Kale (Borecole) and its Family Members in French Cuisine. Bok Choy, Cauliflower, Chinese Cabbage, Kale or Borecole, Kolrabi and Romanesco Broccoli on French Menus.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Four colors of cauliflower,  choose yours.
(The picture was taken in a Canadian Market)
  
Chou-fleur - Cauliflower.
The French name chou-fleur translates as cabbage flower, and cabbage is a descendant of kale. The English name ‘koli-flower” indicates the kale flower. This post includes a few of the most popular kale family members seen on French menus, and the cauliflower is one of the earliest  family members; certainly the Greeks cultivated it in the 6th-century b.c.e. 
  
Cauliflower on French Menus:
    
Colin d’Alaska aux Poivrons et à la Purée de Chou-fleur Alaskan Pollack, the fish, with bell peppers, and a cauliflower puree. (See the appendix Fish: Colin),

Cuisses de Grenouilles et Purée de Chou-fleur aux Amandes et Jus de Persil Frog’s legs served with a cauliflower puree, flavored with almonds and parsley juice.  (see the appendix Herbs and Spices, Mushrooms and Truffles: Persil).

Royale de Chou-fleur aux Crevettes, Tartine d'Encornets en Chermoula Cauliflower with shrimps served with as an open sandwich with small calamari prepared with chermoula. Chermoula is a North African marinade; it is mainly seen on menus with seafood and fish; but occasionally vegetable and meat dishes are made with chermoula. The primary flavors are garlic and coriander and will also include olive oil, cumin.
  
  
A different shaped cauliflower.
The name Royale de Chou-fleur for the regular Chou-fleur, cauliflower, will be on quite a number of menus.  Royal was added to its name by Alexander Dumas (Père).  Alexander Dumas (Père) was the author of the Three Musketeers and the Count of Monte Christo and hundreds of other books;  he was also a recognized gourmand and an excellent cook who truly appreciated and loved cauliflower. The Royal status Alexander Dumas (Père) gave to cauliflower is a tradition that many French chefs continue today. Alexander Dumas Père apart from all his novels and plays authored two books on food for gourmands including The Grand Dictionary of Cuisine; it was published posthumously.The book is available in an excellent edited English translation entitled Dumas on Food: (Selections from Le Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine by Alexandre Dumas (Père). Translated and edited by Alan Davison (Author).
    
French and Italian market gardeners have done all sorts of amazing things with cauliflowers.  They began by growing miniature cauliflowers called mini chou-fleur that look beautiful and taste the same as their larger forbears.  The Italians have gone on to colored variations, the chou-fleur pourpre and others.
   
The Royale de Chou-fleur
Choux Chinois  - Chinese cabbage.
Chinese cabbage is the one Chinese cabbage that usually gets its French- English translation on French-Asian restaurant menus correct. French-Asian restaurants  use many other Asian cabbages, and there the many Chinese cabbage names become confused. Trade brought kale to China and the Chinese developed many hybrids.

Chinese Cabbage

Boeuf Émincé Sauté aux Choux Chinois – Slices of beef sautéed with Chinese cabbage.
 
Chou Chinois Farci au Porc, Crabe et Champignons Chinese cabbage stuffed with pork, crab and mushrooms.
   
Chou Frisé – Kale or Borecole
Chou Frisé, Chou d'Aigrette – Kale or Borecole; this is the most popular edible kale. It is the relatively strong tasting and is one of the founders of the cabbage family. It will be on more menus in Italy than in France but is also popular in French areas close to the Italian border.  Chou Frisé will be served as a garnish or prepared and stuffed in a manner similar to stuffed cabbage.
  
  Kale
     
Filet de Morue en Croûte de Parmesan, Servi Avec Purée de Pommes de Terre, Chou Frisé et Mini-Carottes Braisés- A filet of redydrated and desalted cod prepared in  a covering of Parmesan cheese, served with pureed potatoes, kale and braised baby carrots.
  
Faisan Rôti au Four, Embeurré de Chou Frisé au Lard Oven roasted pheasant accompanied by buttered kale and bacon.
      
Kale or Borecole
Kale is at the top of this photograph, on the left, from Peter Henderson and Co's seed catalog. NY: 1872.
   
Chou Pak Choi, Bok Choy -  Bok Choy:
Chou Pak Choi, Bok Choy or Pak Choi -  Bok Choy, Pak Choi or Spoon Cabbage; Bei Cai in Mandarin.  From my own rankings that I took arbitrarily in French-Asian restaurants this seems to be the most popular variety of Chinese cabbage; it has long green leaves and white stalks which end with a round spoon looking attachment to the root. It is considered the sweetest of the Chinese cabbages.

Baby Bok Choy
     
Joues de  Boeuf Braisées, Choux Pak Choi, Panisse a Romarin et Poivre  du Paradis – Braised beef cheeks, bok choy, parsnips, rosemary and Guinea (Melegueta). pepper
  
Raviolis de Porc et Bok Choy Vapeur ou Grillé – Pork ravioli and Bok Choy steamed or grilled.
       
Bok choy sautéed with garlic
     
Chou Rave – Kolrabi.
Chou Rave or Kohlrabi – Kohlrabi. Also called the German turnip or turnip cabbage. Kohlrabi is a variety of cabbage, and there are white, purple and light green varieties, inside the root it is white.  Kohlrabi is usually served cooked; it can be part of a vegetable soup, steamed, boiled or roasted. Kohlrabi may be served cold and the kohlrabi root is often served raw in a salad.
    
  Kohlrabi
   
Le Filet Mignon de Veau de Notre Pays en Chou Rave et Sauce Périgourdine –  Local supplied beef has veal fillet, in the USA the tenderloin, for this dish; it is served with kohlrabi and Sauce Perigdordine. (see the appendix Sauces: Sauce Perigourdine).In France the term Filet Mignon is only rarely used, as in the menu listing,  for beef or veal, however, it is used for pork.
 
Poitrine de Faisane Doree Accompagnee de sa Raviole de Chou Rave aux Figues - Gilded Breast of pheasant accompanied by ravioli of kohlrabi and figs.
     
Violet Kohlrabi
     
Chou Romanesco – Romanesco Broccoli
Chou Romanesco – Romanesco Broccoli or Romanesco cabbage.  No one seems to be sure if this exquisite vegetable is closer to broccoli or cauliflower.  In any case, they are related, and I think the taste and texture are closer to broccoli.
This new mixture of broccoli and or cabbage was an Italian creation; from my experience, it is now seen on as many French menus as Italian.
    
Romanesco Broccoli
   
Sommités de Chou Romanesco à l'Huile d'Argan The pointed florets of Romanesco broccoli served with Argan oil. The word sommités means summits or peaks in French and is used, in this menu, to glamorize the attractively pointed florets.(See Oils: Argan).

Filet de Cabillaud Poêlé,Choux Romanesco,Topinmambour, Emulsion de Vin Blanc Filet of lightly fried fresh cod, served with Romaneco Broccoli, Jerusalem Artichokes and a sauce made with the natural cooking juices and white wine,
 

Connected Posts:
   
 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010,2016.


Piment d’Espelette - The Pepper from Espelette in the Basque Country. Pimenete d'Esplette is Most Popular Chili Pepper in France.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

The Espelette chili pepper
In the Basque language, the Espelette Pepper is  Ezpeletako Biperra.
 
The Piment d'Espelette is the unique chili pepper of the Pays Basque, the French Basque Country, in South Eastern France. Traditional Basque cuisine is very diverse, but unifying many of the dishes in traditional and modern Basque cuisine is the Basque Chili Pepper, the Piment d'Espelette The pepper is hand-picked, and the use of pesticides is very limited.
   
Peppers drying on a hotel in Espelette.
Photograph courtesy of Avi Dolgin
     
The small town of Espelette, along with another nine nearby villages in the department Pyrénées-Atlantiques grow these peppers.   In season visiting the villages is an amazing sight with the drying peppers on the balconies and windows on more than half the houses.
 
Selling the Piment d’Espelette.
    
For the visitor, the pepper on its own is not the only product that is sold in the area.  Local shops offer anything made with the pepper; for example, cheeses and chocolates flavored with the Piment d’Espelette.  (Of historical interest is the first chocolate seen in France was made in Bayonne, just 24 km (14 miles) away from Espelette. There, a few years before the arrival of chili pepper in Espelette, the city of Bayonne saw the arrival of Jewish refugees escaping the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition. These immigrants brought chocolate drinks and cakes which had not been available in France before).
 
The Hotel Euskadi in Espelette
   
Piment d'Espelette is appreciated in the rest of France and in many other cuisines with over 20% of the production exported.  There are many other chili peppers available in France, but the Piment d'Espelette has a unique taste and aroma that separates it from the others.    Freshly (Dried) peppers are available, but the largest sales of the Espelette pepper come from its sale as a powder,  for chefs and homes the powdered pepper easily controls the taste.
   
Leaving Espelette?
    
Piment d’Espelette on French menus:
  
Côte d'Agneau Grillées à l'Ail et au Piment d'Espelette – Rack of lamb grilled over garlic and the Piment d’Espelette
  
Removing the seeds reduces the spiciness.

Crevettes Géantes Poêlées, Sel de Guérande au Piment d'Espelette –  Large shrimps fried with the salt from Guerande and the Piment d’Espelette.

The Guérande sea salt is hand-harvested in Brittany, and many chefs consider the Guérande salt as having a fuller taste than Mediterranean sea salt. When the Guérande  or another special salt is used it will be noted on the menu.

Filet De Maigre Cuit à l'Unilatérale, Sauce Piperade. Filet of Meagre, Croaker, the fish, cooked on the unilateral, with a sauce piperade.

Frying fish à l'unilatérale is frying with the skin side down. Cooking through from single side only is a form of slow cooking, but À l'Unilatérale allows the fish to maintain its original texture which can be lost when the fish is cooked on both sides

Pipérade or Sauce Piperade began in the Pays Basque as a simple sauce made with olive oil, lightly fried onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers and the red peppers of Espelette.  
  
Sardines with Piment d’Espelette ready for the grill.

Suprême De Poulet Au Piment d'Espelette – Breast of chicken flavored with the Piment d’Espelette.

Every menu in the Pays Basque will offer Basque Cider. The Basque claim that their cider apples are the great-great - - grandfather or grandmother of all other cider apples.
   
prepared with red onions, capers and the Piment d’Esplette.

Tournedos De Magret De Canard Au Piment d'Espelette – A thick cut of duck breast cooked with Piment d’Espelette.

Pasta, vegetables and Piment d’Espelette.
 
Terrine De Saumon Norvégien Aux Écrevisses Et Piment d'Espelette – A pate of Norwegian Salmon made with freshwater crayfish and Piment d’Espelette.
  
Risotto with cuttlefish ink, calamari and the Piment d’Espelette with Parmesan cheese.
     
The chili pepper arrives in Espelette
     
Chile peppers came to France in the 16th century following Christopher Columbus’s return from his second voyage to South America. Since then Europe and all other continents have been creating their own hybrid chilies from the many originals.  When you are in the Basque country, the promoters of their unique chili pepper will explain the differences of the Piment d'Espelette. There are hotter chilies, but the Piment d’Espelette was first used to replace black peppercorns, and that is about as hot as it gets. Nevertheless, as noted, in powder form, its aroma and spiciness are easily controlled.
    
Piments d’Espelette ready to be picked
  
In the Pay de Basque, the French Basque country, the Piments d’Espelette is  also sold on strings of 12 or 20 peppers.
  
There is an annual Piments d’Espelette  festival organized by Confrérie du Piment d'Espelette, the brotherhood, and sisterhood of the Knights of the Espelette pepper.  These stalwart knights will make sure that no cheap imports of low-quality peppers are allowed and they work during the year to promote their chili pepper. This fete has been held during the last weekend in October for over 40 years and attracts over 20,000 tourists annually.
  
Roasted, lamb, Esplette pepper, garlic and olive seasoning. Herbs, tiny artichokes "poivrade"
Photograph courtesy of Fredrik Vraalsen

You may see the English language website for their fete of the Piment d'Espelette at:
    
    
English language website for the village of Espelette:
 
 
Espelette Tourist Information office, click on the correct flag on the first page and it will change to English.
 
    
If you are traveling near Espelette look at the incredibly short distances for visiting other highlights alongor close to the coast in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
  
Distances from Espelette:
 
Bayonne:  the capital of the French Pays Basque and so famous for the Bayonne Ham that bears its name. It is just 22km (14 miles) away.

Biarritz: with its beaches and spas is 24 km (16 miles) away.
 
Saint-Jean-de-Luz: the fishing port with its own fete and festivals, is just 23 km, (15 miles) away
  

The beach at Saint-Jean-de-Luz
   
Irouleguy: the smallest wine appellation in France with just 1000 acres for vines; that is, four square kilometers (1.5 sq miles). Irouleguy. Is just 24 km (16 miles) away, The wine is pronounced ear-rool-eh-gee.
      
Red wine from Irouleguy
  
Powdered peppers
The deep-red color, mild heat and smoky-sweet flavors make many who have not tasted the spice think that it is comparable to paprika; however try them together and you will immediately taste the difference. French chefs use a number of different chili peppers each appreciated for its unique taste.
 
According to local lore, the origins of the Espelette Pepper date back to the early 1500’s when a Basque sailor who had traveled with Christopher Columbus brought chili peppers to the Basque Country. These peppers were first used medicinally and then later for conserving meat and ham.
 
Connected Posts:
 
    
    
 
 
 
 
  
 
   
 
     
   
   
 
    

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright  2010, 2016.
   


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