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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Cabbages for Garnish.—C
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2106, Cabbages for Garnish.—C, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Supple cabbage leaves hide pilaff rice enriched with foie gras, then braise into glossy, tender packets, a precise little garnish that brings richness and order beside a handsome braised cut.
Side Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Holiday
45 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr 20 min total
Yield12 small packets (4 garnish servings)
Choux Farcis pour Garniture C (small cabbage packets with pilaff rice and foie gras) teach the discipline of proportion: the leaf is a wrapper, not the bulk of the bite. Before you touch the pan, know this one thing. The leaves must be supple, cold, and thoroughly dry before filling. That keeps the seams closed and the rich center undiluted.
The original entry assumed a brigade with cooked pilaff rice and foie-gras purée waiting cold, a sautépan ready, and the braising method from Cabbages for Garnish.—A (No. 2104) already known. At home, use one wide lidded sauté pan and stop at twelve packets, three per person. The brigade quantity and service choreography are scaffolding, so they go. The parboiling, cooling, drying, tablespoon of pilaff rice in each leaf, foie-gras enrichment, and referenced braise are the dish, so they stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
Done well, the Choux Farcis arrive as compact jade parcels, glossy from the braise, with separate grains of rice carrying the deep richness of foie gras. Guard the draining before you fill. It decides whether these are neat packets or wet bundles.
Choux pour garniture C belongs not to one province but to the formal service table of Paris, where small stuffed vegetables were arranged beside braised cuts rather than served as a separate course. It draws on the household chou farci known across France, then changes its scale and register: a single large cabbage becomes individual leaves filled with pilaff rice and foie gras. The letter C marks its place in a working series, not a regional claim; the shared braise links the garnitures while the filling distinguishes each one.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
large Savoy cabbage leaves
Quantity
12, plus 4 spare leaves if needed
cooked pilaff rice
Quantity
3/4 cup (180 ml / 120 g)
fully cooled
foie-gras purée
Quantity
1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g)
cool but spreadable
referenced braising preparation
Quantity
1 recipe Cabbages for Garnish.—A (No. 2104)
used for its braising method
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| large Savoy cabbage leaves | 12, plus 4 spare leaves if needed |
| cooked pilaff ricefully cooled | 3/4 cup (180 ml / 120 g) |
| foie-gras puréecool but spreadable | 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) |
| referenced braising preparationused for its braising method | 1 recipe Cabbages for Garnish.—A (No. 2104) |
Equipment Needed
- •8-quart (7.6 L) wide pot
- •Large bowl for the cold-water bath
- •Clean kitchen towels
- •10- to 12-inch (25 to 30 cm) shallow sauté pan with a tight lid
- •Small knife and flexible spatula
Instructions
- 1
Separate the leaves
Ease twelve broad leaves from the cabbage without splitting them, beginning at the outside and cutting each one free at its base. Keep four smaller leaves nearby for repairs or double wrapping. Rinse away any grit, but leave the thick center ribs intact until the leaves have softened.
- 2
Parboil and dry
Lower the leaves in batches into a wide pot of gently boiling water. Parboil them for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the thick ribs bend without snapping and the green remains clear. Cool them immediately in very cold water, drain, and spread them flat between clean towels. Press until thoroughly dry, then shave the raised ribs level with a small knife without piercing the leaves. Wet cabbage makes loose packets and waters the filling, so don't hurry this drying.
If a rib still cracks when folded, return that leaf to the hot water for another 30 seconds. If a leaf tears, keep it. A piece cut from a spare leaf makes an excellent patch. - 3
Work the filling
Fold the fully cooled pilaff rice gently through the foie-gras purée until every grain carries a thin coating but remains distinct. Don't beat it into a paste. If warm rice melts the foie gras and the mixture turns greasy, spread it on a cold plate and refrigerate it for 10 minutes. Ça se rattrape. The finished pilaff and purée should already carry their seasoning, so taste before adding anything.
- 4
Close the packets
Lay each leaf inner side up. Place one-twelfth of the filling in the center, about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (20 ml / 15 g), which gives every packet the prescribed tablespoon of pilaff rice plus its share of foie-gras purée. Fold the sides over the filling, bring up the base, and roll toward the tip to make a compact round packet. If one is too full to close without strain, remove a little filling. If a leaf is small or split, overlap a second leaf around it rather than forcing the seam.
Keep the packets small and even. They are a garnish beside the braised piece, not family-size choux farcis pretending to be modest. - 5
Arrange the pan
Choose a shallow sauté pan just wide enough to hold the twelve packets in one close layer. Set them in one by one, seam-side down, so they support one another without being crushed. A second layer cooks unevenly and encourages the lower packets to open.
- 6
Braise as directed
Braise the packets exactly as directed in Cabbages for Garnish.—A (No. 2104), keeping that preparation's braising medium, seasoning, cover, heat, and timing intact. They are ready when a knife slips through the folded cabbage without drag and each packet still holds its shape. If a seam lifts during cooking, tuck it beneath its neighbor and turn the packet seam-side down with two spoons.
- 7
Lift and serve
Let the packets settle for 2 minutes, then lift them with a broad spoon or small flexible spatula so the softened leaves don't tear. Arrange three per person beside a braised piece, seams underneath, with their braising gloss intact. They need no decorative flourish. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Savoy cabbage gives broad, flexible leaves with a fine texture. Plain green cabbage also works, but its heavier outer ribs may need another minute in the parboiling water.
- •The rice must be cooked and completely cold before it meets the foie-gras purée. Warm rice melts the fat, smears the grains together, and makes the filling difficult to enclose.
- •Choose a plain, smooth foie-gras purée rather than a sweet, strongly spiced, or truffled preparation. This is enrichment, not camouflage; the cabbage and pilaff must still taste of themselves.
- •Serve these with the braised beef, veal, lamb, or game whose cooking juices govern the plate. Pour the wine chosen for that meat. A sweet foie-gras wine would pull the garnish away from its proper work.
- •Refrigerate leftover packets promptly and keep them for no more than 2 days. Warm them gently in their braising liquid so the rice doesn't dry and swell.
Advance Preparation
- •Parboil, cool, trim, and dry the cabbage leaves up to 1 day ahead. Layer them between clean towels, cover, and refrigerate so they remain flat and supple.
- •Prepare the pilaff rice and foie-gras purée ahead and chill them separately. Their preparation time is not included here because the source treats both as finished components.
- •The packets may be assembled up to 4 hours before braising. Arrange them seam-side down, cover, and refrigerate; braise them close to serving so the leaves keep their color and the rice remains distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 145g)
Calories
160 calories
Total Fat
10 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
50 mg
Sodium
360 mg
Total Carbohydrates
15 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
5 g
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