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Special Court-bouillon, or Blanc

A historical recipe from A guide to modern cookery, by Escoffier, A. (Auguste) (1907).

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A historical recipe

A guide to modern cookery, by Escoffier, A. (Auguste) (1907). Project Gutenberg eBook #71395.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

France

Known as a French recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 5 ingredients

  1. Five Quarts of this Court-bouillon are
  2. 2 oz. of flour
  3. 1½ oz. of grey salt
  4. ⅛ pint of good vinegar
  5. 5 quarts of cold water

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Flour Source of phosphorus · Source of copper · Source of manganese · +1

    Source of phosphorus · 106 mg per 100 g, 15% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Phosphorus contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Phosphorus contributes to normal function of cell membranes.
    • Phosphorus contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
    1 more authorised claims
    • Phosphorus contributes to the maintenance of normal teeth.

    Phosphorus is a mineral contained in each cell in our body. Most phosphorus is in the bones and teeth, and some is in your genes. NIH fact sheet

    Source of copper · 0.2 mg per 100 g, 17% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Copper contributes to maintenance of normal connective tissues.
    • Copper contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Copper contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    5 more authorised claims
    • Copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation.
    • Copper contributes to normal iron transport in the body.
    • Copper contributes to normal skin pigmentation.
    • Copper contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Copper contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Copper is a mineral that you need to stay healthy. Your body uses copper to carry out many important functions, including making energy, connective tissues, and blood vessels. NIH fact sheet

    Source of manganese · 0.6 mg per 100 g, 28% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Manganese contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Manganese contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
    • Manganese contributes to the normal formation of connective tissue.
    1 more authorised claims
    • Manganese contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Manganese is a mineral that your body needs to stay healthy. Your body uses manganese to make energy and protect your cells from damage. NIH fact sheet

    Source of selenium · 10 µg per 100 g, 19% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair.
    • Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal nails.
    3 more authorised claims
    • Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Selenium contributes to the normal thyroid function.
    • Selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

    Selenium is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. Your thyroid gland needs selenium to produce hormones and function properly. NIH fact sheet

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Flour, 00”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. This preparation is a genuine court-bouillon, though it is not used in cooking fish.
  2. The Quantities Required for Five Quarts of this Court-bouillon are:— A little less than 2 oz.
  3. of flour.
  4. 1½ oz.
  5. of grey salt.
  6. The juice of 3 lemons or ⅛ pint of good vinegar.
  7. 5 quarts of cold water.
  8. Gradually mix the flour and the water;
  9. add the salt and the lemon juice, and pass through a strainer.
  10. Set to boil, and stir the mixture the while, in order to prevent the flour from precipitating;
  11. as soon as the boil is reached, immerse the objects to be treated.
  12. These are usually calf’s head or foot, previously blanched;
  13. sheep’s trotters, cocks’ kidneys or combs, or such vegetables as salsify, cardoon, &c.
  14. Remarks upon the Use of Court-bouillon.
  15. 1.
  16. Court-bouillon must always be prepared in advance for all fish, the time for poaching which is less than half an hour, except turbots and brills.
  17. 2.
  18. When a fish is of such a size as to need more than half an hour’s poaching, proceed as follows:—Place under the drainer of the fish-kettle the minced carrots and onions and the faggot;
  19. put the fish on the drainer, and cover it with water and vinegar, or white wine, in accordance with the kind of court-bouillon wanted and the quantity required.
  20. Add the salt, boil, and keep the court-bouillon gently simmering for a period of time fixed by the weight of the fish.
  21. The time allowed for poaching the latter will be given in their respective formulæ.
  22. 3.
  23. Fish, when whole, should be immersed in cold court-bouillon;
  24. when sliced, in the same liquor, boiling.
  25. The exceptions to this rule are small trout “au bleu” and shell-fish.
  26. 4.
  27. If fish be cooked in short liquor the aromatics are put under the drainer and the liquid elements of the selected court-bouillon (as, for example, that with red or white wine) are so calculated as to cover only one-third of the solid body.
  28. Fish cooked in this way should be frequently basted.
  29. 5.
  30. Court-bouillon for ordinary and spiny lobsters should always be at full boiling pitch when these are immersed.
  31. The case is the same for small or medium fish “au bleu.” 6.
  32. Fish which is to be served cold, also shell-fish, should cool in the court-bouillon itself;
  33. the cooking period is consequently curtailed.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Wooden spoon
  • Sieve
  • Kettle
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From A guide to modern cookery, by Escoffier, A. (Auguste) (1907). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #71395 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/71395). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.