Special Court-bouillon, or Blanc

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart nonreactive stainless-steel or enamelled saucepan
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Balloon whisk
• •Flat-edged wooden spatula
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Parchment circle or small heatproof plate

Instructions

1. 1

   Make a smooth slurry

   Put the flour in a wide mixing bowl. Add about 1 cup of the measured cold water in a thin stream while whisking, beginning with only a splash so the whisk has enough resistance to crush every lump. Once the mixture is perfectly smooth, gradually whisk in the remaining water. Cold water matters here; warm water catches the flour into little dumplings before it can disperse.

   The flour is deliberately slight. The mixture should look lightly clouded and pour like water, never like a thin sauce.
2. 2

   Season and strain

   Whisk in the grey salt and either the lemon juice or wine vinegar until the salt dissolves. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a four-quart stainless-steel or enamelled saucepan. Straining is not ceremony; it catches the one small flour lump that would otherwise settle, stick, and scorch.

3. 3

   Stir to the boil

   Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously with a flat-edged wooden spatula, sweeping the entire base and reaching into the corners. The blanc must stay lightly cloudy and evenly fluid as it heats. If flour begins gathering on the bottom, lift the pan off the heat immediately and whisk until it disperses, then continue more gently. Ça se rattrape. If you see brown specks or smell toasted flour, do not scrape them up; decant the liquid into a clean pan and taste it, restarting if the scorched flavour has entered the blanc.

4. 4

   Immerse at once

   At the first full boil, immediately lower in the chosen ingredient, already prepared and ready according to Blanchings (No. 273). The blanc must cover it completely. If it does not, use a narrower pan or make more blanc in the same proportions; plain water would weaken the balance that preserves the colour. A parchment circle or small heatproof plate can hold floating pieces beneath the surface.

5. 5

   Cook under the blanc

   Let the liquid return to a gentle simmer, then cook for the time and doneness required by the ingredient's final recipe. Sweep the spatula carefully around the ingredient and across the pan floor every few minutes so the flour remains suspended. Blanching is a preliminary treatment, not proof of doneness, so meats and offal must complete their prescribed cooking before serving.

6. 6

   Lift and discard

   Lift the cooked ingredient from the blanc with a skimmer, drain it, and proceed immediately with its final preparation. Do not serve this liquid as broth and do not reuse it for another batch, particularly after meat or offal; it has done its work when the ingredient comes out pale, clean-tasting, and properly cooked.

Chef Tips

• •Weigh the grey salt if you can. Coarse crystals vary enormously by volume, while 17 grams preserves the book's proportion without guesswork; ordinary sea salt may stand in when grey salt is unavailable.
• •Choose lemon for a fresher edge or good wine vinegar for the book's equally proper alternative. Do not add onion, herbs, wine, or stock. This is a genuine court-bouillon, but its work is colour rather than aromatic fish poaching.
• •Use a narrow, deep pan that lets two quarts cover the ingredient. If your pan demands more liquid, scale flour, salt, acid, and water together; adding water alone undoes the preparation.
• •Salsify and cardoon darken quickly once cut. Finish their preliminary preparation before heating the blanc and keep them protected from air until the moment they enter the boiling liquid.

Advance Preparation

• •The flour and salt can be weighed together up to three days ahead and kept dry in a covered container. Measure the water and acid separately.
• •The blanc may be mixed and strained up to 12 hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated before heating. Whisk it thoroughly after chilling because the flour will settle, then stir continuously as it comes to the boil.
• •Once the blanc has been used for meat, offal, or vegetables, discard it. It is a single-use cooking medium, not a stock for storing or freezing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)