Chef Juliette
Stuffed Onions
Oignons farcis teach the discipline of the shell: mild onions hollowed without weakness, filled with their own flesh and Duxelle, braised in butter and stock, then glazed until the tops bronze.
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Petits Pois à la Menthe
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2194, Petits Pois à la Menthe, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Petits Pois à la Menthe are a lesson in timing: peas boiled with fresh mint, then glossed with butter while their sweetness and brilliant green are still alive.
Side Dishes
French
Easter
Weeknight
15 min
Active Time
10 min cook•25 min total
Yield4 servings
Petits Pois à la Menthe (minted peas) teaches one true thing: green vegetables must leave the water the moment they become tender. A minute too little can be corrected. A minute too much steals their sweetness, colour, and delicate pop, and no quantity of mint will give those back.
Unlike many brigade preparations, this one asks for neither a saucier, a standing stockpot, nor a salamander. What the original assumed was a great cauldron kept at the boil, peas cooked to order, and a warm serving dish waiting. At home, a wide saucepan and a colander do the same work. The brigade quantity becomes 500 grams for four, while the book's sequence remains intact: boil the peas with a bunch of fresh mint, drain them, finish à l'anglaise (English style) or au beurre (butter-finished), then lay parboiled mint leaves over the top. The cold rinse for those garnish leaves is the only modern addition, preserving their green without changing the flavour.
The two finishes are distinct. À l'anglaise leaves pats of butter melting over the peas in the serving dish; au beurre tosses peas and butter together in the warm pan until they gleam. Both are right. Taste early, then drain the peas at the precise instant their raw starchiness gives way to sweetness. That moment is the dish.
Petits Pois à la Menthe belongs to the French bourgeois and grand-kitchen table rather than to one province, and its pairing of peas with mint reflects a long exchange with English garden cookery. In the classical French vocabulary, à l'anglaise does not mean vaguely British: it names green vegetables boiled in ample salted water, drained, and served simply with fresh butter. The alternative, au beurre, shifts the butter from the serving dish to the pan, while the mint remains an infusion and a leaf garnish, not a chopped herb sauce.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh shelled garden peas
Quantity
3½ cups (830 ml / 500 g)
water
Quantity
3 quarts (2.8 L / 2.8 kg)
fine sea salt
Quantity
1½ tablespoons (22 ml / 27 g)
fresh mint
Quantity
1 large bunch (about 30 g)
reserve 8 handsome leaves and tie the remaining stems together
cold unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g)
divided into pats or small cubes
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh shelled garden peas | 3½ cups (830 ml / 500 g) |
| water | 3 quarts (2.8 L / 2.8 kg) |
| fine sea salt | 1½ tablespoons (22 ml / 27 g) |
| fresh mintreserve 8 handsome leaves and tie the remaining stems together | 1 large bunch (about 30 g) |
| cold unsalted butterdivided into pats or small cubes | 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •5 to 6-quart (4.7 to 5.7 L) wide saucepan
- •Large colander
- •Slotted spoon
- •Kitchen twine
- •Warm shallow serving dish
Instructions
- 1
Set the water
Bring the water to a strong rolling boil in a wide saucepan, then add the salt. Tie the main bunch of mint loosely so water can move through it, and warm the serving dish with hot tap water while the peas cook. Plenty of boiling water is the useful remnant of the brigade method: it returns to the boil quickly after the peas go in, so they cook cleanly instead of lingering in tepid water.
Use a broad pan rather than a cramped little pot. The peas need room and enough water to hold its temperature. - 2
Parboil the mint
Drop the 8 reserved mint leaves into the boiling water for 10 seconds, just until they soften and deepen in colour. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, rinse them immediately under very cold water, and blot them dry between clean towels. Set them aside flat. The rinse stops their cooking and is only for the garnish leaves, never the peas.
- 3
Boil the peas
Add the tied mint bunch and the peas to the boiling water. Keep the pan uncovered and let the water return promptly to a boil. Begin tasting after 2 minutes; young peas may be ready then, while larger or more mature peas can need 4 to 6 minutes. Drain as soon as they are tender through the centre but still have a gentle pop under the teeth. If they begin softening faster than expected, drain them at once and rinse for only a few seconds with cool water to arrest the cooking, then warm them gently during the au beurre finish. Ça se rattrape, provided you stop now.
- 4
Drain without delay
Reserve ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the cooking water, then remove the mint bundle and tip the peas into a colander. Shake them well and let them drain for about 15 seconds, no longer. They should remain hot with only a trace of moisture clinging to them. Water pooled beneath the peas dilutes the butter; leaving them forgotten in the colander cools them before the finish.
- 5
Choose the finish
For à l'anglaise, empty and dry the warmed serving dish, mound in the peas, and arrange all the butter in generous pats over the surface so it melts down among them at the table. For au beurre, return the peas to the warm, dry saucepan over very low heat, add the butter in small cubes, and toss for 30 to 60 seconds until every pea carries a creamy gloss. If the butter separates into an oily film, take the pan off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of the reserved cooking water, and toss firmly until the coating comes together. Ça se rattrape.
- 6
Lay on mint
Lay the parboiled mint leaves loosely over the finished peas, exactly as the original preparation directs. Don't chop in extra mint; the bunch in the cooking water has already given the peas their quiet perfume, and the leaves on top complete it. Carry the dish straight to the table while the butter still gleams. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Fresh spring peas are splendid here when the pods are crisp and the peas inside are small. Outside their good season, use 3½ cups (830 ml / 500 g) frozen peas straight from the freezer and begin tasting after 2 minutes. A pea frozen at its sweetest is better than a tired fresh one.
- •Choose ordinary fresh garden mint or spearmint. Peppermint can bully the peas, and dried mint cannot give the clean, green infusion this preparation requires.
- •Don't add bicarbonate of soda to preserve the colour. It softens the peas too quickly and leaves an alkaline taste. Ample boiling water, an uncovered pan, and attentive timing keep them green honestly.
- •Serve these beside roast lamb, a butter-roasted chicken, or jambon braisé. A dry Loire Sauvignon Blanc has enough freshness for the peas and mint without crowding the plate.
- •For leftovers, refrigerate the peas within 2 hours and use them within 2 days. Rewarm them briefly with a spoonful of water and a fresh nut of butter; repeated cooking turns their sweetness starchy.
Advance Preparation
- •Shell the peas up to 4 hours ahead, cover them well, and keep them cold. Peas begin converting sugar to starch after shelling, so closer to cooking is better.
- •The garnish leaves can be parboiled, cooled, and dried several hours ahead. Keep them flat between barely damp towels in the refrigerator.
- •The finished dish wants immediate service. If timing forces your hand, boil the peas about 1 minute short of tender, spread them on a tray to cool, and refrigerate for no more than 4 hours. Reheat them by the au beurre method with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the reserved cooking water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 140g)
Calories
205 calories
Total Fat
12 g
Saturated Fat
7 g
Trans Fat
0.5 g
Unsaturated Fat
4 g
Cholesterol
30 mg
Sodium
300 mg
Total Carbohydrates
18 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
7 g
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