World Recipes

Brioche

This has a tender crust and a feathery interior.

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 egg white
1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixer bowl. Add sugar, salt 4 eggs, egg white, butter and 2 cups of the flour. Beat on low speed, scraping bowl constantly, for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape batter from side of bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour.

Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Stir down batter which will be soft and slightly sticky. Divide batter into halves. Cover and refrigerate one half until ready to use. Shape 1/4 of the batter into a ball on lightly floured surface. Shape remaining 3/4 batter into a 3 1/2-inch flattened round. Repeat with refrigerated batter.

Grease two 5-cup brioche pans or two 1 1/2-quart ovenproof bowls. Place large rounds in pans, patting to fit. Make indentation about 2 inches in diameter in center of each; Place smaller balls in indentations. Cover and let rise until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water slightly; brush over tops. Do not let egg-yolk mixture accumulate around edges of pans. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Immediately remove from pans.

Individual Brioches
Grease 24 individual brioche pans or 2 1/2 x 1 1/4-inch muffin cups. Divide chilled batter into halves; refrigerate one half. Shape remaining half into a 7 1/2-inch long roll. Cut into 15 slices about 1/2 inch thick.

Working quickly with floured hands (batter will be soft and slightly sticky), shape 12 of the slices into balls; place in pans. Flatten and make a deep indentation in center of each. Cut each of the remaining 3 slices into 4 equal parts. Shape each part into a small ball; place a ball in each indentation. Repeat with refrigerated batter. Cover and let rise until double, about 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water slightly; brush over tops. Do not let egg-yolk mixture accumulate around edges of pans. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately remove from pans.

Braised Beef with Aspic and Marinated Vegetables (Boeuf, la Mode en Gele)

This is great for a summer brunch or buffet main course.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds beef rolled rump roast
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 envelope unflavored gelatine
2 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon
1 cup dry red wine
Marinated Vegetables

Heat oil in Dutch oven until hot. Cook beef over medium heat until brown on all sides; drain. Add 1/2 cup water; sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate beef and broth separately at least 8 hours.

Sprinkle gelatine over 2 tablespoons water in saucepan; stir in bouillon and wine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until gelatine is dissolved. Remove from heat. Skim fat from broth; add enough cold water to broth to measure 1 cup. Stir into gelatine mixture. Place pan with gelatine mixture in bowl of ice and water; stir until mixture begins to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove string from beef; trim fat. Cut beef into very thin slices; arrange on large platter. Coat entire surface of beef with small amount of gelatin mixture. Pour any remaining mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Cover and refrigerate beef and gelatine mixture no longer than 24 hours. Prepare Marinated Vegetables.

Arrange vegetables around beef. Cut aspic in loaf dish into small diamonds or squares; arrange around beef or serve separately.

Yields 10 to 12 servings.

Marinated Vegetables
8 medium carrots
1 pound green beans
1 (16 ounce) can whole onions, drained
2/3 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cut carrots into 2-inch pieces, rounding the edges so that they resemble baby carrots, if desired. Cover and cook carrots and beans in 1-inch boiling salted water, using 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup water, in separate saucepans until tender; beans 15 to 20 minutes, carrots 20 to 25 minutes; drain.

Arrange cooked vegetables and onions in separate sections in shallow glass dish. Shake remaining ingredients in tightly covered jar; pour over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate, spooning marinade over vegetables occasionally, at least 2 hours.

French Onion Soup

Posted by swm56 at recipegoldmine.com April 30, 2001

This is a recipe from a very good French cook we spent a few years with, and the best French onion soup I have ever had.

3 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups consomme
4 cups water
1/4 cup boiled milk
1/4 pound grated Swiss cheese
6 dried slices French bread
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons melted butter

In heavy skillet, cook onions in butter until slightly brown. Sprinkle with flour and cook over low heat until golden, never allowing them to become dark brown. Add consomme and water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, then simmer gently for 20 minutes, uncovered.

Add milk. Pour into ovenproof casserole or individual bowls. Place slices of bread on top, sprinkle generously with cheese. Brown quickly under broiler flame.

Serves 4 to 6.

French Beef Stew

Posted by liz at recipegoldmine.com April 29, 2001

2 pounds beef (chuck, rump or brisket), trimmed,
    cut 2-inch pieces
4 cups red wine
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 clove garlic
4 tablespoons butter
4 ounces thick bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper
12 small pearl onions
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
12 mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons soft butter mixed with 2 tablespoons flour
Chopped parsley

In a large bowl combine beef chunks, wine, bay leaf, cloves, onion and garlic. Toss together to coat meat, cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours.

In a large heavy pot, melt butter and cook off bacon until just crispy and set aside to drain.

Scoop beef from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Toss in a bowl with flour to coat. Shake off excess flour. Add the floured beef to the pot and cook until nicely browned. Stir in the onion and garlic from the marinade, as well as the thyme, stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Peel the pearl onions and trim off a little bit of the root end. Melt butter in a small skillet and add pearl onions. Toss to coat and pour in 1/4 cup of water and cover. Simmer until tender. Uncover and allow liquid to evaporate. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon sugar and shake pan over medium heat until onions begin to brown and caramelize. Season with salt and pepper.

In another skillet melt 3 tablespoons butter and cook mushrooms until golden brown. Stir in crispy bacon bits and season with salt and pepper.

When the beef is tender, remove meat with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Simmer sauce until thickened and stir in flour/butter mixture to help thicken. Season sauce to taste. Return beef to pot and bring stew to a boil. Serve hot with boiled potatoes, pearl onions, mushrooms and garnish with chopped parsley.

French Pepper Steaks

Posted by swm56 at recipegoldmine.com April 30, 2001

4 beef tenderloins, 1 1/2 inches thick
3 tablespoons cognac or brandy
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 pint heavy cream

Grind Lots of pepper into a dish, sprinkle in tarragon. Press tenderloins in dish and grind more pepper on top. Press in with flat of knife.

In a hot skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter and brown meat on both sides. Turn and cook about 3 minutes more for rare (or cook more to your preference). Remove to a platter and turn heat to low. Add remaining butter, melt and add brandy slowly, letting brand cook out and scraping brown bits. Add cream, mix in well and season to taste. Pour sauce over tenderloins.

Beef Burgundy

Posted by LladyRusty at recipegoldmine.com 2/14/2002 12:37 pm

3 pounds beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch squares
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 sliced onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cup mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon thyme
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 bottle Burgundy wine (750ml)
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour

Brown meat in olive oil in 5-quart Dutch oven. Add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, bay leaf, thyme, Worcestershire and pepper. Add wine and water.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 2-3 hours or until meat is tender. In bowl, blend together flour and butter. Stir into stew mixture. Heat to boiling. Then simmer until thickened.

Servings: 8

Croissants

Posted by artsycook at recipegoldmine.com

These take some time but are worth the effort!

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
1 egg , beaten
Poppy seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, add yeast. Sprinkle with salt and sugar. Add water and stir until yeast is dissolved.

Add 1 egg and flour, a little at a time (save some flour for rolling dough), kneading until smooth and satiny. Put dough onto floured surface and fold to a square, about 1/2-inch thick.

Slice butter thinly and cover half of the dough with sliced butter. Fold other half of dough over and Press together. Roll dough out again lightly to a rectangle. Fold into thirds and let dough rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Repeat step 3 twice and let dough rest between rollings.

Roll dough out to a rectangle, 8 x 20 inches, and cut out 5 to 10 squares. Divide each into a triangle by cutting diagonally. Starting at the base, roll each to form a croissant. Fold tips of croissants slightly. Put on baking sheets and let rise, covered in a warm place for about 20 minutes.

Brush croissants with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds, if used, Bake at 425 degrees F for 8 to 13 minutes, depending on the size. Even though it is a little more time consuming, these croissants are worth the wait! This recipe is even better than most store-bought ones.

This makes 10 large or 20 small croissants so you might want to make a double batch.

Bouquet Garni

4 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

Put into a cheesecloth bag or place in a tea ball.