Chef Juliette
Anchovies (Fillets of)
Filets d’anchois prove that pantry work is technique: remove every trace of scale-powder, dry the flesh completely, then keep the neat fillets under oil for hors d’œuvres and sauces.
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B. Flour Panada
Created by Chef Juliette
Panade de farine teaches the drying stroke behind pâte à choux: flour meets boiling buttered water, then stays over the fire until the paste gathers, smooths, and quits the pan cleanly.
Side Dishes
French
Meal Prep
Make Ahead
10 min
Active Time
8 min cook•40 min total
YieldAbout 1 pound (450 g) panada
Panade de farine (flour panada) teaches one true thing: adding the flour makes a paste, but drying that paste makes the panade. The flour must meet fully boiling buttered water in one decisive addition, then be worked over the fire until the mass turns smooth, firm, and willing to leave the saucepan behind.
The original formula assumed a practiced brigade hand stirring over a brisk stove and a preparation waiting to receive the panade. It needed neither a saucier nor a stockpot, only speed and judgment. A heavy small saucepan and a sturdy spoon are the honest home equivalents. The source batch is already compact enough for one cook, so its ratio and sequence remain intact; only the measures, modest salt quantity, and useful heat cues have been made explicit. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The vague brisk fire is brigade scaffolding and can go. What must stay is the boiling liquid, the all-at-once flour, and the patient dessécher, drying over heat, until the paste quits the pan without browning. Watch the saucepan rather than the clock: that clean release is the step that decides the preparation.
Panade de farine belongs to the French classical garde-manger rather than to one regional table, where cooked starch pastes gave moisture and structure to forcemeats, quenelles, and stuffings. Its method also forms the opening grammar of pâte à choux, though panade stops after the flour paste is dried and choux continues with eggs. The source's comparison to bread panada names the required firm, smooth consistency; bread panada is not an ingredient in this preparation.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
water
Quantity
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (285 ml / 285 g)
fine salt
Quantity
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g)
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g)
all-purpose flour
Quantity
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (265 ml / 142 g)
sifted
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g)
softened, for coating the surface
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| water | 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (285 ml / 285 g) |
| fine salt | ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g) |
| unsalted butter | 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g) |
| all-purpose floursifted | 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (265 ml / 142 g) |
| unsalted buttersoftened, for coating the surface | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •1½-quart (1.4 L) heavy-bottomed saucepan
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Sturdy wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
- •Shallow plate or small metal tray
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the flour
Sift the flour onto a sheet of parchment or into a bowl with a pouring lip. Measure everything before the saucepan goes over the heat, because the flour must enter the liquid in one quick addition. Lightly butter a shallow plate or small tray with a little of the softened coating butter and keep the remainder nearby.
- 2
Boil the liquid
Put the water, salt, and 4 tablespoons of butter into a 1½-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring them to a full boil over medium-high heat, swirling once or twice so the butter melts completely. As soon as bubbles cover the surface, proceed; prolonged boiling throws away water and changes the source ratio.
- 3
Beat in flour
Tip in all the sifted flour at once while stirring hard with a sturdy wooden spoon. The mixture will look rough, then seize into a thick mass. Keep beating and pressing it against the sides until no dry flour remains. If small flour pockets appear, don't dilute the mixture. Ça se rattrape: crush each pocket firmly against the hot side of the saucepan while the paste is still soft, then beat it back into the mass.
A folded sheet of parchment makes a clean chute, allowing one hand to add the flour while the other keeps the spoon moving. - 4
Dessécher the panade
Continue over medium to medium-high heat, turning, smearing, and gathering the paste for 3 to 5 minutes. This is dessécher, drying the paste over heat. It is ready when it forms one smooth ball, quits the sides cleanly, and leaves a thin dry film across the bottom of the saucepan. It should smell gently of cooked flour and butter but take no colour. If the bottom begins to catch, lift the clean paste into a fresh saucepan without scraping up the browned film, lower the heat, and finish the drying there.
- 5
Cool without skin
Scrape the panade immediately onto the prepared plate or tray and spread it about 1 inch thick so it cools evenly. Rub the remaining softened butter in a thin, complete film over the exposed surface. This is not extra richness for its own sake; it is the original cooling precaution that prevents a leathery skin. If a skin forms at an uncovered edge, peel that tough piece away rather than beating it into the smooth paste beneath.
- 6
Rest and store
Let the panade cool until it is no warmer than room temperature, about 20 to 30 minutes. It should be firm, supple, and entirely smooth. Use it as the preparation calling for it directs, or cover it closely once cool and refrigerate promptly. Do not add eggs here: eggs turn this foundation toward pâte à choux, which is a separate finished preparation.
Chef Tips
- •Weigh the flour if you can. Its volume changes with every scoop, while 142 grams preserves the book's proportion exactly.
- •Use a saucepan only large enough to give the spoon room to work. In a broad pan this modest batch spreads thinly, dries too quickly at the edges, and is far easier to scorch.
- •The source's comparison to bread panada is a test of consistency, not a call for another ingredient. The finished panade must be firm, smooth, and free of loose moisture.
- •The teaspoon of surface butter does not alter the cooked ratio. It is the cooling protection that keeps the top supple until the panade reaches its final preparation.
- •Panade de farine is a component, not a side dish served alone. Keep its seasoning modest and let the forcemeat, stuffing, quenelle mixture, or choux preparation supply the final character.
Advance Preparation
- •Make the panade up to 3 days ahead. Cool it under its butter film, cover closely, and refrigerate; let it lose its refrigerator chill before incorporating it into another mixture unless that recipe directs otherwise.
- •For longer keeping, wrap the cooled panade closely and freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then knead it briefly with a spoon if the surface has become uneven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 450g)
Calories
960 calories
Total Fat
52 g
Saturated Fat
32 g
Trans Fat
2 g
Unsaturated Fat
17 g
Cholesterol
135 mg
Sodium
600 mg
Total Carbohydrates
108 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
15 g
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