A Christmas Dinner

Founder and proprietor of the Cordon Bleu Restaurant and Cooking School, DIONE LUCAS is celebrated for recipes which result in wonderfully enticing dishes, yet which call for no preternatural skill on the part of the cook. Perhaps the best-known example of this kind, of cookery is her Poulet à la Kiev. She is the author of The Cordon Bleu Cook Book and is widely known for her regular appearances on television.

By Dione Lucas

December 1950 Issue

by DIONE LUCAS

Do not skin, but wash the eggplants in iced water. Dry well on a cloth. Brush all over with vegetable oil. Wrap in heavy waxed paper. Place on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan and put to bake in a 300° oven for approximately an hour, or until very soft to the touch. Remove, and skin the eggplants carefully, Chop very fine in a large wooden bowl with the tomato paste.

Skin the Bermuda onion and chop fine on a board. Then chop in another wooden bowl until very fine. Mix into the eggplant, using a chopper.

Skin the tomatoes and be very careful to remove only the outer skin. Cut them in fourths and remove all the pith. Chop fine on a wooden board and mix into the eggplant and onion wit h a chopper.

Put the garlic, into a pestle and mortar with a level teaspoonful of salt and crush until smooth. Add this to the eggplant. Season very well with salt and black pepper.

Fill into sterile Mason jars, put the caps on, and process them in a pressure cooker for 65 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. Then remove; allow to get quite cold. Turn out of the jars and put back in a wooden bowl. Add the other spices, a little more salt and black pepper, a little more crushed garlic to taste, and mix in very slowly, using the chopper, the oil — drop by drop — and the sour cream, Rescal in sterile Mason jars and store in a cool place.

This is excellent if served ice-cold, i.e., in a bowl surrounded by cracked ice; and separately, fingers of dry buttered toast, and a little sour cream, garnished with freshly chopped dill.

CLEAR CONSOMMÉ ARBRE

2 knuckles of veal
2-pound piece leg of veal
1 small boiling fowl
2 cups mixed sliced onion, carrot, and celery
2 sprigs dill
1 sprig parsley
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lemon
1 carrot
2 sprigs tarragon
1 sliced shallot
Handful green beans
2 small ripe tomatoes —firm
Handful mushroom peelings and stalks
1 Boston lettuce or some outside
lettuce leaves
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup very dry sherry (Tiopepe sherry if possible)
3 egg whites
Peppercorns, bay leaf
Salt

Put the veal, chicken, and bones into a pan and pour on 3 quarts of water. Bring von slowly to a boil. Skim off the scum, then add the sliced onion, carrot, and celery, and peppercorns. Add the tarragon and parsley, shallot, and bay leaf. Simmer gently for half an hour; then add the lettuce leaves, mushrooms and stalks, and tomato parings. Continue simmering very gently until chicken and veal are very tender. Then allow everything to get quite cold.

Should this stock be set to a jelly while cold, dissolve slowly before straining. Remove all fat from the strained stock. Then take 2 quarts of stock and put into a pan with the tomato paste, while wine, and beaten egg whites, and beat over a very slow fire with one tablespoonful of lemon juice until it comes to a boil. Draw aside and allow to stand for 15 minutes; then strain through a jelly bag or through a fine cloth wrung out in cold water. Return to a clean pan, add the sherry, and garnish with the following: —

Skin the carrot and cut the grooves from the outside. Then cut into very thin slices. Cook until just tender but crisp, in a little water and lemon juice. Drain: add to the consommé.

Top and tail the green beans, cut into strips, put into a pan with ice water, a little salt, and lemon juice. Bring slowly to a boil, then drain. Add this to the consommé.

Take half the breast of the chicken, skinned, and cut into neat, even st rips. Add this to the consommé.

Take a quarter pound of the veal and cut into very thin slices, then into strips. Add this also to the consommé. Add the tomatoes, skinned and shredded, for garnish.

Remove half the rind from the lemon and cut into thin strips. Add this to the consommé with a few tiny sprigs of fresh dill. Reheat, and serve in clear crystal bowls.

SOLE WALEWSKA

4 filets of sole
1 small live lobster
¾ enp butter
2 egg yolks
1 egg while
2 tablespoons brandy

½ eup dry white wine
Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons milk
Salt, peppercorns, bay leaf
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
6 small white mushrooms
2 truffles
2 teaspoons tomato paste
½ cap light cream
3 tablespoons flour
Little lemon juice

Wash the sole in lemon juice and water and dry in a cloth.

Split the lobster in halves, starting at the center of the top of the head. Remove the Small bag from behind the eyes. Remove the large claws and crack. Remove the small claws. Put split side down in 2 tablespoonfuls of butter. Cover, and cook very slowly 12 or 15 minutes until it is a bright red. Put the 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy in a pan, light, and pour over the lobster. Remove the lobster carefully. Take out all the meat. Put the shells and the meat from the tails on one side. Cut the claw meat into small pieces.

Slice the mushrooms and sauté in 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, salt and black pepper. Add the lobster meat and chopped parsley. Add the egg white to bind. Divide mixture among the 4 filets of sole. Place the mixture in the centers of the filets. Spread out and fold over. Place on a Pyrex dish. Pour over the top the white wine with 2 tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns, and a little salt. Cover with waxed paper and cook 15 to 20 minutes in a 350° oven. Remove and arrange down the length of a hot serving dish. Cover the top with the thin slices of lobster meat. Pour over the following sauce: —

Take the soft shells of the lobster, i.e., the tail shells and small claws. Crush in a pestle and mortar with the liver of the lobster until fine; then mix in the tomato paste and the rest of the butter, reserving 2 tablespoonfuls. Rub all of this through a very fine strainer and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoonfuls of butter in a pan. Stir in, off the fire, the flour, salt, and cayenne pepper. Strain on the stock the fish was cooked in and stir oxer the fire until it thickens. Then add the cream and bring to a boil. Add, bit by bit, the lobster butter. Then add the egg yolks mixed into 2 tablespoonfuls of milk. Pour this over the fish. Garnish with the head shells of the lobster, well scrubbed and the outside brushed with a little oil to make them shine. Place down the center of the dish the truffles cut into thin slices.

STUFFED DUCK WITH ORANGE

2 5-pound ducks
4 duck livers or 6 chicken livers
¼ cup stock
1 teaspoon meat glaze
2 cups ground cooked veal
1 cup sausage meat
1 cup finely chopped bacon
6 soaked dried Polish mushrooms
1 medium-size onion
2 small cloves garlic
1 large orange put through a meat chopper
Salt, freshly cracked black pepper 1 cup fried bread crumbs 4 large oranges 6 level tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup honey
¼ cup butter
2 tablespoons oil
1 bunch fresh watercress
2 firm-skin tomatoes
1 lime
¼ cup sweet sherry
4 cutlet frills

Clean the ducks. Wash well in ice water and dry well. Cut the lime in halves and rub the half lime all over the duck. Dip a pastry brush in oil and brush the inside of the duck with oil; then fill with the following stuffing: —

Cook the duck or chicken livers, or both, briskly in 2 tablespoonfuls of very hot butter. Remove. Cool a little; then slice and mix them in the butter they were cooked in. Chop the bacon fine and cook in a hot pan. Drain the bacon and mix in with the livers. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and Polish mushrooms. Sauté 5 or 6 minutes in the bacon pan and then mix all this in with the livers, etc. Add the veal, sausage meat, and bread crumbs, and season well. Lastly, mix in the orange which has been put through the meat chopper.

Fill this into the duck, t e up carefully, rub the top of the duck with butter; then place in a roasting pan and roast in a 375° oven three quarters of an hour, basting frequently.

Remove the duck from the pan and cover the whole of the duck with thin slices of orange which have been fried until glazed in sugar and butter. Return to the oven and continue cooking until done, roughly another three quarters of an hour. Arrange down a large hot flat serving dish.

Add to the pan in which the ducks were roasted the juice of one large orange, a little orange rind, the sweet sherry, honey, stock, and meat glaze. Beat briskly over a quick fire until bland. St rain; pour over the ducks.

Garnish round the edge of t he dish with quartered oranges which have been cooked in butter, salt, pepper, and sugar until glazed, and at each end put bunches of watercress decorated with strips of skinned and pitted tomatoes. Place cutlet frills on the legs of the ducks just before serving.

BRAISED CHESTNUTS AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS

2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 pounds chestnuts
½ cup sliced onion, carrot, and celery
4 cups beef stock
Small clove garlic
1 or 2 sliced lemons
Bay leaf, pepper, salt
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon meat glaze
4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives

Clean the Brussels sprouts and wash well in ice water and lemon juice. Then allow them to soak with the slices of lemon and water. Put them into boiling water, salted and with the soda, and allow them to cook until just soft. It is important that they be very bright green, so they shouldn’t be overcooked. Drain, and mix in 2 tablespoonfuls of butter.

Put the chestnuts in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove inner and outer skins. (Note: Be sure to keep the chestnuts very hot while doing this; otherwise the skins will not come away freely.)

Heat the rest of the butter in a pan. Add the sliced vegetables and the garlic, and sauté 2 or 3 minutes with salt and pepper. Then mix in the tomato paste and t he meat glaze. Put in the chestnuts; cover with the 4 cups of beef stock. Bring slowly to a boil, add the bay leaf, and simmer very gently until the chestnuts are just soft. They must not break, nor must they be too mushy. Drain carefully and mix into the Brussels sprouts, using just a little of the stock to moisten the mixture. Pile up in an earthenware casserole. Sprinkle the top with chopped chives and serve.

MUSHROOMS WITH DILL

1½ pounds firm white mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
¾ cup butter
½ cup sour cream
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt, freshly cracked pepper

Trim the stalks off the mushrooms and wash in a little lemon juice and water. Drain them well. Heat a quarter of the butter in a shallow pan and, when foaming, put in the mushrooms with salt, cracked pepper, and a few drops of lemon juice. Shake over a slow fire 8 or 9 minutes, adding bit by bit the rest of the butter. Then mix in the sour cream and chopped dill. Fill into a small shallow casserole and serve.

ORANGE POTATOES

4 tablespoons butter
2 cups mashed potatoes
Grated rind large orange
2 eggs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup dry white bread crumbs
Salt, cayenne pepper
Little flour
Deep fat

Put the mashed potatoes into a bowl with the orange rind, cheese, butter, and one egg. Season with salt and cayenne pepper, and beat well. Allow to get quite cold. Roll into large cork shapes with floured hands. Roll in flour and brush with beaten egg. Roll in bread crumbs. Fry in deep fat — 350° — to a golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and serve piping hot with the duck.

SALAD NOËL

1 pineapple
6 large navel oranges
6 firm large ripe tomatoes
4 persimmons
1 large sweet red apple
2 small Boston lettuces
1 small onion
Salt, freshly cracked pepper
1 tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
1 teaspoon French Dijon mustard
Few grains sugar

Put into a screw-top jar the salt, pepper, mustard, few grains of sugar, crushed garlic, oil, and vinegar, and shake well together. Then add the chopped tarragon and allow to get ice-cold.

Skin the tomatoes, being careful to remove only the outer skin. Cut into quarters and remove all pith.

Remove the outer and inner skins of the oranges and then cut the oranges into sections. Add half the fresh pineapple, skinned, cored, and cut into thin small slices.

Skin the persimmons, remove the pits, and cut into the same size as the tomatoes. Mix this lightly with the French dressing and arrange in a shallow salad bowl. Cut the apple into quarters, then cut into very thin slices lengthwise, and arrange in the form of a wreath around the edge of the salad bowl. Cover the top with very thin onion rings.

CHRISTMAS LOG

Ingredients for Log

4 whole eggs
¾ cup fine granulated sugar
½ cup potato flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder

Put the eggs and the sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy with a whisk. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Add this to the egg mixture and stir gently until well blended. Grease an oblong jelly roll pan; cover with waxed paper, leaving a margin of one-half inch at each end. Grease again and spread the mixture evenly over the waxed paper. Bake in a 425° oven for 5 minutes.

Remove, loosen up the roll from the tin, cool a little, sprinkle the top with a little cocoa and spread out on waxed paper. Pull off the paper that you’ll find stuck to the top; then roll up like a jelly roll and put the roll in the refrigerator to cool. Remove, and unroll carefully. Spread the top with the following: —

Ingredients for Filling and Fronting

¾ cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
6 ounces dark sweet chocolate
4 ounces almond paste
Little green coloring
Crystallized cherries
½ cup water
1½ cups sweet butter
1 cup coarsely granulated chocolate
Angelica
2tablespoons rum

Put into a small saucepan the granulated sugar and water. Stir over a slow fire until it dissolves. Allow to cook to a light thread.

Beat the egg yolks until light and fluffy in a small bowl. Pour on the syrup and continue beating until verythick and fluffy. When quite cold, add the creamed butter.

Dissolve in a small pan the 6 ounces of chocolate with 5 tablespoonfuls of water over a slow fire. Stir over ice until quite cold. Add this to the butter and egg mixture with 2 tablespoonfuls of rum. Then spread this on the log and roll up like a jelly roll again.

Cover the entire top of the log with more of this butter cream. Decorate the top with the coarsely grated chocolate, the almond paste colored with green coloring and cut into the shape of holly leaves, the angelica cut into strips for the branches of the holly, and the glacéd cherries cut into the shape of the berries.

CAFÉ DIABLE

Make 4 cups of very good strong French coffee. Take a copper frying pan with a lip and filter, cover the bottom with a few grains of sugar and then very thin strips of orange rind. Pour over 2 small glasses of brandy . Heat very slowly and light with a match, then pour on the 4 cups of black coffee. Allow to infuse for half a minute. Four into the serving cups and put a teaspoonful of flaming brandy into each cup.

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