Lobster a la Britannia from Delmonicos

With 3000 recipes, Delmonico's most famous chef, Charles Ranhofer’s Epicurean is an bottomless goldmine of 19^th c classics. Think about it… if Julie of Julie & Julia fame had cooked The Epicurean instead of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, she would still be at it!! I thought I'd give you another one of his gems since I did have a Ranhofer extravaganza for New Years and I love to share!

Delmonico's Kitchen 1902

I know, you may be thinking that you need all of these guys in your kitchen to make Ranhofer's dishes but you don't! A few stocks and some simple-to-prepare white sauces and you're good to go.

Did you know that Ranhofer ran a locavore restaurant? Delmonicos had their own gardens in Brooklyn (yes, Brooklyn!) and championed the use of beautiful and diverse produce on their gargantuan menu. Lobster and oysters were still plentiful in NY in the 19th century. At one point lobster was so ubiquitous that it was fed to prisoners who would groan..."please no more lobster!!" Our pilgrim forefathers felt the same way. When they settled in the New World, there were vast numbers of these lumbering decapods that were impossibly easy to harvest from NY shores. They are not so plentiful these days but far more prized and, in Ranhofer's hands, ever so delectable. Remember, this was the man that perfected Lobster Newberg that was originally Lobster Wenberg after a sea captain who did the first version of the dish impromptu at the restaurant by ordering up a chafing dish and some ingredients. When he had a fight with Delmonico the name was forever changed to Lobster Newberg. Ranhofer polished the recipe to what we know today (recipe HERE).

Lobster a la Britannia

2 lobsters, 1 ½ to 2-pounds each

1 carrot

1 onion

A hand full of parsley, thyme

1 Bay leaf

2 T White Wine Vinegar

2 c mushroom essence*

2 c velouté*

¼ c glace de viande (reduce 2c. chicken or beef stock slowly till syrupy—if bought stock, make sure there is no salt!!!!! You should have between ½ -1/4 cup)

½ c Madeira (Charleston Sercial)

Salt & pepper to taste

¼ t. cayenne

¼ t. nutmeg

½ Lb. mushroom tops, sautéed and sliced

½ Lb. small artichoke hearts, cooked and sliced

2 egg yolks, beaten

2 T chopped parsley

After making the mushroom essence and the veloute and having the glace de viande ready, boil the vegetables and herbs in a large pot of water for 20 minutes Cook the lobsters for 7-8 minutes in this liquid to cover (put in one at a time and allow to return to a boil before adding the next one or kill first). Cool lobsters. Remove meat from claws and tail (reserve rest and shells for a bisque later on) and keep warm in a little lobster water. Take the creamy parts from the bodies and rub them through a sieve. Take Mushroom reduction, and velouté and reduce slightly. Add the Glace de Viande and Madeira and spices. Add the egg yolks and sieved creamy lobster and stir in over very low heat till thickened.

Place the lobster meat on a plate, ½ of the tail (split length-wise) and 1 piece of claw meat.

Place the artichokes and mushrooms on the plate. Spoon sauce over all. Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 main course.

Follow this recipe for *mushroom essence, couldn’t be simpler!

Mushroom Essence

Put one pound of mushrooms cut into quarters in a saucepan with the juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt and a pint of stock. Cook for 10 minutes, covered. Cool and strain. Use the delicious mushrooms for another dish

*Velouté

4 T Butter

4 T Flour

2 Cup hot chicken stock

Melt the butter and add the flour. Cook for a few moments taking care not to scorch the flour. Add the stock gradually and cook till thickened for 20 minutes.

Next time, my post will be about Ambergris from the lovely Ambergris Co. NZ This is such an exciting product… hopefully you will be able to get yourself some in time to make an unforgettable Valentine’s delight!

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1", 2 gram piece of Ambergris

At $10,000. a pound... this is truly a dusky gem of the ocean... but don't worry, you only need a few grains to make an amazing dish!

The Epicurean's Chickens a la Nantaise Sauted

Charles Ranhofer, Celebrity Chef of the 19^th Century

Charles Ranhofer was one of America’s first Celebrity chefs and reigned at the end of the 19^th century at Delmonicos restaurant in NYC. Although he died in 1896, his amazing 3000 recipe cookbook, The Epicurean, a Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art, Including Table and Wine Service , has kept his reputation alive.

"Ranhofer was sent to Paris at the age of 12 to begin his training by studying pastry-making, and at 16 became the private chef for the prince d'Hénin, Comte d'Alsace. In 1856 he moved to New York to become the chef for the Russian consul, and later worked in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans. He returned to France in 1860 for a short time, where he arranged balls for the court of Napoleon III at the Tuileries Palace, but then came back to New York to work at what was then a fashionable location, Maison Doree. In 1862, Lorenzo Delmonico hired him for Delmonico's, and it was there that Ranhofer made his real fame, though others say that he made the fame of the restaurant as well. At that time, Delmonico's was considered the finest restaurant in the United States. He was the chef at Delmonico's until his retirement in 1896, except for a short hiatus from 1876 and 1879 when he owned the "Hotel American" at Enghien-les-Bains," said Wikipedia.

Ranhofer invented or made famous a number of dishes that Delmonico's was known for, such as Lobster Newburg & Baked Alaska and had a talent for naming dishes after famous or prominent people--particularly those who dined at Delmonico's--as well as his friends, and events of the day.

One of the dishes from Ranhof’s cookbook, Chickens a la Nantaise Sauted is a real winner (Nantaise meaning in the style of Nantes, a city in Brittany). Although the measurements are a little sketchy, it was fairly easy to navigate with a little extra work. The results were fabulous. The chicken has that rich old-fashioned taste… and those croquettes are a brilliant idea!!!

Chickens a la Nantaise

2 boneless chicken breasts (the original recipe called for pieces)

2 T butter

½ c Mushroom broth*

½ c Madeira Wine (Charleston Sercial)

1 ½ c béchamel sauce*

½ c cream

3 small artichoke hearts

2 thin slices ham

1 egg, beaten

1 c breadcrumbs

6 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp chopped herbs

Chop the artichoke hearts and ham into small dice. Season with salt and pepper and moisten with ½ c béchamel. Make into tablespoon size croquettes and freeze for 20 minutes as they will be very sloppy.

Take them out and roll them into the egg, then the breadcrumbs and refrigerate till ready to use.

Get oil heated to 350º to deep-fry the croquettes.

Fry the chicken breasts in 1T butter till gently browned and nearly done and remove. Deglaze the pan with the mushroom broth and Madeira and reduce while scraping off the brown bits in the pan. Add the béchamel and the cream. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer the chicken gently till cooked through.

Sauté the shrimps in butter, add lemon and herbs. Keep warm and set aside.

Fry the croquettes in the oil till brown.

Place the croquettes and shrimp decoratively on the plate with the breast. Spoon the sauce over all. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Serves 2, generously

Mushroom Essence

Put one pound of mushrooms cut into quarters in a saucepan with the juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt and a pint of stock. Cook for 10 minutes, covered. Cool and strain. Use the delicious mushrooms for another dish.

Bechamel

5 T butter

5 T flour

3 cups hot milk

¼ c chopped onion

sprig of parsley

sprig of thyme

mushroom stems

Few Gratings of Nutmeg

Melt the butter and add the flour. Cook for a few minutes, taking care not to scorch it.

Add the hot milk gradually, whisking all the while. Let it thicken slowly with the herbs and onion and mushrooms, stirring it frequently. Strain it before using.

Delmonico's Menu from 1899, check out the prices!!!:

***Many of the facts about Ranhofer were taken from the nice folks at Wikipedia!

Delmonico's 1888...

The Players Club of New York City was officially signed into being on January 6, 1888 at a luncheon given at Delmonico’s by Joseph Daly, one of the premier theatrical managers of the era. Among the signatories were Mark Twain, John Drew (much loved uncle of Lionel, Ethel and John Barrymore and a reigning matinee idol of the day), William Tecumseh Sherman and the great Shakespearean actor and Player’s Club founder Edwin Booth, who gave his home on Gramercy Park to become the clubhouse. As with many great occasions that were to come at the Players, flavors, colors and aromas of glorious food seared the moment in memory

Delmonico’s 1888 Menu

Deciphering the menu for that auspicious day is a challenge. It was popular to personalize dishes to beguile or honor the host or guests. Sadly, we cannot recreate the ephemerally named “Brochette de Homard Elaine”, “Ris de Veau Julius Caesar” and “Sorbet au Cardinal”. We know that Julius Caesar and Cardinal Richelieu were great Booth successes on the stage, but how that translates to a recipe, we cannot know. Their formulas have evanesced into the mists of time like the sound of Booth’s exquisite voice. Also lost, the constituent parts of a dessert created especially for the meal: “Sweets al la Railroad of Love”, named in honor of Augustin Daly’s wildly popular play about the rapid pace of 1880’s courtship starring John Drew.

Scene from Railway of Love

One can only imagine the confections a chef might create to amuse favored patrons at a special luncheon. A whole nougat steam engine fantasy could be constructed, pulling nougat cars filled with sweet delights like Delmonico’s chef, Charles Ranhofer’s cart of confections made of nougat and marzipan and filled with candied fruits iced with caramel and angelica, adorned with fruits and flowers made of ice cream.

Some dishes on the handwritten card could easily be found on today’s hors d’oeuvre trays and menus. Oysters, canapés with anchovies, sardines and caviar, roasted potatoes, and buttered peas are common fare. However, it would be prudent to discourage a renewed enthusiasm for “Roasted Canvasback Duck”, a variety so favored it was nearly extinct by the end of the 19^th century, (no surprise since its flesh is irresistibly exquisite when it has been feeding on its favorite food, wild celery). Foie gras with aspic and lettuce salad are enduringly popular. “Chouffleur Villlaroi” and “Potatoes Sarah” are treasures waiting to be rediscovered. The charming desserts, “Gelée aux oranges” (jelly mold with orange slices) and “Briscelets a la crème” (pastry bracelets with cream) and “Caisses de fruits glacés” (boxes of sugar-glazed fruit) could appear on a modern dessert service

In honor of that wonderful winter day 120 odd years ago, here’s Chouffleaur Villaroi taken directly from Delmonico’s 1889 cookbook “The Epicurean”. The molten creaminess beneath the crisp crust is a delight!

I would recommend cutting the veloute recipe to 1 Qt stock for a small head of cauliflower. That still gives you veloute to spare.I used 8 Tb of butter, ½ c of flour and ½ c of cream. I used 2 egg yolks and came up with a breathtaking Allemande. To that I added 1 minced Portobello cap, sans gills and 2 T minced parsley as well as salt and pepper to taste. I added 1 tsp. fresh marjoram to the breadcrumbs but that was not authentic. The result was heavenly, even a cauliflower hater would swoon!

CAULIFLOWER A LA VILLEROI

This (the head of cauliflower) is to be cooked and drained, then covered with well-reduced Allemande Sauce* into which mingle chopped-up fresh
mushrooms and chopped parsley.

Allemande Sauce is made by reducing Veloute*, incorporating a little good raw cream slowly into it. When the sauce is succulent and creamy, thicken it with a thickening of several raw egg-yolks, then boil the sauce for one minute to cook the eggs, pressing against the bottom of the pan with a spatula, strain it through a tammy (fine strainer) into a vessel. Stir it from time to time until cold.

Veloute´ is made by melting three-fourths of a pound of butter in a small saucepan; stir into it three-fourths of a pound of good flour, and let the roux cook for a few minutes, then set the saucepan on a slower fire without letting it color; in order to obtain a well thickened sauce, the flour must be well cooked. When the roux is sufficiently done dilute it gradually with four quarts of good stock.

When (the Allemande Sauce is) thoroughly cold, immerse (flowerets) in beaten eggs, then in bread-crumbs, smooth the breading and fry it a golden color; drain, salt and dress on a folded napkin, laying a bunch of fried parsley on top.

If you are looking for some fine napkin folding ideas, try one of these to elevate your cauliflower presentation to new, 19^th c heights courtesy of Jessup Whitehead’s 1889 classic, The Steward’s Handbook.