Pierre And Michel Troisgross Zucchini Chutney Recipes

PIERRE AND MICHEL TROISGROS'S ZUCCHINI CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Thoroughly peel the lemons, discarding all the peel and the white pith. Cut the lemons into thin slices and discard the seeds.
• Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for one hour. Stir the mixture from time to time to make sure it does not burn. The chutney should have the consistency of a marmelade.
• Serve as an accompaniment to grilled meats, fish or roast poultry. The chutney is also good served cold.

CARROTS PROVENCAL

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the oil over moderately high heat. When the oil is hot, add the carrots, stir to coat with oil and reduce the heat to moderate. Cover and braise for 20 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Add the garlic, season with salt, stir and continue cooking over low heat until the carrots are almost caramelized and the garlic is soft and tender, about 15 minutes more.
• Sprinkle with the olives, stir and taste for seasoning. Serve hot or at room temperature.

PIERRE'S SALMON WITH SORREL

Steps:

• Choose the thickest center section of the fish. Using a flexible boning knife, cut apart the two fillets, and carefully remove skin.
• With pliers, pull out the tiny bones hiding in the center of the flesh. They can be found by running fingers against the grain of the fish. Divide the fillets in half horizontally to make four pieces weighing about 6 ounces each.
• Lightly oil two pieces of parchment paper with peanut oil. Lay one piece of parchment on a flat surface. Place fish on parchment. Top with second piece of parchment. With a wooden mallet or the side of a cleaver, gently flatten so each fillet is of equal thickness.
• In a medium saucepan, combine fish stock and shallots. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to a glaze, 10 to 15 minutes. Add wine and vermouth, and continue to cook until bright and syrupy, about 3 minutes. Add creme fraiche, and boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Pass through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pan.
• Add sorrel, and cook for 25 seconds. Remove from heat. Add butter a little at a time, swirling or stirring with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated (be sure not to break up sorrel leaves). Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season salmon on one side (the less presentable side) with salt and pepper. Place in pan, seasoned side up. Cook 25 seconds, turn, and cook 15 seconds more. The salmon must be undercooked to preserve its tenderness (it will continue to cook in the finished sauce).
• Distribute sauce among four large plates. Place salmon, seasoned side down, on plates. Season with salt. Serve immediately.

MADAME MOURIERE'S CASSOULET

Steps:

• Prepare the confit, or preserved duck. This can be done weeks in advance or the same day if desired. To reduce the amount of time the dish takes, it is best to make it at least a day ahead.
• The day before the cassoulet will be served prepare the beans. Rinse them well and pick them over to eliminate tiny stones. Put them in a Dutch oven or large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cover and remove from the heat. Allow to sit 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another large saucepan cover the fresh pork rind or bacon with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer for several minutes, rinse, drain and set aside. This is done to remove the salt, which would have a toughening effect on the beans.
• By this time the beans should have swollen. Discard the liquid (to help make the beans more digestible), rinse the beans and cover them again with cold water. Add the bay leaves, thyme, and drained pork rind or bacon and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil vigorously for about 45 minutes to one hour, or until the beans are quite well-cooked but still a bit firm. Add the carrots and additional boiling water if necessary and cook an additional 15 minutes, or just until the carrots are cooked. The mixture should not be too dry. Remove from the heat, stir in a tablespoon salt and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In a very large frying pan melt three tablespoons goose fat (or butter). Add the sausages all in a single coil, if you can, and cook them over medium heat for about 12 minutes on one side, about 6 minutes on the other side. (Remember which side was cooked for the shorter time. When the cassoulet is assembled, you will place the sausage with the less cooked side down, so the remaining fat will soak into the bean mixture.) You need not prick the sausage. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.
• In the same saucepan, add an additional three tablespoons goose fat (if necessary) to cook the confit. If the confit was made ahead, let it come to room temperature to soften the fat and remove all of the confit pieces, wiping off the fat as you remove them. Now saute the pieces of confit over medium-high heat until the skin is very crisp and turns a rich, deep brown. Baste off the fat as necessary. The duck should cook about five to 10 minutes on each side. Remove from the frying pan, drain and set aside.
• Remove the bean mixture from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In the same frying pan, add two tablespoons goose fat (if necessary) and cook the onions over high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the liquid and a clove garlic and cook until the mixture is fairly dry, or about 30 minutes. The mixture should be a rich, deep red. Combine the bean and carrot mixture with the tomato and onion mixture.
• Remove the bones from the duck confit and cut the duck into large chunks without removing the skin.
• Assemble the cassoulet in a large, earthenware casserole. An oval casserole measuring 12 by 17 by 3 inches deep is a perfect size for this recipe. Rub the inside of the casserole with one clove of garlic and discard the garlic. Layer in this order: a single layer of the bean mixture, using about a third of it. Cover this with the cutup pieces of duck. Add a second layer of the bean mixture. Add the sausages in one layer with less-cooked side down. Add the last layer of beans. Finally, add the bread-crumb mixture. Be sure there is at least half an inch of growing space between the bread crumbs and the rim of the casserole.
• Place in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the crust is golden and firm. Serve immediately.

ZUCCHINI CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Peel zucchini and discard any large seeds; chop into small pieces (about 5 cups). Finely chop apple, onion and green pepper; place in a Dutch oven along with zucchini and remaining ingredients. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, over medium heat until thick, about 45-55 minutes, stirring often. Cool. Ladle into jars; cover and refrigerate.

FLAMICHE AUX POIREAUX (LEEK TART)

Steps:

• In a food processor, process the flour, butter and salt until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. Add three tablespoons of water and process for three seconds. Pinch the dough, and if it does not hold together, add additional water and process for several more seconds. Be careful not to overmix. The dough should not form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead, just until it forms a ball. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Roll out the dough to line a 10 1/2-inch tart pan. Carefully transfer the dough to the pan. Chill for another 30 minutes, or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Trim the leeks at the root. Cut off and discard the fibrous, dark green portion. Split the leeks lengthwise for easier cleaning and rinse in cold water until no grit appears. Coarsely chop the leeks.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, add the leeks, salt and pepper and cook, covered, until the leeks are very soft, about 20 minutes. They should not brown.
• If the leeks have given up an excessive amount of liquid, drain them in a colander. Combine the eggs and creme fraiche in a medium-size bowl, mixing until thoroughly blended. Add the leeks and mix again. Reserve a quarter cup each of the cheese and the ham to sprinkle on top of the tart. Mix the rest into the leek mixture.
• Pour the leek mixture into the prepared tart tin. Sprinkle with the ham, then the cheese. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake until nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FRIED OYSTERS WITH CREAMY TARTAR SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oil to 280 degrees.
• Cut the leek into very, very thin matchsticks about three inches long and as thin as possible. In several batches, drop the leek slices into the oil and fry until golden brown, about four to five minutes. The oil should not be too hot or the leeks will fry too quickly and burn. Drain on paper towels and set aside. This can be done up to two hours in advance.
• Open the oysters, reserve the oyster liquor and strain it to remove any portions of shell or sand. Place the liquor in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the oysters, poach them for just 30 seconds and drain, again reserving the liquor. When the oysters and the liquor have cooled, combine them again, to keep the oysters moist and plump. This can be done up to two hours in advance.
• Prepare three plates for coating the oysters: one with the flour, one with the eggs and egg yolks whisked together, and a third with the fresh bread crumbs.
• To prepare the tartar sauce, combine the cornichons, capers, mustard, paprika and parsley. Whip the creme fraiche or heavy cream until stiff. Carefully fold the cornichon mixture into the cream. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Heat the oil to 375 degrees.
• Drain the oysters and dredge them, one at a time, in the flour. Dip them into the egg mixture, then dredge them in the bread crumbs. Fry the oysters, three or four at a time, until nicely browned, about one minute. Between batches, check that the oil temperature remains steady.
• To serve, place the oysters on a platter, top with a nest of fried leeks and place a spoonful of tartar sauce alongside.