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It’s actually the original green cuisine. By Denise Marchessault
Rebecca Wellmam
Spring vegetables in a Court-Bouillon
rench cuisine: too rich, too much butter, far too heavy, bad for the heart. I’ve heard all FForthe clichés. some, the image of stodgy, artery-clogging French food still persists. I suspect people who complain about French food may be suffering from some sort of post-traumatic restaurant experience. We’ve all had them. I was in my twenties travelling in London, England, when I had the opportunity to dine at a swank restaurant in the renowned Savoy Hotel. It was my first fine dining experience and I ordered what I thought I could pronounce without too much embarrassment: Lobster Thermador (lobster smothered in a rich cream sauce, enriched with egg yolks and cheese). I don’t remember much about the meal, but I clearly remember how ill I felt immediately afterwards. I barely made it to the hotel lobby before breaking out in a cold sweat and collapsing in front of my stunned companions. I didn’t try lobster again for about 20 years. But I digress … Fortunately, the era of heavy French food was all but abolished decades ago by a group of renegade chefs who denounced heavy cuisine, and dodgy Lobster Thermador-type dishes, in favour of a lighter, healthier, more vibrant cuisine. In fact, a strict set of rules coined the “Ten Commandments” defined the lighter fare: thou shall not serve artery-clogging heavy sauces;
[Denise’s recipe for Spring vegetables in a Court-Bouillon can be found at www.eatmagazine.ca/recipe
liquid assets
IN DEFENSE OF FRENCH CUISINE
thou shall respect the dietary needs of guests; thou shall not super-size … I’m paraphrasing here but you get the idea. The lighter fare was later coined cuisine minceur (thin cuisine) or the more familiar nouvelle cuisine by a couple of restaurant critics touring the French countryside in the 1960s. In truth, the cuisine wasn’t really new. It was the wholesome, rustic fare (think pot au feu) cooked every day in rural homes and modest restaurants throughout France. Of course, rules are meant to be broken, and even commandments can be misconstrued. French cuisine isn’t immune to quirky food trends and the occasional step backwards. Remember when “nouvelle cuisine” went plain stupid in the 1980s with loonie-sized food portions served on oversized plates decorated with cute dots of sauce dispensed from the ubiquitous squeeze bottle? Food trends aside, the French are notoriously stubborn, and some peculiar recipes still endure. At Le Cordon Bleu, where I studied classical French cuisine, we were taught to prepare merlan en colère, loosely translated as “pissed-off fish” (with good reason). This archaic fish recipe requires one to perversely manipulate the fish in such a manner as to force its tail through its gaping mouth. I don’t get it either. What does French food look like today? Well, that depends. There is good French food and there is bad food masquerading as French food. It’s an important distinction. Just because a restaurant labels a dish French, doesn’t mean it is. I recently ordered a tarte tatin with crème anglaise. I was served a cold apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Not even close. Good French food is many things, but it is not heavy, greasy or stodgy. It can be light and ethereal like a bowl of crystal clear consommé. It can be inventive: the humble egg is transformed into an infinite variety of dishes from dramatic soufflés to lemony hollandaise sauce. It is the art of food preservation: think cured fish, duck confit and charcuterie (patés, terrines and such). It can be both buttery and light in one heavenly bite; think freshly baked croissant. It can be refined (vichyssoise) or rustic (ratatouille). Yes, butter is still very much a part of French cuisine but so are modest portions. A small but delicious meal satisfies the tummy and the soul and doesn’t leave you craving more. But French food is more than just ingredients. It’s a purposeful method of cooking that French chefs take very seriously. The phrase most often repeated by my chefs at cooking school was “respect zee techniques!” There are, indeed, many finicky techniques to master: from fussy vegetable cuts to sauces to strain; so much to pound, whisk and knead into submission, but the end result … Well, let’s just say that once you’ve mastered a sauce made from homemade stock or a puff pastry made from scratch, you won’t be using pre-packaged substitutes anytime soon. Classical French cooking techniques can be applied to any food. Unlike some cuisines that require exotic spices or imported ingredients, French cuisine relies simply on what is fresh, local and seasonal. It is entirely wholesome: stocks, soups and sauces do not come from a box, a can, a packet or cube; flavours are not bolstered with additives, artificial preservatives or colouring agents. There is no waste with French cuisine; the entire animal is used, not only the easy-to-cook choice cuts but the entire beast “right down to the oink.” At culinary school, every bit of peel or trim from animal or vegetable was noted with every test. Waste of any kind was a sign of a negligent and careless cook. You could say French cuisine is the original “green” cuisine. Fortunately, you don’t have to travel all the way to France to experience authentic French food. If you’ve ever tucked into a plate of “steak frits” at Brasserie L’ Ecole or the cassouletinspired “pork and beans” at Glo Europub, you’ll understand the beauty of French food without having to renew your passport. The next time someone tells me “French food isn’t their thing,” I’ll bite my tongue and send them off to Choux Choux Charcuterie. A bit of pheasant paté and a crusty baguette should set them straight.
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EAT MAGAZINE MARCH | APRIL 2010