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La Belle Cuisine

A New Year’s Day Buffet
The Best of Gourmet, Vol. 2
from the Editors of Gourmet, 1987,
Condé Nast Books, Random House

Menu:
Crostini
(Assorted Italian Canapés)
Three-Mushroom Tart
Oysters and Clams with Mignonette Sauce
Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs ‘82
Stuffed Breast of Veal
Venegazzù dei Conti Loredan ‘79
Braised Fennel with Olives
Gratin of Celery Root and Potato
Figs Poached in Red Wine with
Oranges and Mascarpone Cream

Stuffed Breast of Veal

1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried marjoram, crumbled
2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
3 slices of homemade-type white bread,
crusts removed
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 pounds hot Italian sausage, casings discarded
Two 10-ounce packages spinach, thawed, drained,
and squeezed dry
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
3 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
A 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 whole 8- to 10-pound breast of veal, halved crosswise
by the butcher, leaving the meat on the bone, and a deep
pocket cut lengthwise in each half, leaving about a 1-inch
border on 3 sides
6 hard-boiled large eggs
8 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
Watercress for garnish

In a skillet cook the onion in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring,
until it is softened. Add the garlic, the marjoram, and the thyme, cook
the mixture, stirring, for 2 minutes, and let it cool. In a bowl let the bread
soak in the milk for 15 minutes, squeeze it dry, and in a large bowl com-
bine it with the sausage, the spinach, the salt, the mustard, the beaten
eggs, the Parmesan, and the onion mixture. In a food processor purée
the mixture coarse in batches, pulsing the motor. (Test the seasoning by
cooking a small amount of the mixture.) Transfer the mixture to a bowl
and stir in the artichoke hearts.
Sprinkle the pocket of each veal breast half lightly with salt and pepper,
coat the hard-boiled eggs with some of the stuffing, and spread one-fourth
of the remaining stuffing in each pocket. Arrange 3 of the eggs lengthwise
down the center on the stuffing in each pocket, spacing them evenly, top
them with the remaining stuffing, and sew the openings closed on each
veal breast half with a trussing needle and kitchen string. Wrap each half
well in a large piece of cheesecloth and tie the ends of the cheesecloth
with kitchen string to secure them.
 In a large saucepan bring the stock and the wine to a simmer. In each
of 2 large baking pans arrange a veal breast half bone side up, pour half
the stock mixture over each veal breast half, and braise the veal, covered
tightly with foil, in a preheated 350-degree F. oven for 2 hours and 30
minutes to 3 hours, or until the veal is tender. (Alternatively, if your
oven is not large enough to hold 2 baking pans, braise 1 veal breast half
in the oven and simmer the other in a kettle, covered tightly, on top of
the stove for 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours, or until the veal is
tender.) The veal may be made up to 2 days in advance, let cool in
the stock, and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the veal in the stock.
Transfer the veal to a cutting board, reserving the stock for another
use. Cut the bones from the veal in one piece and discard them. Slice
the veal thin with a serrated knife, arrange it decoratively on a heated
platter, and garnish it with the watercress. Serves 12.

Braised Fennel with Olives

2 large onions, chopped coarse
1/2 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Two 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes, drained,
reserving 1 cup of the juice, and chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
3 pounds small fennel bulbs, trimmed, quartered,
and kept in a bowl of water acidulated with the
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange rind [zest]
1 1/2 cups pitted and sliced imported
brine-cured black olives
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 large sprigs of fennel top for garnish

In a kettle cook the onions in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring,
until they are softened, add the garlic and cook the mixture, stirring, for
3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the reserved juice, the stock, the fennel
bulbs, drained, the rind [zest], the olives, the fennel seeds, and salt and
pepper to taste, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, un-
covered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, and until the fennel is very tender and the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the lemon juice and salt
and pepper to taste. The fennel may be made up to 2 days in advance
and kept covered and chilled. Serve the fennel hot or at room temper-
ature garnished with the fennel sprigs. Serves 12.

Gratin of Celery Root and Potato

2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 pounds celery root [celeriac]
2 pounds boiling potatoes
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter,
sliced thin and chilled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
leaves for garnish

In a saucepan combine the cream, the milk, the salt, the pepper, and
the nutmeg, heat the mixture over moderate heat until it is hot, and keep
it warm. Peel and slice thin half the celery root and half the potatoes,
preferably using a mandoline, and in a well-buttered 14-inch gratin pan
layer the potatoes and celery root alternately, starting and ending with
the potatoes. Pour half the cream mixture over the vegetables and arrange
half the butter on top. Fill another well-buttered 14-inch gratin pan with
the remaining potatoes, celery root, cream mixture, and butter in the same manner. Bring the cream mixture in the gratin pans to a simmer on top of
the stove and bake the gratins in a preheated 375-degree F. oven for 50 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle the parsley decor-
atively on the gratins. Serves 12.

Figs Poached in Red Wine with
Oranges and Mascarpone Cream

4 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 pounds dried figs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
3/4 pound mascarpone (Italian triple-cream
cheese) at room temperature
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups sour cream
8 navel oranges, peel and pith cut away
with a serrated knife and the
oranges sliced horizontally

In a large [nonreactive] saucepan combine the wine and the granulated
sugar, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it, stirring, until the sugar
is dissolved. Add the figs, simmer the mixture, covered, for 35 minutes,
or until the figs are very tender, and add the lemon juice. Transfer the
figs with a slotted spoon to a bowl and boil the liquid until it is syrupy.
Pour the poaching liquid over the figs and let the mixture cool to room
temperature.
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the mascarpone with the brown
sugar until it is fluffy and beat in the sour cream. Arrange the orange
slices around the edge of a large platter, mound the figs in the center,
and pour the syrup over them. Serve the dessert with the mascarpone
cream. Serves 12.

New Year's Day Buffet, page 1
 

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