À La Mère De Famille by Julien Merceron (ISBN 9781742705804)

Preamb

le

p. 8

2 -

RECIPES FROM THE CHOCOLATIER

p. 44

1 C A K E S A N D

3RECIPES FROM THE

CONFECTIONER

p. 106

G Â T E A U X p. 10

Append

ices

p. 276

ALMERE_P001-009_Prelim_HG.indd 6

6/05/13 8:07 AM

5 J

7-

FROM THE

A M S

ICE-CREAM MAKER p. 244

A N D S P R E A D S

8 -

R E C IP E S

R ECIPES FO R

SYRUPS p. 264

6-

RECIPES

FROM THE

BISCUIT-MAKER

p.210

p. 192

ND 4 - CA

IED

ND CO A S T F RU I p. 156

CHAPTER 1 Financie rs, madeleines and cakes à la française: simplicity itself, n’est-ce pas? A simplicity that borders on the sublime, as long as you are willing to learn the perfect technique and correct proportions by heart. Look no further: all you need to do to master these classics (whether lemon, chocolate, cherry or hazelnut flavoured) is follow the instructions of À la Mère de Famille to the letter. Then, you too will be able to offer your nearest and dearest, young and old, the most perfect of indulgences.

10 - CAKES AND GÂTEAUX -

ALMERE_P010-043_Chapter1_SI.indd 10

6/05/13 8:54 AM

CAKES AND GÂTEAUX

ALMERE_P010-043_Chapter1_SI.indd 11

6/05/13 8:54 AM

morello cherry Financiers MAKES 12

PREPARATION TIME 10 MINUTES COOKING TIME 13 MINUTES

80 g unsalted butter 150 g icing sugar 50 g ground almonds 60 g plain flour 2 g baking powder 5 egg whites 60 morello cherries in alcohol, drained EquipmEnt financier moulds

MAKING THE BATTER

Gently melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat until its starts to foam and turn a light brown colour (see instructions for browning butter on page 8).

Remove from the heat. Combine the icing sugar, ground almonds, flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Add the egg whites and continue to stir while incorporating the butter.

BAKING

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Pour the batter into lightly greased financier moulds.

Place five cherries on top of each financier and bake for 13 minutes. Financiers can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

C h e f ’ s t i p : Keep in mind that financiers are an ideal recipe for

using up any leftover egg whites from other recipes, such as crème anglaise — that way, nothing is wasted!

14 - CAKES AND GÂTEAUX -

ALMERE_P010-043_Chapter1_SI.indd 14

6/05/13 12:50 PM

ALMERE_P010-043_Chapter1_SI.indd 15

6/05/13 8:54 AM

LeMON Cake MAKES 2 CAKES

PREPARATION TIME 15 MINUTES COOKING TIME 40 MINUTES

4 lemons 280 g sugar 4 eggs 100 g pouring (single) cream, heated to lukewarm 220 g plain flour 6 g baking powder 70 g unsalted butter, melted sliced candied lemon peel, for decorating

FOR thE SYRup 100 g sugar 250 g water

MAKING THE BATTER

Wash the lemons and pat dry with paper towel. Grate the zest from each lemon into the sugar to preserve the flavour. Juice the lemons and set aside 25 g of juice to make the syrup. Whisk together the eggs, sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl until the mixture starts to become pale and thickens. Add the warmed cream and stir to combine. Sift in the flour and baking powder. Finally, add the melted butter and stir to make a smooth and shiny batter.

BAKING

Preheat the oven to 200ยบC. Lightly grease and line two loaf (bar) tins with baking paper. Pour the batter into the tins and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and make an incision in the tops using a knife. Reduce the oven temperature to 155ยบC and return the cakes to the oven to cook for about 35 minutes, or until the blade of a knife comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cakes. Remove from the oven, turn out the cakes and allow to cool.

MAKING THE SYRUP

Put the sugar, water and reserved lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Brush the sides and top of the cakes with the syrup, or dip the whole cakes briefly in the cold syrup to lightly moisten them. Decorate the cakes by placing strips of candied lemon peel on top.

S t o r a g e : Thanks to the lemon syrup, these cakes stay moist for

several days and are ideal for wrapping and taking to the country for a picnic, enjoying for afternoon tea or as a weekend dessert.

28 - CAKES AND Gร TEAUX -

ALMERE_P010-043_Chapter1_SI.indd 28

6/05/13 8:54 AM

ALMERE_P010-043_Chapter1_SI.indd 29

6/05/13 8:54 AM

how the story goes

...

1791 ~ 1807 * 1761 ~ 1791

1791 ~ 1807

1807 ~ 1825

1825 ~ 1850

1850 ~ 1895

A SHOP WITH THE AIR OF A FARMHOUSE COTTAGE

THE FATE OF A FAMILY MAN

A FREE WOMAN

AT THE HEART OF ARTISTIC LIFE

BISCUITS AND CONFECTIONERY

*

ALMERE_P010-043_Chapter1_SI.indd 34

6/05/13 8:54 AM

how the story goes

THE

FATE OF A

FAMILY MAN

T

he Bernards prosper and their daughters expand the Faubourg– Montmartre store.

The aristocrats of the period, as well as its artists, painters, musicians and poets, are attracted to the rustic charm of this outlying district of Paris and settle into the neoclassical houses there. The atmosphere of Faubourg–Montmartre has people all over Paris talking about its cultural avant-gardism, its freedom and its gaiety. In the midst of this joyful effervescence and at the height of the revolutionary fervour, Jeanne, the Bernards’ second daughter, marries JeanMarie Bridauld, the son of a great family of grocers from Rue Saint-Antoine, who takes a shine to the store. The young couple take it over in 1791 and re-baptise it the ‘Maison Bridauld’. During this time, French confectionery is changing: the old establishments on the Rue des Lombards have become outdated, and the small aristocratic labels have had

...

their day. Maison Bridauld takes root in the wake of a new generation of more democratic confectionery … The French discover the art of entertaining, and the young couple’s store offers fashionable sweetmeats and original products, in keeping with a certain liberation of the pleasures of gastronomy … The Maison Bridauld becomes, beyond its own neighbourhood, the new paradise for gourmands. But with the premature death of Jeanne Bridauld and her two younger daughters, the fate of the grocery store takes quite a different turn … Jean-Marie Bridauld, raising his eldest daughter alone, continues his work in the family confectionery store.

A few years later, he meets the beautiful Marie-Adélaïde Delamarre and decides to marry again. It is she who will seal the fate of À LA MÈRE DE FAMILLE, by becoming its emblematic figure.

In 1793, in the midst of the French Revolution, the mother superior of a neighbouring convent is said to have taken refuge in the cellars of the store to escape the condemnation of the mob. To thank the Bridauld family for protecting her, she offers them the formula for a sweet syrup with a magical taste …

This potion was made up to the end of the Second World War, when the recipe mysteriously disappeared …

1895 ~ 1920

1920 ~ 1950

1950 ~ 1985

1985 ~ 2000

since 2000

A CHILDHOOD DREAM

THE SOUL OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

ALBERT AND SUZANNE

THE TIME OF CHOCOLATE

HISTORY REINVENTED

ALMERE_P010-043_Chapter1_SI.indd 35

6/05/13 8:54 AM

CHAPTER 2

At À la mère de famille the chocolates could almost take you on holiday, with names like ‘toucans’, ‘waves’, ‘Biarritz rochers’ … They conjure up lazy afternoons (‘croqueTV’) and offer a complete return to childhood: picture lollipops specially designed to be dipped in hot milk. This chapter includes instructions from a professional on how to temper chocolate and make your own chocolate bars! But before you start, we’ll give you the low-down on the essentials, because the art of the chocolatier is not one that can be improvised. You will thus need: couverture chocolate for optimal texture, a sugar thermometer for tempering the chocolate, and an acetate sheet for creating a smooth and shiny end result.

44 - RECIPES FROM THE CHOCOLATIER -

ALMERE_P044-105_Chapter2_HG.indd 44

6/05/13 9:30 AM

RECIPES FROM THE CHOCOLATIER

ALMERE_P044-105_Chapter2_HG.indd 45

6/05/13 9:31 AM

T h e c h o c o l at e e gg { MADE STEP-BY-STEP }

1

3

STEP 1 ~ Pour the chocolate into the mould and turn upside-down to remove excess chocolate.

STEP 3 ~ Trim off the excess chocolate with a palette knife or small spatula.

2 STEP 2 ~ Place the mould upside-down on a sheet of baking paper and allow to set.

Re

56 - RECIPES FROM THE CHOCOLATIER -

ALMERE_P044-105_Chapter2_HG.indd 56

6/05/13 9:31 AM

6

STEP 6 ~ Press the two halves together.

ith a.

4 STEP 4 ~ Remove the egg from the mould.

5 STEP 5 ~ Assemble the egg by slightly melting the flat side of each half-shell on the base of a heated saucepan.

ALMERE_P044-105_Chapter2_HG.indd 57

THE END

6/05/13 9:31 AM

Rochers MAKES ABOUT 10

PREPARATION TIME 40 MINUTES RESTING TIME 1 NIGHT + 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES EquipmEnt sugar thermometer PRALINE-ALMOND RO C H E R

P R A L I N E - P I S TA C H I O RO C H E R

PRALINE-SESAME RO C H E R

80 g good-quality milk cooking chocolate 300 g praline paste (page 48) dark chocolate, for coating chopped roasted almonds, for coating

80 g good-quality milk cooking chocolate 270 g praline paste (page 48) 30 g pistachio paste (page 160) dark chocolate, for coating chopped pistachio nuts, for coating

80 g good-quality milk cooking chocolate 270 g praline paste (page 48) 30 g black sesame paste dark chocolate, for coating toasted sesame seeds, for coating

PREPARING THE PRALINE

Melt the milk chocolate and combine it with the praline paste. Set aside overnight at 18°C. Make balls weighing about 40 g each and allow them to firm up in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

PREPARING THE PRALINE

PREPARING THE PRALINE

Melt the milk chocolate and combine it with the praline and pistachio pastes. Set aside overnight at 18°C. Make balls weighing about 40 g each and allow them to firm up in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Melt the milk chocolate and combine it with the praline and sesame pastes.

Set aside overnight at 18°C. Make balls weighing about 40 g and allow them to firm up in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

MAKING THE ROCHERS

MAKING THE ROCHERS

Temper the dark chocolate (see technique on page 46) and add some of the chopped pistachios to it. Roll each ball in the chocolate. Place the rochers on a tray lined with baking paper and scatter over the remaining pistachios. Allow the chocolate to set in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Store away from moisture.

Temper the dark chocolate (see technique on page 46) and add some of the toasted sesame seeds to it. Roll each ball in the chocolate. Place the rochers on a tray lined with baking paper and scatter over the remaining sesame seeds. Allow the chocolate to set in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Store away from moisture.

MAKING THE ROCHERS

Temper the dark chocolate (see technique on page 46) and add the chopped roasted almonds to it. Roll each ball in the chocolate. Place the rochers on a tray lined with baking paper. Allow the chocolate to set in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Store away from moisture.

These rocher balls provide a real stumbling block for those who are hoping to resist a chocolate temptation …

76 - RECIPES FROM THE CHOCOLATIER -

ALMERE_P044-105_Chapter2_HG.indd 76

6/05/13 9:31 AM

ALMERE_P044-105_Chapter2_HG.indd 77

6/05/13 9:31 AM

ALMERE_P044-105_Chapter2_HG.indd 83

6/05/13 9:31 AM

chocolate bars MAKES 3 BARS

PREPARATION TIME 15 MINUTES EquipmEnt chocolate bar moulds sugar thermometer F RU I T A N D N U T

C RU N C H

30 g hazelnuts 30 g almonds 300 g good-quality dark chocolate (preferably couverture) 20 g raisins 20 g glacé (crystallised) fruit 10 g pistachios

300 g good-quality dark chocolate (preferably couverture) 100 g perles croustillantes (crunchy chocolate pearls) or puffed rice

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Place the hazelnuts and almonds on a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Temper the chocolate (see technique on page 46). Divide it between chocolate bar moulds (100 g per bar) and scatter the fruit and nuts on top. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before unmoulding.

CANDIED ORANGE PEEL 150 g candied orange peel (page 102), diced a splash of Grand Marnier 300 g good-quality dark chocolate (preferably couverture)

Combine the candied peel with the Grand Marnier in a bowl and separate the pieces. Temper the chocolate (see technique on page 46). Divide it between chocolate bar moulds (100 g per bar) and scatter with the soaked peel. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before unmoulding.

Temper the chocolate (see technique on page 46). Divide it between chocolate bar moulds (100 g per bar) and scatter with the chocolate pearls. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before unmoulding.

ALMOND 100 g almonds 300 g good-quality dark chocolate (preferably couverture)

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Place the almonds on a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then roughly chop. Temper the chocolate (see technique on page 46). Divide it between chocolate bar moulds (100 g per bar) and scatter with the almonds. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before unmoulding.

S t o r a g e : These chocolate bars can be stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 1 month.

84 - RECIPES FROM THE CHOCOLATIER -

ALMERE_P044-105_Chapter2_HG.indd 84

6/05/13 9:31 AM