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 La BONNE THE ORIGINAL COMPANION

le
ISINE
FOR FRENCH HOME COOKING

Madame E. Saint-Ange

TRANSLATED AND WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY PAUL ARATOW

COOKING $40.00

ed, interesting
roficient books

First published in 1927 to educate French

housewives in the art of classical cooking, La
Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange has
since become the bible of French cooking
technique, found on every kitchen shelf in
France. A housewife and a professional chef,
Madame Evelyn Saint-Ange wrote in a rigor-
ous yet highly instructive and engaging style,
explaining in extraordinary detail the proper
way to skim a sauce, stuff a chicken, and con-
struct a paté en croite.
Though her text has never before been
translated into English, Madame Saint-Ange’s
legacy has lived on through the cooking of
internationally renowned chefs like Julia
Child and Madeleine Kamman, setting the
standard for practical home cooking as well as
haute cuisine. In this momentous translation
by Chez Panisse cofounder and original chef
de cuisine Paul Aratow, Madame Saint-Ange’s .
culinary wisdom is available in English for the
first time.
Enveloped in charming intricacies of even
the most fundamental cooking techniques
are 1,300 authentic French recipes for such
classics as Coq au Vin, Braised Beef, Quiche
Lorraine, Cassoulet, and Apricot Soufflé; orig-
inal illustrations of prepping and cooking
techniques; and seasonal menus for every
meal of the day. An indispensable culinary
encyclopedia and an absorbing historical
document, La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E.
Saint-Ange is the definitive word on French
cooking for food lovers, dedicated cooks, culi-
nary professionals, and Francophiles alike.
 Praise for La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange

“Finally, this great book has been translated. My French “The classic cooking of Madame Saint-Ange—so fresh
edition has lost its cover from thirty years of almost con- and so French—lives on as testament to a true passion
stant use. La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange is for bonne cuisine and a wonderful lesson in technique.”
filled with good sense, logic, and boundless information —Daniel Boulud, author of Café Boulud
about the world’s best home cooking, and it is deeply Cookbook
grounded in the traditions and techniques that define a
great cuisine. It’s not just a book of recipes; it helps us
master a subtle and immensely satisfying art.” *
“This book will fascinate students of French gastron-
—James Peterson, author of Sauces omy and those with a particular interest in the mores
of middle-class French households in the early part of
the twentieth century. As a window into French cook-
“Among its many treasures, this marvelous book offers ery, it is an extraordinary work. When read alongside
as clear a picture as we can ever hope to get of the work- Escoffier, whilst the scope is very similar, Madame
ings of the French home kitchen at a time when the Saint-Ange includes far more explanatory informa-
meals that came from it were justly the pride of France. tion, and although the tone is formal, it is also meticu-
The supernaturally knowledgeable Madame Saint- lous and often illuminating.”
Ange was to her country what Fannie Farmer was to —Stephanie Alexander, author of
America, but she had the better tools and the better cui- The Cook’s Companion
sine to work with, and she possessed a forthright Gallic
charm entirely her own. For decades, the absence of this
book in English translation has been a culinary embar-
“Styles of cuisine may change, but the fundamentals are
rassment. Paul Aratow has now decisively changed all
forever. There is more commonsense basic cooking
that, for which he has my endless thanks.”
instruction in this book than in most libraries.”
—John Thorne, author of Outlaw Cook
—Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times food
and Pot on the Fire
columnist and author of How to Read a
French Fry

“As we work toward simplifying our lives and our food,

the timing for the return of this classic is perfect.”
“This book is a treasure trove of food knowledge and
—Bonnie Stern, author of Bonnie Stern’s
wit. It belongs on every chef’s bookshelf.”
Essentials of Home Cooking
—Mark Peel, author of The Food of Campanile

“With his masterful translation of La Bonne Cuisine de

Madame E. Saint-Ange, Paul Aratow has done a great “La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange is the first
service to lovers of food, food lorists, and curious cooks French blockbuster written by a woman cook, and it
everywhere. It’s a Joy of Cooking and a Mastering the Art remains my favorite. Saint-Ange has a turn of phrase
of French Cooking stitched together with dishes from and a depth of culinary knowledge that have rarely
the French family home—all wrapped into one com- been equaled. At first glance her book appears inordi-
prehensive volume that will entice and intrigue anyone nately long, but she carries us without faltering. Some
interested in one of the major foundations of our new recipes may take a couple pages of dense print to
American cooking.” explain, but at the end you know you will emerge tri-
umphant, with perfection on the plate.”
—Victoria Wise, author of The Armenian Table
and the first chef of Chez Panisse —Anne Willan, author of La Varenne Pratique
 Digitized by the Internet Archive
In 2021 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation |

https://archive.org/details/labonnecuisinedeOOOOunse_g4tO
LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE
La BONNE |THE
THE ORIGINAL COMPANION ||

‘de
UISINE
~ Madame E. Saint“Ange
TRANSLATED AND WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY PAUL ARATOW
FOREWORD BY MADELEINE KAMMAN

1,300 RECIPES —
MORE THAN 100 ILLUSTRATIONS

1©
TEN SPEED PRESS
Berkeley |Toronto
 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Some ofthe recipes in this book include raw eggs, Saint-Ange, E., Mme.
meat, or fish. When these foods are consumed raw, [Livre de cuisine de Mme. E. Saint-Ange. English]
there is always the risk that bacteria, which is La bonne cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange : the orig-
killed by proper cooking, may be present. For this inal companion for French home cooking / translated
reason, when serving these foods raw, always buy and with an introduction by Paul Aratow.
certified salmonella-free eggs and the freshest pcm.
meat and fish available from a reliable grocer, stor-
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ing them in the refrigerator until they are served.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58008-605-9 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-58008-605-5 (alk. paper)
Because of the health risks associated with the
1. Cookery, French. I. Aratow, Paul. II. Title.
consumption of bacteria that can be present in raw
TX719.S29 2005
eggs, meat, and fish, these foods should not be 641.5944—dc22 2005018000
consumed by infants, small children, pregnant
women, the elderly, or any persons who may be First printing, 2005
immunocompromised. Printed in the United States of America
Printed on acid-free, 50 percent recycled, elemental
chlorine—free paper *
Translation copyright © 2005 by Paul Aratow *&

French text copyright © 1995 by Larousse 1234567

8 9 10—09 08 07 06 05

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be repro-

duced in any form, except brief excerpts for the purpose
of review, without written permission of the publisher.

Translator’s acknowledgments: Many good people

T® were involved in the production ofthis book, and |
Ten Speed Press am very grateful for their expert assistance. They
P.O. Box 7123 are: Janice Hoffmann, for her constant help and
Berkeley, California 94707
,support. At Ten Speed Press: Lorena Jones, Brie
www.tenspeed.com
Mazurek, Meghan Keeffe, and Lisa Westmoreland in
editorial; and Nancy Austin, Betsy Stromberg, and
Distributed in Australia by Simon & Schuster Australia,
in Canada by Ten Speed Press Canada, in New Zealand Jon Haug in production. Our liaisons with Larousse:
by Southern Publishers Group, in South Africa by Real Mireille Debenne and Jean-Francois Richez. Free-
Books, and in the United Kingdom and Europe by Air- lance help: Damon Larson and Gene Rhim for type-
lift Book Company. setting; Laura Washburn and Caroline Curtis for
copyediting; Suzanne Sherman and Abigail Bok for
Cover and interior design by Nancy Austin proofreading; and Ken Della Penta for indexing. And
of course Phil Wood, publisher at Ten Speed Press,
who saw the light and knew it was good.
 * CONTENTS *

1 3 Foreword by Madeleine Kamman

¥

3 3 Translator’s Introduction

5 3 Notice

7 33% What You Need to Know

25 3 Cooking Techniques

43 JUS AND SAUCES

81 POTAGES AND SOUPS
124 COLD AND WARM HORS D’OEUVRES
134 ; EGGS
161 FISH
248 MEATS
349 FOWL
EEE) x GAME
424 x PATES AND TERRINES
436 % DIVERSE PREPARATIONS
470 VEGETABLES
561 * RICE AND PASTA
573 < DESSERTS
655 PASTRIES
724 % PRESERVES
742 DRINKS

747 33% Menus

755 3% General Index

777 3% Index of French Recipe Titles

 * FOREWORD *

What a great pleasure it is for me to write the fore- sionate cooks with not so flush budgets—the one
word for the first translation into English of possi- and unique, Madame Saint-Ange.
bly the best cookbook ever written in France by a In 1960, I married my husband of now forty-five
French woman. La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. years, Alan Kamman, a Philadelphian, and for that
Saint-Ange is to this day recognized by many momentous occasion, my mother gave me a more
French home and restaurant cooks, be they men or modern edition of Madame Saint-Ange’s cook-
women, as the most articulate and popular home book. It was thick with information, and I soon
cookbook available in bookstores, from the time of used it with such enthusiasm that, after only a year
its first publication by Larousse in the late 1920s to of mutual companionship, it started to fall apart
these first years of the twenty-first century. without possible hope of rehabilitation. In my lay-
I grew up in the 1930s, in a suburb of Paris that cook opinion, Saint-Ange explained better than any
lay tight to the first bend of the Seine, across from great chef. I was, however, very taken by the books
one of the busiest western access bridges to the big of chefs Escoffier and Pellaprat, whose works of the
city. Antique shops were just as plentiful in the early 1900s had been given to me by my great-aunt
western suburbs as they were all over the capital Madame Claire Robert, chef and restaurateur in the
city as well as in the other major cities of France. pretty town of Chateau-la-Valliere in Touraine.
Troves of books on the most diverse subjects, (During school vacations, she mentored me in her
written just one generation before, were offered professional kitchen and dining room.)
for sale in those shops. Many had been the former Upon my arrival in Philadelphia, my luggage
valued kitchen companions of Paris citizens of included these treasures as well as two other older
the late 1800s and early 1900s. Once put on the volumes, which I had bought in two of the many
shelves for sale, these often handsomely bound brocante (second-hand) shops that lined the streets
volumes disappeared rapidly, sought out as they of the better parts of old Paris as well as those of
were not only by the homemakers of the time, but its bourgeois suburbs. A brocanteur is an antique
also by the male and female owners or chefs of dealer who deals in all kinds of housewares, as
small restaurants and weekend inns from attrac- long as they are different, interesting, or pretty
tive country towns lying just beyond the bound- enough to give a happy allure to any middle- to
aries of the city. This was the time when, on the upper-middle-class home. One could still find all
weekend of Mayday, one left Paris to go feast and kinds of lovely old things in those shops, from
rest, close to one of the still existing royal forests handmade lace collars to old copper pots and
of oaks and chestnut trees that each spring grew pans, personal journals that families had not
their new, high canopies over a fragrant rug of lily thought to either destroy or save, a well-worn
of the valley. child’s toy from a long-gone era that could make
It was during one of those weekends that my one’s heart melt with recognition. But the best
mother discovered her first Saint-Ange. I still have finds still remained the cookbooks and the glori-
this little book, dated 1929, the edges of its pages ous old faience plates, and I became a dedicated
now almost worn away and browned with age. I collector of both.
still love what is left of this small volume of recipes Madame Saint-Ange had been preceded in her
written by the author of excellent books for pas- gastronomic writing by at least two talented
2 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

women cooks, who each wrote a pretty neat cook- de Madame (1932) and Suzanne Laboureur and
ery book. A Mademoiselle Madeleine became the X. M. Boulestin in Les Grands et Petits Plats (1928).
author of La Parfaite Cuisiniére Bourgeoise et So it is my great pleasure to introduce La Bonne
Economique, and a Mademoiselle Catherine, of La Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange to English read-
Cuisiniére Bourgeoise. Neither books carries a copy- ers. This unique book was published and copy-
right notice and both are undated. They were pos- righted in 1927 by the French book publisher
sibly inspired by the celebrated volume of the Larousse, the very samé who gave us the well
great Urbains Dubois’s L’Ecole des Cuisiniéres (The known Larousse Gastronomique and its translation
School for Women Cooks). Chef Dubois’s book, into English in the 1960s.
written in 1888, remains one of the major wit- The translation of such a book represents a
nesses to the large beneficial influence on the very demanding and true labor of love and a deep
French working classes of the most important understanding of the way the author met the chal-
French law to ever have been voted by the French lenge of relating to her readers. For this, translator
parliament; namely, the Jules Ferry Law of 1882, Paul Aratow and the editorial team at Ten Speed
which resulted in the establishment of the nonreli- Press must be commended and thanked by all
gious, fully democratic, and mandatory national cooks. They paid particular attention to the way
system of basic and tuition-free education for all the properties of all the ingredients entering each
French citizens. Applicable identically to male and composition had to be respected, so that the voice
female children of all layers of French society, it of the author could come through as it does in its
still exists today, modified only when needed to original French version.
update the school programs in all subjects. Within Madame Saint-Ange is the one cookbook
a few years of the inception of that important law, author of the twentieth century who knew, way
illiteracy in the working classes had almost com- before we’d even heard about food chemistry, that
pletely disappeared, and some bright young women what happens in the pan during the preparation
started composing cookbooks destined to enter- of any dish is most important for the success of its
tain the friends of their bourgeois employers— final taste and its consequent successful and
almost royally at that! attractive presentation at the table. I owe my pas-
Among the many volumes to be found chez le sion for well-balanced dishes, in which all ingredi-
brocanteur were also a number of cookbooks ents are so well blended that each can be perceived
written by both women and men who had lived without any particular one overwhelming the
and been active in the food professions before the taste of another, in part to Madame Saint-Ange, in
first great war of 1914 to 1918. There is no doubt part to the women of my family who guided me at
that some of these books were also written by the stove in my formative years, and finally in part
women of the upper middle class, who had devel- to the wonderful culinary artists of the twentieth
oped a true passion for the art of cooking. century whose restaurants I visited all over Europe.
Madame Saint-Ange gives her readers the distinct May this wonderful book become a true compan-
impression that she was among those, as were idn to all future cooks as well.
probably Marie-Claude Finebouche in La Cuisine MADELEINE KAMMAN
Barre, Vermont
 5 TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION *

I lived in Paris in the 1960s, when the food market, tained herein. Madame’s charming but authoritar-
Les Halles, “the stomach of Paris,” was still the cen- ian voice echoes in every recipe. She virtually stands
ter of the city. Naturally, I wanted to dine fre- over your shoulder, dictating how you must hold
quently on excellent French cuisine. However, I the spoon, pouring out a stream of expert advice
was on an academic stipend and could only occa- that guides every move. The underlying principles
sionally afford the finer restaurants. The solution of the recipes are stated so clearly that the reader
was to cook the classic French dishes myself. I obtains a true understanding of the culinary arts.
investigated the cooking schools, only to discover I devoured the introductory chapters, learning
they were just as costly as dining out. I realized things about cooking that I never dreamed existed.
that I was going to have to learn on my own. The subtlety, the perfection, the exactitude, the
I had rented an authentic atelier, a greenhouse- skill of execution. A new world opened to me. And
like structure built in the courtyard of an old apart- of course, in Paris, it was easy to find a restaurant
ment building. Some kind of manufacturing took that specialized in whichever dish I was trying to
place there once, and the glass roof saved the factory make. On special occasions I would dine in one of
owner the cost of electricity. The atelier had mag- them and sample their version after I had carefully
nificent light. It had been converted to an artist’s followed Madame’s instructions and cooked my
studio, and contained a tiny rudimentary kitchen own. To my delight, they were generally remark-
consisting of a sink, a shower and an old gas stove. ably similar. The owners and chefs were always
I knew that good equipment was a necessity for happy to discuss the fine points of culinary art. If
a competent craftsman. I made a pilgrimage to the French love anything more than eating, it’s
Dehillerin in Les Halles (founded in 1820) and talking about it.
bought my cookware, just as Escoffier and count- When I returned to my teaching position at
less others had done in the same shop many years the University of California at Berkeley, my com-
before. panions enthusiastically shared in my pursuit of
I discovered La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. culinary excellence, particularly at the table.
Saint-Ange in a little bookstore in the Latin Quar- Then some friends came to me with an idea.
ter. I was fascinated by the book. It was so precise, Let’s open a restaurant! I would supervise the refur-
so assured. Every page contained another revela- bishment of an old Berkeley apartment house in
tion. I felt that I had found culinary gold. Bridging which we planned to build a simple commercial
the gap between her career as a professional chef kitchen and serve the same kinds of meals we loved
and her life as a housewife, Madame Saint-Ange to eat ourselves. I was to plan the menus with my
finds a sophisticated compromise between profes- partner Alice Waters, hire the cooks, and function
sional haute cuisine and the home hearth. It is not as chef de cuisine. Madame Saint-Ange would be my
surprising that this cookbook has been in print in guide. Alice would run the dining room. A year
France, with barely any revision, since 1927. It is as later, after much agony and hard work, we opened
current as the first day it was published. Chez Panisse.
This book is intended for the practical home Our menus were unheard of in a California
cook who intends to produce fine meals while man- restaurant. They were drawn from our experi-
aging time and money efficiently, but you could also ences eating abroad and advice from La Bonne
open a fine restaurant based on the knowledge con- Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange. Fortunately, an

3
4 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

extraordinary quantity of quality raw materials pan. And be certain your stove top burner gener-
was available in our community. We knew where ates a sufficient amount of heat.
to look for them. Our challenge was to replicate Ovens are now all regulated by thermostat, but
those classic French dishes in Northern California, instructions for baking often require heat princi-
with a few concessions to what was eventually to pally from the bottom or from the top. Convec-
become “California Cuisine.” tion ovens, which heat very evenly, can sometimes
There were many new things for me to learn, be switched to operate as conventional ovens, giv-
since I was the practical culinary expert, in charge ing more control over the heat source.
of the kitchen. I had a few sources of information, Iam sure that Madame would have used a food
but in general I handily solved my problems with processor had it existed. Once the techniques of
one book, that which you now hold in your hands. these machines are mastered, they are prime time-
It was not just the lists of ingredients and how to savers in the kitchen. But they won't do everything.
combine them that came from Madame Saint- Let your judgment be your guide. Microwave
Ange. It was also an appreciation of what fine din- ovens are marvelous for reheating and defrosting,
ing was, and an understanding of how to get the and occupy a narrow but useful spectrum in classic
best results from what was available in the market- food preparation. Electric stand mixers are now
place. It was making sure that when the food was commonplace for kneading doughs and mixing
put on the table, it was correct in every way. batters, and can even be fitted with unlined copper
Some years later I had the opportunity to pro- bowls for correctly whisking egg whites. Local sup-
duce a Hollywood film. I sold my half of Chez plies of food and equipment are variable. Now
Panisse and moved to Los Angeles. It has been my there is the Internet, where even the most obscure
great pleasure to see Chez Panisse continue to flour- ingredients and equipment are available at the
ish under the brilliant direction of Alice Waters. click of a mouse.
Although I no longer cook professionally, I still I have attempted to replicate Madame Saint-
love to cook for my friends and family. Dinner for Ange’s accurate, no-nonsense tone in the transla-
six or eight is just right for me. Whenever I can tion, making only the necessary emendations to
press a willing helper into service to slice mush- ease the transition from French to English.
rooms or knead the dough, I do. But Madame Madame’s colorful style of writing does not always
Saint-Ange is still my valued kitchen companion. fit easily into the English mold. Except for certain
You would be well advised to make her yours too. parts of the original text that deal with matters of
Several materials and appliances were not avail- French vocabulary and therefore have no rele-
able or current when the French version of this vance in the English translation, and certain Gallic
book was first published in 1927. Madame has a circumlocutions and asides that have no compa-
section on cookware that I am sure she would have rable English equivalent, the text is reproduced
amended had she possessed a set of excellent accurately and in its entirety. I have expanded the
stainless steel utensils, thickly constructed, with index to make the book more useful as a culinary
other metals sandwiched into the base to spread encyclopedia and added non-metric conversions
and retain the heat. I recommend these modern for the North American reader (though I strongly
metallurgical miracles heartily, with a few excep- recommend using the original metric measure-
tions. However, the only really good sauté pan is ments for greater precision). Adaptation and
made of heavy copper. Only copper gives you the alteration is laudable once you have mastered the
conductance necessary for the strong heat basic recipes.
required to seize and seal the food. The most Should the reader find a locution awkward, I
sophisticated sauté chefs prefer tin-lined copper, hasten to point out that the fault is mine, the
whose conductance is slightly better than a stain- translator, and not that of Madame Saint-Ange.
less steel lining, although much more mainte- Bon appétit!
nance is required. Choose one or the other, but PAUL ARATOW
you should invest in a good heavy copper sauté Los Angeles, California
 we NOTICE wx

This book is a careful compilation of the culinary knowledge acquired by a homemaker

who, for a long time, actually “put her hands in the dough.” Her experience was further
enhanced by studying professional cuisine during a long collaboration with distinguished
practitioners in exceptional circumstances. So this enables us to put the practice and prin-
ciples of genuine fine French cuisine within the grasp of everyone, ranging from the sim-
plest home-styie dishes to the most sophisticated preparations of the French culinary
repertoire. We will provide thorough explanations to aid even the most inexperienced
reader.
The uninitiated will perhaps find these explanations tiresome. But, on closer examina-
tion, you will realize that they are indispensable because they embody the fundamental
principles that underlie each and every recipe. They will be presented as generalizations,
suggestions, methods, procedures, etc., that, provided the explanations have been under-
stood, will allow you to achieve perfect success in any recipe you undertake. Furthermore,
you will then be able to better assess recipes from other sources and, finally, be able to
improvise recipes yourself using tried and true methods. To get the most benefit from this
book, we recommend immersing yourself in these basic principles: spoken aloud, they
will command your attention; if you merely read them you might be tempted to disregard
them. We insist on this, without fear of going too far.
Finally, you must never attempt a new recipe without having studied it in advance. The
most reputable professionals never do otherwise. Do not believe it makes no difference if
you modify the quantities, the procedures, and the cooking time to suit yourself. Success,
in such a case, will not be guaranteed. You should always remember that if the total quan-
tity is not sufficient for the number of people at dinner, it can be increased, but you must
scrupulously respect the relationship among the elements that compose the dish.
One last word, and it’s personal. In this book, we have condensed the results of more
than 30 years of practice and study applied to culinary education. This lengthy effort per-
mits us to have a valid hope in the usefulness of our work.

—DMmeE. E. SAINT-ANGE

Unless otherwise specified, all the recipes are calculated for 6 people.
The times indicated include preparation time and cooking time.
 A Wi
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 > WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW *

replaced as it evaporates. If you neglect this,

PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS
repairs will be necessary because, if the boiler is
Managing the Stove f dry while the stove is lit, it will become damaged.
Gas and electric stoves are being used more and Lighting the fire: Insofar as it is possible, you
more in both large and small kitchens. These appli- must avoid burning too much paper, particularly
ances, if well made, both give excellent results. The heavy paper, because the smoke deposits humidity
way to use them, which varies with each brand, in the flue. The best thing to use is a bundle of
will be indicated by the maker. thin, wooden sticks (kindling) that form a bed
The construction of all coal-fired cast iron solid enough to sustain the pieces of coal and also
stoves is fairly uniform. Here’s how to use them. allow some openings where the air can pass, which
The pieces of coal must always be broken into helps the draft and facilitates the burning.
the proper size in advance, about the size of an Begin by putting some crumpled paper on the
egg, not larger. One never puts a large piece into bottom of the firebox. On top of the paper place a
the firebox in order to break it up later with a bundle of kindling, with equal proportions of
poker. You will deprive the fire of oxygen by push- sticks of different thicknesses. Arrange them,
ing it down. Furthermore, you will ruin the grate smallest sticks first, crisscrossed on top of the
and the floor of the firebox. paper. In order to be able fit them in the firebox,
You should never dispose of old papers, trash, break them in half over your knee; they should
etc., in the firebox. If you have something to burn not be completely broken. This makes it easier to
in the firebox, you must add it when the fire is build up the pyramid of sticks.
already burning extremely well. Place only a small pile of coal on top of the
Every morning, before lighting the fire, thor- kindling. Now light the paper. Close the door
oughly clean the firebox and the ash pan. In other to the firebox and close the spin-wheel on the fire-
words, begin by lifting the grate that is at the box door.
bottom of the firebox. Failure to carry out this Keep the damper blade open and the door to
task daily will cause carbon residue to build up the ash pan open. Let the fire get started, then only
between the bars and prohibit the flow of air half-fill with coal to begin.
needed for the draft. To control the fire: You must never load the
When all the cinders and all the residue have firebox to its fullest, no matter what the circum-
fallen into the ash pan, empty it. Then, with a stances and no matter how much you need a
poker, scrape the ashes that have accumulated all stronger heat. Overfilling it in this way will only
the way to the back and in the angles of the ash choke the fire, restrict the draft, and make it com-
pan, and remove those as well. When you replace pletely impossible to control the draft from one
the ash pan, you must be sure that it can slide moment to the next by the use of the damper
easily all the way to the back of the rack; it should blade.
close exactly like the drawer in a dresser. The Outside the hours of major activity, maintain
draft is regulated as much from underneath as the fire by putting a small shovelful of coal in from
from above. time to time. Include some coal dust in each shovel-
The boiler: The most important point to note ful. These pieces of coal—added from time to time
is that it must be full of water, which must be so that the firebox is only ever filled to two-thirds

]
8 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

of its capacity—must be dropped in lightly, with- kinds of pots are also useful for electric ranges.
out stirring and rummaging in the fire. If you dis- Specialized kitchen stores stock a large variety of
turb the lit coals, these will shift and block the flow pots, roasting pans, and soufflé pans, as well as
of air. All the red-hot coals are necessary to keep special glass baking dishes. The glass dishes are
the pyramid structure intact and to let the air pass especially good for oven-baked preparations
through. because their transparency makes it easy to see
Throughout this time, the draft must be main- how the cooking is progressing. You can also use
tained at the correct level, so the fire does not go them on the stovetop, using a protective metal
out, but stays moderate. The best way to do this is plate made especially for this purpose.
to keep the ash pan door tightly closed and the Also of note are strong frying pans made of
damper blade half open. It is only when you need steel, and pots made of enameled cast iron of all
more combustion that you open the damper blade. sizes and depths, which are thick and solid. They
The system, which consists of putting wet sacks are easily cared for.
over the fire, is not recommended for kitchen The wooden spoon: Called a “mouvette” in
stoves because it dampens the dried cinders. It is many regions of France, the wooden spoon is the
not necessary to cover a fire when you know how to only instrument you should use for mixing. You
control the draft with the damper blade. must never use a metal spoon as a substitute, for
many reasons: Metal scratches the tin lining in the
Some Essential Accessories pots; the handle of the spoon is too short to stir
This is what you must have in even the most mod- properly; the metal of the spoon heats up too rap-
est kitchen: idly and burns your fingers. In short, the wooden
A scale with all its weights or a spring-loaded spoon is an indispensable tool for the kitchen.
scale.
A clock that gives you that the exact time. Weights and Measures
A deciliter measure, a measuring cup that con- A deciliter of liquid equals 6 tablespoons.
tains one-tenth of a liter. A level tablespoon of flour weighs 10 grams
Pots and pans: They were once the pride of (1/3 ounce). .
preceding generations, but one rarely finds pots
and pans in tin-lined copper nowadays. They are Whisking Egg Whites
excellent for cooking because the thickness of the Imagine this scenario, which could occur in any
metal ensures even heat distribution. That is why number of houses possessing kitchen equipment
some professional cooks use them still. They do, that is otherwise quite respectable. Madame
however, present several disadvantages. You can’t demands, in vain, that her oven produce soufflés
leave food standing in them. And to their rather as well risen as those at her favorite restaurant, or
expensive purchase price you have to add the cost Mademoiselle wants to amuse herself making
of regular re-tinning. Their maintenance, which is cookies and meringues but they are completely
off-putting to many, is not as difficult as it might unsuccessful.
seem because copper pots in constant use must If, in these houses, anyone had seen egg whites
simply be scrubbed on the exterior with a little grit whisked by a professional, they would have under-
and not polished. This is how you always see them stood the significance of the term “firm snow
in the professional kitchens. peaks.” It would have been obvious why egg
After copper, aluminum is the most widely whites, beaten carelessly, in a salad bowl, with a
used material. However, it is essential to choose fork, could never have become firm enough to be
carefully if you are to achieve a result equivalent capable of supporting the weight of an egg in
to that of tin-lined copper. Choose very good its shell. They would also have understood why,
quality aluminum, very well finished and not at even if they had succeeded in whisking the eggs
all porous. The bottoms must be thick enough so properly, or nearly, the egg whites would have
that they are not distorted by the heat. These gone grainy. (That’s the professional term.) The
 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 9

egg white that goes grainy divides, like a cream | Moreover, cakes and biscuits made with a bat-
that curdles, into one part liquid, another part ter containing beaten egg whites, prepared in a
millions of little wet lumps, instead of retaining copper bowl, yield one third more volume. They
the firmness of a batter. When beaten to the con- are not only more attractive prepared this way,
sistency of “firm snow peaks,” egg whites appear but they are much lighter and fluffier. One egg
more like a batter than a mousse. white yields almost 11/2 deciliters (5 fluid ounces,
To achieve this result, otherwise known as suc- 2/3 cup), while in its natural state it consists of
cess, three conditions must be fulfilled: The purity only 31/2 centiliters (13/16 ounces). Of course, this
of the egg whites, the use of appropriate utensils, assumes the use of the copper bowl.
and the technique of the endeavor. Upkeep of a copper bowl is simple. Before
The egg whites: Their perfect purity is a pre- using this preferred utensil—assuming it is not
requisite. The most experienced professional used daily—wipe the inside with a little vinegar
would never manage to whisk egg whites properly and salt, or rub it with a lemon wedge, which will
if they had retained the least bit of yolk, or if they leave it perfectly clean. It is not necessary to buff it
had been put into a greasy receptacle. Thus it is with anything else, even for major cleaning. Right
essential to take great care and avoid any contact after use, it will be enough to wipe off the bowl
with a greasy substance or object. It should be with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Be equally careful
noted that the yolk is particularly oily. to keep the outside of the bowl
As for freshness, it is not very important. We clean, because if you don’t,
could even say, for the benefit of those who might your hands will acquire an
hesitate to use egg whites that are several days old, odor of copper when you han-
that they are whisked more easily and remain dle the bowl, and this will be
firmer than whites separated from their yolks just passed on to everything you
before being whipped. However, they must be kept touch afterwards.
cool and covered. These whites are less subject to Along with this copper
going grainy—in other words, decomposing. bowl, you must have a large
The utensils: A copper bowl, which is not lined whisk with very thin wires made
with tin and which is made uniquely for whisking of tinned steel (or stainless steel)
egg whites, is practically mandatory (fig.1). Alter- (fig. 2)that should only be used
natively, you could use an aluminum bowl whose to whisk egg whites. Otherwise,
interior surface has been anodized so that the you must wash the whisk in FIG. 2.
whites don’t discolor. In any other receptacle— boiling water and rub it with EGG WHITE WHIP.
enameled, stoneware, porcelain—you run the risk vinegar or lemon before using
of seeing the whites go grainy. In any case, if you it again. It’s really better to restrict its use to whisk-
have none of these utensils, you must at least have ing egg whites. Choose one with a wooden handle.
a bowl in the shape of a hemisphere and without This is much less tiring than a metal handle.
an angle at the bottom, and one that is big enough It should be big enough and strong enough, about
to allow the whisk to work easily. 40 centimeters (16 inches) from the end of the
handle to the end of the wires. A small sauce whisk
is much too weak for this job. Using mechanical
beaters makes the work much less tiring.
Technique: We will split the whisking of egg
whites into two parts. The first covers the disin-
tegration of the mucous mass up to the point
when it becomes a grayish, roundish mass. This
part requires mixing with an easy and rhythmic
effort. The second part covers the conversion of
FIG. 1. EGG WHITE BASIN. the round, gray mass into a smooth, light, firm,
10 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

stunningly white batter. This second part, unlike in power, in speed. You will see, little by little, the
the first, requires a very vigorous and accelerated foam will begin to swell more, become more
effort. homogenous, and whiten. Do not stop for a second.
During both these periods, the whisking, even Continue to beat with larger and larger strokes,
though different in strength and speed, must not faster, more vigorously, until the foam, constantly
be interrupted. Under no circumstances should increasing in volume, becomes absolutely smooth,
you stop once you have begun to whisk. Stopping like whipped cream, a stun-
causes the whites to disintegreate. Instead of ris- ning white in color with a very
ing and firming up more and more, their mass firm consistency. To gauge
will remain semi-solid and will take on a blotchy, when it has reached the correct
grainy look. consistency, take the whisk out
Since this job is rather difficult during the sec- of the bowl and turn it over.
ond part, it’s a good idea to take turns with The foam should stay attached
another person. Or, if you have the necessary stay- in a solid block, forming a tas-
ing power, switch the whisk to the other hand (this sel, like that on a clown’s wig
is how professional pastry chefs do it) so you can (fig. 3).
rest your arm while the other one works. However, do not spend too
The process: As already explained, wipe the long on these observations,
inside of the bowl and the wires of the whisk with given that the whites must
a lemon wedge, or with a little vinegar and salt. always be used as soon as they
Dry them with a clean towel. are whisked, otherwise they
Take a dishtowel, twist it up from the corners, might become grainy. Since
loosely, then arrange it on the table in a circle, like they can be worked beyond the
a turban or little crown. Place the bowl in the cen- right point without spoiling, FIG. 3.
ter of this crown, tilting it a little toward you. you can, should you want to, WHIP LOADED
Rolled like this, the towel serves to steady the bowl give them a couple of extra WITH MOUSSE.
and keep it on the table. Without this, the instabil- strokes, to be certain that they
ity of the rounded bottom would make the work are completed adequately.
more difficult and slower. NOTE. When the preparation that the whites
Put the whites in the bowl. If you break the eggs are intended for contains sugar, you can add a bit
directly into the bowl, be careful when you have of powdered sugar to the whites, if you think
separated the yolks to run your thumb, which they might go grainy, but only toward the end
should be scrupulously clean, around the inside of of the process. Be sure to continue whisking vig-
the shell to remove all of the white. Make sure that orously when you do this. Use about 20 grams
not even the slightest bit of yolk has fallen into the (2/3 ounce) for 5-6 whites. This addition of pow-
bowl. Should that happen, use a bit of eggshell to dered sugar gives cohesion and consistency to the
carefully remove it. whisked egg white.
Begin to whisk, in any direction, but not too Incorporating the whites: Once you have
hard, and not too high. You must beat with very beaten the whites into a firm and robust state
small strokes, quietly, barely lifting the whisk, (neige ferme), you are still far from done. In order
which must stay in contact with the whites. Noth- for this result to be maintained in the final prepa-
ing but a little movement in place, without splash- ration, the whites must remain in this state after
ing, without noise, in a steady rhythm. Little by they are incorporated.
little, the mucous mass dissolves and liquefies. The Cookbooks and recipes always recommend
globules shoot up, and everything condenses into proceeding with this mixing “with caution, so you
a huge foam with an unattractive grayish color. don’t flatten the whites.” Yet, it is rare that the
It is exactly at this moment that the movement method for doing this is explained, even though
of the whisk must, gradually, increase in breadth, people who are uninitiated in the professional
 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 1]

secrets of the kitchen would never discover it by | in the copper bowl for this. You sprinkle the flour
themselves. In reality, it is quite simple. or sugar on top of the whites, adding more flour
First of all, you should have a or sugar gradually as you slice into the mass to put
wooden spatula, thin and wide. Or, it on top of the added flour.
lacking that, a stiff card, like a large
business card. If we are dealing Larding Meats
with a substance heavier than the [Translator’s note: Modern-day meat is bred for ten-
whites—for example, a mixture for derness, making surface larding virtually unneces-
a soufflé, rice or semolina for a sary, but at the time this book was written, tough
pudding, or cake batter—proceed cuts of meat were larded only on the top (with a tool
as follows: t called an aiguille a piquer), usually in short strips
With the spatula, spread the across the grain, which differentiated from the long,
whites on top of the material to interior larding strips (done with a tool called a \ar-
which they are to be incorporated. doire) of more tender cuts. ]
Cut into the whole mixture with The raison d’étre for larding meats is different
the spatula, so that you pass under from what a goodly number of people think.
the mass, turning it and placing When placed near the surface, it is not to infuse
it over the whites. In other words: the interior of the meat with fat because the lard
Put the spatula straight through (bacon or salt pork) could never penetrate the
FIG. 4. the middle of the whites, right interior. It is only the surface of the meat that is
WOODEN to the bottom of the bowl, just as affected by this technique. Whether it is for roast-
SPATULA. — you would to cut a slice of a Saint- ing, or for braising, larding functions like barding,
Honoré pastry. Having reached the adding to the appearance as well as the taste.
bottom, push the spatula underneath the mass In big cities, butchers offer cuts of ready-larded
and take up as much as you can carry on the spat- meat. But it’s not the same in smaller towns, and
ula. Deposit all of this on top of the whites, to your you must lard the meat yourself at home. There-
right. With your left hand, turn the bowl from left fore we offer detailed directions here, so they can
to right, just as you would do with the plate that be truly useful.
holds the Saint-Honoré. Once again, dive in with
the spatula, just as you would to cut a slice of cake,
to the left of the previous insertion. Once again,
lift and place on top the mixture that was under-
neath. This movement of placing the mixture from
below on top is the only technique that you should
use. And you must do this with large, generous FIG. 5. NORMAL SIZE LARDON.

gestures, measured yet swift, going out from the

middle to the edges, continually turning the bowl Larding fat: Use the fatback bacon or salt pork
on the table. Any other kind of movement would known as “half salted” (demi-sel)—in other
flatten the whites by expelling the air they have words, not too salty, fresh, and with a nice white
absorbed. Furthermore, it would prevent them color. It will have to be cut into rectangular strips.
from rising properly when cooked. The usual dimensions for beef filet, braised veal,
When the whites are to be mixed with a sub- etc., are 3 centimeters (11/4 inches) long and
stance lighter than them, for example, some flour about 2 millimeters (1/16 inch) thick, the slices of
or ground hazelnuts or almonds, powdered sugar, fatback bacon being 3 centimeters (1!/4 inches)
etc., you proceed with exactly the same motion, wide. The length is not fixed. Sometimes they are
but reverse the positions. In other words, in this as long as 12-15 centimeters (4!/2—6 inches).
situation, you put the whites underneath and the Thickness varies depending on the thickness of
lighter substance above. The whites should be left the fatback bacon.
12 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

Before cutting the strips (lardons), the fatback lardons. In this case, 3 millimeters (1/g inch)
bacon should be chilled. In the summer, it should (fig. 6). Stop at the rind, which will keep the slices
be kept on ice if possible. This is very important joined up. At one end of the fatback bacon, leave a
because it firms the bacon up and makes cutting 1-centimeter (3/g-inch) piece, on the left, to form a
much easier. shield to protect your fingers from the crosswise
Using a good knife, with a long, thin blade that cut of the knife.
has previously been dipped in warm water, first Next, without moving the slices, hold them
cut a very thin slice from the top of the piece of together, and, without moving the piece of fatback
fatback bacon, thus getting rid of the soiled and bacon, cut through to make slices of the same
very salty part. Then, cut perpendicularly into the thickness, carefully controlling the knife so the
piece of fatback bacon in order to divide it into blade stays quite flat. The last cut should graze the
small slices the same size as the thickness of the rind (fig. 7).

FIG. 6. DIVISION OF THE FATBACK BACON IN 3 MM FIG. 7. CUTTING THE SLICES CROSSWISE, CUTTING
SLICES HOLDING THE KNIFE PERPENDICULAR. WITH THE KNIFE COMPLETELY FLAT.

a
FIG. 8. HOW TO HOLD THE NEEDLE TO INSERT IT
INTO THE MEAT.

FIG. 10. INTRODUCTION OF THE LARDON INTO FIG. 11. PASSAGE OF THE LARDON THROUGH
THE OPENINGS OF THE NEEDLE. THE MEAT BY PULLING ON THE NEEDLE.
 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 13

Short surface larding (studding): The incon-

testable rule of larding is to use only the right
hand. The left hand serves only to hold the meat Up hp i, ig a
steady during the operation. This way you avoid
handling it, which softens the fatback bacon and
interferes with the precision of the technique.
Every professional will tell you that to lard
AUR URE AOE
well you must be comfortably seated. Depending
upon the size ofthe piece to be larded, use the left 7 u u 0 q
hand to support it, as for a veal roast or medal-
FIG. 12, SUCCESSIVE ALTERNATING ROWS OF LARDONS.
lions, or place it on the left knee, or on the table
in front of you.
A general rule is that the grain of the meat
The direction of the needle in relation to the
guides the direction of the larding, making it eas-
person threading can vary accordingly. In other
ier for the needle to pierce the flesh without too
words, work going forward, or from right to left.
much effort. But circumstances create frequent
But what does not vary, no matter which way you
exceptions to this rule. What is always necessary,
work, is the method of inserting the fatback bacon
in the case of a cut of meat that is to be carved in
into the flesh.
rather thin slices after cooking, is to arrange the
The movements break down thusly:
lardons in such a way that the knife cuts across
1. Hold the empty needle in your right hand. The them as it slices the meat. Otherwise, if the rows
position of the fingers remains the same, what- are too widely spaced, some slices will not have
ever the direction of the needle. Stick it in the any larding.
meat beneath a very thin layer of flesh, and push Long interior larding of meats: Here we mean
it out at a point three-quarters of the needle’s the process of inserting large lardons right inside
length. This is to ensure its stability. meats, and not the picquage, or studding, which is
done only at the surface.
2. Release the needle. Using only your right hand,
For this, we use a large needle, like the smaller
thread a strip (lardon) into the channel of the
aiguille a picquer—that is to say, a needle where
needle. Only one third of the lardon need go
the end is split into four parts in order to hold the
through.
lardon. Insert the empty needle into the meat up
3. Grasp the needle and pull so it leaves the lardon to the channel in the needle. Place the lardon into
in the meat, with the two ends of the lardon jut- the channel. Draw the needle by its point out of
ting out equally on either side. It would be fair the meat, leaving the lardon inside; the ends
to say that, without some practice, you will have should be sticking out. For large cuts of meat, a
difficulty in succeeding on the first try. large lardoire (larding tool)—which resembles a
Depending on the direction of the needle, the tube cut in half and is horizontally equipped with
lardons form different rows. With the needle a wooden handle—works best. Place the lardon in
directed forward, the lardons are inserted next the larding needle channel and press it down with
to one another in a horizontal line. With the your finger so that it does not get stuck passing
needle directed sideways, from right to left, the through the meat. Insert the instrument, little by
lardons are inserted one underneath the other, little, in the direction of the grain of the meat.
in a vertical line. In any case, the rows should be Push it through so that it comes out on the other
very symmetrical and alternating, so that the side. Grab the end of the lardon with your left
ends of the lardons intertwine, making rows of hand and hold it tight, while slowly retracting the
little crests. instrument. This will leave the lardon in the meat
as you pull back.
14 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

Straining Purées you should replace the dish with a very clean cloth
A drum sieve (tamis) is essential. A fine metal sieve laid out under the drum sieve. You can then pick
is most common, and for ultrafine purées, a very up the four corners to transfer the purée to the
fine sieve made of horsehair (fig. 13). Use a medium cooking vessel.
sieve, rather large in size, even for small quantities. The pestle must not be tapped, used to grind, or
Movement is easier and you have a larger surface rubbed in a circle in one spot. You must always
to work on. move the pestle in a nearly straight line, pulling it
In most households, this sieve is too often toward you while pressing it down to crush along
replaced by a strainer with relatively small open- the path of the pestle. Then, take it back to the
ings. It is impossible to achieve the same result starting point, lifting it off the sieve each time. The
because its purpose is completely different. A action of rubbing and crushing on the metal fabric
strainer is for draining. In a pinch, you can use it must only be carried out while pulling the pestle
to crush certain ingredients, but its use must not toward you. This method of handling the pestle is
go beyond that. The utensil known as a “purée of paramount importance, especially when dealing
press” has undergone improvements and certainly with starchy vegetables. A badly handled pestle will
has its place in a well-organized kitchen. However, damage the mesh of the sieve and impede the pas-
only with a drum sieve can you work quickly, sage of ingredients. The purée that results will be
which is of the utmost importance for starchy heavy and glutinous, and there is no remedy.
ingredients so that the resulting purée will have Starchy ingredients—potatoes, chestnuts,
perfect texture. The pestle used with a drum sieve legumes, beans, fresh peas, etc.—must be forced
is made of wood, in the shape of a mushroom. through the sieve when they are boiling hot.
Therefore, put the pot that contains them on the
table next to the drum sieve. Using a skimmer or
slotted spoon, take small quantities of the ingredi-
ents each time, so that two or three strokes of the
pestle forces the entire quantity through the sieve.
If you are working with beans or lentils, scrape
away the skins with a metal spoon each time so
that they will not obstruct the following portion.
Finally, do not forget to scrape off the material
that sticks underneath the mesh.

Drying Purées
FIG. 13. TAMIS AND MUSHROOM-SHAPED PESTLE The aim of this operation is to evaporate all the
FOR PASSING PUREES. moisture in the purée so that it can completely
absorb what is added: butter, milk, broth, etc.
Position the drum sieve with the deepest part * The operation takes place over high heat and in
down. This facilitates arm movements during the a pan with a rather large diameter—a sauté pan—
operation. Furthermore, this way of positioning because the large heating surface allows the purée
the drum sieve enables you, in cases where the sub- to spread out, making it much easier to stir. Using
stance is somewhat liquid, to place a receptacle a wooden spoon with a large, squared head, stir
under the sieve to catch the liquid. A shallow dish, the purée continuously, stirring and scraping on
with sides that are not too high, can easily be the bottom of the pan so that there is no browning.
placed under the sieve, so that it will not touch the As soon as the steam that rises from the purée
fabric of the sieve, which could be damaged if the diminishes and the purée has become rather thick
pestle comes into contact with the dish. When you and can be stirred into a lump, it is sufficiently
are dealing with a purée of vegetables that are solid, dehydrated. This is when you should add the
such as potatoes, chestnuts, or drained vegetables, other ingredients. .
 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 15

Using a Pastry Bag other words—makes it “separate” and become

This is a pocket made of fabric in the form of a oily, given the proportion of butter that one has
funnel, at the end of which is a metal nozzle, ended up adding. If the glazing cannot be
whose diameter varies. If necessary, use a large accomplished rapidly and without boiling the
cone made of strong paper as a substitute. Snip the sauce, it’s better not to try it. Glazing does not
tip of the cone with scissors after the ingredients add much flavor to the dish, it simply contributes
are inside. But the fabric bag is much easier to use. to the look.
To use the pasty bag, proceed as follows: Fill the For all glazing, use a dish that is flat, not bowl-
pouch with batter, being careful to leave enough shaped—in other words, a dish that the sauce
room so it can be closed. Fold over the end to can cover. Glazing does not work well even in
close, then hold it in your right hand, supporting shallow bowls.
it with your left hand, in such a way that by press- If you do the glazing in the oven, it must be
ing very lightly with the palm of your right hand, very hot. And the plate should be placed so that
you push out the batter inside. Your left hand the heat, hitting the top of the dish, immediately
serves only to support and direct, without ever causes a skin to form. On average, this should take
pressing. The nozzle must be resting on the surface 3 minutes. During that time, you must not take
when the batter comes out. If it is held above the your eyes off the oven, as they say, so that you can
surface, the batter will not come out smoothly. If both watch the glazing process and turn the plate
you are making pastry for profiteroles, for example, if it becomes necessary.
the nozzle does not move and the batter forms a When the oven is not hot enough to success-
round ball as it emerges. fully glaze that fast, it is sensible to place the plate
in another plate with some warm water in it, to
make a double boiler (bain-marie), which will
prevent the sauce from boiling.

Frying Parsley
In order to get parsley crisp and crunchy, a deep
pot of smoking-hot oil is essential. It is not possi-
ble to get this result with a bit of butter or oil,
heated up in the bottom of an omelet pan. Butter,
even when it’s clarified and used in large quanti-
FIG. 14. PASTRY BAG.
ties, cannot, without burning, withstand the
FIG. 15. HOW TO HOLD THE PASTRY BAG.
degree of heat necessary to “seize” the parsley as
required. In addition, the fat or oil, which are the
For long pastries, like éclairs, you must always only appropriate ingredients here, must be avail-
move the nozzle, while still touching the surface, able in a quantity sufficient to more or less sub-
as if it were a huge pencil and you wanted to write merge the parsley.
the number “1” on the baking sheet. The technique is quite simple. The frying fat
must be hot and smoking. Plunge in the parsley
Glazing Sauced Dishes and remove it almost immediately. A few seconds
Glazing a dish that is sauced involves forming a suffice to then pull it out crisp and crunchy, a
sort of glossy and colored skin on the surface of beautiful light green, the true color of fried parsley.
the sauce. You get this by using very high heat,
which comes from above. The best method is Blanching Fatback Bacon or Salt Pork
under a broiler. Failing that, a very hot oven. The purpose of this operation is twofold. It serves
This glazing must take place in just a few min- to cleanse the fatback bacon, frequently of doubt-
utes, so that the sauce does not have time to boil. ful cleanliness, and to rid it of excess salt, even
Boiling thickens the sauce—breaks it down, in when it’s only lightly salted.
16 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

You must always put the fatback bacon you last moment. This butter must always be added off
wish to blanch in cold water. Putting it into boiling the heat, broken into equal parts so that it mixes
water will not help it to give up its salt very well. easily and rapidly. You must stir continually with a
If the fatback bacon is to be cut into lardons, sauce whisk. |
the rind must first be removed, then it is cut The sauce must never return to the heat after the
according to the appropriate dimensions. These butter has been added. The heat would cause the
pieces are then put into a small pan filled with butter to separate, leaving only oil instead of the
enough cold water to cover. creamy liaison that it should produce. Thus, the
Heat them up progressively, so that they do not following is necessary. First, the sauce must be
boil too soon. This is to help remove the salt. Let completed before the butter is added to finish.
them boil lightly 5—6 minutes or more, 8-10 min- Next, the sauce must be boiling hot when it is
utes if the fatback bacon is very salty. Pour the lar- removed from the heat to add the butter, since you
dons into a strainer. Plunge into a large quantity of will not have the opportunity to reheat it after-
cold water. Then drain them thoroughly. If they ward. Finally, the last condition, the sauce must be
are to be sautéed later, they must first be dried safeguarded from all risk of heat surges, all the
thoroughly in a cloth, because the moisture that while being carefully kept warm.
they retain prevents them from browning in the
frying fat. Clarifying Butter
Butter is clarified to eliminate all traces of milk
Softening Butter into a Pomade (Pommade) protein (casein) and other particles that ball up
The professional French term is pommade (mean- and attach themselves as little black spots on foods
ing “ointment”), and it expresses the condition that are cooked in the butter.
perfectly. In some homes, beurre fondu (“melted but-
First warm up a thick earthenware bowl by ter” )—-which is, actually, butter clarified in large
running it under hot water. Dry it well. This quantities—is a staple. It is always on hand, thus
method is the only one to use because it is the eliminating the need to make it.
only way to obtain uniform heat. For this reason, In order to clarify the small quantity generally
never heat the bowl by putting it on the stove, necessary in our recipes, put the butter in a small
where only the bottom heats up, usually overheat- pan. Heat it up over very low heat. It will foam.
ing, which ultimately causes the butter to separate. The foam produced condenses gradually, the but-
Break the butter into little pieces and place in ter appears clear as olive oil, while a whitish
the well-heated bowl. Using a large wooden spoon, deposit forms in the bottom of the pan and solid-
work it into an ointment, a perfectly smooth ifies. You must never go beyond the perfect color
cream, homogenous and without even the small- of light yellow. At this point, decant the butter into
est trace of a lump. the utensil where it will be used.
Butter that is very hard is difficult to blend. In
this case, it must first be softened. To do this, Skimming
enclose it in the corner of a damp kitchen towel, In culinary terms, skimming means purifying.
and pummel it, crushing it with your hand against Sauces and certain soups must be skimmed.
the table to break up the block that it forms. Take Removing the foam, or scum, is done through a
it out of the towel and leave it for a while in the very special, gentle boiling, which brings impuri-
kitchen, at moderate temperature, before turning ties to the surface of the liquid.
it into a pomade. TECHNIQUE. Strain the sauce into a deep, heavy
saucepan large enough so that the liquid comes
Buttering almost to the top, which makes the repeated skim-
“Buttering” (beurrer) is a culinary term that means ming easier.
adding an appropriate quantity of good, fresh but- Put the saucepan on the heat. Do not cover.
ter to a dish and, in particular, a sauce, at the very When it begins to boil, move the saucepan so that
 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 17

it sits only partway over the heat and lower the heat sautéed vegetables, the butter browns and dries
to maintain just a small, steady simmer, always in out the dish. Liquid, but in very small quantities,
the same spot. To do this, which is of utmost impor- must be the only thing added to compensate for
tance, slightly raise the saucepan by its handle and the moisture lost to evaporation during cooking.
slide some heatproof object under the corner of This is also true for sauces and sautéed vegetables.
the saucepan—-an iron plate, for example. In this One or two spoonfuls of water, stock, or even
way, the heat touches only the corner of the cooking water from the vegetables will generally
saucepan and it boils only at that one spot. be enough.
Boiling slowly in this manner causes the fat and If you want to add butter to improve the flavor,
impurities to rise and form a foam, or spots or skins it should always be added after reheating is com-
of fat, which accumulate on the surface of the sauce plete and the food is off the heat.
that is not agitated by the boiling. They can then be
easily skimmed with an ordinary metal cooking Grating Fatback Bacon
spoon. Do not use a pierced spoon or small strainer. Grating fatback bacon is the only way to get it into
Removing these waste materials as they mount equal, tiny pieces. When you are working in small
to the surface is “skimming.” Add several small quantities, the machine used to grate fatback
spoonfuls of cold liquid, occasionally, to encourage bacon does not work well. Or, you may not have
the materials to float to the surface, as one does the machine.
when preparing a pot-au-feu. Cutting the fatback bacon with a knife in the
usual manner will not allow you to reduce it to a
When a Sauce Becomes Oily pomade because there will always be little hard
It sometimes happens, when the moment to serve pieces that do not mix in properly.
comes, that you find in your stew or ragout noth- With the tip of a strong, short knife, scrape the
ing but a layer of fat, clear as oil, at the bottom of surface of a piece of fatback bacon, to obtain the
which you can see a few drops of condensed sauce. necessary quantity. This means that you must use
Home cooks say that the sauce has “turned,” with- a piece of fatback bacon that is substantially larger
out knowing either the cause or the remedy. than the amount of grated fatback bacon, so you
The cause, in this case, is that the cooking has are able to have something left to hold onto after
been badly done, assuming that the right amount you have grated what you require.
of liquid was added at the beginning. In other
words, the boiling was too aggressive and the Slicing Vegetables
evaporation was excessive. The quantity of fat Even for the most simple dish, carrots, turnips,
does not vary. It appears excessive only because the potatoes, onions, etc., that appear in slices must be
liquid has dried up. cut evenly. This is impossible to achieve if you
The normal remedy is to reinstate the propor- hold the vegetable in your hand over the pan or
tions of the necessary liquid. Thus, when you have work surface to slice. Unless you have truly excep-
established that the liquid is insufficient, without tional slicing talent, the slices will always be more
removing any of the oil, pour in the amount of or less beveled. They do not have the finesse, nor
liquid that should have remained after the cook- the same even thickness, as they have when cut by
ing was complete. This could be stock, or other the professional method, which is just as fast. To
liquid, or failing that, water. Boil gently, covered,
for 15 minutes, and be sure to degrease the sauce
before serving.

Reheating Ragoiits, Purées, Vegetables, Etc.

It is an error to add butter to the food before
reheating. While cooking, this butter turns to oil
in the sauce of a ragotit. If you are reheating FIG. 16. HOW TO CUT A CARROT EVENLY.
18 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

do this, place the vegetable on the table and slice Preparing Marinades
perpendicularly into the vegetable (see fig. 16). The goal, depending upon the circumstances, is to
conserve, to tenderize, or simply to flavor.
Using Gelatin There are different types of marinades, which
Gelatin, also sold in France under the name of can be classified as follows: Fast marinades, raw
grenetine, is an industrial product extracted from marinades (that is, no cooking is involved), and
gelatinous materials, replacing calves’ feet used in cooked marinades. :
olden times. Just like calves’ feet, it is essential for Fast marinades: The sole aim is to flavor food,
giving certain preparations the solidity that they with lemon juice, oil, parsley, thyme, bay, and salt
need and could not have without it. But its pres- and pepper, to which, depending on the dish,
ence must remain undetected by the uninitiated. white wine, cognac, or Madeira is added. Vinegar
Good quality is the first prerequisite. Inferior should not replace the lemon juice, because its
quality gelatin leaves a taste of glue, which is one effect is often corrosive. You can marinate cutlets,
of the most unpleasant of tastes. steaks for grilling, as well as meats for patés and
Good-quality gelatin comes in very thin, trans- terrines. The oil in these marinades serves as insu-
parent sheets, which break neatly, like glass, and lation against the heat of the grill.
with no taste of glue. Each sheet weighs about Raw and cooked marinades: These contain
2 grams (1/14 ounce). They must be kept carefully, the same elements and in the same proportions:
in a metal box. Stale gelatin acquires an unpleasant carrots, onions, shallots, etc. What differs is the
taste. proportion of vinegar to white wine used in the
To use it, first rinse in cold water. Then soak it marinade. Note that in certain instances—game,
in a bowl of cold water so that it softens properly, for example—special flavorings are added, such as
ready for the moment of use. If you are using the rosemary or juniper.
gelatin in its sheet form, simply soaked to soften, Cooking the marinade develops the flavor of
dry it thoroughly and spread it out on a clean the vegetables and the scent of the other flavorings
cloth. If it needs to be dissolved, leave it until nice used, which are much stronger than in uncooked
and soft, then put it in a small pan with the neces- marinades. It is only after complete chilling that the
sary amount of water—a few spoonfuls, according cooked marinade is used. Exceptions are made
to need—to melt it. Set the pan only partway over only for very large and tough cuts of game, like a
the heat, or, to be safer, set the pan over a pot of wild boar, or sometimes—only in special cases
boiling water as for a bain-marie, because gelatin when time is of the essence—the marinade is
sticks and burns easily. When it is completely dis- poured, boiling, over the meat.
solved, strain it through a fine cloth. We recommend using very good wine vinegar.
Certain vinegars are so acidic that, in addition to
Oiling a Mold being corrosive, they denature the taste of the fin-
If you don’t have sweet almond oil, which is ished dish. If the vinegar is very strong, cut it with
preferable because it is the most fluid and tasteless, water proportional to the strength.
use an ordinary oil, but on condition that it has To marinate meat, when you want to keep the
absolutely no taste. Using a small brush dipped in marinade in reserve, always use earthenware uten-
the oil, coat the inside of the mold, being very sils, whether plates, terrines, or jars.
careful to get the brush everywhere, in the corners, The length of time in the cooked marinade
crevasses, and grooves, if the mold is ornamented. depends on room temperature. The meat is infused
Keep the mold upside down until needed, so the with the flavor a lot faster in summer than in
excess oil can drain. winter. It’s even faster in stormy weather and when
This light coating of oil allows you to unmold the room is quite warm.
with the greatest of ease. Also, the finished dish When a piece of meat is immersed in the mari-
will look as if it has been varnished. nade, it is not only turned over once or twice a day,
 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 19

but bathed with marinade with the help of a pletely white, fine grained, and homogenous, like
wooden spoon—a salad spoon, for example. As semolina.
much as possible, do not introduce any metal uten- The bread used in making these bread crumbs
sil into the marinade. is very white bread, allowed to get two or three
If the meat has to marinate more than three days, days stale so that it can be easily made into crumbs,
and if there is stormy weather while it is marinating, which will not happen with fresh bread.
the marinade must be boiled to avoid any risk of fer- Begin by eliminating all crust and hard parts
mentation. Thus, transfer the meat to a plate, pour with a knife. Next, break the bread into pieces,
the liquid, vegetables, flavorings, etc., of the mari- then place them in the corner of a new kitchen
nade into a saucepan, and add, for each liter (4!/4 towel, lightly dusted with flour (a new towel will
cups) of marinade: 1 deciliter (31/3 fluid ounees, be easier to handle), and close the towel like a
scant !/2 cup) of white wine and 4 or 5 spoonfuls of purse. Rub the bread pieces around to crush
vinegar. Boil for 5 minutes. Let the marinade cool them. As soon as this is done, pour out the
completely before pouring it over the piece. resulting crumbs into a fine strainer or a metal
The receptacle—a terrine or similar utensil— sieve with moderate openings set over a sheet of
should first have been rinsed with boiling water in paper. Put everything back into the towel that
order to destroy any bacteria. does not pass. Crush it again and sieve it again.
Cooked marinades: We will not give the pro- Keep doing this until the necessary amount has
portions of the different elements here. They will been obtained.
be found in each recipe where marinades are used. These bread crumbs must be fresh when you
PREPARATION. Finely mince carrot, onion, shal- use them. Fresh bread crumbs are called fresh,
lot, celery. When in season, celery is a highly rec- even though the bread is somewhat stale, to dis-
ommended marinade ingredient. Break the pars- tinguish them from bread crumbs dried in the
ley stalks into small pieces. On a plate, put the oven, crushed, and sieved and then kept in a box.
thyme, bay, peppercorns, and other flavorings to These dried bread crumbs are not recommended.
be used in the marinade. It is true that they form a firm crust, but it’s tough,
Heat the oil in a deep saucepan—tin-lined without flavor, like cardboard.
copper if possible—of an appropriate size. Add the Egg breading (a l’anglaise): A l'anglaise refers
carrot, onion, shallot, celery, and parsley. Stir with to egg beaten with salt, pepper, and oil, into which
a wooden spoon over high heat until these veg- you dip ingredients before coating them with
etables turn golden, only slightly browned, with- bread crumbs and frying them. The combination
out turning a deep brown color. Then add the of egg and bread crumbs, when it comes into con-
white wine and vinegar, garlic, thyme, bay, pepper- tact with the hot oil, forms a solid crust around
corns, and the other aromatics. Bring to a boil, the breaded object.
then immediately reduce the heat to low. From Although it is not necessary to have a rather
this point, simmer gently for a good half-hour. substantial crust to contain runny or chopped
Remove from the heat and allow to cool com- substances, such as croquettes, one could, for rea-
pletely. The marinade is then poured over the meat, sons of economy, use only egg whites. But this is
including all its vegetables and ingredients. detrimental to the flavor, the tenderness, and even
the beautiful golden tint that the yolk offers.
Breading or Coating with Bread Crumbs The oil makes the batter crustier. Add 1 tea-
Bread crumbs: Bread crumbs, or panure, are spoon for every 2 eggs. A small pinch each of salt
obtained from thinly sliced pieces of crustless and pepper for every egg is, of course, not used in
bread and used to coat foods in a crust that can be sweet dishes.
more or less thick. Do not confuse this with How to bread a l’anglaise: Break the eggs, both
chapelure, which are bread crumbs made with the whites and yolks, into a shallow soup dish or small
crust of bread. “Panure” bread crumbs are com- terrine, according to the type of food to be breaded.
20 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

Add oil, salt, and pepper. With a fork, beat them as butter. Sometimes, according to the dish, lard or
if making an omelet. In other words, gently, until oil are used.
the white, mixed well with the yolk, no longer Pour the butter, decanting it, into the frying pan.
appears gelatinous, but make sure you do not over- Put it over very moderate heat. When the butter
mix until foamy. begins to warm, put in the croutons. When the
On a flat plate or large platter, or on the cutting bread is light golden, toss them. If they are too large
board, depending on what you have to bread, to toss, turn them over with a fork to color the
spread out half the bread crumbs. (It’s best to use other side.
the crumbs gradually. The crust will be lighter in Note that only the surface of the crouton must
the end since the gelatinous nature of the eggs be firm and lightly crisped. The color must never
causes the crumbs to form clumps.) On a third go deeper than light gold, and so the butter must
plate, spread out a little flour. never be heated to the point of browning. Make
First, roll the object to be breaded in the flour, as sure you proceed carefully for the entire proce-
lightly as possible, so that the surface is only dusted dure, using, from beginning to end, only moder-
and the flour forms only a very thin coat. This pre- ate heat. Keep the croutons warm in their frying
liminary dusting with flour is to absorb any mois- pan until you use them, without covering them, so
ture from the food, so that the egg adheres better. It they don’t soften.
also helps to shape some things, such as croquettes, Croutons for soup liaisons: Ordinary bread
so that the ingredients do not stick to your fingers. works very well for this. It is better to use the top
Next, dip the food in the beaten egg, making sure crust, provided it is not burned or too dark, leav-
that it is completely immersed, even in the crevices. ing underneath a good centimeter (3/g inch) of
Slide a fork under the object to transfer it to the bread. If the crust is not serviceable, use only the
bread crumbs, and roll it in them so that it is com- bread inside. Cut this bread into 1-centimeter
pletely and equally covered all over. Use the flat (3/g-inch) cubes. Spread them out on a baking
side of the blade of a large knife to press against sheet or other ovenproof platter. Place in a rather
the bread crumbs so they stick well to the egg. hot oven to dry well without browning, stirring
They must be perfectly combined to produce the from time to time. -
desired crust. Potato croutons: To garnish soups, omelets,
Keep the breaded objects cool until ready to scrambled eggs, always use firm, thin-skinned
cook. Don’t bread them more than a half-hour in potatoes. Choose rather large ones, so they are
advance, because the bread crumbs tend to dry out easier to cut into slices of the right size, without
and the resulting crust will not be as tender. too much cutting or peeling. You can use all these
bits and peelings elsewhere, in a soup or a purée.
Croites and Croutons They must never be thrown away.
Fried croiites and croutons: Croutons to garnish Peel the potato. Divide it into slices, 6-7 mil-
soups or other dishes are made from slightly stale limeters (about !/4 inch) thick. Divide these slices
bread (with the crusts cut off) or from a good into equal sticks, about 6-7 millimeters (1/4 inch)
solid loaf of ordinary bread. The crusts are never wide. Cut them perpendicularly to obtain small
used, and the croutons are generally little cubes cubes of 6—7 millimeters (1/4 inch) on each side.
with about 1-centimeter (3/g-inch) sides. Croiites Plunge them into a pot of cold water to rinse off
are thin slices. The size of the crotites and the kind the starch, which makes them stick to each other.
of bread will be indicated in individual recipes. Drain. Dry with a clean, dry dish cloth; they must
Croutes and croutons are fried in just enough not retain any moisture.
fat to cover. They should have enough space Heat some butter in a clean frying pan (about
around them for the fat to circulate. 25 grams/1 ounce/2 tablespoons for each potato
The utensil generally used is a very clean, ordi- used) about 15 minutes before needed. Add the
nary frying pan. The usual frying oil is clarified cubes. Salt lightly. Cook over moderate heat, toss-
 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 21

ing them from time to time. They must slowly take | cubes to be cut absolutely evenly if the mirepoix
on a golden color, but not dark brown, and should will not subsequently be part of the final dish.
be crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The bacon is cut in larger cubes than the rest,
after the rind has been trimmed. If it is very salty,
Bread Paste for Stuffings (Panade) blanch for 5 minutes, once it has been cut into
This preparation, which has nothing in common cubes. Sometimes a bit of celery is added to the
with the soup of the same name (panade), is used mirepoix. Be careful about how much you use, so
to give stuffings the necessary consistency. Accord- that it does not dominate.
ing to the type of stuffing, the “panade” can be The proportions for mirepoix are given in indi-
prepared by two methods, which will be specified vidual recipes.
in individual recipes. To color the mirepoix, heat the butter or fat in
Bread panade: Crumble 125 grams (41/2 ounces) a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the
of slightly stale white bread into a small saucepan. mirepoix ingredients. Stir it with your wooden
Moisten it with a scant deciliter (31/3 fluid ounces, spoon, cooking until golden, or in other words,
scant !/2 cup) of boiling milk. Add a pinch of salt. lightly sautéed. Don’t cover the pan, and stir often
Leave it to absorb completely. Then mash the because the browning must happen progressively.
bread into a paste. Next, dry it out over high When finished, everything should be the same
heat—in other words, mix it with a wooden color, without dark brown pieces, certainly with-
spoon, stirring constantly, until the paste no out burned pieces, which would impart a bitter
longer sticks to the spoon. Spread it out in a dish flavor, and would have to be taken out.
greased with butter. Let it cool before use. Allow 7-8 minutes for the relatively modest
Flour panade: Preparation is the same as for quantities used in home cooking.
choux pastry, without the egg. In other words, in a
saucepan, combine 2 deciliters (63/4 fluid ounces, Duxelles
7/3 cup) of water, 30 grams (1 ounce, 2 table- Used for gratin toppings, stuffings, etc., duxelles is
spoons) of butter, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a composed of chopped mushrooms, onions, and
boil. As soon as the boil causes the liquid to foam shallots. If you have mushroom trimmings, this is
as if to overflow, like milk, remove from the heat the time to use them, because they will give you
and, without hesitating, add the flour (125 grams, the same results as whole mushrooms. Calculate
41/2 ounces) all at once, mixing it in with a one-fifth, or a quarter of trimmings, from the
wooden spoon. Return the pan to high heat, and stem end of the mushroom (the bit that is not
stir with the spoon, without stopping, until the used). Thus, about 100 grams (3!/2 ounces) of
dough comes away from the sides of the pan and is trimmings equals 125 grams (4!/2 ounces) of whole,
only slightly moist. Spread it out on a dish greased untrimmed mushrooms, for which you need
with butter. Let it cool completely before use. 100 grams (31/2 ounces) of onions, 2—3 shallots,
25 grams (1 ounce, 2 tablespoons) of butter, and
Mirepoix 2 tablespoons of oil.
This is the name of a combination of onions, car- Trim the mushroom end. Peel the stem. Wash
rots, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and bacon, lightly in two changes of water. Chop them. Put them ina
browned in butter or other fat. It is used as an aro- dishtowel and squeeze to extract as much water as
matic element for many dishes. possible. This is much faster than waiting for it to
Vegetables and bacon, or cured ham, are cut evaporate.
into small cubes. This shape means that they will Heat the butter and oil in a small pan. Add the
brown evenly and helps to extract from the veg- finely chopped onion and shallot. Cook until light
etables everything they are capable of offering. It is golden-brown, stirring constantly with the wooden
therefore absolutely essential not to cut them in spoon, so that no one part is more colored than
any other way. However, it is not necessary for the the rest. Just as the onion turns golden, add the
22 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

chopped mushrooms. Season with a pinch of salt, a clean them. Either they are dropped into boil-
pinch of pepper, and a hint of nutmeg. Stir over ing water, or put into cold water that is then
high heat for a few minutes to cook the mushrooms brought to a boil.
first, and also to reduce the rest of the liquid. Set
To braise: Slowly cook meats or vegetables in a
aside or keep hot, depending on your needs.
small quantity of aromatic broth in a closed
utensil.
Olives for Garnish
Use large, round green olives for this. With a small To bread (paner): Roll in bread crumbs.
knife, peel them in a spiral, keeping the knife in
To brown in butter (tomber a glace): Cook in
contact with the pit as you work. Carefully remove
butter until lightly colored.
the pit without breaking the olive, which will
regain its former shape by rolling up upon itself. To brown on top (gratiner): Put a dish, sauced
Put them into a small pan of boiling water and or not, but often sprinkled with grated cheese,
boil for 5 minutes to remove all traces of salt. into the oven or under the broiler to obtain a
Drain well on a kitchen towel, taking care to light coloring and sometimes a crispy surface
ensure they do not retain any water on the inside. (onion soup, patés, etc.).
To butter (beurrer): Grease a mold, a baking
Bouquet Garni
sheet, baking paper. Also, to finish a sauce by
Unless otherwise specified, a bouquet garni con-
adding butter.
tains parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. Any other ingre-
dient, such as celery, garlic, scallion, clove, etc., Chinois: A fine-meshed cone-shaped strainer
required by some authors, must always be specified. (fig. 19).
Thus, a bouquet garni is composed of 3-4 sprigs
To coat (masquer, napper): Cover with sauce.
of parsley, depending on their size, leaving the
In confectionary, cover with icing or meringue.
entire length of the stems because this part con-
tains the most flavor. Use one sprig of thyme, and To color (revenir): Color lightly in butter, fat, or
only a half bay leaf, because of its very strong fla- oil that has been previously heated.
vor. Surround the thyme and bay with the parsley,
Cooking liquid (cuisson): Any liquid that has
by folding over the stems of parsley. Tie it all
together with kitchen twine. been rendered after cooking food. For example,
the liquid resulting from cooking mushrooms.
Some Culinary Terms To deglaze (déglacer): Dissolve, by moistening
We have attempted, in the present work, not to use with a little liquid, the caramelized juice at the
terminology that is exclusively professional or bottom of a saucepan.
incomprehensible for the general reader. Below we
To degrease (dégraisser): Remove all excess fat
define the words commonly used in home cooking.
oa from stocks, cooking liquids, sauces, etc.
To arrange (dresser): Aesthetically place meat
and garnish on the serving dish. To dilute (relacher): Add a liquid to thin out
a sauce or a purée that is too thick; adjust
To bard: Wrap in a thin layer or sheet of bacon consistency.
or fatback bacon.
Double-boiler (bain-marie): A bain-marie can
To bind (lier): Enhance the consistency of a be any set-up of utensils where the lower part is
sauce, soup, or gravy, by the addition of egg filled with simmering water and the upper part,
yolks, cream, flour, starch, or blood. which can be a pan or a bowl, is placed on top.
Allow 2 centimeters (3/4 inch) space between
To blanch (blanchir): Immerse certain foods in
boiling water, either to part-cook them or to the two utensils.
 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 23

Drum sieve (tamis): A sieve whose screen is Pre-cooking rice (crever): Put the rice you need
stretched across a circular band of wood or in boiling salted water for a few seconds; then
metal, resembling a drum. drain it thoroughly and moisten it with milk.
To glaze (glacer, glacage): In addition to the lit- To purge (dégorger): Put certain foods, such as
eral meaning of the word, this term applies brains, sweetbreads, kidneys, etc., into cold
to: 1) Basting a cut of meat or other preparation water to flush out impurities and traces of
with its own reduced juice and returning it to blood. Snails, cucumbers, etc., are purged with a
the oven to give it a glaze; 2) The formation on a coating of sea salt.
sauced dish of a light, shining skin; 3) A layer of
To reduce (réduire): Boil a liquid or sauce,
sugar spread over a pastry. ’
uncovered, to reduce the quantity and make it
To lard (larder): Thread strips (lardons) of fat- more concentrated.
back bacon or bacon into a cut of meat with a
To refresh (rafraichir): Blanched food is imme-
larding needle. diately plunged into cool, running water to
To line (foncer): Arrange slices of bacon, onion, remove any foam and to cool completely.
carrot on the bottom and sides of a utensil. Also,
Roux (roux): A mixture of flour and a fat,
line a mold with dough.
cooked more or less completely, according to
To line with aspic (chemiser): Coat the insides of requirements.
a mold with melted aspic and allow it to harden
Salpicon (salpicon): A mixture of several ingre-
before filling with the required ingredients.
dients, cut to the same shape, generally in cubes,
To marinate (mariner): Soak meat, game, or to garnish savory pastry shells, interiors of cro-
fish in a liquid either to flavor or to tenderize. quettes, rissoles, etc.
To melt (fondre): Cook thinly sliced, minced, To shrink (pincer): When cooking ingredients,
julienned, or diced vegetables (or mirepoix) having sweated off their moisture and juices,
gently in butter until they begin to dissolve. start to contract, they are said to shrink.

Fahrenheit Centigrade To simmer (mijoter): Boil very gently over low

Very low, gentle = 225—275°F 107-135°C heat.
Low 285-325°F 140-163°C To skim (dépouiller, écumer, épurer): Skim
Medium 350—400°F 177-205°C (purify) a sauce or soup by removing the scum
High 410—450°F 210—232°C from the top.
Very hot 475—-550°F 246-288°C
To slice thinly (émincer): Cut into thin slices.
To moisten (mouiller): Add the necessary cook- To soak (mitonner): Applied to bread that must
ing liquid. be soaked in soup for an extended period of
Oven temperatures: Every oven has its own time and reheated before serving.
characteristics, and experimentation is the only To stew (étuver): Cook almost without liquid,
way to truly comprehend your oven, but here is or without liquid in a closed container.
a general guide:
To strain (passer): Cook in butter, then strain
To poach (pocher): Simmer in a liquid kept just through a chinois, sieve, cloth, or strainer stock,
below boiling point. cooking liquid, sauces, or to force through a
Poaching liquid (bouillon): The liquid in which drum sieve (tamis) purées, stuffings, etc. Syrups
meat or poultry has been cooked. and fruit juices are strained through cloth.
24 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

To stud (piquer): Inserting small pieces of fat- To trim (parer): To make an ingredient more
back bacon or bacon near the surface of differ- attractive by cutting away certain parts. For meat,
ent cuts of meat, especially game. removing excess fat. For a potato, the eyes, etc.

To sweat (suer): To cook an ingredient, gener- Trimmings (parures): The off-cuts resulting
ally meat, covered and over low heat to make it from trimming an ingredient.
give up its juices.
To truss (brider, trousser): To retain the shape
Tablespoon (cuillerée): In French cooking, a of poultry, game, and seafood by tying it up
tablespoon (not level) is equal to a soup spoon with a fine cord, sometimes using a needle.
that holds about 20 grams (2/3 ounce) of flour
To whisk or to whip (monter): Give volume to a
or sugar and about 25 percent more liquid than
substance, such as egg whites, a sauce, a hol-
the American tablespoon measure.
landaise, etc.
 = COOKING TECHNIQUES *

prepare a flavorsome stock in which you will then

BRAISING
cook the meat.
Almost everyone knows that braising requises The methods vary according to the type of
time and careful attention. That is why braising is meat, either red or white, and they vary with dif-
often replaced by a roast, served with a predictable ferent parts of the same animal and according to
sauce, and surrounded by an indifferent garnish. the availability of funds, the latter reason often
This ignorance no doubt reflects general confu- taking precedence over the others. Whatever pro-
sion. Some think braising is simply slow cooking cedure you use, some conditions are essential for
using a basic stock or even water for the liquid. In braising both red and white meats. You must
such a case, it is the meat that enriches the cooking know these before anything else.
liquid. But in braising, it is the cooking liquid that
enriches the meat. General Principles
Braising is much more than a cooking method, Any meat intended for braising must not only be
it is also about what you put in the pot—such as of good quality, but also be properly aged. The
slices of fatback bacon, poaching liquid, wine, longest cooking period will not produce the
eau-de-vie, etc. These additions are what give the sought-after tenderness.
meat greater succulence. You will not be successful with a piece of meat
Succulence. This is the true goal of braising; it that is too small. The amount of work and care is
is the aim toward which one strives, from the the same whether the size is small or large, so it is
very beginning, and it is the direction in which to your advantage to double the amount necessary
all the techniques and methods lead. To under- for a meal. Braised meats reheat quite well, can be
stand this, it is first necessary to know what was prepared in other ways, and are even excellent
formerly meant by “braising.” The grand culinary served cold.
master Caréme described it thus: “Place some You will need barding fat (fatback bacon), and
slices of fatback bacon in the bottom of a pan, plenty of it,when you braise. No other fat can be
and, on top of these, some slices of meat. Then substituted. And you will need more when the
add either a goose, a turkey, a leg of lamb, a cut of meat is lean, or when it is dry by nature and not
beef, or a similar piece. Then, add sliced meat and “marbled,” or streaked with fat.
fatback bacon, two carrots cut up, six medium You can remedy this absence of inner fat
onions, a bouquet garni, basil, mace, course by larding the cut from one end to the other
ground pepper, a touch of garlic; then a half glass with large lardons, a little less than 1 centimeter
of old eau-de-vie and two generous tablespoons (3/g inch) thick. These should be seasoned and
of consommé or stock. Cover with strong paper inserted in the same direction as the grain.
that has been greased, and cook it with heat from These lardons do not rule out the use of fatback
above and below.” bacon slices to wrap the cut, nor to line the bot-
The sum of all this was called braising. Since tom of the utensil. Pork fat imparts a distinctive
then, the great French chefs, beginning with velvety smoothness to a dish. It is an essential
Caréme, have gradually simplified and perfected element in braising.
this primitive procedure. To braise, you must first Increase the proportion of pork rind when you

25
26 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

have only a basic stock. It will give to the liquid, or Braising Techniques
the sauce, used for braising the gelatinous element Choice of utensil: You must use a special utensil
that ordinary reduced stock lacks. Choose pieces for braising (fig. 17), made of thick aluminum,
of rind with a thick layer of fat. If there is not tin-lined copper, or cast iron. It must be exactly
enough fat, the rind will burn, giving an acrid taste the right size to hold the correct amount of liquid
to the sauce without transmitting the necessary needed for proper cooking.
qualities. In addition, the sauce will not have a lus-
trous glaze.
In addition to pork fat or rind, you can use a
lean piece of cured ham, known as jambon de Bay-
onne. This adds a very pleasant taste to the fin-
ished dish. You can also use jambon de Bayonne
slices like lardons (chosen with lean and fatty
parts), which are inserted through the cut to be
braised, as mentioned above. This procedure was FIG. 17. BRAISING PAN.
frequently employed in early classic cooking, and
is worth mentioning here.
The bones should not be included when brais-
ing, for two reasons. First, it would require the use
of a utensil too large for the correct proportions
of meat and liquid. Second, it would not be able
to release the gelatinous materials it contains,
even though braising requires a long cooking
time. The bone has to cook for at least 12 hours.
For this reason, you should start cooking the bone
well in advance, either in the liquid intended for
braising, or simply in water. A paragraph in the
chapter on pot-au-feu contains directions for
cooking the bone.
The cooking liquid that keeps the meat moist,
whether poaching liquid or stock, must be only
lightly salted or not salted at all. The liquid will FIG. 18. SAUCEPAN WITH HIGH SIDES AND ITS COVER.
reduce by two-thirds, tripling its saltiness. If the
poaching liquid or stock is properly salted to start Whatever the liquid used, it must cover a cer-
with, you must dilute it by one-third or one-half tain proportion of the cut to be braised. If the
with water. Otherwise, when the meat is cooked, utensil is too large, you must increase the quantity
the liquid will be too salty to use. Poaching liquid of liquid. The result will no longer be a braised
made from veal, although light, is always preferable cut, but a disagreeably boiled and washed-out
to beef stock because it contains gelatinous ele- lump of meat, no matter how flavorsome the
ments that improve the reduction. The resulting braising liquid. In addition, you must allow for
sauce will have a smooth, velvety texture, which shrinkage of the meat, as well as the gradual
cannot be achieved with beef stock alone. reduction of the liquid. In fact, toward the end of
The vegetables and other elements that remain the cooking period, it is sometimes necessary to
after braising the meat make excellent additions to transfer the cooking juices and the meat to a
other dishes, such as soups or stews. They have a smaller utensil, so the meat does not dry out and
wonderful, complex flavor, having been infused the evaporation is slowed.
with the juice of the braising. Keep them after you The utensil should be appropriate to the size and
have strained the juice. shape of the cut of meat to be braised. If you are
 COOKING TECHNIQUES 27

cooking a filet or a leg of lamb, you should choose a Arrange the slices of onion and carrot, cut
long utensil, because the space between the utensil about !/2 centimeter (3/16 inch) thick, on top of
and the meat should not exceed 11/2 centimeters the pork. First the onion, then the carrot. Put the
(5/g inch), 2 centimeters (3/4 inch) at the most. bouquet garni in the center, then place the cut of
Do not use a utensil that is too deep, leaving a meat on top.
considerable space between the meat and the Cooking the meat: True braising begins
cover, because the steam will accumulate in the lid when the cooking vessel is put in the oven. Each
and there will be too much evaporation. recipe will give specific cooking times from this
The utensil must be as thick as possible in order moment on.
to maintain even heat, which is essential for the A slow, even simmer is an essential condition
cooking process. A utensil that is not thick for braising. If it boils too quickly at the start, not
enough will be subject to the slightest variations only will the meat dry out and the liquid diminish
of heat. Tin-lined copper retains the heat best and but, worst of all, the interior of the meat will heat
is preferable to all other materials. Cast iron is too rapidly and will not undergo the gradual
excellent for this same reason, but the sauce fre- transformation which is the very reason for brais-
quently does not maintain the desired clarity. On ing. A gentle simmer, uninterrupted and unvary-
contact with certain types of cast iron, the sauce ing, must be maintained from the beginning to
becomes cloudy and off-color. Thick earthenware the end of the cooking process. It is only toward
pots also work well and can be used in place of the end that the heat may be increased, rather than
tin-lined copper or good cast iron. Aluminum is diminished. In sum, careful control of heat is key
good, too, but it must be thick. Avoid enameled when braising.
steel, because you need even heat regulation and The heat must come from above and below in
clarity of the juice. order to braise properly. It used to be that the lid
Basic braising ingredients: These are the ele- of the cooking vessel was heaped with glowing
ments used to line the braising vessel: fresh pork coals to supply the heat from above. Now is it
rind or fat, onion and carrot slices, and bouquet much more convenient to use the oven. But even
garni. though it is easier to braise in the oven, it requires
You should use 30 grams (1 ounce) of each of more care than the lid heaped with coals. You need
these ingredients for every 450 grams (1 pound) of experience to sense the degree of heat in the
meat you want to braise. You can use a little less oven—a moderate heat that is even and stable—
pork rind, however. Whatever you need to cover and not to exceed the limit. Raising the heat to
the bottom of the utensil will be enough. cook faster will not save a minute. Quite the oppo-
Depending on which method you are follow- site, in fact.
ing, raw onions and carrots are put in the braising If, for any reason, the simmering is interrupted,
utensil to “sweat” with the meat, as for white do not reheat rapidly and maintain a higher tem-
braised meats, or browned beforehand, as for red perature to make up for lost time. A blast of vio-
braised meats. In both cases, the manner of prepar- lent boiling in mid-braise is the equivalent of
ing the braiser remains absolutely the same. torching a roast. It toughens the meat, and there’s
Lining the braiser: Cut the pork rind or fatback no remedy. Moreover, it clouds the sauce and
bacon in strips the width of two or three fingers. alters its taste.
Left whole, they buckle too much from the heat. If Do not use too much heat from above; you risk
the pork rind is not very fresh, soak it in boiling drying out and toughening the meat that is
water to soften it. Place the strips in the bottom of exposed, given that the surface is not covered by
the pot, side by side, with the fatty side down. This the cooking liquid.
is very important, because when this side comes Baste the meat with the cooking liquid; the fre-
into contact with the bottom of the pot, the fat quency will vary depending on the size of the
melts and keeps the vegetables from sticking. If you meat and the quantity of liquid. You must do this
put the rind side down, it would burn. more frequently toward the end as the liquid will
28 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

have reduced and more of the meat will be uncov- The more concentrated the sauce, the greater
ered. If you notice a premature reduction of liquid its succulence will be. It should be a kind of liquid
during the course of the cooking, caused by boil- extract of all the ingredients, meat, vegetables,
ing too rapidly and improper supervision, you herbs, liquids, etc., that have gone into the dish. It
should add a few tablespoons of hot stock to must have the consistency and look of a light
restore the balance. syrup, clinging to the spoon like a varnish. It must
For large cuts, the degree of doneness is deter- be crystal clear, with no trace of fat.
mined by piercing the thickest part of the meat Classic cooking methods called for a great deal
completely with a large kitchen needle. The needle of meat to be used in the liquid that forms the
must be easily withdrawn. If the meat is stuck, sus- base for braising and the resulting juice had the
pended on the needle when you try to withdraw it, consistency of a syrup, without further additions.
it is not adequately cooked. Cook it until the needle But modern bourgeois cooking has been obliged
withdraws easily. to find a more economical way to achieve a similar
NOTE. If absolutely necessary, you can braise a result. We do this now by binding the sauce.
small cut at home heated from beneath only, on a A very little bit of starch will do if the liquid
well-regulated gas flame or on a charcoal burner used for the braising is of good quality. But in a
that is well covered with ashes. But no matter how home kitchen where ordinary stock, or some-
well you regulate the heat, you will still lack the all- times even water, has been used instead of a
over heat. proper braising liquid (jus), a roux is preferable.
Glazing: The goal of glazing is to make the Its light, nutty taste contributes to the general
meat more appetizing by covering it with a light, flavor of the dish—a small contribution not to be
shiny coat so that it looks almost varnished. underrated—and, more important, it enhances
Glazing is only important for cuts served whole the meager ingredients used in the liquid.
or in large slices. That said, it is essential for meat Beurre manié is also used. A final addition of
that has been larded on top. This final operation the finest quality unsalted French butter, “beurre
browns the lardons. For this, the broiler works bet- d’Isigny”’—a method often used by the great old
ter than the oven. masters—is recommended. The butter is added to
Meat that has been glazed does not take well to the reduced braising liquid, or sauce, after it has
standing, so don’t glaze until just before you serve. been removed from the heat, to be served sepa-
If the meat must wait, keep it warm near the oven, rately, in a sauceboat. This butter contributes to
in its strained and degreased sauce. the liaison of the sauce and gives it an incompara-
To glaze, transfer the meat to any ovenproof ble smoothness. It is no wonder that the great
platter. Remove all vegetable pieces. Strain the chefs of contemporary cuisine have returned to
juice through a chinois and degrease it. Baste the this technique.
meat with just a little of this liquid. Put the meat in
a hot oven, on a high shelf so it gets the heat from Braising White Meats
above. Or put it under the broiler, if you have one. The braising technique used today for veal, lamb,
Baste it with the liquid a few more times, very poultry, etc., has not changed over the years. In
lightly. The heat will cause the liquid to caramelize other words, you first “sweat” the meat and other
on the surface of the meat like a light, shiny coat- ingredients until they release their juices. The
ing. Hence, the term “glaze.” Finally, baste no ingredients are lightly browned in this juice, and
longer and let it set. the liquid is reduced, almost to a syrup. Then the
You will need about 10 minutes for this; longer principal cooking liquid is added. The meat is
if you are dealing with a large piece of meat. cooked according to the recipe being used.
The sauce: We use the term “sauce” here in Finally, you may choose to finish with a glaze
order to be understood by everyone, but in culi- before serving.
nary terms the liquid that results from braising is To line the braiser: Proceed with the vege-
really a jus (juice). tables as directed in “Lining the braiser” (PAGE 27)
 COOKING TECHNIQUES 29

The braiser can be prepared in advance and set the juices from the meat and vegetables so that
aside until needed. nothing sticks. Raise the heat and boil, uncov-
To sweat: The goal of this operation is to ered, until there is nothing left but a scant table-
release the juices from the vegetables and meat by spoonful of pale golden syrup when you tilt the
applying moderate and progressive heat. These braiser. This process is called “reducing to a
juices will sink to the bottom of the utensil where glaze.” Add another deciliter (31/3 fluid ounces,
they caramelize lightly, thus contributing to the scant !/2 cup) of liquid and repeat the process.
flavor of the braising liquid. If the heat is excessive, This reduction yields an extract of the juices from
the opposite will happen. Searing and browning both the meat and vegetables and this, in turn,
due to high heat will seal the outside of these will add depth of flavor to the braising liquid.
ingredients, thus sealing in juices and obstructing Having completed this second phase of
their release. “sweating,” add the remainder of liquid required
Sweating is accomplished directly over low heat, for the definitive cooking process. This is the
or with the braiser set off to one side on the coal “moistening” phase. The liquid, or moistening
stove, or in the oven, and always with a lid on the agent, must reach the top, or partway to the top,
utensil. However it’s done, the braiser must have a of the meat. It must never be completely covered.
heavy bottom, smooth and without dents, and it Bring it to a boil over high heat. When it has
must be heated equally over the entire surface. begun to boil, place a piece of baking parchment
This operation will take 15-20 minutes, depend- directly on top of the meat, fitting it snugly in the
ing on the size of the meat. Beginners will proba- braiser. Cover as tightly as possible. Put it into
bly need a little more time. During this operation, the oven.
nothing in the braiser should be disturbed. Every- Cooking: Follow the directions given (SEE
thing must remain in the place where it was origi- COOKING THE MEAT, PAGE 27).
nally put. Browning: There is a single moment when the
When the covered braiser is heated, here’s what ingredients have released their moisture and
happens: gradually, the meat releases its juices and juices and now begin to color. Professional French
blanches. It swells slightly because of the pressure chefs call this le pin¢age. These juices sink to the
of the juice that is trying to escape. If you carefully bottom of the pot, where they reduce and
lift the meat and the slice of onion beneath, it will caramelize. This adds color and flavor to the
reveal an onion that has softened on the side in cooking liquid. But if the precise point of brown-
contact with the meat, while the part touching the ing is surpassed, everything will burn and the
pork rind will be slightly yellowed. From time to juice will become bitter beyond repair. It is there-
time, you should swiftly lift the lid to see and, fore necessary to watch this process closely,
above all, smell how the operation is proceeding. because it happens very quickly.
The pleasant aroma of cooking will rise from the From time to time, lift the lid so you can fan
braiser. You can smell that it’s cooking, but it has the fumes under your nose and smell the steam
not begun to brown. You must never brown the veg- from the pot, just like the professionals. As long as
etables when you braise white meats. The juice only white steam escapes, there is nothing more to
should have a light golden hue and the flavor do. As soon as the steam transforms into a light
should not be too pronounced. (SEE BROWNING, blue smoky haze and, above all, when a faint
THIS PAGE.) aroma of browning vegetables rises from the
To reduce to a glaze: Moistening. With the braiser, it’s ready. The process must be stopped
sweating process complete, the meat should not immediately, for the reasons explained above.
have taken on any color, but rather have become Remove from the heat. Add a little liquid, mak-
white. Don’t move any of the ingredients. Add a ing sure it circulates throughout the bottom of the
deciliter (31/3 fluid ounces, scant !/2 cup) of liq- braiser, then return to the heat, uncovered, to
uid, stock, or white wine. This amount hardly reduce completely. Then add the required liquid,
_ varies since the liquid is used to draw out more of as per the recipe directions.
30 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

Braising Red Meats If the meat is very fatty and releases a lot of fat,
The following method, applied only to red meats, you will have to remove some during the brown-
is the one currently used in fine restaurants as well ing process. Too much fat will interfere with
as home kitchens. The meats are first browned browning.
over high heat, which has the effect of forming a When you turn the meat, don’t pierce it with a
sort of waterproof seal on the outside. fork, because you will create an opening that
In addition, the vegetables for the braising are allows the juice to escape.
lightly browned in fat before they are used to line The braising base: Cut the carrots and onions
the braiser. In this way, they give to the cooking into thick rounds, about 1 centimeter (3/g inch)
juices a flavor that would not be possible if they thick. Heat enough cooking oil in a wide-bottomed
were added raw. frying pan to cover the surface. Add the onion and
You can brown the meat and vegetables together carrot. Sauté over a heat that is hot enough to
if using a small cut of meat. If you have a larger cut, brown them lightly. Do not brown too darkly, and
you must brown the meat and vegetables separately. never let them burn. Drain them in a strainer.
To brown the meat: There are two methods. In Braising: Remove all the fat from the utensil
the oven or in the braiser. used to brown the meat. This fat has been over-
In the oven: This procedure eliminates the heated and now is only good for frying at a very
inconvenience of splattering and splashing burn- high temperature.
ing hot fat, which occurs when browning in a Return the barding fat and browned vegetables
braiser, but you will need two ovens. The meat, to the braiser, as directed (SEE BASIC BRAISING
greased all over, is put in a roasting pan in a very INGREDIENTS, PAGE 27). Put the meat on top.
hot oven. It is turned on all sides during its time in Depending on the individual recipe, add a
the oven, which must not exceed 20 minutes. The small quantity of either wine or stock and reduce
meat must not begin its actual cooking here. Only rapidly to a glaze (SEE PAGE 29). Add the cooking
the outside must be seared. This is why such liquid. Or, add all the cooking liquid at once. In
intense heat is necessary. either case, the cooking is regulated exactly as
An oven this hot is far too warm for the gentle directed (SEE COOKING THE MEAT, PAGE 27).
cooking required by braising. Therefore, in ordi-
nary home kitchens, the browning is done on the
burner, in the braising utensil. This method can-
ROASTS
not be used for meat that has been larded on the Roasting is appropriate only for choice cuts from
surface with small lardons, because it cannot be young and tender animals. More than any other
turned in the braiser. In such a case, the meat must cooking procedure, it retains the integrity and the
be browned in the oven. subtle flavorings inherent in the meat. Although
In the braiser: Add enough fat so the bottom of this might seem a simple way of cooking, correct
the braiser is completely covered, but not exces- roasting is, on the contrary, one of the more diffi-
sively, and so the fat can circulate under the meat. cult techniques.
The meat should never be in direct contact with For a good roast, it is essential to use choice
the metal. meat, whatever the animal. And this meat must be
In the utensil chosen for the braising, heat the roasted a point (to the correct point).
fat over high heat until it just begins to smoke. A point is the culinary term that summarizes
Add the meat. Let the part that touches the bottom the ideal roast. A point indicates a roast that is
brown sufficiently before you turn the meat. beautifully colored, the meat evenly cooked and
Brown all the surfaces of the meat successively, juicy when carved. This juice will be pink, and not
lowering the heat as the process progresses. The red, for red meats. It will be absolutely clear, and
utensil and the meat will warm up, requiring less not pink, for white meats.
heat from the stove. This will take about the same The precise goal of roasting is to preserve and
time as browning in the oven. concentrate all the juices of the meat inside the flesh.
 COOKING TECHNIQUES 31

In order to do this, the juices are sealed in at the iby meat to support the extreme heat necessary for
beginning of cooking by the formation of a thin, browning without burning. It is because of this
browned coating on the outside of the meat. quality that fat is used to baste a roast that has not
Think of it as a waterproof barrier that prevents been barded. Surface larding small roasts with
juices inside from escaping. small lardons serves the same purpose. It provides
To obtain and maintain this thin browned layer, fat on the surface of the meat—not to the inside,
which is the fundamental condition for all roast- where the lardons hardly penetrate, but on the
ing, you must have dry heat from the beginning to surface, to provide a barrier and hinder the loss
the end of the cooking process. Any moisture will of juices.
make the barrier deteriorate and the meat soggy. In much the same way, barding protects the
The pores will open and the juices will escape. * leaner parts of poultry from the high heat needed
The only true roast is a roast cooked on a spit. to roast certain fowl, such as partridge. It also pro-
Meat cooked in this way has no contact with any tects poultry, such as turkey or chicken, from dry-
cooking vessel and is thus exposed to the heat in ing out when exposed to heat for a long time.
air. Whether it be an old-fashioned spit in front of Poultry wings and breasts are penetrated rapidly
the fireplace, or a rotisserie in front of a cage of by the heat, while thighs take much longer to cook
burning coals, or any other system that keeps the properly. For this reason, you must completely
meat suspended in front of an open fire, the prin- cover the breast sections with fatback bacon.
ciple of roasting does not change. Smaller birds should be wrapped completely. You
Meat roasted in an oven can be excellent, but will find all necessary directions on this subject in
not the same as roasting on a spit. The difference is the appropriate chapters.
so important that connoisseurs, like the English, Large cuts of meat are often surrounded by
who appreciate a good roast, refer to meat cooked very thin sheets of beef or pork fat, which serve
in the oven as “baked.” the same purpose as barding. Some cuts contain
Baking in the oven is more applicable to very more fat than others. Leg of lamb and fatty pork
large cuts that require a long cooking time, espe- roasts do not require barding. Basting with fat will
cially veal or pork. They will color more gradually suffice.
in the oven than on the spit, where the large pieces Lean game birds are barded with greased bak-
get too browned unless they are wrapped in sev- ing or parchment paper.
eral layers of paper. There is no need to baste something that has
But the spit is the best—indeed, one could say, been barded.
the only—method for roasting poultry and feath- Basting: A roast must be basted frequently,
ered game. It is even more important when smaller whether on the spit or in the oven. You must never
game birds are roasted. use liquid for this basting. You should use only oil,
Seasoning: Season roasts only after they have butter, or a good-quality fresh fat, which has the
finished cooking, just a few moments before tak- advantage of burning less easily than butter.
ing them off the spit or removing them from the Do not baste with the fat that has fallen into
oven. The reason is that putting salt on raw meat the drip pan or the roasting pan, because it is very
creates moisture that hinders proper browning, difficult to spoon this fat out of the pan without
thus allowing juices from the inside to escape. In taking along some of the juice that has dripped
addition, pepper takes on a very unpleasant acrid from the meat. Let us repeat, any form of liquid
taste when heated. must be excluded from basting at all stages of the
Barding the roast: The purpose of barding roasting process.
with fatback bacon is twofold. It provides fat for Since basting with the pan juices is not possi-
browning and it insulates the meat from exposure ble, as stated directly above, baste the roast as
to heat that is too hot or too prolonged. needed with new fat. So, instead of dipping into
Fat facilitates the browning. Because it absorbs the roasting pan with a spoon, use a kitchen brush
more heat than the meat, it helps the surface of the dipped into a cup of fresh, melted fat, and brush
32 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

the parts of the roast that are exposed to the heat. soaked in its own juice. It’s not until the cooking
This procedure requires a relatively small amount time has been completed that the oven reaches the
of fat. temperature it should have achieved from the
There is no need to baste or brush once the outset.
meat is browned. The fat cannot penetrate to the If, for any reason, the oven is not hot enough at
inside of the flesh. It can only brown the roast fur- the moment when you are ready to put in the roast,
ther, which would make it too dark. it would be better to forget about roasting and to
cook the meat on top of the stove in a pot.
Oven Roasting We must repeat again that, for any oven roast-
To get a satisfactory result with the oven, it is ing, the oven must be heated well in advance, so
essential to duplicate, as closely as possible, the that you need only adjust the heat, not increase it
conditions of roasting on a spit. substantially.
The essential condition is to isolate the meat The temperature of the oven should be lowered
completely from the fat and juices that fall into the toward the end of cooking if you are roasting a
roasting pan. There are special roasting pans that large piece for a long time.
have a separate, raised metal grill, which is placed You must know your oven well in order to be
over the pan. For poultry, there is a very useful pan able to control it. That is the prerequisite for oven
fitted with a spit. Use an appropriate-sized utensil roasting.
for the piece you are roasting, making sure in par-
ticular that it is not too large. If the surface is too Roasting with Gas or Electricity
large, the juices and the fat will burn too easily. No This kind of roasting gives excellent results when
matter what you do afterward, nothing will rem- the equipment permits you to cook in the same
edy the bitter taste of the juices. If you don’t have a way as roasting on a spit. In other words, the meat
special roasting pan, use any grill set over a metal must be surrounded by air, and the heat must
pan. The problem with such a grill is that many are come from above or from the side, but never from
too lightweight and deform easily, meaning that below. Otherwise the juice that falls into the pan
the roast is not stable. will overheat and burn. Some stoves permit this.
Don’t use earthenware pans, which will even- However, on most home stoves, the space reserved
tually become impregnated with the odor of for grilling is not large enough for a roast.
burned meat or fat. You should only rarely add If you have a conventional oven, only the
liquid to the roasting pan. All liquid produces uppermost heat source should be used and the
steam, and even when the meat is not in contact oven door should be left open during roasting. In
with the pan, this steam will tend to soften the this case, the time for roasting should be about
browned crust that seals in the flavorsome juices. the same as on a spit, perhaps a little longer. Gen-
However, in some cases, you may add one or two erally speaking, it is difficult to estimate the cor-
tablespoons of water to the pan to wet it down a rect time because each range is built differently,
little and avoid burning at the start of cooking. which influences its heating characteristics. It is
You can do this up to the time that the fat begins absolutely essential to know your equipment well
to melt and flow. so you can accurately establish the roasting time
The heat of the oven: To be able to determine of any cut.
the necessary temperature requires experience and
good judgment. With a visible fire, even a novice Cooking Times
quickly learns to roast. In the oven, it’s another The cooking time is related to the weight of the
thing. All ovens do not heat in the same way. It can meat, trimmed and ready for cooking.
depend on the draft, the construction of the oven Unusual as it may seem at first, relatively more
and, above all, whether or not the oven has been time is needed for cooking a small roast than a
preheated properly. Instead of searing in high, large one. We say relatively because a small roast
all-over heat, the roast will go limp and soften, needs more time per 450 grams (1 pound) than a
 COOKING TECHNIQUES 33

large one. Alarger roast benefits from the heat that | with liquid that is added to the roasting pan or
accumulates in the interior. drip-pan, called “deglazing” in professional terms,
For example, a beef roast weighing just over provides gravy for the roast.
1 kilogram (2 pounds, 3 ounces), requires 15— Many people use stock as the liquid for this
16 minutes per 450 grams (1 pound) for rare. For operation, but it should always be water. Water
a roast weighing 1.8—2 kilograms (4 pounds—4 does not interfere with the taste of the pan juices.
pounds, 6 ounces), you will need only 10- In fine restaurants, veal stock (jus) is employed,
12 minutes per 450 grams (1 pound) for rare. because its neutral flavor is not as perceptible as
The cooking time is a little longer on the spit other stocks. This is particularly true for roast
than in the oven, since the meat is not completely game birds. If veal stock is unavailable, let me
surrounded by heat. Allow about 2 minutes more repeat that water is the only acceptable liquid.
per 450 grams (1 pound). This is only added, of course, after the roast has
When you have a red-meat roast that won't be been taken off the spit or out of the roasting pan
served immediately, you can take the meat out of and kept in a warm place. First, remove some of
the hot oven while it is still rare and keep it in a the fat from the roasting pan or drip-pan. Add a
warm oven, or in the warming chamber of your few tablespoonfuls of warm water and scrape the
stove. It will continue to cook because of the resid- bottom of the pan to loosen and dissolve the
ual heat inside. brown crust. Boil for a minute as you scrape. Pour
Note that the quality of the meat can influence it into a preheated sauce boat and through a
the cooking time by several minutes overall, and strainer as well if the juice contains residues. If the
that the times given are for a good-quality oven fat left in the juice seems excessive, take out some
that produces a steady heat. more. But do not de-fat completely, because the fat
Cooking times for roasting different meats, from a roast retains much of the flavor, and many
poultry, and game are given in each individual people greatly appreciate it.
recipe. The time can vary with different parts of
the same animal and, in the case of red meat,
according to individual preferences.
Correct doneness: A roast that is cooked cor-
rectly, will have a firmness to the touch that can
only be recognized with a little experience. The
roast that is not “done” sufficiently on the inside
feels springy to the touch.
The most reliable method is to pierce the meat
with a trussing needle. The juice that runs out FIG. 19. CONICAL STRAINER CALLED A CHINOIS.
must be pink, and not red, for red meats. It should
be absolutely colorless for white meats. Allow about 1 tablespoon of juice per person.
Pierce poultry where the thigh joins the body. Thus for a roast to serve 12-15, you will need at
The juice that escapes from the rump when you tilt least 21/2 deciliters (1 cup), bearing in mind that
the bird over a plate must be absolutely colorless. 1 deciliter (31/3 fluid ounces, scant !/2 cup) meas-
ures about 6 tablespoons.
Pan Juices from the Roast Deglazing: Deglazing, or dissolving, the browned
Since no liquid is added to the roasting pan or drip- crust in the pan can yield only a moderate quantity
pan during the cooking, there is not much left at the of gravy to serve with the roast. Only a small quan-
end. On a spit, where the drip-pan has heated less, tity of water can be added. Otherwise, the gravy will
there is a chance of finding some juice. In the oven, be weak and will be more like a broth or greasy
the juice that escapes from the meat caramelizes water. When you need a larger quantity of gravy to
when it hits the pan and then forms a crust, so the accompany a roast, and you have no veal stock,
only liquid element left is fat. Dissolving this crust you should prepare a stock from the bones and
34 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

trimmings from the same kind of meat as the roast. because the food that you wish to sauté must be
Use this liquid for deglazing. To make this stock, completely in contact with the bottom of the pan.
brown the bones and trimmings with a little fat in a The food must be arranged side by side, and never
roasting pan, in the oven. Transfer them to a pot. stacked, never even one small piece on top of the
Deglaze the roasting pan with a little warm water others. The sides of the sauté pan are low so that
and add it to the saucepan with enough warm water the steam can escape rapidly from the food as it
to cover the contents. Salt lightly. Bring to a boil. cooks. The food must not be swathed in its own
Skim. Simmer for 2 or 3 hours. Strain and degrease. steam, it must cook dry.
For game birds, add a glass of cognac to the
warm water used to deglaze the roasting pan.

SAUTEING
Technically, the word sauté applies only to foods
that are cooked rapidly from beginning to end ina FIG. 20. SAUCEPAN CALLED A SAUTE PAN.
very hot fat—butter, oil, or fat—without the addi-
tion of any liquid. That said, the meat does some- This is an absolute must. It is the very principle
times come into contact with liquid just a few of sautéing. If you do not have a sauté pan, the
moments before serving; just the time for the food only thing that could replace it is a frying pan with
to be infused, but not cooked, by the liquid. The a very thick bottom. In an ordinary frying pan, the
principle rule of sautéing is never to allow the food heat of the fire sears the food brutally, so the out-
to boil in the sauce. Many dishes of classic French side burns and the inside does not cook. That’s
cuisine are prime examples: tournedos, veal scal- why you get that violet-colored juice when you cut
lops, poulet chasseur, veau Marengo, and Parmentier. into a steak sautéed in a frying pan. The meat has
These all involve red meats cooked until just pink; not been cooked. If you must use a frying pan,
white meat cooked but still juicy; and a very concen- because of circumstances beyond your control,
trated sauce, in which deglazing the caramelized use lower heat than you would for a tin-lined cop-
juices of the meat on the bottom of the sauté pan per pan and keep a close eye on the cooking.
plays an important role. Always use a sauté pan proportional to the
Actually, a sauté is a small roast done in a pan. number of pieces to sauté. As we have said, they
High heat is used at first to sear the meat, to brown must be placed side by side, but not too close, so
it and prevent the loss ofjuices, then the heat is they can be moved when you shake the pan, and so
immediately lowered for steady cooking. Never their edges do not cook in the steam. Do not use a
use a lid or you will trap the steam. All moisture sauté pan that is too large, in which the objects are
during cooking will be harmful to the sauté. In too spread out. The juice escaping from the food
short, you must observe all the principles that will caramelize too quickly and burn on the parts
relate to cooking a roast. of the bottom that are too open. The juice from the
However, there are a few preparations that are deglazing will be too acrid or bitter to use. The
called sautés but which are more like stews, juice obtained from the deglazing is an important
because the majority of their cooking time is spent ingredient in the concentrated sauce of a sauté,
in liquid. But the preliminary browning over high especially in home kitchens that do not keep a
heat and the proper technique are common to store of deglazed meat juice on hand.
both types of sautéing.
The Cooking Fat
The Proper Pan The fat must be able to withstand a high tempera-
A utensil known as a “sauté pan” (fig. 20), with a ture without burning. According to the dish, and
wide, thick bottom and low sides, is absolutely depending on what is available, you can use clari-
essential. The bottom of the pan must be large, fied butter, oil, butter mixed with oil, or good
 COOKING TECHNIQUES 35

fresh pork fat, fat from a roast, or fat skimmed | For all food to be grilled, cooking time is not
from the cooking pot. measured by weight, as for roasts, but by the thick-
Clarified butter, as it is called by professional ness of the piece to be grilled. The heat of the fire
chefs, is simply the beurre fondu (“melted butter”) must diminish during the course of grilling;
of home kitchens. Thoroughly purified by its pre- otherwise, flare-ups will inevitably occur.
liminary cooking, it can reach a much higher tem- The usual grilling implement—an iron grill
perature without burning than butter in its natural with round bars—is now frequently replaced with
state. You must always use this melted butter, or clar- a thick, heavy iron pan with ridges, resembling a
ified butter, in sautés where butter only is required. kind of frying pan without sides. It can be used on
Butter in its natural state darkens, burns, and giyes coal, gas, or electric ranges if they do not have a
the entire dish an unpleasant taste. When clarified built-in broiler.
butter is not available, use ordinary butter and add Before you put anything on the grill, and what-
enough oil to make it possible to heat the pan to the ever the nature of the fuel, the grill must be heated
necessary temperature. Oil can be heated to a very for several minutes until it is very hot. This will
high temperature without burning. prevent the flesh from sticking to the grill, caus-
Even though the oil, when it is heated to the ing it to tear when you turn it. For meats, each
proper temperature, does not penetrate to the tear will allow juices to escape. And for fish, the
interior of the food, it is better to use only oils that skin will shred.
do not have a distinctive taste. Make sure you use
oil that has a neutral taste, and when you use fat Food to Be Grilled
that has been obtained by degreasing, never It must always be brushed with oil or clarified butter
employ lamb fat. first. Butter in its natural state—in other words,
The cooking fat that has been used for sautéing not melted and decanted—will burn. Oil without a
must be drained from the pan before adding the pronounced taste is best, because it will withstand
liquid needed for the sauce. This is a quick and the highest temperatures without burning.
easy method of degreasing. You may reuse this fat During cooking, and especially for cuts that
for frying and sautéing. must remain on the grill for a long time, basting
Whatever type it may be, the cooking fat must with cooking oil is vital. Just as for roasts, it pre-
always be used in small quantities, because an vents the parts on the outside that have browned,
excess will fry, rather than sauté, the food. You need or seared, from drying out while the inside con-
just enough to cover the bottom of the sauté pan. tinues cooking. For this purpose, keep a spoon for
the oil or butter in a dish within easy reach. You
may also use a kitchen brush or a large feather.
PAN GRILLING Do not season the meat before you put it on the
The principles of pan grilling are the same as for grill. The salt melts when it comes in contact with
roasts. One could say that grilling is roasting on a the raw meat and creates moisture, which, in turn,
small scale. Just as for roasts, the temperature prevents browning and causes the juices to run out
depends on the required cooking time. The longer just when they should be contained. Pepper burns
it takes to cook, the lower the heat. The foods that when cooked, imparting a bitter and unpleasant
need the longest time and the lowest temperatures taste. You should season on the grill just before the
are white meats and fish. end of cooking, or right after turning off the heat,
while the meat is still on the grill. When the food is
smoking hot, it absorbs the seasoning better.
Red meats have even more specific requirements,
explained further on, which do not apply to white
meats. The cooking of white meats must be as com-
plete as possible. Always follow the directions and
FIG. 21. IRON GRILL WITH ROUND BARS. recommendations given in the recipes that apply.
36 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

Fuel and chops, the meat will not sear, so it will not be
The best is incontestably wood charcoal. Even browned and it will taste as if it had been boiled.
though this is hardly used in modern kitchens,
camping aficionados and.American-style barbe- Grilling Red Meat
cue enthusiasts will find the following directions Before putting meat on the grill, you should know
applicable to the various devices sold for open-air how you want it done. Tastes differ substantially in
grilling. this matter.
Grilling over wood charcoal: Use medium-size Some people will accept only meat that has
pieces, about the size of a large egg. Break up the been cooked very little, extremely rare. That is,
larger pieces. bloody. Others want it medium, which is when the
Before forming the bed of glowing coals, you juices run pink. Another wants it well done, when
must light it well in advance so that the heat has no juices run. Most of the times, unless you know
time to spread out evenly, and to ensure that the the preferences of your guests, cook it medium.
flames have died down. Spread the coals out in an The fire must be hot enough to sear the piece of
even layer 5—7!/2 centimeters (2-3 inches) thick, meat rapidly enough to obtain a rather resistant
depending on your needs. Remember that the bed browned layer, which keeps the juices inside the
of coals must be wider than the food you are meat. This juice, compressed inside the flesh, is
grilling. Heap the coals up at the edges. If you do gradually heated and, exactly as with a roast, the
not do this, the meat will remain uncooked around heat of the juice cooks the meat without drying it
the edges even though both sides are perfectly out—assuming that the cooking is stopped at the
browned. right time.
The thickness of the bed of coals varies accord- Once the meat ts put on the grill, never turn it
ing to the size and type of meat being grilled. If until the first side is perfectly browned. If you don't
you have a very hot fire, the meat should be large. observe this primary rule, the meat will lose its
Sometimes so much heat is required that more juice rapidly, because the heat makes the juices
coals have to be added. flow. This is why ayrapid browning is of primary
You can control the heat of the fire by sprin- importance when grilling red meats.
kling hot ashes on the bed of glowing coals. Do not Grilling steaks or chops that are no thicker
use cold ashes, which might extinguish the fire. than 2—21/2 centimeters (3/4-1 inch) should take
In order to grill over low heat and avoid flare-ups, 10-12 minutes, depending on how well-cooked
keep the fire covered with a thin layer of hot ashes. you want them to be. When one side is cooked as
Grilling on a coal-fired range: The round desired, turn it and cook the other side for the
plates of the stove are removed when you grill. The same time, so that both sides will be equally done
iron grill is placed directly over the glowing coals. and the inside will be cooked evenly. Allow 5—
Be sure the fire is not too hot. The firebox should 6 minutes per side. You turn it only once.
be only half full and the coals must be red-hot. If The same is not true for a thicker steak, like a
there are some sections of the coals that are not chateaubriand. Proceed as for a roast. In other
completely red-hot, it will smoke or flame. Both words, when each side of the steak has been seared
are unfavorable for grilling, particularly because by the heat and is perfectly browned, you must
the odor of the coal will be communicated to the turn it regularly until it is fully cooked. Make sure
food. As with grilling on charcoal, the heat of the you coat the steak with melted butter so that it
fire can be controlled by sprinkling it with warm does not brown too much and turn black. As the
coals. And don’t forget that the heat from a coal cooking proceeds, the heat should be moderated
fire is stronger than from charcoal. accordingly.
Grilling with gas or electricity: You will get very Always avoid pricking the meat with a fork
good results if the appliance is well made and pro- when you turn it. Every puncture opens a passage
duces a sufficiently strong heat that can be easily that allows the juices to escape. Turn the meat
regulated. Without that heat, especially for steaks using 2 forks.
 COOKING TECHNIQUES 37

Doneness: You can tell by touching. When you The Deep-Frying Utensil
poke the meat with your finger and the flesh seems To succeed in deep-frying, and to avoid poten-
elastic, it’s because the inside is undercooked. The tially serious accidents, you must use a special fry-
meat is very rare. Proper cooking can also be ing utensil (fig. 22) This consists of a pan with
judged by looking. When the juice pearls in pink slightly flared sides, made of cast iron or thick
drops on the surface of the meat, it’s medium. steel, with two solid handles. There is an oval-
shaped pan for frying fish.
Grilling Fish
Here we summarize the full directions that accom-
pany each recipe for the different fish to be grilled.
Choose fish of medium size. Make a few cross-
wise incisions in the flesh. Flat fish should have an
incision along the backbone. They should be
dipped in milk, dusted with flour, and dipped in
melted butter or a neutral-tasting oil. This forms a
very light crust around the fish, which will prevent
the flesh from drying out and will produce a
golden hue that cannot be obtained without flour.
An exception is made in the case of fish with oily
flesh; salmon, mackerel, herring, mullet, etc. Do
not flour these fish. Just dip them in melted butter
or oil before you put them on the grill.
Whatever the thickness of the fish, they should
be grilled on a moderate fire and brushed fre- FIG. 23. DEEP-FAT FRYING BASKET.

quently with butter or oil as they cook. They are

properly cooked when the backbone separates eas- This pan must be deep, for two reasons. First,
ily from the flesh. because anything cooked by deep-frying must
be plunged into a veritable bath of hot fat, and be
completely submerged, without touching the bot-
DEEP-FRYING tom of the pan. Second, because
A modern master of French cuisine, Philéas Gilbert, the deep-frying pan must never be
has justly remarked that only in the French lan- more than half full of hot fat. This
guage does one word, friture, designate: (1) the fat is so that when the utensil is over
used; (2) the cooking technique; (3) the food that the heat and the food is added and
results. As for the last, we would like to stress that makes the level of fat rise, the hot
it absolutely must have a golden-blond color, and fat does not overflow and catch
be dry and crisp. fire. Only this special utensil will
But the technique itself is difficult to teach only meet both conditions.
theoretically, and it’s not possible to offer a practi- These two reasons also mean
cal, physical demonstration. Frankly, observation that an omelet pan is as useless as
and personal experience are the best guides in this it is dangerous for deep-frying. Its
case. But they must be rooted in an understanding long handle adds to the risk of
of the rules and techniques that we are going to accident, unsuitable as it is for
explain. handling a utensil full of burning
hot fat. Iwant to make it clear that
in every recipe requiring deep-fat
frying, the use of this special uten- FIG. 24. DEEP-
sil is required. FRY SKIMMER.
38 LA BONNE CUISINE DE MADAME E. SAINT-ANGE

Different Fats for Deep-Frying found if they are not meticulously purified by
The best is the kind that is used up least rapidly re-cooking. Fat from roasts, for the most part, is too
and can be heated often without losing its quality darkened by cooking. It used to be that there were
and going rancid. And, it must be capable of pro- more opportunities for using it because the fat drip-
ducing a coating with the qualities mentioned ping from the spit was not overheated like the fat
above. from today’s oven roasts.
Fat from beef kidneys: Without doubt, it is this Lamb and mutton fat: Don’t use it. The fat that
fat that yields the best results in deep-frying. It can comes from the older animal gives a taste of tallow
withstand a high temperature without burning to the frying, which gets stronger and stronger.
better than any other animal fat, and the food that The fat that comes from the younger animal
is fried in it remains crisp longer. foams and creates a risk of serious accidents
This is what we recommend, but we suggest because it spills onto the stove.
adding some veal fat, which is finer but not stable Olive oil: This is not reserved solely for frying
enough to be used alone. Allow 1 kilogram fish. It is used for everything, especially in the
(2 pounds, 3 ounces) of veal fat for each 2 kilo- South of France. It gives a glossy, lightly colored
grams (4 pounds, 6 ounces) of fat from around the crust and can support much higher temperatures
beef kidneys. It is this mixture and these quantities without burning than beef fat. If it has not been
that we expect to be used in most of the recipes. well purified, it foams and overflows.
However, it is useful to consider other fats. Vegetable oils: There are many commercially
Clarified butter (beurre fondu): Reasons of available varieties. Their origins vary; they are
economy aside, this must never be used for deep-fat derived from coconut, various grains, cotton,
frying. In most cases, it cannot sustain the elevated corn, etc. Their advantage is that they support
temperatures needed without burning. You should very high temperatures, they have almost no
only use it for small, low-temperature frying for spe- taste, and they do not spoil easily. Unfortunately,
cific things, such as croutons, flat fish, etc. And it they foam a great deal, even after repeated use,
must be fresh and of very good quality. When it is which should serve, to purify them. This creates a
not top quality, the resulting dish will be inedible. risk of accident. These oils yield a dry, crisp crust
Butter gives a beautifully colored crust. It foams and that is colorless.
runs over if it has not been well clarified.
Lard or melted pork fat: This produces a very Preparation of Fat for Deep-Frying
fine color, but also a crust that is laden with fat and Hot fat that has not been previously purified by
which dries with difficulty. It is used up rapidly, adequate preparation will foam when the object
and tends to go bad very quickly. It should never to be fried is immersed. This happens with all fats,
be used alone. You can add it to the beef kidney fat no matter what kind. Foaming and the risk of
and veal fat mixture recommended above. Use 1 overflowing is not the only problem with insuffi-
kilogram (2 pounds, 3 ounces) of lard for each ciently prepared frying fats. When they have not
2 kilograms (4 pounds, 6 ounces) of beef kidney been sufficiently prepared by repeated heating,
fat and 450 grams (1 pound) of veal fat. It will they will easily penetrate the objects that are
foam and overflow if it has not been completely immersed. These foods become laden with fat,
purified. taste unpleasant, and are difficult to digest.
Fat leftover from cooking: Fat from stews and Oil, for example, foams heavily, not having
roasts can be used for reasons of economy. Their been previously heated, as is the case with animal
correct usage depends on where they come from fats. This serious inconvenience diminishes and
and the care taken to purify them. The fat taken disappears once the oil has been used two or three
from a stew where one has boiled a large piece of times, simply because the oil is purified by being
beef can be used. In general, however, we do not rec- heated. It should be an absolute rule that you
ommend these fats for delicate frying. They always never fry anything in any vegetable oil, until you
retain an aftertaste from the liquids where they were have heated it alone for a half hour.
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en voz muy queda, y hasta la hora de comer no cesó de barajar su
cerebro las ideas que le atormentaban. Medias lanzas... annatas...
San Carlos... San Eloy... Valentín... marqueses científicos... ruina...
muerte... rebelión... medias annatas.
 XI
Ni la Paz y Caridad le salvaba ya, porque la gobernadora, en sus
altos designios, había resuelto añadir al escudo de los Torquemadas
los sapos y culebras del marquesado de San Eloy, y antes cayeran
las estrellas del cielo que dejar de cumplirse aquella resolución.
Precisamente, en el momento histórico de la referida conversación
entre D. Francisco y Fidela, se hallaban ya el dibujante heráldico y el
investigador de genealogías con las manos en la masa, esto es,
fabricándole un escudo al tacaño, lo que en verdad no era para ellos
difícil, por ser el apellido Torquemada de noble sonsonete, de
composición castiza, y muy propio para buscarle orígenes tan
antiguos como los Jerusalem. Cruz no se paraba en barras, y antes
de hablar con su cuñado, lo dispuso todo para la pronta ejecución de
su arrogante idea, apretándole á ello el ansia de cogerles la
delantera á los indecentes Romeros. Encargó en Gracia y Justicia
que se activase el expediente, dispuso que con la mayor brevedad
posible se compusiesen todos los árboles genealógicos y todas las
ejecutorias que fueran menester, y no faltaba más que imponer al
bárbaro el gravamen, con firme voluntad, como la cosa más
conveniente para la familia y para él mismo.
Más reacio que nunca le encontró Cruz aquella vez, porque la
cuantía del espolio le requemaba la sangre, dándole ánimos para la
defensa. Tuvo que llevar la dama el refuerzo de Donoso, que le
encareció las ventajas de hacerse Marqués, y lo reproductivo de
aquel gasto, pues su representación social se acrecía con la corona,
traduciéndose tarde ó temprano en beneficios contantes. No le
convenció más que á medias, y el hombre gemía, como si le
estuvieran sacando todas las muelas á la vez con los aparatos más
primitivos. De resultas del sofoco estuvo enfermo cinco días, cosa
rara en su vigorosa naturaleza; se desmejoró de carnes, y le salieron
muchas canas. Cruz se desvivía por agradarle y devolver á su
alterado espíritu la serenidad; disimulaba su tiranía; figuraba atender
á sus menores deseos para satisfacerlos, y lo hacía efectivamente en
cosas menudas de la vida. Pero ni por esas: entregóse el hombre
pataleando, apencó con las medias annatas, rendido de luchar, y sin
aliento para oponer al despotismo una insurrección en toda regla.
Distrajéronle un poco de sus murrias la presentación en el Senado
y los conocimientos que allí hizo. El Presidente del Consejo, á quien
hubo de dar las gracias antes de la aprobación del acta, le dijo con
muy buena sombra que ya deseaba verle por allí; y que las personas
como él (como el señor de Torquemada) eran las que representaban
dignamente el país, lo que el tacaño creyó muy puesto en razón.
Veíase tratado con miramientos y cortesanías que le halagaban,
¿para qué negarlo? y lo mismo el Presidente que todos los señores
de la Mesa le traían en palmitas. Al volver á casa, después de su
primer vuelo en espacios nuevos para él, Cruz le observaba el rostro,
queriendo descubrir los efectos de aquel ambiente de vanidades, y
notaba ciertos efluvios de satisfacción que eran de muy buen
augurio. Interrogábale acerca de sus impresiones; se hacía narrar la
sesión y sus incidentes, y veía con gusto que el hombre en todo se
fijaba y no perdía ripio. Que de esto se congratuló la dama, no hay
para qué decirlo. Brillaba en sus ojos la alegría materna, ó más bien
el orgullo de un tenaz maestro que reconoce adelantos en el más
rebelde de sus discípulos.
Para que se vea la suerte loca de Torquemada, y la razón que
tenía Cruz para empujarle, velis nolis, por aquella senda, bastará
decir que á poco de tomar asiento en el Senado, aprobada sin
dificultad su acta, limpia como el oro, votóse el proyecto de
ferrocarril secundario de Villafranca del Bierzo á las minas de
Berrocal, empantanado desde la anterior legislatura, proyecto por
cuya realización bebían los vientos los bercianos, creyéndolo fuente
de riqueza inagotable. ¿Y qué sucedió? que los de allá atribuyeron el
rápido triunfo á influencias del nuevo senador (á quien se suponía
gran poder), y no fué alboroto el que armaron, aclamando al
preclaro hijo del Bierzo. Algo había hecho don Francisco en pro del
proyecto: acercarse á la comisión, hablar al Ministro en unión de
otro leonés ilustre; pero no se creía por esto autor del milagro ni
mucho menos, ni ocultaba su asombro de verse objeto de tales
ovaciones. Porque no hay idea de los telegramas rimbombantes que
le pusieron de allá, ni de los panegíricos que en su honor entonaron
el alcalde en el Ayuntamiento, el boticario en su tertulia, el cacique
en mitad de la calle, y hasta el cura en el púlpito sagrado. Y trajo
una carta El Imparcial, en que narraba el efecto causado por la
noticia en aquella sensata población, describiendo cómo había
perdido el sentido todo el sensatísimo vecindario; cómo habían
sacado en procesión por las calles, entre ramas de laurel, un mal
retrato de D. Francisco que se proporcionaron no se sabe dónde;
cómo dispararon cohetes, que atronaban los aires expresando la
gratitud con sus restallidos, y cómo, en fin, le aclamaron con roncas
voces, llamándole padre de los pobres, la primera gloria del Bierzo y
el salvador de la patria leonesa.
Enterarse Cruz de estas cosas y volverse loca de alegría fué todo
uno.
—¿Lo ve usted, señor mío? Si no fuera por mí, ¿tendría usted
esas satisfacciones? ¡Qué hombre! Apenas da los primeros pasos, ya
le salen los éxitos de debajo de las piedras.
Oyendo estas lisonjas, y todo el coro de plácemes que entonaron
sus tertulios, D. Francisco con media boca se reía y con otra media
lloraba, fluctuando entre el remusguillo del amor propio satisfecho, y
el temor de que todas aquellas misas vendrían á parar en nuevos
gravámenes.
Aunque en pequeña escala todavía, no tardaron en cumplirse los
vaticinios del suspicaz tacaño, porque al siguiente día se descolgaron
cuatro murgas atronando la escalera, y tuvo que echarlas el portero
á escobazos, repartiéndoles propina á razón de un duro por
orquesta, según acuerdo de Cruz, y á los pocos días ¡ay! apareció la
nube... Como empezara por poco, al principio parecía cosa de juego;
pero iba engrosando, engrosando, y pronto causaba terror verla.
Llegaron primero dos matrimonios, de paño pardo y refajos verdes,
pidiendo el uno que le libraran de quintas al hijo, el otro que le
devolvieran la cartería que por intrigas del gobierno le habían
quitado. Llovieron también gentes de Astorga con gregüescos,
trayendo mantecadas y pidiendo la Biblia en pasta, un destinito,
condonación de las contribuciones, permiso para carbonear,
despacho de un expediente, algunos limosna en crudo, otros
aderezada con mil graciosos artificios. Siguieron otros que, aunque
aldeanos en esencia, traían presencia de señores, pretendiendo mil
chinchorrerías, éste que se destituyera al Ayuntamiento de tal parte,
aquél una plaza en las oficinas de Hacienda de la provincia, el de
más allá que se variara el trazado de la carretera.
Tras una sección de pedigüeños venía otra y otra, con
encomiendas muy extrañas. Cayó asimismo sobre la casa un buen
golpe de leoneses residentes en Madrid, maragatos, y paveros, y
demonios coronados, que pedían protección contra la justicia, ó
gollerías atroces, dando á sus postulaciones los giros más originales.
Baste el ejemplo de un individuo que mandó á D. Francisco un
proyectillo, muy bien dibujado por cierto, del monumento que se
elevaría en Villafranca de Bierzo para perpetuar la gloria del hijo
preclaro, etc... Y otros enviaban versos, odas de sablazo y
pentacrósticos mendicantes, ó le proponían comprar un viejo cuadro
de Ánimas, que parecía una pepitoria. Torquemada se los sacudía
con cierto desgarro, echando el muerto á su cuñada, quien con
cristiana mansedumbre aguantaba el chaparrón y les obsequiaba y
les sonreía, dándoles una dedada de miel para que se fueran pronto.
Los del pueblo traían de don Francisco idea tan alta, que palidecían
al verle, y se quedaban lelos, como en presencia de un Emperador ó
del Papa. Todos se las prometían muy felices de la visita, y venían
como á tiro hecho, porque allá se dijo que cosa por D. Francisco
solicitada era cosa hecha en todas las esferas de la Gobernación del
Reino. Como que la misma Reina no tomaba determinación alguna
sin consultarle, y cada lunes y cada martes le sentaba á comer en su
mesa. Pues de la riqueza de Torquemada traían una idea tan
hiperbólica, que algunos se maravillaron de no ver las carretadas de
dinero entrar por el portalón de la casa. Entre los de paño pardo y
refajo verde, vinieron dos ó tres que habían conocido á D. Francisco
cuando era un chaval que andaba descalzo por los lodazales de
Paradaseca; y no faltó una tarasca que echándole los brazos al
pescuezo le saludara con expresiones semejantes á las de la paleta
del sainete La Presumida burlada: «¡So burro, hijo mío!»
 XII
Ya se iba cargando el hombre de aquel aluvión, y cuando se
encaraba con algún paisano, se le atiesaban los pelos del bigote,
tomando su cara un aspecto de ferocidad que suspendía el ánimo de
los visitantes. Por fin, le dijo á Cruz que cerrara la puerta á
semejantes posmas, ó que tan sólo diese entrada, después de un
detenido reconocimiento, á los que traían algo, ya fuese chorizos, ó
chocolate... ó aunque fueran castañas y bellotas, que á él le
gustaban mucho.
En tanto, iba acomodándose á la vida parlamentaria, y elegido
para ésta y la comisión, se aventuraba á ilustrar á sus compañeros
con alguna idea muy del caso, siempre que se tratara ¡cuidado! de
cuestiones de Hacienda. La verdad, estaría muy contento, si desde
que se sentó en los rojos escaños, no hubieran llovido sobre él los
sablazos en una ú otra forma. Esto le sacaba de quicio. Es mucho
cuento ¡Señor! que no se pueda figurar conforme al propio mérito,
sin dar sangrías á cada rato al flaco bolsillo. Ya era la suscripcioncita
para imprimir el discurso de cualquiera de aquellos puntos, ya otra
colecta para erigir un monumento á Juan, Pedro y Diego de la
antigüedad, cuando no lo hacían por un personaje moderno, de
éstos que se hacen célebres charlando por los codos ó revolviendo á
Roma con Santiago. ¡Y á cada instante víctimas por acá y por allá;
socorros para inundados, náufragos, y viudas y huérfanos del
Sursum Corda! Era un gotear frecuente, que al cabo del mes
representaba un terrible pasivo. Vaya, que á tal precio no quería las
satisfacciones de padre ó abuelo de la patria. ¡Cómo se cobraba, la
muy bribona, de los honores que á sus hijos ilustres confería! Tan
cargado estaba ya de ser hijo ilustre, que una noche, al regresar á
su casa de malísimo humor, porque el Marqués de Cícero le había
afanado cuarenta duros para la restauración de una catedral de
ñales, díjole á Cruz que ya no aguantaba más, y que el mejor día
tiraba el acta en medio del redondel, vulgo hemiciclo, y otro que
tallara. Para colmar su desesperación, aquella misma noche hubo de
participarle la tirana su propósito de dar una comida de diez y ocho
cubiertos, á la que seguirían otras semanalmente, con objeto de
convidar á diferentes personas de alta categoría. Inútiles fueron
todas las protestas del empedernido tacaño. No había más remedio
que banquetear, y se banquetearía. El decoro del nuevo prócer así lo
reclamaba, y en vez de ponerse como un león, debía agradacerlo, y
alegrarse de tener á su lado personas que tan religiosamente
cuidaran de su dignidad.
Pues señor, por aquel camino pronto llegaría la de vámonos.
¡Comidas de catorce cubiertos, y de diez y ocho y veinte! Ya desde
Octubre venía en aumento la cifra del presupuesto de bucólica. Era
un diario abrumador, que causaba espanto á D. Francisco,
acostumbrado á la sordidez de los doce ó trece reales de gasto en
tiempo de doña Silvia. Pues con el nuevo régimen de convites,
crecería la suma, hasta llegar á una cifra capaz de quitar el sueño á
los siete durmientes, y aun á los siete sabios de Grecia, que dormían
el sueño eterno. El mejor día le daba al hombre un ataque cerebral
del berrinche que cogía; las murrias le iban devorando, y las
satisfacciones de hombre público y de gran financiero se le
amargaban con aquel desagüe sin término de sus líquidos. ¡Cuánto
mejor reunirlo todo, para emplearlo en nuevos arbitrios, viviendo
con un modestísimo pasar, sin comilonas, que siempre perjudicaban
á la salud, y vestido con sencilla decencia, por un sastre habilidoso,
de esos que vuelven la ropa del revés! Esto era lo lógico, y lo
procedente, y lo que se caía de su peso. ¿Á qué tanto lujo? ¿De
dónde sacaba Cruz que para negociar en grande era preciso
convidar á comer á tanto gandul? ¿Y á qué iban allí los diplomáticos,
chapurrando el español y hablando sin cesar de carreras de caballos,
de la ópera y otras majaderías? ¿Qué beneficio líquido le aportaba
aquella gente, y los hermanos del ministro, y el general Morla, y
otros tantos que no hacían más que murmurar del gobierno y
encontrarlo todo muy malo? Verdad que él también lo encontraba
todo pésimo, pues política que no fuese de economías á raja tabla,
caiga el que caiga, era una política de muñecas, y así lo manifestaba
delante de catorce ó veinte comensales, que concluían por darle la
razón.
Hacia fin del año, el negocio de la hoja iba como una seda, pues
el pariente de Serrano que hacía las compras en los Estados Unidos,
era hombre que lo entendía, ciñéndose á las instrucciones dadas por
el gerente. Total, que las primeras remesas fueron admitidas sin
dificultad en los depósitos, y cuando alguno promovía dudas ó
resistencias, por aquello de que el tabaco parecía propiamente
basura barrida de las calles, de Madrid daban orden de que se
admitiese, gracias á las gestiones de D. Juan Gualberto, que para
estas cosas era un águila. Donoso no intervenía en nada referente á
las entregas. La ganancia según los cálculos de Torquemada, sería
fenomenal en el primer año. No tardó Serrano en proponerle otro
negocio: tomar en firme todas las acciones del ferrocarril de
Villafranca á Minas de Berrocal, con lo cual se mataban de un tiro
muchos pájaros, pues los bercianos verían en ello un nuevo triunfo
de su ídolo, y éste y sus compinches harían una buena jugada
largando las acciones después de hacerlas subir, por las artes que á
tales combinaciones se aplican, hasta las nubes. Esto, y el arreglo
con la casa de Gravelinas, á la cual se asignó una pensión por la vida
del Duque actual y diez años más, quedándose Torquemada y
compañeros negociantes con todos los bienes raíces (que se
venderían poco á poco, recibiendo en pago las obligaciones emitidas
por la casa ducal), la fortuna del tacaño iba creciendo como la
espuma, en progresión descomunal, amén de sus innumerables
negocios de otra índole, compra y venta de títulos, con tal tino
realizadas, que jamás se equivocó en los cálculos de alza y baja, y
sus órdenes en Bolsa eran la clave de casi todas las jugadas de
importancia que allí se hacían.
Y entre tantas dichas, se aproximaba el gran acontecimiento, que
esperaba el tacaño con ansia, creyendo ver en él la compensación
de sus martirios, por los despilfarros ociosos con que Cruz quería
dorarle las rejas de su jaula. Muy pronto ya, las alegrías de padre
endulzarían las amarguras del usurero burlado constantemente en
sus tentativas de acumular riquezas. Deseaba el hombre, además,
salir de aquella cruel duda: ¿Su hijo sería Torquemada, como tenía
derecho á esperar, si el Supremo Hacedor se portaba como un
caballero? «Me inclino á creer que sí—decía para su capote, con
verdadero derroche de lenguaje fino.—Aunque bien pudiera ser que
la entrometida Naturaleza tergiversase la cuestión, y la criatura me
saliese con instintos de Águila, en cuyo caso yo le diría al Señor Dios
que me devolviese el dinero... quiero decir, el dinero no..., el, la... No
hay expresión para esta idea. Pronto hemos de salir del dilema. Y
bien podría resultar hembra, y ser como yo, arrimada á la economía.
Allá lo veremos. Me inclino á creer que será varón, y por ende, otro
Valentín; en una palabra, el mismo Valentín bajo su propio aspecto.
Pero ellas no lo creen así sin duda, y de aquí la expectación que
reina en todos, como cuando se aguarda la extracción de la
Lotería.»
Ya Fidela no salía de casa, ni podía moverse. Se contaban los
días, anhelando y temiendo el que había de traer el gran suceso.
Hubo equivocaciones en el cálculo. Se esperaba para la primera
quincena de Diciembre, y nada. Pasó el 20: confusión y temores. Por
fin, el 24 se anunció, desde el amanecer, la solución del tremendo
enigma, con horribles molestias é inquietudes de la señora. No
conceptuándose Quevedito bastante autorizado para traer al mundo
al heredero de Torquemada, se había llamado con tiempo á una de
las eminencias de la obstetricia; pero debió presentarse el caso un
poco difícil, porque la eminencia propuso el auxilio de otra
eminencia. Reunidos ambos doctores, declararon que el parto era de
mucho compromiso, y pidieron la colaboración de una tercera
eminencia.
Mordíase el bigote y refregábase las manos una con otra el amo
de la casa, ya poseído de pánico, ya de risueñas esperanzas, y no
hacía más que ir y venir de un lado para otro, y subir y bajar del
escritorio al gabinete, sin acertar á disponer, en tan crítico día, cosa
alguna referente á sus vastos negocios. Los amigos más íntimos
fueron á enterarse y hacerle compañía, y para todos tuvo palabras
ásperas. No le había hecho maldita gracia la irrupción de médicos, y
cogiendo á solas á Quevedito, que oficiaba como ayudante, le dijo:
—Esto de traerme acá tantos doctores no es más que una
oficiosidad de Cruz, que siempre tiende á hacerlo todo en grande,
aunque no sea menester. Si la gravedad del caso lo exigiese, yo no
repararía en gastos. Pero verás como no necesitamos de tanta
gente. Tú te bastarías y te sobrarías para sacarla de su cuidado...
Pero, hijo, quien manda, manda. Es refractaria á la modestia y á la
moderación, y con ella no valen las buenas teorías... lanzas y medias
annatas... No sé lo que digo... Concluirá por arruinarme con tanta
bambolla... San Eloy... ¿Y tú que crees? ¿Saldremos en bien de este
mal paso?... San Eloy... Yo confío que esta noche tendremos á
Valentín en casa... Y si me salgo con la mía, se dará la coincidencia
de que sea en la misma noche... medias annatas... en que vino al
mundo nuestro Redentor, vulgo Jesucristo, ó en otros términos, el
Mesías prometido... Vete, vete á la alcoba, no te separes de su
lado... Yo estoy como loco... ¡Vaya, que traer acá esos tres puntos
de médicos, que pondrán cada cuenta...! En fin, sea lo que Dios
quiera. No vivo hasta no ver...
 XIII
Al anochecer, se presentó el caso como de los más apurados y
difíciles. Celebraron las tres eminencias solemne consulta, y en un
tris estuvo que fuese avisada una cuarta celebridad. Por fin, se
acordó esperar, y Torquemada que no cabía ya en su pellejo de puro
afanado, rindióse al temor del peligro, y se manifestó conforme con
que se trajera más personal facultativo, si era menester. Calmóse la
parturienta á prima noche, sin que desapareciese la gravedad;
presentáronse síntomas favorables, y aun se aventuraron los
comadrones á reanimar con risueñas esperanzas á la atribulada
familia. La cara de don Francisco era de color de cera: creeríase que
el bigote no estaba en su sitio, ó que se le había torcido la boca. Á
ratos le sudaba la frente gotas gordísimas, y á cada instante se
echaba mano á la cintura para levantar el pantalón, que se le caía.
Entraron algunas personas, en expectativa del suceso, y se metieron
en la sala, dispuestas á dar rienda suelta á las demostraciones de
júbilo ó de duelo, según el giro que tomase la función. Huía de la
sala el tacaño, horrorizado de tener que hacer cumplidos, y en una
de las vueltas que daba por la casa, fué á parar al cuarto de Rafael,
á quien halló tranquilamente sentado en su sillón, hablando con
Morentín de cosas literarias.
—¡Ah, Morentín!—dijo D. Francisco saludándole fríamente.—No
sabía que estaba usted aquí.
—Decíamos que no hay aún motivo de alarma. Pronto se le podrá
dar á usted la enhorabuena. Y yo se la daré dos veces: primero, por
lo que usted espera...
—¿Y segundo?
—Por el Marquesado de San Eloy... Yo quería reservarme, para
dar juntas las dos enhorabuenas.
—Ni falta que me hace—replicó D. Francisco con aspereza...—San
Eloy... medias annatas... Cosas de la hermana de éste, que siempre
está inventando pamplinas para sacarnos del statu quo, y meterme á
mí, tan humilde, en las altas esferas... ¡Mire usted que yo Marqués!
¿Y á santo de qué viene ese título?
—Ninguno más ilustre que el de San Eloy—dijo Rafael algo
picado.—Data del tiempo del Emperador Carlos V, y han llevado esa
corona personas de gran valía, como D. Beltrán de la Torre Auñón,
gran maestre de Santiago, y capitán general de las galeras de Su
Majestad.
—¡Y ahora me quieren meter á mí en las galeras! San Eloy... ¡oh,
qué marqueses somos!... De mucho nos valdría si no tuviéramos con
qué poner un puchero, como ciertos y determinados títulos que
viven de trampas... Mi bello ideal no es la nobleza: tengo yo una
manera sui generis de ver las cosas. Rafael, no te enfades, si me
despotrico contra la aristocracia tronada, y contra la que no tiene
más desideratum que humillar á los infelices plebeyos. Yo soy un
pobre que ha logrado asegurarse la clásica rosca, y nada más. Es
cosa triste que lo ganado tan á pulso se emplee en marquesados. Ni
qué tengo yo que ver con ese hijo de tal que mandó en las galeras
del Rey... No lo tomes á mal, Rafaelito. Ya sabes que no es por
ofender á tus antepasados... muy señores míos... Sin duda fueron
unos puntos muy decentes. Pero es que yo doy ahora mismo el
marquesado por lo que me cuesta y un diez por ciento de prima, si
hay quien lo quiera... Ea, Morentín, vendo la corona. ¿La quiere
usted?
Reíanse los dos amigos, Rafael de dientes afuera, el otro con toda
su alma, porque cuantas muestras de su barbarie daba D. Francisco
le colmaban de júbilo.
—Pero todo ello—dijo después Torquemada,—no tiene
importancia, en parangón del grave conflicto en que estamos...
Salga en bien Fidela, y apechugo con todo, incluso con las medias
annatas.
—Yo preveo los acontecimientos—afirmó Rafael con serena
convicción,—y le profetizo á usted que Fidela saldrá perfectamente
de su cuidado.
—Dios te oiga... Yo creo lo mismo.
 —No le vendrá á usted la desgracia por este lado, ni en el día de
hoy, sino por otro lado, y en días que aún están lejanos.
—Bah... ya estás oficiando de profeta—dijo Morentín, queriendo
desvirtuar con sus risas la seriedad que el ciego daba á sus palabras.
—Por de pronto—añadió Torquemada,—cúmplase la profecía de
hoy; yo me congratulo de que Rafael acierte. ¡Pero cuánto tarda,
Virgen de la Santísima Paloma! ¡Y para esto traiga usted tres
facultativos de cartel!... ¿Qué hacen esos caballeros que no...?
Porque yo soy el primero en rendir parias á la ciencia... Pero que
veamos sus resultados prácticos... ¿Pues qué, todo ha de ser teoría,
Sr. de Morentín?
—Lo mismo digo yo.
—Mucha teoría, mucho término griego, y éste manda una cosa, el
otro lo contrario; y los tratamientos son como el tejido de Penélope,
que hoy te hago y mañana te deshago. Si el enfermo se muere, no
por eso se dejan de pagar las cuentas de los señores Galenos...
¡quiá!... Y yo profeso la teoría de que esas cuentas debieran
pagarlas los gusanos. ¿No es usted de mi opinión? Justo; los
gusanos, que son los que van ganando... Aquí estamos en actitud
espectante, diciendo «qué será, qué no será,» y esos señores
médicos tan tranquilos... Y les soy á ustedes franco: me pongo tan
nervioso, que... vean... me tiemblan las manos, y hasta se me traba
la lengua... Mi yerno Quevedo se bastaba y se sobraba; tal es mi
humilde punto de vista.»
Salió del cuarto sin oir lo que Rafael y Morentín expresaron sobre
sus respectivos puntos de vista, y en el pasillo se encontró con Pinto,
á quien atizó varios pescozones, sin que ni el agresor ni la víctima se
hicieran cargo claramente del motivo de ellos. Siempre que don
Francisco se ponía muy destemplado y nervioso, desfogaba los
efluvios de su insensata cólera sobre los cachetes y el cráneo
inocente del lacayo, que era un bendito, y llevaba con paciencia los
duelos con pan. El buen trato de las señoras, y el comer todo lo que
le pedía el cuerpo, le indemnizaban de las brutalidades del amo, el
cual, cuando estaba de buenas, solía entenderse con él para ciertas
funciones de espionaje, verbigracia: «Pinto, ven acá. ¿Está la
señorita Cruz en el gabinete? ¿Quién ha entrado, el Sr. Donoso ó el
señor Marqués de Taramundi?... Chiquillo, avísame arriba cuando
salga Donoso, sin que se entere nadie, ¿sabes?... Oye, Pinto: la
señorita Cruz te preguntará si estoy arriba, y tú le dices que tengo
gente.»
Aquel día fué tal la dureza de sus nudillos, que el muchacho se
echó á llorar.
—No llores, hijo—díjole el tacaño ablandándose súbitamente.—Ha
sido sin querer, por la pícara costumbre. Estoy de mal temple. ¿Qué
hay? ¿Ha salido de la alcoba alguno de esos tres doctores de
pateta?... No llores te digo. Si la señora sale en bien, cuenta con una
muda de ropa... Vete á ver quién está en la sala. Paréceme que ha
entrado la mamá de Morentín, enteramente... ¿Y el señor de Zárate
ha venido?... ¿No? Pues lo siento... Entérate con cuidado, con
discreción, de donde está la señorita Cruz, si en la alcoba, ó en la
sala, ó en su cuarto, y corre á decírmelo. Te espero aquí... Entras
haciéndote el tonto, creyendo que te han llamado... Esto no es vivir.
Tú también deseas que salgamos bien, y que sea varón, ¿verdad?
Limpiándose las lágrimas, respondió que sí el bueno de Pinto, y
se fué á desempeñar las comisiones que le encargó su amo. El cual
continuó divagando por los pasillos, á ratos despacio, fija la vista en
el suelo, como si buscase una moneda que se le había perdido, á
ratos de prisa, vuelta la cara hacia el techo, cual si esperara ver caer
de él lluvia de oro. Cuando llamaban á la puerta, se escondía en el
aposento que le cogía más á mano, recatándose de las visitas, que
le azoraban ó le ponían furioso.
Pero una persona entró que le fué muy grata, y á ella se abalanzó
con júbilo, dejándose abrazar y recibiendo varios estrujones.
—Tenía ganas de verle, amigo Zárate. Estoy, estamos
angustiadísimos.
—¿Pero qué?—dijo el sabio, fingiendo consternación.—¿Todavía
no se le puede dar á usted la enhorabuena?
—Todavía no. Y he mandado venir tres facultativos de punta,
eminencias los tres, y alguno de ellos lo primero del globo terráqueo
en clase de comadrones.
—¡Oh! pues no habrá nada que temer. Esperemos tranquilos el
resultado de la ciencia.
 —¿Lo cree usted?—dijo Torquemada, ya exánime, apoyándose,
como un borracho á quien falta el suelo, en las paredes del pasillo.
—Confío en la ciencia. ¿Pero acaso el lance se presenta
dificultoso? Será que la familia se asusta sin motivo. ¿Está la
paciente en el primer período? ¿Y el vástago se presenta por el
vértice ó por la pelvis?
—¿Qué dice usted?
—¿Y no han pensado en traer un aparato muy usado en
Alemania, la sella obstetricalis?
—Cállese usted, hombre... ¿Á qué obedecen esos aparatos? Dios
quiera que todo sea por lo natural, como en las mujeres pobres, que
se despachan sin ayuda de facultativos.
—Pero rara vez, Sr. D. Francisco, se verifica una buena parturición
sin auxilio de mujeres prácticas, vulgo comadronas, que en Grecia se
llamaban omfalotomis, fíjese usted, y en Roma obstetrices.
No había concluído de soltar estos terminachos, cuando sintieron
tumulto en el interior de la casa, pasos precipitados, voces. Algo
estupendo sucedía; más no era fácil colegir de pronto si era bueno ó
malo. D. Francisco se quedó como un difunto, sin atreverse á
indagar por sí mismo. Zárate dió algunos pasos hacia la sala; pero
aún no había llegado á ella, cuando oyeron claramente decir: «Ya,
ya...»
 XIV
—¿Qué es? por las barbas del Santísimo Cristo—gritó Torquemada
escupiendo las palabras.
—Ya, ya—repetían los criados corriendo. Sus alegres semblantes
divulgaban la buena noticia.»
Y en la puerta del gabinete, á donde corrió como exhalación,
encontróse D. Francisco oprimido entre unos brazos de hierro. Eran
los de Cruz, que en su alegría loca le besó en ambos carrillos,
diciendo:
—Varón, varón.
—¡Si no podía equivocarme!—exclamó el tacaño, sintiendo más
apretado el nudo que en su garganta tenía.—Varón... quiero verle...
medias annatas... ¡Oh! la ciencia... Biblias... Valentín, Fidela... Bien
por las tres eminencias.
Cruz no le dejó entrar en la alcoba. Había que aguardar un
momentito.
—¿Y qué tal...? robusto como un toro...—añadió el venturoso
padre, que sin saber cómo fué arrastrado á la sala, y allí le
abrazaron multitud de personas, soltándole y recibiéndole como una
pelota, y llenándole la cara de babas.—Gracias, señores..., agradezco
sus manifestaciones... San Eloy... la ciencia... tres primeras espadas
de la Medicina. Gracias mil... estimando... No me ha cogido de
nuevas... Ya sabía yo que había de ser... del sexo masculino, vulgo
macho... Dispensarme, no sé lo que digo... Ea, Pinto, quiero
convidar á todo el mundo. Vete á la taberna y que traigan unas
copas de Cariñena... ¡Qué disparate...! No sé lo que digo... La sacra
Biblia empastada y champañ... Señores, mil y mil gracias, por su
actitud de simpatía y... beneplácito. Estoy muy contento... Seré
Mecenas de todo el mundo... Que traigan peleón, digo Jerez... Bien
sabía yo el resultado de la peripecia... Lo calculé. Yo todo lo
calculo... Querido Zárate venga otro abrazo. ¡La ciencia...! Lo... or á
la ciencia. Pero lo dicho: no se necesitaban tantos doctores. Ha sido
un parto meramente natural y espontáneo, por decirlo así. Somos
felices... Sí señora, felices... enteramente; tiene usted razón,
enteramente...
Entró á felicitar á su esposa. Después de hacerle muchos cariños,
y de echar un vistazo al crío cuando le estaban lavando, volvió á
salir, radiante.
—Es el mismo, el propio Valentín—dijo á Rufinita, volviendo á
abrazarla.—¡Cuánto me quiere Dios! ¡Él me lo quitó; Él me lo vuelve
á dar! Designios que no saben más de cuatro; pero yo sí... Ahora, lo
que nos vendría muy bien es que se largara toda esta gente.
—Pero si vienen más. Se llenará toda la casa.»
Y otra vez en la sala, oyó, entre el coro de felicitaciones,
comentarios de la extraordinaria coincidencia de que el hijo de
Torquemada naciese en la fecha del Nacimiento del Hijo de Dios.
—Ahí verán ustedes... Los designios, los altos designios...
—Feliz Noche Buena, Sr. D. Francisco, el hombre grande, el
hombre de la suerte, el niño mimado del Altísimo...
No se olvidó, con tanto incienso, de ir á recibir la felicitación de
Rafael, el cual hubo de recibirle con fría cordialidad, congratulándose
de que su hermana hubiera dado á luz felizmente; más no hizo
mención del nuevo sér, que había venido á perpetuar la dinastía.
Esto le supo muy mal á D. Francisco, que con altanero ademán y
sonora voz le dijo:
—Varón, Rafael, varón, para que tu casa y todita tu nobleza de
antaño, más vieja que las barbas del Padre Eterno, tenga
representación en los siglos venideros y futuros. Supongo que te
alegrarás.
El ciego afirmó con la cabeza, sin pronunciar una palabra.
Morentín había pasado á la sala, confundiéndose con los del coro de
alabanzas y felicitaciones. Creyó muy del caso la gobernadora
improvisar una cena para todos los presentes, con el doble motivo
de celebrar el Nacimiento del Hijo de Dios, y el del sucesor de la
casa y estados del Águila-Torquemada. Como la turbación y trajín de
aquel día no habían permitido pensar en comidas extraordinarias, á
las diez andaba de coronilla toda la servidumbre, aprestando la
cena, que por la ocasión, la fecha y el lugar en que se celebraba,
debía de ser opípara.
No le pareció bien á Torquemada llenar el buche á toda la
turbamulta, y en su pobre opinión, se cumplía invitando á los más
íntimos, como Donoso, Morentín padre é hijo y Zárate. Pero Cruz, á
quien dió conocimiento con cierta timidez de su criterio restrictivo en
materia de invitaciones, le contestó secamente que ya sabía ella lo
que reclamaban las circunstancias. Reasumiendo: que celebraron allí
la Noche Buena, en improvisado banquete, comiendo y bebiendo
como fieras, según dicho de Torquemada, unas cuarenta y cinco
personas largas, es decir, unas cincuenta personas, en cifra redonda.
Tuvo el buen acuerdo el amo de la casa de no beber champagne,
sino en dosis homeopática, y gracias á esta precaución se portó
como un caballero, no dejando salir de sus autorizados labios
ninguna inconveniencia, y hablando con todos el lenguaje fino y
grave, que á su carácter y posición social correspondía. Menudearon
los brindis en prosa y verso de madrugada ya, y Zárate concluyó por
tratar de tú á D. Francisco, profetizándole que sería el dueño de toda
la tierra, y que bajo su imperio se resolvería el problema de la
aerostación, y se cortarían todos los istmos para mayor fraternidad
entre los mares, y se unirían todos los continentes por medio de
puentes giratorios... Brindaron otro por el Marquesado de San Eloy,
que muy pronto adquiriría mayor lustre con la grandeza de España
de primera clase, y no faltó quien pidiese á los señores de
Torquemada, con el debido respeto, que diesen un gran baile, el día
de Reyes, para celebrar el fausto suceso.
Cuando se fueron los comensales, D. Francisco no se podía tener
de cansancio, la cabeza como un farol, y los espíritus algo caídos. El
sol de su alegría se nublaba con la consideración del enorme gasto
de aquella cena, y de los que vendrían á renglón seguido, pues la
tirana había invitado, para toda la semana siguiente hasta Año
nuevo, á los allí presentes aquella noche, distribuyéndoles en tandas
de á doce cada día. «Á este paso—pensó Torquemada,—esto será
un Lhardy, y yo el calzonazos por excelencia.» Acostóse ya cerca del
día con la mitad del alma gozosa, la otra mitad agitada por zozobras
terribles. ¿Sería broma, aquello del gran baile, ó lo dirían en serio?
Cruz, al oirlo, se había reído; pero sin protestar, como habría
protestado él, si se atreviera. Esto y los doce convidados diarios le
quitaron el sueño, porque la otra mitad del alma, la risueña y
retozona, también se mostraba rebelde al descanso. Levantóse sin
haber dormido, y lo primero que se echó á la cara fué un par de
tarascas, en quienes al punto reconoció los caracteres zoológicos del
ama de cría.
—¡Hola!—dijo dirigiéndose á ellas,—¿qué tal estamos de leche?
Cruz las había hecho venir previamente de la Montaña, dando el
encargo á un médico amigo suyo. Eran dos soberbios animales de
lactancia, escogidos entre lo mejor, morenas, de pelo negro y
abundante, los ubres muy pronunciados, y los andares resueltos.
Mientras el tacaño visitaba á su esposa y al crío, Cruz estuvo
tratando con aquel par de reses, y con los montaraces aldeanos que
las acompañaban.
—¿Cuál ha escogido usted?—preguntóle después D. Francisco,
que de todo quería enterarse.
—¿Cómo cuál? Usted está en babia, señor mío. Las dos. Una fija,
y otra de suplente por si la primera se indispone.
—¡Dos amas, dos!—exclamó el bárbaro con los pelos todos de su
cabeza y bigote erizados como los de un cepillo.—Si un ama, una
sola, es el azote de Dios sobre una casa, dos... ayúdeme usted á
sentir, dos... son lo mismo que si se abriera la tierra y nos tragara.
—De poco se asusta usted... ¿Y así mira por la crianza de ese
bendito pimpollo que Dios le ha dado?
—¡Pero para qué necesita mi pimpollo dos amas, Cristo, re-Cristo!
¡Cuatro pechos, Señor de mi vida, cuatro pechos...! ¡Y yo que no
tuve ninguno de madre, pues me criaron con una cabra!
—Por eso siempre tira usted al monte.
—Pero vamos á ver, Crucita. Seamos justos... ¿Quién ha visto
usted que tenga dos amas?
—¿Que quién he visto...? Los Reyes, el Rey...
—¿Y acaso somos nosotros testas coronadas, por decirlo así?
¿Soy yo por casualidad Rey, Emperador, ni aun de comedia, con
corona de cartón?
 —No es usted Rey; pero su representación su nombre exigen
propósitos y actos de realeza... No, no me río. Sé lo que digo.
Entramos en un período nuevo. Ya tiene usted sucesión, ya tiene
usted heredero, Príncipe de Asturias...
—Dale con que soy...»
Y no pudo decir más, porque la ira le encendía la sangre,
congestionándole. Sentado en el comedor se entretuvo en morderse
las uñas, mientras le traían el chocolate. Viéndole de tan mal temple,
Cruz se compadeció de él, y quiso explicarle la razón de aquel nuevo
período de grandezas en que entraba la familia. Pero don Francisco
no escuchaba más razones que las de su avaricia. Nunca sintió en su
alma tan fuerte prurito de rebeldía, ni tanta cortedad para llevarla
del pensamiento á la práctica. Porque la fascinación que Cruz ejercía
sobre él era mayor y más irresistible después del nacimiento de
Valentín. Ya se comprende que éste le servía á la tirana de la casa
para solidificar su imperio y hacerlo invulnerable contra toda clase de
insurrecciones. El pobre tacaño gemía, pasando de la taza al
estómago su chocolate, y como Cruz le incitara á manifestar su
pensamiento, quiso el hombre hablar, y las palabras se negaban á
salir de sus labios. Intentó traer á ellos los términos groseramente
expresivos que usar solía en su vida libre; tan sólo acudían á su boca
conceptos y vocablos finos, el lenguaje de aquella esclavitud
opulenta en que se consumía, constreñido por un carácter que
encadenaba todas las fierezas del suyo.
—No digo nada, señora—murmuró.—Pero así no podemos
seguir... Usted verá... Yo soy la economía por excelencia, y usted el
despilfarro personificado... Tres médicos, dos amas... gran baile...
convites diarios... medias annatas... Total, que pululan los gastos.
—Los que pululan son los mezquinos pensamientos de usted.
¿Qué supone todo eso para sus enormes ingresos? ¿Cree que yo
aumentaría el gasto si viera que sus ganancias mermaban lo más
mínimo?... ¿Tan mal le ha ido bajo mi dirección y gobierno? Pues
aún han de venir días más gloriosos, amigo mío... ¿Pero qué tiene
usted?... ¿qué le pasa?
El tacaño lloraba, sin duda porque se le atragantó la última sopa
de chocolate.
 TERCERA PARTE

I
Entró el año nuevo con buena sombra. Diríase que los Santos
Reyes le habían traído al tacaño cuantos bienes del orden material
puede imaginar la fantasía del más ambicioso. Llovía el dinero sobre
su cabeza; apenas tenía manos para cogerlo; por añadidura, hasta
se sacó, á medias con Taramundi, el premio gordo de la Lotería de
fin de Diciembre, y ningún negocio de los emprendidos por él solo ó
en comandita dejaba de fructificar con lozanos rendimientos. Nunca
fué la suerte más loca, ni reparó menos en el desorden con que
reparte sus dádivas. Atribuíanlo algunos á diabólicas artes, y otros á
designios de Dios, precursores de alguna catástrofe; y si eran
muchos los que le envidiaban, no faltaba quien le mirase con
supersticioso temor, como un sér en cuya naturaleza alentaba
infernal espíritu. Infinidad de personas quisieron confiarle sus
intereses, con la esperanza de verlos aumentados en corto tiempo;
pero él no consentía en manejar fondos de nadie, con excepción de
tres ó cuatro familias de mucha intimidad.
Pero si, en la esfera de los negocios, motivos tenía para reventar
de satisfacción, en la propiamente doméstica no pasaba lo mismo, y
el hombre, desde la entrada de año, se veía devorado por intensas
melancolías. Los gastos de la casa eran ya como de príncipes:
aumento de servidumbre de ambos sexos; libreas; otro coche, uno
exclusivamente destinado á la señora y al ama con el niño; comidas
de doce y catorce cubiertos; reforma de mueblaje; plantas vivas de
gran coste para decorado de las habitaciones; abono en la Comedia,
además del del Real; enormísimo lujo de trajes para el ama, que
salía hecha una emperatriz á estilo pasiego, con más corales sobre
su corpacho que pelos tenía en la cabeza. De Valentinico no se diga:
á los pocos días de nacido, ya tenía en su Debe más gasto de ropa
que su papá en los cincuenta y pico de años que contaba. Encajes
riquísimos, sedas, holandas y franelas de lo más fino componían su
ajuar, no menos lujoso que el de un Rey. Y á estas superfluidades, el
usurero no podía oponerse, porque sus últimas energías estaban
agotadas, y delante de Cruz no se atrevía ni á respirar; á tal grado
llegaba, en el nuevo orden de cosas, el predominio de la tirana.
El día de la Epifanía hubo gran comida, y por la noche recepción
solemne, á que asistieron por centenares las personas de viso. Ya no
se cabía en la casa, y fué preciso convertir el billar en salón,
decorándolo con tapices, cuyo valor habría bastado para mantener á
dos docenas de familias por algunos años. Verdad que tuvo don
Francisco la satisfacción de ver en su casa ministros de la Corona,
senadores y diputados, mucha gente titulada, generales y hasta
hombres científicos, sin que faltaran bardos, y algún chico de la
prensa, por lo cual decía para su sayo el Marqués de San Eloy: «Si
buena ínsula me das, buenos azotes me cuesta.» El licenciado Juan
de Madrid describía con pluma de ave de paraíso el espléndido
sarao, concluyendo por pedir con relamidas expresiones que se
repitiera. Á propósito de él, hicieron los Romeros un chiste, que
corrió por toda la sociedad haciendo reir á cuantos le oían. Dijeron
que el amo de la casa no pudo asistir porque... había ido á esperar
los Reyes.
Transcurrieron los meses de invierno sin más novedad que
algunas indisposiciones de Valentinico, propias de la edad.
Verdaderamente la criatura no parecía de cepa saludable, y algunos
íntimos no ocultaban su opinión poco favorable á la robustez del
heredero de la corona. Pero se guardaban muy bien de manifestarla,
desde que ocurrió un desagradable incidente entre don Francisco y
su yerno Quevedito. Hallábase éste una mañana hablando con Cruz
de si la leche del ama era ó no superior, de la complexión raquítica
del niño, y desembuchando con sinceridad médica todo lo que
pensaba, se dejó decir:
 —El chico es un fenómeno. ¿Ha reparado usted el tamaño de la
cabeza, y aquellas orejas que le cuelgan como las de una liebre?
Pues no han adquirido las piernas su conformación natural, y si vive,
que yo lo dudo, será patizambo. Me equivocaré mucho, si no
tenemos un marquesito de San Eloy perfectamente idiota.
—¿De modo que usted cree...?
—Creo y afirmo que el fenómeno...
Don Francisco, que en aquellos tiempos había adquirido la
costumbre de escuchar tras de las puertas y cortinas, espiando las
ideas de su cuñada para prevenirse contra ellas, sorprendió aquel
breve diálogo al amparo de un portier, y al oir repetida la palabra
fenómeno, no tuvo calma para contenerse, entró, de un salto
abalanzóse al pescuezo del joven facultativo, y apretándoselo con la
sana intención de estrangularle, gritaba:
—¿Con que mi hijo es fenómeno?... ¡Ladrón, matasanos! El
fenómeno eres tú, que tienes el alma patizamba, y comida de
envidia... ¡Idiota mi hijo!... Te ahogo para que no vuelvas á decirlo.
Con gran trabajo pudo Cruz quitársele de entre las manos, y
calmar su furia.
—No digo más que la verdad—murmuró Quevedito, rojo como un
pimiento, arreglándose el cuello de la camisa, que destrozaron las
uñas de su suegro.—La verdad científica por encima de todo. Por
respeto á esta señora no le trato á usted como merece. Adiós.
—Vete de mi casa, y no vuelvas más á ella. ¡Decir que es
fenómeno!... La cabeza grande, sí... toda llena de talento macho...
El idiota y el orejudo eres tú, y tu mujer otra idiota. ¿Apostamos á
que la desheredo?
—Cálmese, amigo D. Francisco—le dijo Cruz colgándosele del
brazo, porque quería correr tras de su yerno, y echarle otra vez la
zarpa.
—¡Oh! sí, señora... tiene usted razón...—replicó dejándose caer
sin aliento en una silla.—Le he tratado muy á lo bruto. ¡Pero mire
usted que decir...!
—No decía más sino que el niño está encanijadito... Lo de
fenómeno es una broma...
 —¿Broma?... Pues que vuelva, y me diga que es broma, y le
perdonaré.
—Ya se ha ido.
—Fíjese usted en que Rufina no ve con buenos ojos al hijo varón.
Naturalmente, antes de casarme yo, pensaba la niña que todo iba á
ser para ella cuando yo cerrase la pestaña, y no crea usted, se puso
de uñas conmigo á raíz de mi casamiento. ¡Ah, es de lo más egoísta
esa mocosa! Yo no sé á quién sale. ¿Le parece á usted que la
prohiba el venir acá?
—¡Oh, no! ¡Pobrecilla!
No le costó poco trabajo á la tirana quitarle de la cabeza estas
ideas. Al principio, por no contrariarle abiertamente en todas las
cosas, no insistió mucho; pero pasados unos días, no dejó de la
mano el asunto hasta conseguir que á los expulsados hija y yerno,
se les abriesen de nuevo las puertas de la casa. Volvió, en efecto,
Rufina; mas Quevedito cortó relaciones con su suegro, y por no dar
su brazo á torcer en la cuestión facultativa, seguía sosteniendo que
el chico era un caso teratológico.
Los negocios, que en aquellos meses consumían á Torquemada lo
mejor de su tiempo, no le impidieron dedicar algunos ratos, por la
noche, á la obra magna de su progresiva ilustración. En su despacho
solía leer alguna obra buena, la Historia de España, por ejemplo, que
á su juicio era el indispensable cimiento del saber, y consagraba
algunos ratos á la compulsión de Diccionarios y Enciclopedias, en las
cuales veía satisfechas sus dudas sin tener que recurrir á Zárate, que
le mareaba con su vertiginosa ciencia. Con esto, y con redoblar su
atención cuando oía hablar á personas eruditas, se fué afinando en
estilo y lenguaje hasta el punto de que, en aquella tercera fase de su
evolución social, no era fácil reconocer en él al hombre de la fase
primera ó embrionaria. Hablaba con mediana corrección, huyendo de
los conceptos afectados ó que transcendiesen á sabiduría pegadiza,
y de fijo que si su enseñanza no hubiera empezado tan tarde, habría
llegado á ser un rival de Donoso en la expresión fina y adecuada.
¡Lástima que la evolución no le hubiese cogido á los treinta años!
Aun así, no había perdido el tiempo. Haciendo su propia crítica, y
dejando á un lado la modestia, que en los monólogos no viene al
caso, se decía: «Hablo muchísimo mejor que el Marqués de
Taramundi, que á cada momento suelta una simpleza.»
Al propio tiempo su facha parecía otra. Personas había, de las que
le conocieron en la calle de San Blas y en casa de doña Lupe, que no
le creían el mismo. La costumbre de la buena ropa, el trato
constante con gente de buena educación, habíanle dado un barniz,
con el cual las apariencias desvirtuaban la realidad. Sólo en los
arrebatos de ira, asomaba la oreja, y entonces, eso sí, era el tío de
marras, tan villanesco en las palabras como en las acciones. Pero
con exquisito esmero evitaba toda ocasión de encolerizarse, para no
perder el coram vobis ante personas á quienes, por propia
conveniencia, quería considerar. Sus éxitos en el mundo eran
extraordinarios, casi casi milagrosos. Muchos que en la primera fase
de la evolución se burlaban de él, respetábanle ya, teniéndole por
hombre de excepcional cacumen para los negocios, en lo cual no
iban descaminados, y de tal modo fascinaba á ciertas personas el
brillo del oro, que casi por hombre extraordinario le tenían, y
conceptos que en otra boca habrían sido gansadas, en la suya eran
lindezas y donaires.
El Marquesado, si al principio se le despegaba un poco, como al
Santo Cristo un par de pistolas, luego se le iba incrustando, por
decirlo así, en la persona, en los modales, hasta en la ropa, y la
costumbre hizo lo demás. Lo que aún faltaba para la completa
adaptación del título á su catadura plebeya, hízolo el criterio
comparativo del público, pues éste fácilmente se explicaba que tal
cabeza ciñese corona, toda vez que otras, tan villanas por dentro y
por fuera, se la encasquetaban, por herencia ó real merced, no más
airosamente que el antiguo prestamista.
 II
Sin necesidad de que nos lo cuente el Licenciado Juan de Madrid,
ni otro ningún cronista de salones, sabemos que á los tres ó cuatro
meses de su alumbramiento, estaba la señora de Torquemada
hermosísima, como si una rápida crisis fisiológica hubiera dado á su
marchita belleza nueva y pujante savia, haciéndola florecer con todo
el esplendor y la frescura de Mayo. Mejoró de color, cambiando la
transparencia opalina en tono caliente de fruta velluda que empieza
á madurar; sus ojos adquirieron brillo, viveza su mirada, prontitud
sus movimientos, y en el orden moral, si menos visible, no era
menos efectiva la transmutación, trocándose lentamente en
gravedad el mimo, y en juicio sereno la imaginatividad traviesa. Vivía
consagrada al heredero de San Eloy, que si en los primeros días no
era para su madre más que una viva muñeca, á quien había que
lavar, vestir y zarandear, andando los meses vino á ser lo que ordena
la Naturaleza, el dueño de todos sus afectos, y el objeto sagrado en
que se emplean las funciones más serias y hermosas de la mujer. De
cómo desempeñaba Fidela su misión de madre no se puede tener
idea sin haberlo visto. Ninguna existió jamás que la superase en
cuidado y solicitud, ni que con mayor sentido se penetrara de su
responsabilidad. De los cariños extremados, que al principio
producían en ella tensión convulsiva, pasó por gradación suave al
cariño verdaderamente protector, garantía de vida para los seres
débiles que amenazados de mil peligros entran en ella. De su afición
á las golosinas la curó el miedo de enfermar y morirse antes de ver
crecido á su hijo, y se fué acostumbrando á los alimentos sanos, y á
poner método en las comidas. Novelas, no volvió á leerlas, ni tiempo
tenía para ello, pues no había hora del día en que no encadenase su
atención alguna faena importante, ya el aseo del chico y del ama, ya
la ropa de ambos; y luego venía el dormirle, y el vigilar el sueño, y
ver si mamaba ó no, y si todas sus funcioncitas se hacían con
regularidad.
Á ninguna parte iba, y rarísima vez se la vió en el palco de la
Comedia, durante una hora ó poco más, pues no tenía calma para
estarse allí tontamente, oyendo lo que nada le interesaba, y asaltada
de mil ideas terroríficas, por ejemplo: que el ama, al acostarle, no le
había puesto bien tapadito, ó que se pasaba la hora de la teta,
porque la muy gansa se había quedado dormida. Estaba en ascuas,
impaciente porque llegase Tor para llevarla á casa. De nadie se
fiaba, ni de las criadas más adictas y cuidadosas, ni de su hermana
misma. Su tertulia servíale tan sólo para hacer mil consultas sobre
temas de maternidad con esta y la otra señora: todo lo demás érale
indiferente. Y no se crea que la monotonía de su conversación
resultaba antipática, pues sabía poner en cuanto hablaba su
originalidad ingénita y su gracejo. Era, en suma, encanto y
admiración de cuantos íntimamente trataban á la familia. Sobre este
particular dijo un día Donoso á su amigo Torquemada:
—En todo, absolutamente en todo, es usted el hombre de la
suerte. ¿Qué virtudes extraordinarias son la causa de que así le
proteja y le mime Dios Omnipotente? Tiene usted una mujer que si
se buscara con candil otra igual por toda la tierra, no se la había de
encontrar. ¡Vaya una mujer! Todo el dinero que usted posee no vale
lo que el último cabello de su cabeza...
—Buena es, sí, buenísima—replicó el tacaño,—y por ese lado no
hay queja.
—Ni por otro alguno. Pues estaría bueno que usted se quejara,
cuando parece que el dinero no sabe ir á ninguna parte más que á
su bolsillo... Y á propósito, amigo mío: dícese que toman ustedes en
firme todas las acciones del ferrocarril leonés.
—Así lo hemos acordado.
—Por eso he visto locos de entusiasmo á dos ó tres individuos de
la colonia leonesa; y hablan de darle á usted un banquete y qué sé
yo qué.
—¿Banquetearme, porque voy á mi negocio?... En fin, si ellos lo
pagan...
—Naturalmente.
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