Behind the French Menu

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Beef Wellington at the Savoy Grill, Chef Gordon Ramsey.

with horseradish cream and red wine jus.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sackerman519/15322124070 FF

Bœuf Wellington or Filet de Bœuf Wellington - Beef Wellington. The traditional dish requires a whole fillet of beef to be covered with goose foie gras, fattened goose liver, and then to be cooked inside in a puff pastry casing. The finished dish will be cut into slices and served. Today, a whole fillet may still be prepared, but smaller cuts from the center of the fillet are also used; even individual slices from a fillet may be prepared as individual Beef Wellingtons. Outside of a few very special, and expensive restaurants, the goose foie gras will have gone; occasionally it will be replaced by a chicken liver pate though more often with duxelles. The finished slices of beef Wellington will be served with a sauce made of the natural cooking juices and Madeira wine.

Slices of Beef Wellington

Photograph courtesy of Dylan Tweney

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dylan20/11558417535 FF

Before the dish was renamed Bœuf Wellington in the honor of the Iron Duke, Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, (1769-1852), it was Filet de Bœuf en Croute. Most traditions agree that this dish was a French favorite of Arthur Wellesley and he ordered this dish twice or three times a week. The restaurateurs who saw their old customers return through the success of the Iron Duke gave orders for the name change.

Duke of Wellington National Portrait Gallery.

Photograph courtesy of DAVID HOLT

https://www.flickr.com/photos/zongo/12912485334 FF

Despite the Duke of Wellington’s defeat of Napoleon I, and his part in the 25 year-long restoration of the French monarchy, the dish named after him is still served and enjoyed in France. France always had a large percentage of the population who were monarchists and there are those who would bring back Emperor Napoleon today if they could. The Duke spoke French and knew many members of the French aristocracy well. When just 17 the young Arthur Wellesley spent a year at the French Royal Academy of Equitation, the French Royal Horse-Riding school, in the city of Angers; then considered the world’s best riding school. While in Angers the young Arthur Wellesley also improved his knowledge of the French language, enjoyed French cuisine, and met and danced with many French ladies. He also met many of the aristocrats to whom he would restore their positions after he met Napoleon I at Waterloo. Angers in Anjou was also the historical home of the Plantagenêt Kings of England.

The Duke of Wellington’s statue in Edinburgh

Photograph courtesy of dun_deagh

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dun_deagh/14113264131

N.B. Duxelles are nearly a five-hundred-year-old recipe of finely chopped mushrooms, shallots, and herbs cooked in butter. Duxelles are one of the oldest French culinary creations and still on many menus. Duxelles today, as originally, are used a stuffing or as a garnish for egg, fish, and meat dishes and may sometimes be helped along with wine and served with a sauce. The original Duxelles used wild mushrooms as farmed mushrooms did not exist. Today button mushrooms will be used. The original of this simple but famous recipe was created by one of France’s earliest published chefs, Francois Pierre de La Varenne (1618 – 1678). La Varenne named the dish after his employer the Marquis d'Duxelles. His book, Le Cuisinier Francois is still going strong as I have seen a number of editions available at Amazon France with the last published in 2006; English versions are also available. La Varenne did not leave us with just one book; he published at least three more. There are disputes around his ownership of all the recipes, but it is enough to say that the books allow us to look at the French kitchen in the 17th century.

Anjou today.

Photograph courtesy of Alain Rouiller

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alainrouiller/12031034934 FF

Connected Posts:

Anjou and Angevines – Dining in the Maine et Loire, France.

Button Mushrooms - The Champignon de Paris.

En Croûte on French Menus.

Foie Gras in French Cuisine. Foie Gras is Fattened Goose or Duck Liver Foie. Foie Gras on French Menus.

Madeira wine, Vin de Madère and the French Menu.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Aiguillettes de Bœuf

Photograph courtesy of Michael Johnson

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thebusybrain/2885879361/

Aiguillette was originally used for slices of beef, but now will be on menus for slices of chicken, duck and even fish. In any case, read the menu carefully as there is also a cut for roast beef with the name aiguillette.

Aiguillette de Boeuf on your menu will usually indicate slices from a rump steak. N.B. The North American and UK rump steaks do not come from the same cut. In France, a rump steak will be barded while cooking; meaning that it will be tied around with fat to prevent it drying out as naturally this cut has little fat. The result is that French cuts from the rump, when roasted or served as steaks, will usually be tastier than similar cuts at home. The cut used for an aiguillette de bœuf is also the preferred cut for the chopped or ground beef used for a steak tartare.

Aiguillettes on French Menus:

Aiguillettes de Bœuf aux Girolles – Slices of beef served with wild chanterelle mushrooms.

Aiguillettes de Salers Braisée – Braised slices of beef from the Salers breed of cattle. The cows from the Salers breed produce the milk for the famous Cantal and Salers AOC cheeses from the Auvergne. Despite the cow’s fame for their milk, historically they have always been bred both for their milk and their beef.

Sliced duck in red wine, grapes, and thyme

served with asparagus and potatoes.

Photograph courtesy of Alpha.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/4729783387 FF

Aiguillettes (L’) de Rumsteck en Croûte d’Herbes Fraîches –The rumsteck here is covered in herbes and then roasted. You will be served slices. When finding a dish on the menu like this ask more about it Those who do not ask may well be missing out on an excellent meal.

Aiguillettes de Canard – Slices of duck, usually slices of duck breast. Duck breast in French is Magret de Canard.

Aiguillettes de Canard, Sauce Montmorency – Slices of duck breast served with Sauce Montmorency. The sauce is made with Montmorency (sour) cherries made with orange juice, sweet berries, and kirsch. The area of Montmorency, once famous for its cherry orchards, has given its name to a type of sour cherry. Montmorency itself is now a bedroom suburb just 14 kms (9 miles) from the center of Paris.

Aiguillettes de Canard.

Photograph courtesy of Digital Wallpapers

https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalwallpapers/7490021798/ FF

Aiguillette de Saint-Pierre et Crumble de Noisettes, Topinambour Jus de Volaille Acidulé - A fillet of John Dory, the fish, served with a crumble made with hazelnuts, Jerusalem artichokes, and a slightly acidic veal sauce.

Aiguillette de Saumon – Slices of salmon.

Photograph courtesy of Alpha

https://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/4354980706/ FF

Brochette d'Aiguillettes de Volaille Marinées à l'Huile d'Olive and Citron Vert – Skewers of slices of chicken breast marinated in olive oil and lime.

Ris de Veau, Aiguillettes de Poulet, Champignons, Crème, Porto – Veal sweetbreads served with slices of chicken and button mushrooms; accompanied by a cream sauce flavored with Port Wine.

Salade d'Aiguillettes de Canard au Sésame Déglacées au Vinaigre Balsamique de Modène - A salad of slices of duck breast with a sauce made with sesame oil deglazed with Balsamic Vinegar from Modena.

Connected Posts:

Button Mushrooms - The Champignon de Paris. The Mushrooms of France I.

Cantal and Salers; Two of the Best Cheeses From the Auvergne, France.

Chanterelle Mushrooms, the Most Famous Four. Chanterelle Girolle Mushrooms on French Menus.

Citron – The lemon; the fruit behind many of France’s culinary successes. Also the Citron Vert - Lime, the Cedrat – the Citron, the Combava – the kaffir lime and the Chadec - the Pomelo.

Duck Breast- Magret de Canard or Lou Magret.

En Croûte on French Menus.

French Olive Oils. Enjoying France's Best Olive Oils.

Montmorency Cherries on French Menus. Camille Pissarro and Jean-Jacques Rousseau who made the village of Montmorency internationally famous.

Saint-Pierre, that unique fish. John Dory in French Cuisine.

Sweetbreads in French cuisine, Ris de Veau (d'Agneau) on French Menus.

Vinegar, Vinaigrette and Verjus in French Cuisine.