Various Panadas for Stuffings

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1 to 2 quart heavy saucepan
• •Sturdy wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
• •Shallow plate or quarter-sheet tray
• •Small food processor or fine-mesh sieve for rice panade
• •Small lidded ovenproof saucepan for rice panade

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose one panade

   Choose one ingredient set, not all four. Use bread when a tender, familiar body suits the farce; flour when you need a neutral, firmer bind; frangipane for richness; or rice when the forcemeat should remain pale and delicate. Whichever you choose, line a shallow plate or small tray with parchment so the finished paste can cool quickly.

2. 2

   Cook bread panade

   For the bread panade, bring the milk and salt just to the boil in a small heavy saucepan. Remove it from the heat, add all the bread crumb, and beat firmly until no dry pockets remain. Return the pan to medium-low heat and work the paste continuously for 5 to 7 minutes, until it is smooth, compact, and leaves both the spoon and the bottom of the pan cleanly. If it remains wet, keep drying it; if it tightens before becoming smooth, beat in a teaspoon of milk while it is still warm. Ça se rattrape. Spread it about 1/2 inch thick on the prepared plate.

3. 3

   Cook flour panade

   For the flour panade, bring the water, butter, and salt to a full boil. Take the pan off the heat, add the sifted flour all at once, and stir until every trace of dry flour disappears. Return it to medium heat and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the paste forms a single satiny mass and a pale film appears on the pan floor. Do not brown it. If flour hides in small dry lumps, remove the pan from the heat and beat hard before continuing; adding water at this stage only makes the paste slack. Spread it on the prepared plate.

4. 4

   Cook frangipane panade

   For the frangipane panade, work the flour and egg yolks together in a bowl until smooth, then mix in the melted butter, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk in the boiling milk little by little, keeping the mixture smooth after every addition. Pour it into the saucepan and cook over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring into every corner, until the paste is thick, glossy, and pulls cleanly from the pan. This frangipane is a savory enriched panade, not the almond filling used in pastry. If small lumps form, take it off the heat, whisk vigorously, and press it through a fine sieve while warm. Spread it on the prepared plate.

5. 5

   Cook rice panade

   For the rice panade, heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Combine the rice and pale chicken stock in a small lidded ovenproof saucepan, bring them to a gentle simmer, cover tightly, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes without stirring. The rice is ready when the stock has disappeared and every grain crushes easily against the pan. If the liquid is gone while the rice is still firm, add stock 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) at a time, cover, and continue cooking. If the rice is tender but loose, uncover it and dry it briefly over low heat. Process the warm rice into a fine paste in a small food processor, or press it firmly through a fine-mesh sieve, then spread it on the prepared plate.

6. 6

   Cool it completely

   Press parchment directly against the surface and let the panade lose its first warmth, then refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. It must feel cold through the center before it meets forcemeat. Warm panade softens the meat's fat and damages the fine texture you are trying to protect; if mixing has already begun and the bowl feels warm, stop, set the bowl over ice, and chill it before continuing. Ça se rattrape.

   A thin layer cools quickly and evenly. A deep bowl hides warmth at its center, precisely where an impatient cook will not think to check.
7. 7

   Bind the forcemeat

   Work the cold panade briefly with a spatula to restore its suppleness, then incorporate only the amount required by the forcemeat formula. If no proportion is supplied, begin with 1 part panade to 2 parts chilled meat mixture by weight and cook a small poached test before adding more. A good panade holds the farce together without announcing itself. If the test crumbles, add a little more panade; if it is already dense, stop. The binder is support, not the principal ingredient.

Chef Tips

• •Bread panade is the most forgiving and brings a soft, familiar body. Flour gives a cleaner, firmer set. Frangipane carries butter and yolk into a richer farce, while rice stays mild and lets delicate poultry or fish remain itself.
• •Frangipane panade contains no almonds and no sugar. Here the name belongs to a savory paste of flour, yolk, butter, and milk, cooked until it leaves the pan cleanly.
• •Use a pale, lightly seasoned chicken stock for the rice panade. A dark roasted stock stains the farce and speaks louder than delicate meat; the panade should support flavor, not replace it.
• •Do not add panade to Mousselines out of habit. Their lightness depends on a carefully worked mixture of chilled meat and cream, and a binder would make them heavier.
• •Season the completed forcemeat and cook a small test before shaping the full batch. The panade contributes salt, but the final farce decides what more it needs.

Advance Preparation

• •Any panade may be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Press parchment directly against its surface, cover, and keep it refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or colder.
• •For the quickest cooling, spread the paste no deeper than 1/2 inch and refrigerate it once it is barely warm. Do not leave a milk, egg, or rice panade at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
• •The panades may be frozen in tightly wrapped portions for up to 1 month. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then work them briefly with a spatula before adding them to chilled forcemeat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 225g)