Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook

Game Bird and Foie Gras Pâté

My father, like the other fathers and farmers around him in our part of France, was a hunter, and my mother, like her neighbors, always had a recipe at the ready for whatever the day's take might be. Game bird pâté was a staple during the hunting season—it was the dish that made the best use of the birds that weren't young or tender enough to roast. What was second nature and given by Mother Nature to my parents is a bit more complicated and costly for us, who must purchase the partridges, squab, and pheasant at specialty stores or by mail order, but the result is unfailingly worth the expense and time. Few things are as welcoming as a crock filled with highly seasoned, coarsely ground pâté, its natural jelly coating the top. Put a jar of cornichons on the table along with mustard and a basket of brown bread, plant a sturdy knife in the center of the pâté so that everyone can dig in, put your elbows on the table, and count yourself among the lucky.

Keep in mind that the game birds have to marinate for twenty-four hours and that, once cooked, the terrine needs at least twelve hours in the refrigerator. But all this advance preparation pays off in the end—not only is the terrine a triumph, it will keep for a week in your refrigerator.

Makes 12 to 14 servings

2 partridges or 4 quail
2 squab
1 pheasant
2-1/4 pounds fatty pork jowl or other boneless fatty cut of pork, cut into small chunks
6 ounces fresh duck foie gras, cleaned and cut into 6 pieces
6 ounces chicken livers, cleaned and cut into 6 pieces
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons Cognac
2 juniper berries, finely chopped
1 sprig thyme, leaves only, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped white mushrooms
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1-1/2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1. Remove and discard the skin, bones, tendons, and nerves from the partridges or quail, squab, and pheasant (or ask the butcher to do this). Cut the meat into chunks and put them, the pork jowl, foie gras, and chicken livers in a pan that is just large enough to hold them snugly. Mix the wine, Cognac, juniper berries, and thyme together, add them to the pan, and turn the meat until all the pieces are coated evenly with the liquid and herbs. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

2. When the pieces of meat have marinated for 24 hours, drain the meat and discard the marinade. Push the meats through the large-hole blade of a grinder—you want this to be a coarsely ground and very rustic pâté—into a bowl. Cover the bowl and chill until needed.

3. Warm the vegetable oil in a small sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic and cook, stirring, until they are cooked through but not colored, about 8 minutes. Turn the ingredients out onto a plate and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes.

4. Working gently with your hands, mix the mushroom mixture into the ground meats along with the salt and pepper.

5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a roasting or baking pan with two layers of aluminum foil and keep nearby.

6. Choose a terrine—I use a porcelain terrine that's 10 inches long by 3-1/2 inches wide at the top, 3-1/2 inches deep, and 9 inches long and 2-1/2 inches wide at the bottom, but you can use any similar-size terrine. Cut two pieces of parchment paper to fit inside the top of the terrine. Fill the terrine with the ground meat—you'll have more than you can fit into the terrine and that's just fine: Mound the pâté mixture over the top of the terrine. Cover the top of the terrine with one piece of parchment paper and press the paper against the meat, then press the second sheet over the first. Place the terrine in the lined baking pan.

7. Bake the pâté until it reaches 150°F as measured on an instant-read thermometer, about 1-3/4 hours. (Make sure to measure the temperature of the pâté at the center of the terrine.) At this point, the meat will be very moist and quite pink—it will continue to cook as it cools. Remove the terrine from the oven and allow it to cool, still in its baking pan, for 2 hours.

8. When the pâté is cool, it should be weighted. If your pâté comes above the rim of the terrine, just place a small baking sheet over the top of the terrine and weight the sheet down by evenly placing a few cans or, better yet, a few bags of pie weights on it. If your pâté has fallen below the rim of the terrine, you'll need to do a little arts-and-crafts work. Cut a piece of Styrofoam or heavy cardboard to fit just inside the top of the terrine and wrap the Styrofoam or cardboard in parchment paper. Lay it on top of the terrine and then weight it down with cans or bags of pie weights. Transfer the terrine and its weighting system to the refrigerator and chill for at least 12 hours before serving. (The terrine can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)

To serve: This pâté is meant to be served in the most rustic way: Plunge a knife into the center of the pâté and bring the terrine to the table. Everyone should help themselves to a wedge of pâté, a hunk of hearty bread, and a few vinegar-spiked cornichons.

To drink: A Cahors, from the Southwest of France

Crab Salad with Green Apple Gelée

If the mention of crab salad makes you think of a rich, mayonnaisey mixture in which it's hard to tell the crab from the celery—clear your mind. Every element in this fresh, clean-tasting cool-weather salad conspires to make this starter sparkle. Constructed in layers and centered in a shallow soup plate, from the bottom up you've got sweet crabmeat gently tossed with lemon juice and oil; a light rémoulade sauce enlivened with pickles, capers, and herbs; a few slivers of celery, root and stalk, for crunch; and a topknot of seasoned frisée or escarole for a spot of bitterness. The combination is great, but it becomes perfect when you add a pool of apple gelée dotted with tiny diced green apples and small cubes of fresh lime. At Café Boulud, we use peeky-toe crab (an East Coast specialty available nationwide by mail order), but fresh Maine, Louisiana, or Maryland lump crabmeat makes a good salad too.

Makes 4 servings

The Gelée:
4 Granny Smith apples, cored and halved, 1/2 apple cut into tiny dice, the remainder coarsely chopped
Pinch of vitamin C powder (to help keep the apples' color; available in health food stores)
1 lime
1 sheet gelatin or 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin, softened in 1 tablespoon cold water and then dissolved over heat

1. Put the apple chunks in the container of a food processor and whir, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until finely puréed. Add the vitamin C powder to the purée and blend to mix. Line a strainer with a double thickness of damp cheesecloth, set the strainer over a bowl, pour in the purée, and allow it to drip through the strainer. When it looks as though all the liquid has gone through the strainer, press against the solids to extract whatever liquid remains. Pour 1 cup of the juice into a small bowl and save the leftovers to thin the rémoulade if necessary. (If it's not necessary, drink the juice: It's great.)

2. Peel the lime, then, using a small knife, slice away the bitter white pith and with it the thinnest possible layer of fruit. Cutting against the membranes, release each segment of lime. Remove any seeds, cut each segment into tiny dice, and set aside for the moment.

3. If you are using sheet gelatin, drop the gelatin into a bowl of cold water to soften. Warm 1/4 cup of the strained apple juice in a small saucepan. Lift the sheet gelatin out of the cold water, then stir it into the warm apple juice. If you are using powdered gelatin, stir the dissolved gelatin into the warm juice. When the gelatin is incorporated, mix it into the remaining 3/4 cup apple juice; stir in the diced apple and lime. Chill until the gelatin sets and the gelée is syrupy. (The gelée can be kept, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 2 hours.)

The Rémoulade:
1 stalk celery, peeled, trimmed, and cut into matchstick-sized pieces
1/2 small celery root, peeled and cut into matchstick-sized pieces
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons chopped cornichons (bottled French gherkins)
2 teaspoons chopped capers
2 teaspoons chopped Italian parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon chopped tarragon
1/2 small clove garlic, peeled, germ removed, and finely chopped

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil. Plunge the strips of celery stalk and celery root into the water and cook for about 1 minute, until tender. Drain the celery pieces in a strainer and run them under cold water to cool. When they're cool, drain and pat them dry between layers of paper towels; set aside.

2. Working in a mixing bowl, make the rémoulade's mayonnaise base by whisking together the yolk, lemon juice, mustard, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the vegetable oil—start by adding the oil in droplets and then, when the mixture starts to look thick and creamy, pour in the oil in a slow steady stream. Fold in the remaining ingredients, taste the rémoulade, and add more salt and pepper if needed. If you think the rémoulade is too thick, just stir in a splash of the reserved apple juice. (The sauce can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept well covered in the refrigerator. Leftovers make a good salad dressing or dip for raw vegetables.)

The Crab and Salad:
1 pound peeky-toe or other best-quality fresh crabmeat, picked through to remove any small pieces of shell or cartilage
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 head frisée, white and light yellow parts only, washed and dried, or tender center escarole leaves, washed and dried
2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Toss the crabmeat very gently (you don't want to crush or shred it) with a little lemon juice and olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Do the same with the frisée or escarole.

To serve: If you want to serve the salad as we do at Café Boulud, for each serving, place a 2-3/4-inch ring mold in the center of a shallow soup plate. Spoon a quarter of the crabmeat into the mold and top with about a tablespoon of rémoulade. Arrange a few slivers of celery stalk and celery root over the rémoulade and then carefully remove the ring. Alternatively, you can just mound the ingredients in layers in the center of each soup plate. Either way, spoon some of the gelée, with the small pieces of apple and lime, around each little tower of crab. Finish with a bouquet of the greens, sprinkle with the toasted nuts, and serve immediately.

To drink: A dry, refreshing, low-alcohol Austrian Riesling

Cod, Clams, and Chorizo Basquaise

This dish stakes no claims to authenticity, but it does play up to advantage the typically Basque practice of pairing seafood with spicy meat, in this case chorizo, the Spanish smoked pork sausage. The chorizo is cooked with a mix of peppers and onions known throughout Spain and the Pays Basque as a piperade. Often used as a filling for omelettes, a garnish for soups, or a flavor booster for stews, the piperade here forms a savory cushion for the cod and clams and makes a lively mate for the light wine and herb pan sauce. This dish is as tempting as it is simple to make—the fish cooks while the piperade simmers. Remember this dish on weeknights: In addition to its intriguing flavors and eye-catching appeal, it's got time on its side—you can have a remarkably good dinner on the table in forty-five minutes flat.

The Piperade:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound chorizo, cut lengthwise in half and then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 medium onion, peeled, trimmed, and cut lengthwise in half and then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, deveined, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, deveined, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
4 plum tomatoes, peeled and cut into 4 wedges each, and seeded
2 cloves garlic, peeled, split, germ removed, and finely diced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or skillet (choose one that has a cover) over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, or until the sausage is evenly browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chorizo to a plate for the moment. Add the onion and peppers to the pan and cook, stirring frequently and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the onion turns translucent and the vegetables soften but do not color, 10 to 12 minutes. Return the chorizo to the pan along with the tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season the piperade with salt and pepper, lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for about 10 minutes more while you cook the fish. (The piperade can be made up to a day ahead, cooled, and kept covered in the refrigerator. Reheat it gently while you cook the cod and clams.)

The Cod and Clams:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Four 6-ounce cod fillets, skin on
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Flour for dredging
16 Manila or littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 sprig thyme
1 clove garlic, peeled
4 sprigs Italian parsley, leaves only
1/4 cup dry white wine

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan or skillet (this pan needs to have a cover too) over medium-high heat. Season the cod fillets with salt and pepper and dust the skin side with flour. When the oil is hot, slip the cod, skin side down, into the pan. Cook the fish for 4 minutes before flipping it over. Add the clams, thyme, garlic, parsley, and white wine, arranging the ingredients around the fillets. Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the clams open. (If the clams haven't opened after 5 minutes, remove the fish and continue to cook until they do open.)

2. Pull the pan from the heat, spoon out and discard the thyme and garlic, and transfer the cod and clams to a plate; keep in a warm place. Strain the pan juices into the container of a blender and whir to blend. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and blend again to emulsify the sauce.

To serve: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Divide the piperade among four warm dinner or shallow soup plates. Top each serving with a fillet of cod and surround with 4 clams. Spoon the sauce over the clams and drizzle some of the olive oil over each fillet. Serve immediately.

To drink: A fragrant Condrieu, a white wine from the Rhône region of France

Vanilla Blueberries, aka Bill's Blues

The "Bill" in this dessert's name refers to President Bill Clinton, the guest of honor for whom we made this couldn't-be-simpler sweet. The Café Boulud team and I were chosen to prepare a special summer dinner for the President when he was making a whirlwind tour of Long Island, and on the spur of the moment—inspired by a bushel of small, fragrant wild blueberries—we put this together. The berries are very lightly sweetened, flavored with a bit of vanilla bean and a scraping of lemon zest, warmed, spooned into bowls, and topped with vanilla ice cream, which melts and makes its own luscious sauce. Although we hesitated for a moment, concerned that this sweet was too rustic for a presidential meal, we forged ahead and, at the end of the dinner, knew we'd made the right choice—not one bowl came back with a spoonful left over.

Makes 4 servings

1/2 moist, plump vanilla bean
3/4 pound blueberries, wild or cultivated
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
Grated zest 1/4 small lemon
Vanilla ice cream, homemade or store-bought

Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and, using the back of the knife, scrape the pulp out of the pod (reserve the pod for another use, if desired). Put the blueberries, water, sugar, vanilla pulp, and lemon zest in a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring often but gently, until the berries start to release their juices. Pull the pan from the heat.

To serve: Divide the warm berries among four bowls. Top with ice cream and serve immediately.

To drink: A white-chocolate liqueur

_{Recipes from Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook, copyright © 1999 by Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan. All rights reserved.}