Siri Mitchell: Chateau of Echoes

Ragoût-A dish combing two cooking methods: browning and simmering. The food is first browned, and then slowly simmered in an aromatic liquid. Flour is used as a thickening agent.

Ratatouille-A ragoût of vegetables originating from Nice in southern France, it includes onions, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants seasoned with garlic, olive oil, bay leaf, and thyme. Ratatouille is often used as an accompaniment for meats. It may be served hot or cold.

Rillettes-A spread traditionally made from pork or goose cooked in its own grease. It may be spread on grilled bread as an hors d’oeuvre, used as an ingredient in canapés, or used to make sandwiches. Rillettes from the area of Tours are darker and of finer texture than those from Mans or Sarthe in southern France. A stamp of qualité supérieure on the jar notes a product with less fat than a rillettes traditionnelles .

Roquefort-A blue cheese and the first cheese in France to be given an AOC, which controls the place, method of fabrication, and quality of the product. Roquefort is ripened in natural caves in Mont Combalou in the commune of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon for at least three months, but generally from four to nine months.

Salade composées-A salad served as an appetizer that has been artfully arranged on individual plates and that generally uses a wide variety of ingredients such as meat, liver, shellfish, foie gras, lettuce, potatoes, apples, mushrooms, etc.

Sauce béarnaise-A sauce made of egg yolks, butter, and lemon and seasoned with shallots, tarragon, chervil, thyme, bay leaf, white wine vinegar, and white wine. This sauce should be made just before serving and should obtain the consistency of mayonnaise.

Saumur-champigny-From the Anjou-Saumur region of the Loire Valley, this wine is a light, lively red with notes of red currant and is made from a blend of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon grapes. It may be produced in any of nine communes within the Saumur-Champigny district. Wines carrying this designation must be aged at least a year. This wine is a good accompaniment for duck.

Sauternes-A white dry, sweet wine from the Sauternes, Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, or Preignac subregions of Bordeaux. The best come from Sauternes and Barsac. Made from a blend of sémillon and sauvignon blanc grapes, a later harvest in fall allows the development of mold on the fruit, which dehydrates them, thereby concentrating the sugar in the juice. Due to the concentration of sugar, the fermentation process may require up to a year, after which it is aged for at least two years in a cask.

Sorbets-An iced dessert made from sugar syrup and a fruit purée or fruit juice, wine, or alcohol. A sorbet recipe may also incorporate a meringue to give volume to the mixture.

Sorbet des agrumes-A sorbet of citrus fruits, including oranges, grapefruit, mandarins, clémentines, lemons, kumquat, Satsuma, and tangelos.

Tagliatelle-Fettucine. Made from egg dough, this pasta is formed into large ribbons; the pasta may be colored green with the addition of spinach to the dough.

Terrine-Traditionally, a pâté to be served sliced made with pork, fowl, or game. Currently, the term is also applied to molded dishes made with fish, shellfish, or vegetables, which often use gelatin to bind the ingredients.

Three-star restaurant-France’s Michelin company rates restaurants each year on two scales: luxury and quality of food. The luxury scale rates from one to five crossed knives and forks; the food scale rates from one to three stars. There were only ten three-star restaurants in Paris in 2003. Restaurants are rated by Michelin’s anonymous critics who note such things as food quality, setting, decor, restrooms, linens, service, kitchen, and wines. A three-star restaurant must have exceptional cuisine, superb food, fine wines, and faultless service that make it worth a special journey to visit.

Tourte bourguignon-A meat pie made with beef, onions, carrots, bacon, mushrooms, and tomato paste and flavored with a bouquet garni, garlic, and red burgundy wine.

Veal marsala-Veal cooked in marsala dessert wine from Sicily and seasoned with sage.

My friend Kerrie Hecker created these recipes especially for the readers of this book. I met Kerrie when I was living in Paris. While I was working a desk job, she was having five times the fun taking courses at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris . In March 2000, she graduated with the grand diplome, cuisine and pastry, with honors. For the past seven years, she’s been teaching cooking classes from her home.

Roasted Peppers with Goat’s Cheese

STARTER COURSE

8 servings:

4 large red peppers (green are not suitable)

9 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

400 g (1 lb.) soft, round goat’s cheese (cylindrical for you to cut or precut rounds). Most common is Crottin de Chavignol .

Freshly milled black pepper, salt

1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, washed and dried

2 T. balsamic vinegar (optional)

Pine nuts (optional)

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F.

2. Wash the peppers, cut them in half, even the stem, trying to keep a part of the stem on each side. Keeping part of the stem is optional, but it helps to keep the shape of the pepper as it cooks. Remove the seeds and membranes. Drizzle 1 T. olive oil in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold them without overlapping or layering. Place the peppers open side up in the baking dish.

3. Peel the garlic and slice them thinly and divide the slices equally among the peppers.

4. Drizzle 1 T. of olive oil over each pepper, and salt and pepper each as well.

5. Place the baking dish in the center of the oven on the highest shelf. Bake for roughly 50 min. to 1 hr. You don’t want the peppers to burn, but you want a nice roasted, nutty color and flavor. Remove from the oven and place roughly 50 g (2 oz.) of soft goat’s cheese in the middle of each pepper. Return to the oven until cheese is warm and slightly bubbly.

6. Depending on the size of each pepper half and how hungry your guest is, each guest should get one to two pepper halves on an individual plate. Be sure to give each serving plenty of the pan juices, ensuring all guests get some of the warm oil and roasted garlic slices. For each serving, drizzle ½ T. balsamic vinegar over the peppers and sprinkle with basil leaves and pine nuts. Serve warm or at room temp. Focaccia bread would go well with this dish to soak up all the lovely juices.

Grilled Salmon with Asparagus, Balsamic, & Parmesan

MAIN COURSE

4 people:

4 pieces skinless/boneless salmon, each weighing 50 g (2 oz.)

20 spears green asparagus, medium thickness

3 T. unsalted butter

1 T. olive oil

3 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. lemon juice

Wedge of parmesan

PREPARATION:

1. Clean salmon by rinsing with cold water. Pat dry with paper towel. Lay salmon flat in the hand so it bends on either side of the hand. Check for bones by running your finger against the grain of the salmon. If you find any bones, pull them out in the same direction they’re sticking out. Pat dry with paper towel. Grill either on an outdoor grill until no longer raw or broil in an oven, roughly 15 minutes at 400 F. Keep warm.

2. Take 20 spears of green asparagus; wash thoroughly and dry. Hold each asparagus toward the end/base of the stalk and bend it until it breaks. This causes the asparagus to break off at the point of freshness. To make a neater presentation, cut off ends close to where they broke, and furthermore, cut all to be the same length. In a sauté pan, heat 2 T. unsalted butter plus 1 T. olive oil. Sauté asparagus over medium heat until slightly browned, roughly 10 minutes. Lower the heat and sprinkle 1 T. balsamic vinegar over the asparagus and heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and place asparagus in a heat-proof bowl covered with aluminum foil to keep warm.