Cardons with Various Sauces

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large nonreactive bowl, at least 4 quarts
• •6-quart nonreactive pot
• •Vegetable peeler and paring knife
• •Parchment round
• •Large colander and clean kitchen towel
• •1-quart saucepan or saucier
• •1 1/2-quart deep serving bowl or small food-safe rack nested inside a rimmed platter
• •8-fluid-ounce sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim every stalk

   Fill a large bowl with the 2 quarts of cold water. Squeeze in one lemon and add its spent halves. Pull away the leafy tops of the cardon, separate the stalks, and trim off the thorny edges. Peel the ridged face and hollow back of each stalk, drawing away every tough string in long ribbons, then cut the stalks into 4-inch (10 cm) lengths and put them immediately into the lemon water. If a stalk still catches under the peeler, it still carries strings; remove them now, because cooking softens the flesh but never dissolves those fibres.

   The broad outer ribs need the most attention. Over-peeling wastes a little vegetable; under-peeling ruins the mouthful. Be generous.
2. 2

   Cook in a blanc

   Whisk the flour with about 1 cup of the cooking water in a 6-quart nonreactive pot until perfectly smooth, then whisk in the remaining cooking water. Add the salt, the juice of the second lemon, and its squeezed halves. This is a blanc, a pale flour-and-lemon cooking liquor that protects the cardons from darkening while they tenderize. Drain the cardons from their holding bath, add them to the pot, and press a parchment round directly onto the surface to keep them submerged. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 35 to 50 minutes, until a paring knife enters the thickest piece without pressure. If the centre still crunches, give it another 10 minutes. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Drain them thoroughly

   Lift the cardons into a large colander and discard the blanc. Let them drain for 10 minutes, then spread them briefly on a clean kitchen towel and blot without crushing them. This is the quiet step that decides whether the sauce clings or turns watery. If liquid still beads on the stalks, return them to the empty pot over low heat for 60 to 90 seconds, turning gently, just until their surfaces are dry. Do not brown them.

4. 4

   Warm one sauce

   Select one sauce, not a parade of seven. Each is a finished component from its own preparation; this entry selects and warms it, never rebuilds it. Warm Gravy, Half-glaze Sauce, Cream Sauce, Italienne Sauce, or Bordelaise Sauce in a small saucier just until fluid and glossy, stirring the Cream Sauce carefully along the bottom. Hold Hollandaise Sauce or Mousseline Sauce in a bowl over barely warm water; direct heat breaks Hollandaise and flattens Mousseline. If a brown or cream sauce tightens beyond a coating consistency, whisk in hot water 1 teaspoon at a time. If Hollandaise shows an oily rim, remove it from the heat and whisk in 1 teaspoon of cold water. If it has fully split, put another teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl and whisk the broken sauce into it slowly. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Choose the service

   For sauced service, warm a 1 1/2-quart deep serving bowl with hot water, dry it, and use it as the timbale, the deep vessel specified by the classical service. Arrange the cardons inside, pour the chosen sauce evenly over them, and turn them once with two spoons so each piece is coated without breaking. For sauce served separately, arrange the cardons parallel like asparagus on a small food-safe rack nested inside a warmed rimmed platter, the honest home equivalent of the silver drainer, and send the sauce alongside in a warm sauceboat.

6. 6

   Serve without delay

   Bring the cardons to the table as soon as they are dressed or arranged. Hollandaise Sauce and Mousseline Sauce wait for no one, while the other sauces lose their gloss if held too long. The cardons should be tender enough to cut with the side of a fork, still whole, and carrying sauce rather than swimming in cooking water. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh cardon should feel rigid and heavy, with pale ribs and little browning. It resembles celery but belongs to the artichoke family, and its flavour is earthier, gently bitter, and much more interesting under a built sauce.
• •The recipe calls for one cup of one sauce, not all seven. Choose Gravy or Half-glaze Sauce beside roast poultry, Italienne Sauce with veal or ham, Bordelaise Sauce with beef, and Cream, Hollandaise, or Mousseline Sauce when the cardons need a gentler partner.
• •If fresh cardons aren't available, the classical pantry has already solved the matter. Use about 2 lb (900 g) well-rinsed preserved cardons, skip the trimming and blanc, warm them gently in lightly salted water, and drain them with the same seriousness.
• •Never rush the draining. Water left between the ribs weakens a reduction, thins Cream Sauce, and can unsettle an emulsion. A clean towel and two quiet minutes do more good than another flourish in the sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •The cardons can be trimmed up to 2 hours ahead if they remain completely submerged in the lemon water.
• •Cook and drain the cardons up to one day ahead, cool them promptly, and refrigerate them tightly covered. Rewarm them gently in barely simmering salted water, then drain and blot them again before service.
• •Gravy, Half-glaze Sauce, Cream Sauce, Italienne Sauce, and Bordelaise Sauce may be prepared ahead according to their own entries and rewarmed gently. Finish Hollandaise Sauce or Mousseline Sauce shortly before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 335g)