Around the World in Eighty Bites - France

Mangez-vous Francais?  Until today, my answer was “Non!”  Honestly, traditional French cooking is not something I’ve cared to experiment with in the past.  I have no true defense for this other than my Italian pride going haywire (“French food is not the end-all and be-all of cooking, and it definitely isn’t better than Italian food!”).  In the past, French cuisine was glorified, and most of the world-famous restaurants followed French culinary tradition.  Ranhofer and Escoffier, two of the preeminent cookbook authors in culinary history, studied in France.  Classic French cuisine has historically been placed on a pedestal and set the standard next to which other cooking was compared.  I do not believe that French cooking should be held in higher regard than Italian cooking, but that being said, I cannot continue to be stubborn and refuse to try new things simply because some folks believe it’s better than my beloved cucina Italiana, especially when I now have readers in France!  New motto - No Cuisine Left Behind.

Since starting this blog, I have branched out and tried new ingredients, new cuisines, and new wines.  Epicurean adventures are my greatest joy in life, and I have eased up on some of my rigid beliefs and my stubborn rejection of anything believed to knock Italy out of the gold medal slot.  No more - it’s time to give France a chance!  Letting go of my culinary prejudice and resentment isn’t difficult when the cuisine in question is known for its excessive use of butter!

When researching French cooking and leafing through recipes, I made a conscious effort to avoid choosing recipes from Provence, which is a region in Southern France very close to Italy, and naturally the cuisines are very similar.  I wanted butter-laced, sauce-drenched French.  The recipes that most inspired me were found in Sarah Leah Chase’s “Pedaling through Burgundy.”  In the book, the author describes the dining experiences she had while biking through France, and I was drawn to her recipe for Baked Oysters in Chablis Cream.  Featuring a rich sauce of butter, heavy cream, and wine, this seemed perfect for my first foray into French cooking.  Naturally, I could not bring myself to follow her recipe without putting my own touch on it, which I accomplished by altering the spices.  I stopped into Mercato del Mare to purchase my oysters.  Rather than using Island Creek oysters, which I typically buy when I serve the oysters raw, I followed Liz and Keri’s suggestion and used Blue Points, which have a deeper “cup” shell.  The flavor of the Blue Points is slightly stronger than the Island Creeks, but they worked well with the sauce, especially when accompanied by a glass of Chablis.

Using many of the same ingredients found in the baked oysters, I made a celeriac (celery root) puree with Chablis, shallots, and green peppercorns.  Green peppercorns in brine can be found in gourmet food markets and better grocery stores.  They are spicy and pungent, but their texture is soft, making it easy to crush them with the flat edge of a knife or puree them in a blender.  They add a surprising kick to mellower flavors without giving off an unpalatable amount of heat, and they are a nice foil to the deep, soft flavor of the celery root.

These two recipes together, although they contain rich ingredients, make a surprisingly light meal.  Either recipe would be perfect for a dinner party followed by a night out!
　
Baked Oysters with Chablis Cream

12 oysters, freshly shucked, in the deep “cup” shell
1 T. butter
1 shallot, minced
½ cup Chablis
½ cup heavy cream
Pinch sea salt
Pinch white pepper
Cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 450. In the meantime, drain any of the juice from the oysters, reserving the juice in a small bowl.  Next, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the minced shallot, cooking for a minute or two until the shallot is soft and translucent.  Once the shallot is cooked, add the Chablis and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the wine is reduced by about half.

Place a fine-meshed sieve over the bowl containing the oysters’ liquid.  Pour the wine and shallot mixture into the sieve, and use a spoon to press out any remaining liquid if necessary.  Reserve the cooked shallots for the Celeriac Puree recipe; return the liquid to the saucepan.

Now, add the cream, sea salt, and white pepper to the saucepan with the wine mixture.  Bring to a boil and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the liquid has again been reduced by about half.  Reduce to very low heat.
Arrange the shucked and drained oysters in a baking dish.  Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of the Chablis cream sauce onto each oyster, then dust with the slightest amount of cayenne pepper.  Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes until the cream begins to turn golden at the edges.

Remove the baking dish from the oven, and using tongs, divide the oysters among serving dishes.  Serve alongside Celeriac Puree with Shallots and Green Peppercorns and glasses of chilled, but not cold, Chablis.
　

　
Celeriac Puree with Shallots and Green Peppercorns

2 medium-sized bulbs celeriac
½ cup Chablis
¼ cup heavy cream
3 T. butter
1 T. minced flat-leaf parsley
1 t. green peppercorns in brine, crushed with the flat edge of a knife
Reserved shallot from Baked Oysters with Chablis Cream recipe
Pinch white pepper
Pinch sea salt

Peel and dice the celeriac bulbs, and place in a large saucepan in steamer basket over approximately 1 inch boiling water.  Steam for 20 minutes, or until very tender.

When the celeriac is tender, remove the cubes from the steamer basket.  Drain the water, remove the steamer basket, and return the celeriac to the pan, along with the Chablis, cream, butter, parsley, and peppercorns.  Using a hand-held potato masher, mash the celeriac cubes until they have the consistency of chunky mashed potatoes.  If you could use a food processor, blender, or potato ricer if you desire a smoother consistency, but I like mine to have texture and substance.

Once the celeriac is mashed to your desired consistency, stir in the reserved shallot, white pepper, and sea salt.  Serve hot, garnished with a sprig of flat-leaf parsley.