# Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management/Chapter LI

General Observations on French Cookery, and Recipes for Typical French Dishes
The First Cookery Book in a Modern Language was published in Madrid in 1521. Spain has therefore the honour of being the pioneer in this direction, while France ranks next to Spain for developing the culinary art. France, although now the nurse of all modern cooks, was in a state of comparative darkness with regard to cookery until 1580, when the delicacies of the Italian table were introduced into Paris, and from that time the French made rapid progress in the culinary art, and soon surpassed their Italian masters. Now French cookery ranks deservedly high, perhaps higher than any other: and the land that gave birth to a Caréme, a Savarin, a Soyer, and other distinguished chefs, is justly proud of having raised the culinary art to a high standard of perfection. In France cookery began to be recognized as an important art in the reign of Louis XIV, whose great fêtes were always accompanied by sumptuous banquets. In the following reign the Cordon bleu, the order of knighthood of the Saint Esprit, instituted by Henry III, became the recognized definition of a skilful female cook. It is recorded that the distinction was first bestowed by Louis XV on the female cook of the celebrated Madame de Barry, as a mark of His Majesty's high appreciation of the excellent and elaborate repast prepared in his honour. In England refinement had not yet set its seal on even the most advanced branches of cookery, for instead of the "coulis de faisan," "salmis de becassines," "volaille à la Supréme," and other dainty dishes which are said to have earned the coveted "Cordon blue," we find included in English menus of that period such coarse preparations as black pudding, and the homely, savoury, but by no means delicate viand, roast goose.
Considering the rapid advance in other directions, it is an amazing fact that France, the culinary nation par excellence, ignored the existence of the potato until the year 1787, although it had been generally ​known and appreciated as an article of diet in England and Spain for upwards of 150 years. Ultimately, Parmentur, a French cuisinière, introduced this edible root into his native land, and he not only induced his countrymen to accept it as a food, but at the same time he taught them more than fifty ways of preparing it for the table.
Apart from the simple processes of roasting, baking, boiling, and stewing, nearly all our cookery has been introduced from foreign sources. The French methods of dressing fish and vegetables, are now largely introduced into English kitchens, and French borugeoise dishes have become quite popular. Greater difference, however, exists between the diet of the French bourgeoise and the corresponding class in England, for while the former live principally on well-cooked, palatable, yet inexpensive soups, vegetables, and fruits, the latter eat more and better kinds of meat, yet fail to obtain a proper amount of nourishment from the same, by reason of the wasteful culinary methods employed. The French bourgeoise cookery is an essentially slow process, by which the natural flavours of the substances are extracted by gentle means, and at the same time other flavours are blended so artfully with them that no particular one predominates. Stews, ragoûts, and braises largely replace the joint which appears almost daily on our tables. In this lies the secret of the French skill in economy, for while only the prime parts can be roasted, and always at a considerable loss in weight, owing to evaporation and melting of the fat, the inferior parts may, by a long, slow process of stewing, be converted into easily digested, palatable, and nourishing food.
The prejudice against soup existing among the lower classes in England will not be readily dispelled, for it is too satisfying for the moment, and too quickly followed by a feeling of hunger, in consequence of being so readily digested. The English housewife of a humble class makes the mistake of dispensing soup in bowlfuls, and frequently in place of more solid food, whereas the French people simply have a ladleful of hot, palatable, but not always nourishing or satisfying soup, which instead of impairing the appetite, serves to prepare the stomach for the reception of more solid food, thereby aiding digestion.
As regards the food of the upper classes, the cookery of France is now almost identical with that of England. For many years French chefs have been employed in the kitchens of large establishments in England, consequently high-class cookery has become almost entirely French in character. This to a very large extent can be said of the best class household cookery, which is termed and known as Bourgeoise Cookery in France.
Food Supply.—The many rivers of France, as well as the seas that lave its shores, yield a plentiful supply of fish, all the varieties known to us being found there, as well as the delicious sardine, which forms ​a staple branch of industry on the western coast. On the south coast the sturgeon is in everyday use; a huge slice of it, larded and covered with herbs, may be frequently seen carried through the streets to the baker's oven, and when cooked it very much resembles a fillet of veal both in taste and appearance. Another fish in general use is the skate, which is usually served with its quaint wings smothered in white sauce.
France is abundantly supplied with Game, and the pheasant and partridge stand as high in favour there as in England.
Roast kid, unknown, or nearly so, in England, is a favourite dish, more especially in the south, where it is so plentiful that it is frequently cried in the streets. It is dressed like lamb, or, when very young, stuffed with breadcrumbs and herbs, and roasted whole.
Poultry feeding is quite an art in France, and every French cook knows how to cram a fowl, duck, or goose. To watch them, they would appear to go at the process with a will. Seizing the unfortunate bird three or four times a day, they open its bill and stuff a quantity of warm meal and potato down its throat, caressing it and talking to it the while, and when they consider it has had food enough, wind up by giving it a very small walnut by way of a digestive.
Nature supplies the whole of France very generously with everything that can further good cooking, while the south simply abounds in fruit and vegetables, large importations of which daily find their way to our shores.
Typical French Dishes
3661.—BRUSSELS SPROUTS SAUTÉS. (Fr.—Choux de Bruxelles Sautés.)
Ingredients.—2 lbs of sprouts, 2-3 ozs. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of chopped parsley, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped shallots, 1 tablespoonful of flour, lemon-juice, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Method.—Trim and wash the sprouts, put them into a saucepan of slightly-salted boiling water, cook for 15 minutes, then drain them thoroughly. Melt 2 ozs. of butter in a stewpan, fry the shallots slightly, then add the parsley and sprouts, and fry gently until the whole is lightly browned. Meanwhile heat the remaining butter in a smaller stewpan, add the flour, mix smoothly with a little milk or cream, lemon-juice, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and cook gently for about 10 minutes. Pile the sprouts on a hot dish, pour the sauce over, and serve.
Time.—About ½ an hour. Average Cost, 8d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable in winter.
​3662.—CARROT SOUP. (Fr.—Potage à la Crécy or Purée de Carottes.)
Ingredients.—10 fresh carrots, 1 onion, 1 leek, 3 ozs. of butter or 2 ozs. of dripping, 3 pints of boiling stock or water, a few rinds of bacon, sugar, salt and pepper, fried croûtons.
Method.—Prepare the vegetables and cut them into small pieces. Melt the butter or fat in a stewpan, put in the vegetables, cover with a close-fitting lid, and cook gently for 1 hour. Add the boiling water or stock and the bacon rinds, and continue the gentle cooking until the vegetables are reduced to a pulp. Pass the whole through a sieve or colander, then add sugar, salt and pepper to taste, re-heat and serve. The croûtons should be handed separately.
Time.—2 hours. Average Cost, 5d. to 6d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3663.—CAULIFLOWER FRITTERS. (Fr.—Brignets de Chouxfleur.)
Ingredients.—2 large cauliflowers, salt, water (1 tablespoonful of salt to 2 quarts of water), 2 ozs. of butter, 1 teaspoonful of olive oil, 8 dessertspoonfuls of flour, a bunch of parsley, ¼ of a pint of vinegar.
Method.—Trim and cleanse the cauliflowers in the usual way, and half boil them in salt and water. Melt the butter in a little hot water, stir in the flour, oil and salt, making a batter which will run from the spoon; mix lightly with it the whites of 2 eggs well beaten up. Drain the cauliflowers thoroughly, divide them into branches, and shake the branches well in the vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper; then dip them in the batter, and fry in deep fat, taking care that they do not stick to each other. Serve in pyramidal shape, and garnish with some sprigs of parsley.
Time.—½ an hour. Average Cost, 1s. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable in summer.
3664.—CROÛTE AU POT.
Ingredients.—2 quarts of stock (see Pot-au-Feu, No. 3674), 2 carrots, ½ a turnip, 2 or 3 strips of celery, ¼ of a small cabbage, 1 or 2 ozs. of butter, small stale French rolls, 1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley, a pinch of grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash and prepare the vegetables, cut the carrots, turnip and celery into thin slices, and the cabbage into small pieces, and fry them in the butter for 10 minutes. Add the hot stock, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer gently for ½ an hour. Meanwhile, cut the French roll into thin slices, and bake these in a moderate oven until browned on both sides. Place them in a soup tureen, moisten them with a little soup to prevent their floating, and pour the rest of the soup over them. Sprinkle the parsley on the top, and serve.
​Time.—¾ of an hour. Average Cost, 1s. 3d. to 1s. 6d. Sufficent for 9 or 10 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3665.—FRENCH COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP. (Fr.—Potage aux Poireaux.)
Ingredients.—2 sets of fowl giblets, 6 leeks, 3 ozs. of butter, a few rinds of bacon, 3 pints of boiling water, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash the giblets and cut them into small pieces. Trim the leeks, cut them lengthwise into quarters, and then across into pieces 1 inch long. Melt the butter in a stewpan, put in the prepared leeks, cover closely, and let them steam in the hot butter for ½ an hour. Add the boiling water, bacon rinds, a little salt and pepper, and continue to cook slowly for at least 2 hours. When ready remove the bacon rinds, season to taste, and, if necessary, improve the colour by adding a few drops of caramel.
Time.—From 2½ to 3 hours. Average Cost, 1s. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3666.—HARICOT MUTTON. (Fr.—Ragoût or Navarin de Mouton.)
Ingredients.—2 lbs. of neck of mutton, 6 rather small turnips peeled and cut into thick slices, 2 ozs. of butter or good dripping (about), 1 dessertspoonful of flour, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), a small clove of garlic, ½ a pint of boiling water, salt and pepper.
Method.—Divide the mutton into cutlets, and if very fat remove some of it. Heat about ½ the butter or fat in a stewpan, fry the meat quickly until the entire surface is lightly browned; meanwhile sprinkle it with flour so as to make it brown more quickly. When ready, add the boiling water, garlic, bouquet-garni, and a little salt and pepper, cover with a close-fitting lid, and cook very slowly for 1 hour. In the meantime heat the remaining butter, fry the turnips brown, then drain them and put them into the stewpan containing the meat. Continue to cook slowly until both meat and turnips are tender, then pile the meat in the centre of a hot dish, and arrange the pieces of turnip round the base. Skim well to remove some of the fat, then strain the gravy over the meat, and serve.
Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 1s. 10d. to 2s. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3667.—LAMB CUTLETS À LA CONSTANCE. (Fr.—Côtelettes d'Agneau à la Constance.)
Ingredients.—8 or 9 lamb cutlets, 3 ozs. of butter, 18 button mushrooms, 4 fowls' livers, 4 cocks' combs, ⅓ of a pint of Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, No. 177), salt and pepper.
​Method.—Clean and blanch the cocks' combs, rub off the outer skin, let them lie in cold water for 3 or 4 hours, then cut each one into 3 or 4 pieces. Wash and dry the livers, cut them into quarters, and toss them with the mushrooms and cocks' combs in a little hot butter for a few minutes. Add the Béchamel sauce, season to taste, and let the stewpan remain closely covered on the stove while the cutlets are being cooked. Heat the remaining butter in a sauté-pan or frying-pan, fry the cutlets lightly on both sides, then arrange them in a close circle on a hot dish with or without a potato border, as may be preferred. Serve the ragoût in the centre, and strain the sauce round.
Time.—From 3½ to 4½ hours. Average Cost, 5s. to 6s. Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Seasonable from January to October.
3668.—LEG OF MUTTON À LA PROVENCALE. (Fr.—Gigot de Mouton à la Provençale.)
Ingredients.—A leg of mutton of 7 or 8 lbs., lardoons of fat bacon and of ham, a few anchovies, parsley, blanched tarragon, 2 cloves of garlic, thyme, chopped onions, 2 or 3 bay-leaves, coarse pepper, salt, ½ a pint, of olive-oil, 2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar.
Method.—Take a leg of mutton that has hung sufficiently long to make it quite tender, cut off the shank bone, lift the skin partly without injuring it, and lard the leg with the lardoons of bacon and ham, some strips of anchovies, and bits of parsley and blanched tarragon, and, if not objected to, a few strips of garlic. Place in an earthenware pan some thyme, parsley, chopped onions, 2 or 3 bay-leaves, coarse pepper and a little salt, pour over it ½ a pint of olive-oil and the vinegar. Allow the leg of mutton to lie in this marinade 2 or 3 hours, turning it frequently. Then take it out, spread over it the herbs, etc., of the marinade, covering them over with the skin. Wrap up in buttered paper, and roast in front of a brisk fire. Remove the paper, and serve.
Time.—5 to 6 hours. Average Cost, 7s. 6d. to 8s. 6d. Sufficient for 10 or 11 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3669.—MIROTON OF APPLES. (Fr.—Miroton de Pommes.)
Ingredients.—12 medium-sized apples, ½ a lb. of apple marmalade, ½ a lb. of apricot marmalade, ¼ of a lb. of castor sugar, 1 teaspoonful of grated cinnamon, the juice of 2 lemons, 1 wineglassful of brandy.
Method.—Peel, core and slice the apples, sprinkle over them the sugar and cinnamon, pour over the brandy and lemon-juice, and let them soak for 4 hours. When ready, mix the apple and apricot marmalade together, and pile in the centre of a fireproof dish. Drain the slices of apple, arrange them in a pyramidal form round and above the mound ​of marmalade. Bake in a moderate oven for ½ an hour, then sprinkle liberally with castor sugar, and serve.
Time.—5 hours. Average Cost, 2s. 3d. to 2s. 9d. Sufficient for 10 persons. Seasonable from September to April.
3670.—ONION SOUP, BROWN. (Fr.—Potage Soubise Brune.)
Ingredients.—4 medium-sized onions cut into dice, 2 ozs. of butter or 1½ ozs. of good dripping, a few scraps of stale bread cut into small pieces, a few rinds of bacon, the water in which a cauliflower has been cooked.
Method.—Melt the butter in a stewpan, put in the onions, cover closely, and let them cook very slowly for 1 hour. Meanwhile, boil the cauliflower in slightly salted water, drain it, and pour the water over the onions when they are sufficiently cooked. Add the bacon rinds, bread and a little pepper, cover and cook gently for 1 hour, then press the whole through a fine sieve. Replace the soup in the stewpan; if too thin, let it boil rapidly until sufficiently reduced; or if too thick, add a little milk. Re-heat, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—2¼ to 2½ hours. Average Cost, 4d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3671.—ONION SOUP, WHITE. (Fr.—Potage Soubise Blanche.)
Ingredients.—4 medium-sized onions cut into dice, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 pint of milk, ½ a pint of white stock or water, the crumb of 1 or 2 slices of bread, salt and pepper.
Method.—Heat the butter in a stewpan, put in the onions, cover closely, and cook very gently for 1 hour, taking care that they do not acquire the least colour. Then add the bread, milk, stock or water, continue the slow cooking for about ¾ of an hour longer, and rub the whole through a fine sieve. Re-heat, season to taste, and serve.
Time.—From 2 to 2¼ hours. Average Cost, 7d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3672.—ONION SOUP WITH CHEESE. (Fr.—Soupe à l'Oignon au Fromage.)
Ingredients.—4 medium-sized onions cut into dice, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of grated gruyère cheese, 1 pint of milk, ½ a pint of white stock or water, the crumb of 1 or 2 slices of bread, salt and pepper.
Method.—Prepare the soup as directed in the preceding recipe. Re-heat after sieving, add seasoning to taste, and sprinkle in the cheese, ​a little at a time, stirring briskly meanwhile. This soup is in great favour with sportsmen in France.
Time.—From 2 to 2¼ hours. Average Cost, 9d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3673.—PARTRIDGE, STEWED. (Fr.—Perdreaux Étuvés.)
Ingredients.—2 partridges, slices of fat bacon, 4 slices of lemon, 2 small or 1 large carrot sliced, 1 onion sliced, bouquet-garni, 1 glass of white wine, ¾ of a pint of stock, butter, salt and pepper. For the sauce: ¾ of an oz. of butter, ¾ of an oz. of flour.
Method.—Place a piece of butter the size of a small walnut inside each bird, truss them, and cover the breast first with 2 slices of lemon and then with bacon. Have the stock ready heated in a stewpan, put in the prepared birds, vegetables, bouquet-garni, wine and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Cover closely, cook very gently for 1 hour, then remove the bacon and slices of lemon, and brown the breasts of the birds in a moderately hot oven. Meanwhile, the flour should have been cooked in ¾ of an oz. of butter until it acquires a nut-brown colour; now add the strained stock from the stewpan, and stir until it boils. If liked, the birds may be served garnished with crisply-fried straws or thin slices of potato, or a purée of mushrooms or green peas. Serve the sauce separately.
Time.—1½ hours. Average Cost, from 5s. 6d. Sufficent for 2 persons. Seasonable from September to February.
3674.—POT-AU-FEU. (French Family Soup.)
Ingredients.—4 lbs. of brisket of beef, ½ a cabbage, 2 leeks, 1 large onion, 2 carrots, a bouquet-garni (parsely, thyme, bay-leaf), 1 dessertspoonful of chopped parsley, 4 cloves, 12 peppercorns, 1 tablespoonful of salt, ½ a lb. of French bread, 6 quarts of cold water.
Method.—Put the meat and water into a stock pot or boiling pot, let it come gently to boiling point, and skim well. Wash and clean the vegetables, stick the cloves in the onion, tie up the cabbage and leeks, and put all in with the meat. Add the carrots cut into large pieces, the bouquet-garni, peppercorns and salt, and let the whole simmer gently for 4 hours. Just before serving cut the bread into thin slices, place them in a soup tureen, and add some of the carrot, leeks and onion cut into small pieces. Remove the meat from the pot, season the broth to taste, and strain it into the soup tureen. Sprinkle the chopped parsley on the top and serve. The meat and remaining vegetables may be served as a separate course; they may also be used up in some form for another meal. Or the meat and vegetables may be served and the broth put aside and used on the following day as "Croute-au-pot."
​Time.—4 hours. Average Cost, 2s. 4d. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 10 or 12 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3675.—PUMPKIN SOUP. (Fr.—Potage au Potiron.)
Ingredients.—1 lb. of ripe juicy pumpkin, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 pint of boiling milk, 1 small stale French roll very thinly sliced, a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper.
Method.—Cut the pumpkin into rather small pieces, barely cover them with slightly-salted boiling water, boil for 6 or 7 minutes, then drain well, and pass through a sieve or colander. Heat the butter in a stewpan, stir in the pumpkin purée, and let it remain for about 10 minutes. Now add the boiling milk, a pinch of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste, then simmer gently for a few minutes. Place the slices of roll in the soup tureen, pour in the soup, and serve.
Time.—40 minutes. Average Cost, 7d. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3676.—SOLE, BAKED. (Fr.—Sole au Gratin.)
Ingredients.—1 rather large plump sole, 1 tablespoonful of breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoonful of finely-chopped mushrooms, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, ½ a teaspoonful of finely-chopped fat bacon, 1 finely-chopped shallot, 1 glass of white wine, and an equal quantity of good stock, butter, brown breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
Method.—Trim and skin the sole. Mix the breadcrumbs, mushrooms, parsley, bacon, shallot, and a good seasoning of salt and pepper well together. Cover the bottom of a flat silver or fireproof dish rather thickly with butter, over which sprinkle ½ the prepared seasoning, and place the fish on the top of it. Cover with the remainder of the seasoning, sprinkle lightly with brown breadcrumbs, and add a few drops of oiled butter. Pour the wine and stock round the fish, and bake from 15 to 20 minutes in a moderate oven. Serve in the dish in which it has been cooked.
Time.—To cook, 15 to 20 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3677.—SOLE Á LA BLANCHAILLE.
Ingredients.—1 sole, milk, flour, seasoning, frying fat.
Method.—Skin and fillet the fish, cut the fillets into very fine shreds, dip them into milk and then into seasoned flour. Fry in hot fat to a golden brown. Drain and serve.
Time.—20 minutes. Cost, 1s. 3d. to 1s. 9d. Sufficient for 2 persons. Seasonable at any time.