1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (17 page)

1 cup kirsch

Pinch each of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves

For the bread dough

1 envelope instant dry yeast

2 to 3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

1 teaspoon salt

Butter, for greasing the bowl and baking sheet

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

1.
Prepare the fruit filling: About 12 hours before you plan to bake the bread, place the pears, prunes, and figs in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Let the water come to a simmer over moderate heat and cook the fruit
until it softens slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the fruit, let it cool a bit, then cut it into slim strips. Place the strips of fruit in a large mixing bowl.

2.
Rinse the golden and black raisins under warm running water. Drain the raisins well, then coarsely chop them. Add the raisins to the fruit strips along with the hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, sugar, kirsch, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix well, cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap, and let it stand at room temperature overnight.

3.
Make the bread dough: Pour 1½ cups of cool water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set the bowl in a warm place until the yeast mixture begins to foam, 5 to 8 minutes.

4.
Using an electric mixer, beat 2 cups of the flour and the salt into the yeast mixture. Beat in as much of the remaining flour as the batter will take (the dough should be stiff but pliable). Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead it until smooth and slightly blistered, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it loosely with a cotton dish towel, and set the bowl in a warm, draft-free corner until it has doubled in bulk, about 1½ hours. Punch the risen dough down and place it on a floured work surface.

5.
Turn the fruit mixture out on the dough. Fold the dough over the fruit, using both hands; fold, refold, and knead the fruits into the dough until well distributed. Shape the dough into a loaf about 10 inches long and 3 or 4 inches wide and place it on a buttered baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

6.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

7.
Brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg yolk and bake it until the crust is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

8.
Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool. When cool, wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

Where:
In Colmar, France
, Pâtisserie Jean, 33/3-89-41-24-63,
mulhaupt.fr
.
Tip:
The flavor develops best if the loaf is not cut for 24 hours.

This succulent poached beef dish, with its juicy, rosy meat and rich broth, remains one of the cherished specialties of Cartet, a bistro that began in the true French tradition of the
mère
or mother restaurant. Although the original
mère
, the late Madame Cartet, is long gone, the current owner-chef continues with much of her menu.

High on the list of favorites is still
boeuf à la ficelle.
To make it, a length of top sirloin trimmed of all fat is snugly tied with strings attached to the two handles of a pot; this arrangement keeps the meat evenly suspended in a stock strengthened with leeks, onions, celery, carrots, and a bouquet garni. Lightly poached so that the interior remains a glistening rose-pink and the meat emerges fork-tender, it is sliced and sauced with either a pungent blend of olive oil, Dijon mustard, capers, chopped parsley, and chives; or a creamy froth of freshly grated horseradish folded into whipped crème fraîche. Boiled potatoes and a splash of the beef stock make a perfect foil for meat and sauce.

It’s a wonder that this supreme elevation of poached beef has not spawned a revival complete with showmanship: bringing the pot into the dining room and ladling stock at tableside.

Where:
In Paris
, Restaurant Cartet, tel 33/1-48-05-17-65.
Further information and recipes:
The New Making of a Cook
by Madeleine Kamman (1997);
splendidtable.org
(search boeuf a la ficelle);
latimes.com
(search boeuf a la ficelle).

Say it’s a boiling-hot day and you’re starved for something solid, yet cannot face the prospect of steaming-hot food. If you have lived right and are lucky, you will be offered a glistening oval of cold, clear bronze aspic encasing a tender, rich slice of chilled braised beef. The aspic will be ornamented with flower designs cut from tarragon leaves; carrots, onions, or perhaps sweet red peppers as petals; and dots of black olives or even truffles.

This triumph of the garde-manger (the chef in charge of cold food) requires lengthy and patient preparation, beginning with the braising of the beef, done in the style of a daube: A whole piece of beef (chuck, rump, first-cut brisket) is marinated and simmered in red wine heightened with thyme, bay leaves, garlic, bacon, a hint of brandy, and, for its gelatinous properties, a veal knuckle bone or a calf’s foot. The tedious part begins after the beef has melted to succulent tenderness and is allowed to cool, unsliced. The stock in which the beef was simmered must then be painstakingly clarified—strained and brought to a boil no fewer than three times. Between each boiling, it must be chilled for twelve to twenty-four hours, or until the fat rises to the top and solidifies for ease of removal. When the sauce is nearly crystal clear, it is finally ready to be poured into a mold or pan to be decorated with a tiny flower-like bouquet of vegetables and inlaid with the sliced beef before being sent off for its final chilling session. It’s a far cry from the convenience-biased American aspics of the 1950s.

Although
boeuf en gelée
is most elegant when molded in individual forms, the dish can also be made in a large pan and sliced just before serving (but only if the whole dish will be eaten at once—when cut, the gel will leak and the pretty arrangement will melt away like April snow). A cool string bean salad with a tarragon vinaigrette dressing makes for a lovely and traditional accompaniment, as do some good French bread and a glass of chilled rosé.

Further information and recipe:
French Provincial Cooking
by Elizabeth David (1999);
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1
, by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck (1961).

Robust red Burgundy wine is this meal’s star.

If you think of beef stew as a somewhat mundane dish that is characteristically short on finesse, you have probably never tried the authentic, richly complex creation of France’s Burgundy region. It is one of many country dishes that rely on
wine (preferably Burgundy’s own lusty red) to tenderize tough meat, with a flavor that is further enhanced by such savory additions as onions, garlic, shallots, thyme, and perhaps even carrots, mushrooms, and a sunny strip of dried orange peel “to taste.”

All of the above simmer long and gently, developing slowly until the meat is fork-tender and the juices have coalesced into a rich, dark sauce. The cooked stew is further improved if it is allowed to mellow, covered, in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours before being reheated and served. Although the marinating makes this a lengthy process, skip this step at your own peril. The time and care the dish requires are well spent—it’s a delectable stew that makes the most of economical cuts of beef, and it can be made in quantity and held for a week in the refrigerator or a month in the freezer.

Serves 4 to 6

2½ pounds lean beef chuck, cut into 1½-inch cubes

1½ to 2 cups good but not extravagant red Burgundy or Côtes-du-Rhône wine

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 2 tablespoons minced parsley, for sprinkling over the potatoes

1½ teaspoons thyme

1 large bay leaf

4 or 5 black peppercorns, crushed

2 slices bacon, diced

10 pearl onions, peeled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup brandy

1 cup beef stock

2 shallots, peeled and lightly crushed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

1 strip (about 2 inches long and 1½ inches wide) orange peel, dried in the oven at 325°F for 8 to 10 minutes

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter

About 10 large white mushroom caps, wiped with a damp paper towel and thickly sliced

8 to 12 small new potatoes, boiled and peeled, for serving

1.
Place the beef in a large glass or ceramic bowl and add enough wine to cover it. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the chopped onion, garlic, 2 sprigs of parsley, ½ teaspoon of the thyme, the bay leaf, and crushed peppercorns, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the beef marinate at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, or in the refrigerator for 6 to 7 hours. If you are marinating the beef in the refrigerator, remove it 30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.

2.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderate heat in a heavy 2-quart pot or Dutch oven, preferably of enameled cast iron or another nonreactive material. When the oil is hot, add the bacon and cook until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

3.
Add the small white onions to the hot fat and cook over low heat until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes, shaking the pot frequently so the onions brown evenly. Transfer the onions to a bowl and set them aside.

4.
Remove the marinated beef from the bowl
and pat it dry thoroughly with paper towels. Strain the marinade, discarding the solids, and set the marinade aside. Increase the heat to medium, then add the beef a few pieces at a time to the hot fat, browning them on all sides. Transfer the pieces of beef to a separate bowl as they brown, adding more to the pot until all of the beef is browned. Do not crowd the pot, or the beef will steam and not brown.

5.
Return all of the browned beef to the pot and season it with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the flour. Cook the beef over low heat, stirring gently but constantly with a wooden spoon, until the flour is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

6.
Add the brandy to the pot and, as it simmers, use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Let the brandy boil briskly until it evaporates. Pour the strained marinade into the pot along with the beef stock, shallots, the remaining 2 sprigs of parsley, 1 teaspoon of thyme, and the dried orange peel. Cover the pot tightly and let simmer gently until the beef is almost tender, about 2 hours.

7.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the mushrooms and cook them until they give up their liquid and turn golden, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pot along with the reserved onions and drained bacon pieces.

8.
Cover the pot and let the meat simmer over low heat until it is thoroughly fork-tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the stew stand for about 10 minutes, then skim the grease off the surface. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper as necessary. Return the pot to the stove and let the stew come to a boil just before serving.

9.
Serve the stew with the boiled new potatoes sprinkled with the minced parsley and, of course, a good red Burgundy wine. Any other kind would be blasphemy.

Where:
In Dijon
, Brasserie B9, tel 33/3-80-38-32-02,
brasserie-b9.com
;
in New York
, La Grenouille, tel 212-752-1495,
la-grenouille.com
;
in Greenwich, CT
, Versailles, tel 203-661-6634,
versaillesgreenwich.com
;
in Great Falls, VA
, L’Auberge Chez François, tel 703-759-3800,
laubergechezfrancois.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1
, by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck (1961);
The Food of France
by Waverley Root (1992);
foodandwine.com
(search beef stew in red wine sauce);
epicurious.com
(search boeuf bourguignon 2001).