if needed. Simmer until the pasta is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
Before serving, taste and adjust the soup for seasoning with salt and pepper. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Finish with a dollop of pistou.
Pistou
MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS
4 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves (about 3 bunches), washed and dried
4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 3 ounces)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Combine the basil, garlic, and cheese in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil until it is thoroughly incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Use immediately, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Summer capped with more summer is the gist of this Brilliant addition. It’s summer, squared.
Position an oven rack 4 inches below the broiler and preheat the broiler. To make the toasts, arrange 6 slices hearty peasant bread on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with 1 tablespoon pure olive oil and season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Broil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the slices over and toast the other side. Remove from the oven while warm, and lightly rub the oiled side of each toast with the cut surface of a garlic clove. Then, using a halved garden-fresh tomato, scrub the bread to absorb the juices. Makes 6 toasts.
To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Top with a toast. Doesn’t that make you hungry for summer just thinking about it?
SERVES 6 TO 8
My grandfather had false teeth. As a child I used to get him to take them out, and he’d touch his chin to his nose. My sister and I would squeal with laughter and giggles. For some reason, when he didn’t feel well or had a cold, he’d leave his teeth out. (Not exactly sure how those are related, but thankfully, I have all my teeth and don’t care to find out.) And, when he didn’t have his teeth in, he couldn’t eat much more than mash, mush, or split pea soup.
Mama taught me to save the hambone in the freezer for adding flavor to soups such as this; you can use a ham hock, too. Or, you can leave the ham out for a more subtle flavor.
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 onions, preferably Vidalia, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
8 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
1¼ cups green split peas, rinsed
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bouquet garni (3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley; 2 sprigs thyme; 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh; and 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, tied together in cheesecloth)
1 ham hock or hambone (optional)
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrot and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the chicken stock and split peas; season with salt and pepper. Add the bouquet garni and hambone. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender, about 1 hour. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately.
Meme often made split pea soup and deviled ham with leftover ham in the days after a big holiday. Dede loved deviled ham. In honor of him, Deviled Ham Garlic Toasts are the simple accent to take Basic Split Pea Soup to Brilliant.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse 4 ounces coarsely chopped ham; 2 green onions, chopped; 2 tablespoons sour cream, and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a few dashes of hot sauce. Makes about ½ cup. Spread on 6 to 8
Garlic Toasts. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Float the Deviled Ham Garlic Toasts on top. Brilliant.
SERVES 6 TO 8
The term high cotton refers to having money, good times, and living large. Traditionally Brunswick stew is made from the tougher cuts, as well as leftover bits and pieces of the hog, maybe a scrawny old rooster, and perhaps a squirrel or rabbit or two, depending on the recipe. Brunswick stew goes hand in hand with barbecue, and for me to consider a BBQ joint worth a return visit, the stew has got to be good. I like it so full of goodness that the spoon will stand up in it. When I was a little girl, Meme made it in a large cast-iron pot over a wood fire. I think this version (pictured at the beginning of the chapter) would have made her chuckle.
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped
1 poblano or green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste
½ cup dry white wine
8 fingerling potatoes
6 cups homemade chicken stock or low-fat, reduced-sodium beef broth
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes with juice
2 cups shelled fresh butter beans (about 1½ pounds unshelled) or frozen butter beans
Scraped kernels from 4 ears fresh sweet corn (about 2 cups)
Bouquet garni (8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley; 6 sprigs thyme; 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh; and 10 whole black peppercorns, tied together in cheesecloth)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into medallions
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and poblano and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and smoked paprika. Cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the wine and cook until almost dry, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes, stock, tomatoes with juice, butter beans, corn, and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the butter beans and potatoes are just tender, about 30 minutes. Season the chicken and pork on both sides. Add the seasoned meat and continue to cook until the juices of the chicken run clear when pierced with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed serving bowls and serve immediately.
Considering the fact that I’ve already taken country stew, called it High Cotton, and fancied it up, Brilliant better be pretty darn good. Well, it is. To elevate our citified
High Cotton Brunswick Stew, give stovetop smoking a twirl.
Prepare the High Cotton Brunswick Stew to the point of adding the chicken and pork and keep warm. Soak ½ cup wood chips in 1 cup water for 5 minutes. Sprinkle them on the bottom of a stovetop smoker. Place the smoker’s drip pan on top of the wood chips, and put the whole, uncut tenderloin and whole chicken pieces on the drip pan rack. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the smoker over medium-high heat until the wood begins to smoke, then close the smoker lid. Decrease the heat to medium. Smoke until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 140°F to 145°F and in the center of the chicken registers 160°F, about 20 minutes. Transfer the meat to a warmed plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest and allow the juices to redistribute. Slice the meat on the diagonal and place in the center of warmed bowls. Ladle the stew around the meat and serve immediately.
Louisiana Duck Gumbo, served the Brilliant way with Duck Skin Cracklings and Offal Mince
SERVES 6
When I was growing up in Louisiana, my father hunted duck, and the freezer was usually filled with duck, as well as dove, quail, deer, boar, wild turkey, rabbit, and squirrel. (Don’t laugh, even though Dede called squirrels “tree rats,” they really are excellent panfried with gravy.) Gumbo is named for a West African word for okra, gombo. This flavorful stew can feature any number of main ingredients, most commonly shrimp, crab, chicken, duck, and sausage. Many of the ingredients are harvested from the Gulf, local lakes and rivers, or produced on the farm. All gumbos start with an initial browning of fat and flour, to create a roux, then are seasoned with the “holy trinity” of bell pepper, onion, and celery. Here, I commit a bit of sacrilege. I find the taste of green bell peppers too strong and substitute poblano pepper. You can choose your own sins.
½ cup canola oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 onions, preferably Vidalia, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 poblano or green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1½ teaspoons Creole seasoning blend
2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
4 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
1 (4- to 5-pound) duck, cut into 8 pieces (excess skin removed if making cracklings), neck and giblets reserved
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Hot cooked rice, for serving
1 tablespoon filé powder, for serving
¼ cup green onions, chopped, for serving
Heat the oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until the roux is deep chocolate in color, 30 to 45 minutes. (Alternatively, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the oil and flour in a 5- to 6-quart cast-iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake uncovered, whisking 2 or 3 times, until deep chocolate, about 1½ hours.)
Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Add half of the mixed vegetables to the roux. Cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the Creole seasoning, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and andouille. Stir to combine. Add the stock and whisk until smooth. Add the duck and reserved neck. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to a simmer, and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Add the remaining vegetables and simmer until the meat is falling off the bone, about 1 hour. (Adding half of the trinity later in cooking helps keep some of the vegetables more toothsome.) Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
To serve, spoon rice into warmed bowls. Ladle the gumbo over the rice and sprinkle with filé powder and green onions. Serve immediately.
There are two ways to approach this Brilliant (shown at bottom right of photo) addition to our Basic Louisiana Duck Gumbo. Wild duck is not very fatty and is quite tough, which is why it requires the long cooking time. If you are using domestic duck, using a chef’s knife, remove the excess skin from the cavity and slice
into strips. If you are using lean wild duck, augment the gumbo with one 7- to 8-ounce duck breast fillet. Remove the skin from the fillet and cut into ½ inch strips. (Reserve the duck for another use, or halve it and add to the simmering gumbo.)
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the duck skin and cook until golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cracklings to a plate lined with paper towels. Season with
finishing salt and freshly ground black pepper. To the rendered fat, add 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh (be careful it will spit and spatter). Then, add the gizzard and heart. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the liver and cook until firm, about 5 more minutes. Remove to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Chop into ¼-inch dice. Add to the cracklings. Makes about 1 cup.
To serve, spoon the rice into warmed bowls. Ladle the gumbo over the rice and top with the crispy mince. Serve immediately.
SERVES 4
“She crabs” are simply female blue crabs. Once when shooting a story for television, I learned from a crusty old fisherwoman on the Chesapeake Bay how to tell the difference between a boy and a girl crab. Turn the crab over on its back. There’s a flap on the underbelly. Boy crabs have flaps that look like the Washington monument, long and pointed. Girl crabs have rounded flaps with softer lines, and it looks like the dome of the capitol.
If you are truly starting from scratch, by boiling and picking crabs, make sure to save the crab roe, or eggs, found in female, or sook, crabs in the late spring and early summer. Once boiled, it’s bright coral red and is a tasty treasure beyond measure in this soup. Frozen crab roe is available online and in specialty seafood stores.
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups low-fat or whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup homemade fish or seafood stock or bottled clam juice
5 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
2 tablespoons dry sherry, plus more for garnish
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce, to taste
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 ounces boiled crab roe
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cream and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the stock, crabmeat, and sherry; simmer for 20 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. If using, crumble the roe in the bottom of warmed bowls, then ladle in the hot soup. Garnish with a spoonful of sherry. Serve immediately.
A nip of sherry is Basic and traditional for she-crab soup. Making a chef-inspired gelée is Brilliant. Molecular gastronomy is nothing new. Folks have been using gelatin to change textures for centuries. (Granted, chefs used to start by boiling calves’ hooves.) Now, the most widely available unflavored gelatin, Knox, is packaged in premeasured individual ¼-ounce envelopes that equal 1 scant tablespoon and will set 2 cups liquid. Gelatin is also sometimes available in sheets at gourmet markets and cookware stores and 5 sheets are equal to 1 envelope of gelatin, enough to set 2 cups liquid.
Pour ¼ cup sherry into a small bowl. Sprinkle over 1 envelope gelatin. Set aside to “bloom” and absorb the liquid, 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1¾ cups of sherry in a saucepan over medium heat. Season with ¼ teaspoon coarse salt. Once the gelatin has bloomed, add it to the warm sherry and stir to dissolve. Pour into an 8-inch square pan; chill until firm, about 3 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares to serve. Use the 2 tablespoons sherry as directed when cooking the soup, but instead of garnishing the soup with the liquid sherry, spoon the sherry squares directly into the bowls of soup just before serving.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Meme made this stew most often when we were sick, and this soothing and satisfying rice porridge will certainly cure what ails you. It’s quite similar to Asian congee or jook. She literally just combined rice, onion, chicken, and water in a pot and cooked it. I sear the thighs for additional flavor, but keep her Basic premise.
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or 6 bone-in, skin-on breasts or thighs
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped
1 clove garlic, mashed into a paste
1 cup long-grain white rice
4 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the chicken, skin side down, without crowding the pan. Cook until a rich golden brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Add the onion and cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the rice and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, remove the browned skin. (The skin becomes flabby as it simmers.) Return the chicken to the pot. Add the stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to simmer and cook until the chicken is falling off the bone and the rice is completely soft, soupy, and thick, 45 to 60 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed serving bowls and serve immediately.
Given how homey the Basic version is, it’s quite amusing that the French version of the same soup is Potage à la Reine, which translates to “Soup of the Queen.” Only a queen with servants would dirty this many dishes. It’s full frontal and Brilliantly French.
Bring 4 cups homemade
chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth to a boil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add (without first browning) a whole chicken cut into 8 pieces or 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook until the juices run clear, 45 to 60 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked chicken to a plate to cool. Meanwhile in a second saucepan, combine 4 cups homemade chicken stock; 1 cup long-grain rice; 1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped; and 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped. Bring to a boil and decrease the heat to simmer. Cook until the mixture is completely soft, 45 to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the bones, discarding the bones and skin. Purée the meat in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until completely smooth. Place in a third saucepan with 2 cups of the chicken cooking liquid. Stir to combine. (Reserve the remaining stock for another use.) When the rice is cooked, working in batches, purée the rice in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until smooth. Add the puréed rice to the chicken-stock mixture. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. (You can serve this now, or continue with the Escoffier-inspired pot-messing madness.) Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a fourth pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup heavy cream and 2 large egg yolks in a liquid measuring cup. Whisk some of the heated puréed soup into the measuring cup, then pour that back into the soup. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Serve immediately.
SERVES 4
Lamb has been associated with spring holidays for centuries. Symbolizing the season of rebirth, it has become a holiday feast ritual for many cuisines, French included. The lamb on the table is not a newborn lamb, but one born in the late autumn and ready to be harvested (i.e., eaten) in the spring. The Southern counterpart would be ham. After the pigs are slaughtered, traditionally after the first frost, the hams are prepared and allowed to cure through the winter. They are ready to eat, just as with the lamb, for the spring celebration. Now, that’s planning ahead.
2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
4 ripe tomatoes, preferably heirloom, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Bouquet garni (5 sprigs thyme; 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley; 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh; and 10 whole black peppercorns, tied together in cheesecloth)
8 small red new potatoes
8 baby carrots, peeled
8 small white turnips, halved
16 shallots or cipollini onions, peeled and left whole
Crusty baguette, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Pat the lamb dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat the butter and oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb in two or three batches, without crowding, until nicely browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
Decrease the heat to low, add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Stirring constantly, add the flour and cook until light blond in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir briskly to remove any brown bits and flour from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and tomato paste.
Return the lamb with any accumulated juices to the Dutch oven and add the bouquet garni; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer to the oven and cook until the lamb is just beginning to become tender, about 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and add the potatoes, carrots, turnips, and shallots. Cover, return to the oven, and cook until the meat and vegetables are tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve straight from the Dutch oven with a baguette.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 cups shelled English peas (about 2 pounds unshelled). Cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and transfer to a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Makes 2 cups. Ladle the lamb stew into warmed bowls and top with a big spoonful of peas for a Brilliant garnish.
Tomato Consommé