Chef Juliette
Choux Rouges à la Flamande
Fine-cut red cabbage, russet apples, butter, sugar, nutmeg, and vinegar share one covered cocotte, cooking gently until the leaves gleam garnet and the apples soften without disappearing.
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Chou Farci
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2102, Chou Farci, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
A whole Savoy cabbage opened leaf by leaf, layered with highly seasoned pork and veal, rebuilt tightly, bound in bacon, and braised three hours until its reduced liquor gleams around every generous slice.
Main Dishes
French
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
Dinner Party
1 hr
Active Time
3 hr 15 min cook•4 hr 15 min total
Yield4 servings
Chou farci teaches reconstruction: a humble cabbage is opened leaf by leaf, seasoned between its layers, then pressed back into one tight green globe. The one true thing is simple. Rebuild it firmly enough to become a single parcel, or it will open in the braise. The tying isn't old-kitchen theatre. It is the dish.
The original formula assumed a stock never off the fire, stock fat ready at hand, and a saucier to clear, reduce, and finish the braising liquor with half-glaze sauce. Here, the brigade quantity becomes one medium cabbage for four; good prepared stock replaces the permanent pot, and prepared half-glaze sauce finishes the reduction in one pan. The book's enrichment keeps its exact proportion by volume: pilaf rice and rendered foie-gras fat each equal one quarter of the mince. Duck fat is the honest home equivalent when foie-gras fat isn't available, though its flavour is gentler. That is the scaffolding translated. The bacon binding, close reconstruction, and three-hour gentle braise stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
At the table, chou farci should cut into generous wedges, the cabbage tender enough for a spoon and the filling still distinct, with clear, glossy braising liquor pooled around it. Keep the stuffing thin between the leaves rather than burying the centre in a meatball. Your hands must remember the cabbage's original shape before the twine does.
Chou farci belongs especially to the farmhouse tables of Auvergne and neighboring Limousin, where cabbage, pork, and a slow covered pot made a generous communal main dish. It traveled into cuisine bourgeoise and the classical repertoire, which kept the whole reconstructed head but refined its braising liquor with half-glaze sauce. The whole-cabbage form is one branch of the tradition; other French tables wrap individual leaves into small parcels, while this formula insists on opening and rebuilding the head.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Savoy or round green cabbage
Quantity
1 medium head (about 3 lb / 1.4 kg)
coarsely ground pork shoulder
Quantity
1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g)
coarsely ground veal
Quantity
¾ cup (180 ml / 200 g)
yellow onion
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 150 g)
finely chopped
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 30 g)
finely chopped
cooked pilaf rice
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 100 g)
completely cooled
rendered foie-gras fat or duck fat
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 110 g)
cool but fluid
fine sea salt
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g)
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml / 3 g)
fine salt for blanching
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 36 g)
thinly sliced streaky bacon
Quantity
10 slices (about 8 oz / 225 g)
reserved stock fat or duck fat
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
unsalted chicken or veal stock
Quantity
3 cups (720 ml / 720 g)
prepared half-glaze sauce
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 70 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Savoy or round green cabbage | 1 medium head (about 3 lb / 1.4 kg) |
| coarsely ground pork shoulder | 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g) |
| coarsely ground veal | ¾ cup (180 ml / 200 g) |
| yellow onionfinely chopped | 1 cup (240 ml / 150 g) |
| flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | ½ cup (120 ml / 30 g) |
| cooked pilaf ricecompletely cooled | ½ cup (120 ml / 100 g) |
| rendered foie-gras fat or duck fatcool but fluid | ½ cup (120 ml / 110 g) |
| fine sea salt | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g) |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml / 3 g) |
| fine salt for blanching | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 36 g) |
| thinly sliced streaky bacon | 10 slices (about 8 oz / 225 g) |
| reserved stock fat or duck fat | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| unsalted chicken or veal stock | 3 cups (720 ml / 720 g) |
| prepared half-glaze sauce | ¼ cup (60 ml / 70 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •8-quart (7.5-litre) stockpot
- •5-quart (4.7-litre) heavy cocotte with lid
- •Butcher's twine
- •Parchment paper
- •Fine-mesh strainer or fat separator
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Season the mince
Combine the pork, veal, onion, parsley, sea salt, and pepper with cold fingertips, mixing only until evenly distributed. Fold in the cooled pilaf rice and rendered foie-gras fat or duck fat. The meats make about 2 cups by volume, so the ½ cup each of rice and fat preserves the book's quarter-bulk proportions. Fry a teaspoonful in a dry pan and taste it; the seasoning should seem slightly bold because the cabbage and rice will soften it. If the fat smears or pools while you mix, chill the filling for 10 minutes before continuing.
- 2
Parboil the cabbage
Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil and add the blanching salt. Lower in the whole cabbage and parboil it for 8 to 12 minutes, turning it with two spoons, until the outer leaves bend without cracking but the head still holds its shape. Lift it into cold water to stop the cooking, then drain it thoroughly. Cut away the protruding stump and remove the hard core in a deep cone without slicing through the leaves. Save any intact leaf that detaches; it may become your patch later.
- 3
Open and layer
Cross four long lengths of butcher's twine in a deep bowl, leaving ample ends, then arrange the bacon slices radially over the twine with their ends hanging beyond the rim. Set the cabbage stem-side down on the bacon. Gently open its leaves from the centre outward, stopping before their bases tear, until the head resembles a loose flower. Put a little filling in the centre, then spread the remainder in thin, even layers between successive rings of leaves. Use all the filling, but never force a thick mound into one place.
- 4
Rebuild and bind
Fold the innermost leaves over the centre, then bring up each successive ring in its original order, pressing firmly after every layer until the cabbage is round and compact again. Draw the bacon slices over the exterior. This bardage, wrapping the cabbage in bacon, protects the leaves and seasons the braising liquor. Pull up the twine and tie the parcel securely at the top, then add a horizontal loop around its middle. If a leaf tears or the parcel gapes, don't begin again. Ça se rattrape: cover the weak spot with the reserved leaf, lay bacon over it, and secure another loop of twine.
The finished parcel should feel firm when pressed from the sides. Loose twine cannot correct loose rebuilding once the cabbage is floating in stock. - 5
Braise three hours
Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Spread the stock fat or duck fat over the bottom of a heavy cocotte that holds the cabbage snugly, then lower in the parcel. Pour the stock down the side until it reaches roughly halfway up the cabbage. Cover the surface with a round of parchment, put on the lid, and braise for 3 hours. The liquid should barely tremble; if it boils hard, lower the oven to 275°F (135°C). Baste once halfway through without turning the cabbage. It is ready when a knife passes through the leaves without resistance and the centre of the filling reaches at least 160°F (71°C).
- 6
Reduce the liquor
Lift the cabbage onto a warm platter and let it drain for 10 minutes. Cut away the twine and remove the bacon slices, which have completed their work. Strain the braising liquor into a wide saucepan and clear it of every visible trace of grease with a fat separator or a shallow spoon. Boil it steadily until reduced to about 1 cup, then whisk in the prepared half-glaze sauce and simmer until the sauce reaches nappe, a light coating consistency on the back of a spoon. If it becomes too thick or salty, loosen it with unsalted stock; if it remains thin, reduce it further.
- 7
Slice and serve
Spoon a few tablespoons of the glossy sauce over the cabbage and carry it whole to the table. Cut it into four generous wedges with a sharp knife, supporting each wedge with a broad spoon so the layers remain visible. Serve the remaining braising liquor separately in a warm sauceboat. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Savoy cabbage is the easier choice because its crinkled leaves flex readily around the filling. A tight round green cabbage is equally correct, but give it the full parboil so the leaves bend rather than split.
- •The half-cup of rendered fat looks generous because it is. It preserves the source formula's quarter-bulk enrichment and keeps the filling succulent through three hours of braising. Foie-gras fat gives the fullest flavour; duck fat performs the same structural work but tastes gentler.
- •Choose a cocotte that hugs the tied cabbage. A broad pot lets the parcel roll and encourages it to loosen, while a snug pot supports the shape as the leaves soften.
- •The bacon is bardage, not the garnish. Remove it before serving as the formula directs; its fat and savour have already entered the cabbage and its liquor. Pour a light, peppery red from the Côtes d'Auvergne or a young Beaujolais.
Advance Preparation
- •The pilaf rice can be cooked up to 2 days ahead and chilled. Mix the filling up to 12 hours ahead, cover it closely, and keep it at 40°F (4°C) or colder.
- •The cabbage can be filled, wrapped, and tied the evening before cooking. Refrigerate it in its cocotte, then add the stock only when you are ready to braise.
- •For a dinner party, braise the chou farci 1 day ahead. Cool the covered cocotte promptly in an ice-water bath, refrigerate it, then reheat gently in its liquor until the centre reaches 165°F (74°C). Remove the cabbage and finish the reduction just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 600g)
Calories
1010 calories
Total Fat
80 g
Saturated Fat
27 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
50 g
Cholesterol
160 mg
Sodium
2800 mg
Total Carbohydrates
32 g
Dietary Fiber
11 g
Sugars
9 g
Protein
40 g
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