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.
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White Cabbages (Choux Blancs)
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2096, White Cabbages (Choux Blancs), from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Firm white cabbage asks for respect, not force: slice it fine, blanch it first, then let butter, a little fond, and a covered pan turn it tender with bronzed edges.
Side Dishes
French
Budget Friendly
Weeknight
15 min
Active Time
25 min cook•40 min total
Yield4 servings
Choux blancs étuvés au beurre (white cabbage pan-braised in butter) teaches a useful limit: a firm leaf will not become a tender one because you wish it so. White cabbage is built for choucroute, and the old entry says so plainly. When you cook it fresh, the one true thing is this: slice it finely and blanch it before butter ever reaches the pan, or the outside browns while the core remains obstinate.
This entry assumes a preserving larder with white cabbage already headed toward choucroute, not a saucier on staff, a stock never off the fire, or a salamander. It permits one extreme exception, braising the cabbage like a Savoy, so that is the route translated here. A brigade's broad rondeau and quantities for service are scaffolding; a 12-inch lidded skillet and one small head do the same work for four. We blanch, sauté for color, then étuver, a covered pan-braise, with very little water. We do not counterfeit fermentation with vinegar, because choucroute is not a shortcut.
The finished cabbage should be tender through its ribs, bronze at a few edges, and glossy with butter rather than swimming in it. If the pan dries before the leaf yields, add a spoonful of water and cover it again. Ça se rattrape. Cut every ribbon about 5 mm wide; that thin, even cut is the step that decides the plate.
White cabbage belongs especially to the preserving larder of Alsace, where firm heads are finely shredded, salted, and fermented into choucroute. The word first names the fermented cabbage itself, before it names choucroute garnie, the generous preparation cooked with pork and sausages. Classical kitchens rarely treated white cabbage like tender Savoy because its dense leaves resist gentle braising, making this pan-braise the admitted exception rather than a rival regional tradition.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
white cabbage
Quantity
1 small head, about 10 loosely packed cups (2.4 L / 680 g) once sliced
quartered, cored, and cut into 5 mm ribbons
water for blanching
Quantity
8 cups (1.9 L / 1.9 kg)
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon (22.5 ml / 21 g)
divided
unsalted butter
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g)
divided
water for pan-braising
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g), plus more if needed
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 0.6 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| white cabbagequartered, cored, and cut into 5 mm ribbons | 1 small head, about 10 loosely packed cups (2.4 L / 680 g) once sliced |
| water for blanching | 8 cups (1.9 L / 1.9 kg) |
| fine sea saltdivided | 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon (22.5 ml / 21 g) |
| unsalted butterdivided | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) |
| water for pan-braising | ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g), plus more if needed |
| freshly ground black pepper | ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 0.6 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Sharp chef's knife
- •Large saucepan
- •Colander
- •12-inch (30 cm) wide skillet with a fitted lid
Instructions
- 1
Slice the cabbage
Pull away any damaged outer leaves, quarter the cabbage through its base, and cut out the hard core. Slice the leaves crosswise into even ribbons about 5 mm wide. Keep them fine and consistent: thick pieces remain stubborn long after the thinner leaves have softened.
A sharp chef's knife gives better control than forcing a dense cabbage through a small mandoline. Set each quarter flat on its cut face before slicing. - 2
Blanch until pliable
Bring the 8 cups of water to a full boil in a large saucepan and add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Drop in the cabbage, press it beneath the water, and blanch for 4 to 5 minutes, until the thickest ribbons bend readily but still retain some bite. If they snap rather than bend, give them another minute. If they have gone too soft, drain them immediately and rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking. Ça se rattrape: shorten the covered braise later.
Blanching is not disposable ceremony here. It softens the dense leaf evenly, allowing the butter to brown the cabbage without leaving its ribs raw. - 3
Drain it thoroughly
Drain the cabbage in a colander, shake it well, then spread it over a clean towel and blot away the surface water. Take this seriously. Wet cabbage dilutes the butter and simmers in its own water, while a dry surface can take on the butter-gold edges the dish needs.
- 4
Build the fond
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a wide lidded skillet over medium-high heat. When its foam subsides, add the cabbage, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Toss once, spread the ribbons across the pan, and leave them undisturbed for 2 minutes. Turn and repeat until scattered edges are bronze and a light fond, the browned film carrying the cabbage's flavor, has formed on the pan floor, about 5 to 6 minutes altogether.
- 5
Étuver under cover
Pour in the ¼ cup water and scrape the fond into it, then cover the skillet and lower the heat. Étuver means to cook gently in a covered pan with very little liquid; hold the cabbage at a quiet simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until tender but not collapsed. If the pan dries before the thick ribs yield, add water 1 tablespoon at a time and cover again. If the cabbage is tender but watery, remove the lid and boil the excess away. Either failure can be rescued.
- 6
Finish with butter
Uncover the pan and let any final moisture evaporate. Take it off the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, and toss until the cooking juices and butter cling in a light gloss rather than pooling beneath the cabbage. If the butter separates, add a teaspoon of water and toss again to bring it together. Taste for salt, spoon the choux blancs generously into a warm serving dish, and bring them straight to the table. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Choose a compact white cabbage that feels heavy for its size, with crisp, tightly wrapped leaves. A loose or yellowing head has already lost moisture, and no amount of butter can return its snap.
- •Do not replace the blanching with a longer dry sauté. The outer leaves will brown while the ribs stay hard. Blanching and fine slicing are the dish; the large restaurant pan is merely scaffolding.
- •This is not quick choucroute, and vinegar will not make it so. Choucroute requires real salting and fermentation. This preparation follows the narrow fresh-cabbage exception the classical entry allows.
- •Serve it with roast pork, sausages, ham, or a plainly roasted chicken. With pork, a dry Alsatian Riesling has enough acidity to meet the butter and enough body for the cabbage.
Advance Preparation
- •The cabbage can be sliced up to 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Blot away any moisture that collects before blanching.
- •For a faster finish, blanch, drain, and dry the cabbage up to 8 hours ahead. Chill it covered, then complete the butter sauté and covered pan-braise in about 15 minutes.
- •Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat them gently in a skillet with 1 tablespoon water and a small piece of butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 170g)
Calories
120 calories
Total Fat
9 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
3 g
Cholesterol
25 mg
Sodium
590 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
2 g
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