Laitues Farcies

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 5 to 6-quart pot for blanching
• •Large bowl for ice water
• •Clean absorbent kitchen towels
• •Kitchen twine
• •Shallow covered braiser sized for 4 lettuces
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small sharp scissors

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the components

   Have the Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223), the chilled forcemeat, and the braising and finishing components for Laitues Braisées au Jus (No. 2160) ready at the stove. Measure one volume of duxelle for every two volumes of forcemeat; the listed weights are practical approximations, but the book's ratio is by bulk. Press a spoon through the duxelle. If liquid shines around it or it smears wetly across the bowl, return it to a brisk skillet until the moisture has evaporated, then spread it out and cool it completely. Ça se rattrape, but do this before it meets the meat.

   Cold forcemeat stays cohesive while you shape it. Warm forcemeat softens, smears, and is much harder to enclose neatly.
2. 2

   Blanch the lettuces

   Bring the water and salt to a full boil in a wide pot. Lower in the lettuces two at a time and keep them submerged, turning gently, until the outer leaves wilt and the heads become pliable without losing their shape, about 2 to 3 minutes. Lift them directly into the ice water. Cooling stops the cooking and preserves enough strength in the leaves for opening and tying.

3. 3

   Press them dry

   Drain the lettuces stem-side down, then cradle each between clean towels and press firmly with both palms until the towels stop taking on water. Work around the whole head without twisting or crushing the stem. If water still beads between the leaves, change to a dry towel and press again. A damp lettuce dilutes the filling from inside, and no amount of sauce reduction can repair that properly.

4. 4

   Mix the filling

   Fold the completely cooled Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223) into the chilled forcemeat just until evenly distributed. Do not beat it or let it warm. The mixture should hold a rounded spoonful without releasing moisture. If it has softened from handling, chill it for 10 minutes before filling the lettuces.

5. 5

   Open and fill

   Stand one lettuce on its intact stem. Beginning at the crown, ease the leaves outward layer by layer until the compact heart is exposed, never cutting into the stem that holds the parcel together. Divide the filling into four equal portions and press one portion around the heart, keeping it compact rather than spreading it to the leaf tips. Fold the leaves back over the filling in their original order, inner leaves first and broad outer leaves last, reconstructing the natural rounded head.

6. 6

   Tie the parcels

   Secure each reconstructed lettuce with two light loops of kitchen twine crossing at right angles. Tie firmly enough to hold the leaves, but never so tightly that the filling is squeezed out during cooking. If an outer leaf splits, overlap its edges and catch them beneath the string. Ça se rattrape, and the braise will settle the repair into place.

7. 7

   Braise them gently

   Braise the tied parcels by the covered, gentle method specified for Laitues Braisées au Jus (No. 2160), using its components scaled for four lettuces. Allow about 40 to 50 minutes, turning the parcels with care if that preparation directs, until the leaves yield readily to a small knife and the center of the veal-and-pork forcemeat reaches 160°F / 71°C. The liquid must barely tremble. A hard boil tears the leaves and tightens the filling.

8. 8

   Reduce and glaze

   Lift the cooked lettuces onto a warm tray and snip away every piece of twine. Finish the braising liquor with the thickened veal gravy as directed in Laitues Braisées au Jus (No. 2160), reducing it to nappe, the point at which it coats the back of a spoon in a glossy film. If it remains thin, reduce it longer. If it tightens before the lettuces are ready, loosen it with a spoonful of reserved braising liquor.

9. 9

   Dish and serve

   Arrange the four lettuces close together in a warm, low serving dish, the simple timbale-style presentation allowed by the source. Spoon the reduced sauce over each parcel and let a little pool around them. If one tries to open after the string is removed, turn it seam-side down with two spoons and coat it generously. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose small, tight butter lettuces with fresh outer leaves and sound stems. Romaine is too rigid for reconstruction, while loose-leaf lettuce has no compact head to hold the filling.
• •The source gives the duxelle as half the bulk of the forcemeat, so measure the two components by volume. Their weights differ because mushrooms and meat have different densities; the two-to-one volume ratio governs.
• •Use a smooth, cohesive veal-and-pork forcemeat that is already properly seasoned. Fry a teaspoonful before assembly if you need to verify it, because once the lettuce is filled, tied, and braised, seasoning the center is no longer possible.
• •Do not rush the drying. Pressing the blanched lettuce and cooking the Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223) free of vegetable moisture are the two sides of the same grammar.
• •Serve beside roast veal, poultry, or a plain butter-basted chop. A restrained red Burgundy or mature cru Beaujolais has enough freshness for the lettuce and enough depth for the mushroom and meat filling.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223), the forcemeat, and the components for Laitues Braisées au Jus (No. 2160) up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate them separately. The stated recipe time assumes those linked preparations are ready.
• •The lettuces may be blanched, chilled, and pressed up to 6 hours ahead. Wrap them in a dry towel and refrigerate, then inspect once more for trapped moisture before filling.
• •The lettuces may be filled and tied up to 4 hours before braising. Keep them covered and cold so the forcemeat remains firm.
• •For dinner-party service, braise the parcels earlier the same day and hold them in a little of their cooking liquor. Reheat gently, then reduce and finish the sauce immediately before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)