Chef Juliette
Suet Dumpling
Boulettes au suif, poached beside salt beef, turn equal weights of flour and finely chopped suet into tender, rich dumplings. Keep the beef liquor at a bare tremble and the old garnish works beautifully at home.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Cèpes à la Provençale
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2070, Cèpes à la Provençale, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Cèpes à la Provençale turn fierce heat into flavor: bronzed mushrooms, sweet onion, a mite of garlic, and breadcrumbs that catch the oil, finished with lemon and parsley while every edge still has bite.
Side Dishes
French
Weeknight
Dinner Party
20 min
Active Time
15 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 side-dish servings
Cèpes à la Provençale (porcini sautéed in the Provençal manner) teaches the discipline of a hot pan. Mushrooms must bronze in oil before they release enough water to stew themselves. Dry them, leave room around them, and wait for the hiss to sharpen. That is the one true thing to know before touching the pan.
The original formula assumed a cook tossing a half-pound service portion and a timbale waiting warm. This entry needs no saucier, stockpot, or salamander; its brigade scaffolding is simply that small pan and formal serving vessel. At home, a 12-inch skillet used in two uncrowded batches and a warm shallow bowl do the same work. The book's half-pound proportion is doubled for four side servings: one pound of caps takes two ounces of stalks, two teaspoons of onion, two tablespoons of breadcrumbs, and half a small garlic clove for the requested mite. The timbale can go. The very hot oil, late aromatics and crumbs, lemon, and parsley must stay.
Cooked properly, the cèpes arrive bronzed and succulent, with crisp edges, parsley caught in their folds, and only enough lemon to wake the earthiness. The breadcrumbs don't form a crust; they collect excess oil so the mushrooms remain glossy rather than greasy. One cook, one stove, one evening. The decisive step is the first sauté: give the cèpes space and let them frizzle before the onion and garlic ever enter.
Cèpes à la Provençale belongs to Provence's olive-oil table and enters the classical canon as a precise variation on Cèpes à la Bordelaise (No. 2068), the Bordeaux treatment of hot oil, shallot, chopped stalks, and breadcrumbs. In the Provençal turn, onion replaces shallot, a little garlic joins it, and lemon and parsley close the dish. The name does not license tomatoes, lavender, or a fistful of dried herbs; here Provençale means a restrained southern adjustment to the same mushroom technique.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole fresh cèpes
Quantity
About 1¼ lb (570 g), trimmed to yield 1 lb (454 g) caps and 2 oz (57 g) tender stalks; Cèpes à la Bordelaise (No. 2068)
caps cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) collops, tender stalks finely chopped
olive oil suitable for sautéing
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 54 g)
divided
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g)
divided
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 0.6 g)
yellow onion
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 10 g)
finely chopped
garlic
Quantity
½ small clove
crushed to a paste
fine dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 14 g)
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 2.5 g)
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 8 g)
finely chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole fresh cèpescaps cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) collops, tender stalks finely chopped | About 1¼ lb (570 g), trimmed to yield 1 lb (454 g) caps and 2 oz (57 g) tender stalks; Cèpes à la Bordelaise (No. 2068) |
| olive oil suitable for sautéingdivided | ¼ cup (60 ml / 54 g) |
| fine sea saltdivided | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) |
| freshly ground black pepper | ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 0.6 g) |
| yellow onionfinely chopped | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 10 g) |
| garliccrushed to a paste | ½ small clove |
| fine dry breadcrumbs | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 14 g) |
| fresh lemon juice | ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 2.5 g) |
| flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 8 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
- •Rimmed tray for holding the first batch
- •1-quart (1 L) warmed timbale or shallow serving bowl
- •Soft mushroom brush
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the cèpes
Brush away soil with a soft brush or wipe it off with a barely damp cloth. If the mushrooms are truly dirty, rinse them quickly, then dry them thoroughly; water left on the surface will fight the browning. Separate the caps from the stalks. Cut 1 lb (454 g) of caps into broad ¼-inch (6 mm) collops and finely chop 2 oz (57 g) of the firm, unblemished stalks. Discard any spongy or worm-eaten trim. Warm the serving bowl with hot water, then dry it just before serving.
Broad, even slices brown at the same pace and retain a succulent centre. Thin scraps dry out before they take proper colour. - 2
Frizzle in batches
Use the hot-oil sequence of Cèpes à la Bordelaise (No. 2068). Heat half the olive oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers but does not smoke. Season half the cap slices with half the salt and pepper immediately before they enter the pan. Arrange them in one uncrowded layer and leave them untouched until the undersides bronze, about 2 minutes. Toss and continue cooking until the edges are crisp and the centres remain fleshy, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer them to a rimmed tray, add the remaining oil, and repeat with the second batch.
If liquid floods the skillet, lift half the mushrooms onto the tray and keep the rest over high heat until the water evaporates and the sharp sizzle returns. Then finish the lifted pieces separately. Don't add the breadcrumbs to hide mushroom water; they will turn to paste. Ça se rattrape. - 3
Add the late finish
Return all the browned caps to the skillet and lower the heat to medium-high. Add the chopped stalks, onion, and garlic, then scatter over the breadcrumbs. Toss continuously for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the stalks soften, the onion loses its raw bite, and the garlic smells fragrant without coloring. The breadcrumbs should catch the excess oil while remaining loose and golden, not clump around the mushrooms. If the garlic threatens to brown, lift the skillet from the heat and keep tossing until the pan calms.
- 4
Brighten and serve
Take the skillet off the heat. Add the lemon juice a few drops at a time, tasting as you go; it should brighten the cèpes without making them taste lemony. Toss in the parsley, taste for salt and pepper, and spoon everything immediately into the warmed bowl or timbale. Bring the glossy cèpes to the table while their edges still have bite. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Fresh cèpes should feel firm and dense, with dry caps and pale, tight pores underneath. Avoid specimens that feel spongy or smell fermented. Buy wild mushrooms from a trusted seller; uncertain identification has no place at the table.
- •Fresh cèpes are the dish here. Dried porcini bring excellent flavor to stocks and braises, but they cannot reproduce this fleshy sauté. Out of season, use thick slices of king oyster mushroom and call the result champignons à la Provençale.
- •The breadcrumbs are functional, not a coating. Fine dry crumbs absorb the oil that would otherwise collect in the serving bowl, while coarse fresh crumbs become heavy and soft.
- •Serve beside roast lamb, grilled fish, or a plain omelette. A dry white from Cassis or Bandol has enough freshness for the lemon and enough body for the mushrooms.
Advance Preparation
- •The cèpes can be brushed, trimmed, and separated up to 6 hours ahead. Keep them dry and loosely covered in the refrigerator, then slice the caps shortly before cooking.
- •The onion, breadcrumbs, and parsley can be measured earlier in the day. Crush the garlic shortly before it enters the skillet so its flavor stays fresh rather than harsh.
- •Cook the dish only when the table is ready. Reheating softens the bronzed edges, though leftovers kept chilled for one day are excellent folded into an omelette.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 110g)
Calories
170 calories
Total Fat
14 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
12 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
610 mg
Total Carbohydrates
8 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
5 g
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