French

A specialty of the southwest of France, cassoulet—named for cassole, the oval earthenware dish in which it was made—is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew made with white beans, meats (most often pork and sausages), and duck or goose confit. The dish is time consuming—it can take an entire day from start to finish—but is manageable when you break it into three tasks, which can be spaced out over a few days. The first step is to prepare Duck Confit (see page 232). Next the beans (which have to be soaked overnight) are cooked on the stove. Then the confit and beans are layered in a pot, along with pork and sausage, and baked for about three hours.

One of the best reasons to make your own basic brown stock is that it means French onion soup from scratch is within easy reach. (You can also make the soup with white beef stock, page 42.) Like many other bistro classics, French onion soup has humble origins as a staple of thrifty households, where a pot of stock—itself born of frugality—was the foundation for many family meals. Even those with limited resources could make soupe a l’oignon since it calls for little else: pounds of inexpensive and readily available onions, a crusty baguette (providing a way to use up day-old bread), and a chunk of sharp Gruyère cheese, grated to turn a little into a lot. Because there are so few components, each one is enhanced in some way to contribute to the final dish. The homemade stock provides both color and robust taste, as well as ensuring a silky consistency. Caramelizing the onions gives them a wonderful sweetness (and more dark brown color). Toasted bread adds a textural note, while gratinéed cheese introduces another pleasing component. Similar to the burnt-sugar shell atop crème brûlée, the molten, golden crown invites tucking into with a spoon. This recipe can be halved, but since the soup freezes well, it is worth making the full amount.

This dark, thick, flavorful reduction adds an inimitable richness to meat stews and braises (one or two cubes is sufficient for boosting the flavor). In classic French cooking, demi glace is made by combining brown veal stock with sauce es pagnol (a veal stock thickened with roux), which is then reduced by half. Because demi glace is rather laborious to make (and a bit heavy for modern palates), so many chefs use this straight reduction of stock (without the espagnol) instead. (Julia Child called it a “semi-demi glace.”) This simplified method results in a lighter-bodied sauce, or glaze. To make glace de poulet, substitute veal stock with brown chicken stock.

Rocher is the name of a classic French candy made with almonds that has an irregular shape. I’ve added coconut to the mix, a variation often found in French chocolate shops.

Passion fruit has a sweet/tart flavor that is unique. It transports me to the tropics with every taste. It can be time-consuming to get the juice from passion fruit, so I recommend using frozen passion fruit concentrate, which can be found in some specialty markets or through some of the sources listed at the back of this book.

It’s easy to grow lemon verbena in a pot inside or in the garden. The leaves themselves are bitter and unpleasant to eat, but when infused into cream, the sweet lemony flavor is a perfect pairing with white chocolate.

White chocolate and apricot complement each other perfectly. The addition of apricot brandy or Cointreau gives these truffles a special zip.

Lime zest, cream of coconut, and white chocolate are blended together to create a scrumptious flavor in these truffles. Cream of coconut is sold in cans, and is available in the baking or specialty foods section of most supermarkets, or in large liquor stores. Be sure to stir the cream of coconut thoroughly before using.

The pungent flavor of crystallized ginger blends perfectly with the richness of white chocolate. These truffles have a slightly granular texture, which adds to the pleasure of eating them.

Top-quality Scotch whisky, like Glenfiddich, is smooth and very tasty. When it’s combined with raisins and dark chocolate, the result is flavor heaven.

You can make this sauce up to 2 days ahead; press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate.

This pastry dough may be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost by refrigerating overnight or letting stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

This recipe make 1 1/2 times Martha’s Perfect Pâte Brisée (recipe page 647).

The pie dough may be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated, well wrapped in plastic, or frozen, up to 1 month.