Laitues à la Moelle

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch / 30 cm ovenproof sauté pan with lid
• •Medium saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Kitchen twine
• •Slotted spoon
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch and press

   Bring the blanching water and its salt to a full boil. Trim each lettuce root without removing the core, halve the heads lengthwise, and rinse carefully between the leaves. Lower the halves into the water and blanch for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the leaves collapse and the cores begin to soften. Cool them at once under very cold running water, drain cut-side down, then press each gently between clean towels until no more water runs out. Wet lettuce cannot absorb the braising stock. Fold any loose leaves around the core, shape each half into a compact oval, and secure it with kitchen twine.

   If a lettuce half comes apart, overlap the leaves around the core and tie them in place. Ça se rattrape. The braise will settle the packet into a neat oval.
2. 2

   Build the braise

   Heat the oven to 325°F / 165°C. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a wide, ovenproof sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the salt pork, carrot, and onion, then cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the vegetables soften without browning. Set the lettuce packets in one snug layer over this bed, season them with half the remaining salt and half the white pepper, and tuck in the bouquet garni. Pour in the stock, which should reach about two-thirds of the way up the lettuces.

3. 3

   Braise until tender

   Cover the lettuces directly with a cartouche (a round of baking parchment), then cover the pan. Braise in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, turning the packets once, until a small knife enters each core without resistance. The liquid should murmur, never boil hard. If the pan begins to dry before the cores are tender, add a few spoonfuls of hot water or stock; the lettuces must braise, not fry against the pan floor.

4. 4

   Make buttered gravy

   Lift the lettuces onto a tray and keep them covered. Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan, pressing lightly on the vegetables, then discard the salt pork, vegetables, and bouquet garni. Boil the liquid until reduced to about 1¼ cups / 300 ml. Knead 1 tablespoon of the butter with the flour to make beurre manié (kneaded butter), then whisk it into the simmering liquid in small pieces. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon in an even, moderately thick film. Remove it from the heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons of cold butter. Season with the remaining salt and white pepper. If the gravy looks oily, whisk in 1 teaspoon of cold water away from the heat; if it becomes too thick, loosen it with a spoonful of stock. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Shape the turban

   Remove the twine from the lettuces and trim away any ragged outer leaves. Melt the final tablespoon of butter in the cleaned sauté pan, return the lettuce packets, and warm them gently under a lid for about 5 minutes. Arrange the eight ovals in an overlapping ring, the classical turban, on a warmed oval platter with their rounded sides facing outward. Spoon a little gravy over them to keep their surfaces glossy.

6. 6

   Poach the marrow

   While the lettuces warm, heat the marrow-poaching water with its salt to 175 to 180°F / 80 to 82°C. The surface may quiver, but it must not bubble. Lower in the chilled marrow slices and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, until their edges are softly translucent and the slices are warmed through but still intact. Lift them with a slotted spoon and drain for a few seconds on a clean towel. If the water begins bubbling, pull the pan off the heat immediately. If a slice starts to fray, lift it onto a cool plate for 20 seconds so it firms enough to transfer.

7. 7

   Crown and coat

   Set the poached marrow slices in an even crown along the top of the lettuce turban. Spoon the hot buttered gravy over the lettuces and marrow, coating them generously without flooding the platter, and send the remaining gravy to the table in a warmed sauceboat. Serve immediately, while the marrow is tender and the sauce holds its gloss. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose small butterhead lettuces with tight, heavy hearts and fresh inner leaves. Loose heads fall apart during blanching, while very large ones become cumbersome and cook unevenly.
• •Ask the butcher for center-cut, cross-cut beef marrow bones and, if possible, for the marrow pushed out in intact cylinders. Canoe-cut bones are excellent for roasting but cannot provide the large round slices required here.
• •Use unsalted beef or veal stock with enough natural gelatin to set softly when cold. The gravy depends on that body; thin, aggressively salted stock becomes harsh as it reduces.
• •Serve the lettuces beside roast beef, roast veal, or a plainly cooked steak. A cru Beaujolais or restrained red Burgundy has enough freshness to meet the marrow without burying the lettuce.

Advance Preparation

• •The lettuces can be blanched and braised up to 1 day ahead. Cool them in their strained braising liquid, cover, and refrigerate; reheat gently before shaping the turban.
• •The braising liquid can be reduced and thickened up to 4 hours ahead, but whisk in the final cold butter only after reheating and immediately before serving.
• •The marrow can be extracted, sliced, and kept very cold for up to 4 hours. Poach it only at the last moment, since reheated marrow loses its clean shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)