Lesson 2

Lesson 2

Soupe Villageoise (Country Style Vegetable Soup with Vermicelli)

Escalope of Veau Valle d'Auge (Veal Escalopes with Apples and Calvados)

Crème Renversee au Caramel (Crème Caramel)

Whew, I see some challenges before I even start. Calvados? I know a place in Normandy where I can buy it but here? This might take some doing. Charlotte Mould? Do you suppose that a bundt pan or cake pan would work as well? I guess that we will give it a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Veal- yikes! Meat is really hit or miss at our local grocery chain. The butcher appears to be held captive by the whims of a purchasing group higher in the chain of command. A sad shake of the head is all I get when I question the absence of a specific species.

So…for all you vegetable haters out there, this soup might change your mind. Cabbage and leeks- nothing to it and wow, what flavor! If you can get two picky teenage boys to slurp their bowls, you must be doing something right. The veal? The higher powers at the grocery decided to deny this weeks order of veal. Perhaps if I am truly lucky and the butcher whines and pleads, I may get some this weekend.

Ah, the crème caramel. Let me start by saying that the French are always right. Of course there needs to be a special pan with high sides to cook in a water bath…otherwise your dessert slowly drowns, gasping for breath. Fortunately, caught this faux pas before I had to throw the baby out with the bain marie. Cooking the custard proved to be the easy part…the caramel sauce was a bit tricky. Between cooling too rapidly and having crystals form on the side of the pan..well..I may have lost two pots to Neverland- never to be seen again. Despite my "flipping" fears, the crème caramel landed right side up with a perfect caramel glaze…Voila!

Waiting on the veal….fingers tapping… I did locate a bottle of calvados for $75..do I REALLY want to make this dish??

So the veal finally arrived. This is the second time that I have attempted to use this brand of vacuum sealed veal cutlets and both times it is turned out tough as nails. Is it me? Is it the brand, or the cut? Or perhaps, is it as my chef mentor keeps telling me- cut your own meat as you never know the origin of prepackaged meat. Did all slices come from the same animal or even the same cut? These are things that you really need to know because the cooking times and ultimate results vary accordingly. Zut alors..….but the sauce was out of control good! The combination of sauteed mushroom, crème fraiche and the flambéed shallots was glorious. I made my own crème fraiche using equal parts of sour cream and whipping cream- easy and readily available. I can envision this sauce over grilled rib eye steaks- now that would be a meal!

Size of Alice: normal size

Questions: None? No, that can't be right as it is only lesson two. The secret to caramel sauce? Perhaps, but had I read my notes prior to starting, I would have remembered to have on hand a pastry brush dipped in water to constantly wash down the sides of the pan to prevent crystal formation during carmelization.

Technique:

Bain Marie- the technique of cooking in a water bath .get it? Baby and the bath water? Baby and the Bain Marie? Okay, so I don't have a future in comedy. This method is particularly useful for cooking egg dishes. Essentially, you cook the dish in a larger pan filled with water. The water should be halfway up the side of the dish.