fluent in french

It seems I’ve been cooking a lot of French stuff lately. I swear it hasn’t been intentional. I guess as the days grow cooler, I gravitate toward the comfort of that classic cuisine. There’s something soothing about tried and true recipes with familiar components and flavors. And anything out of a Julia Child cookbook can’t be wrong, right? Case in point: Braised Leeks. This vegetable, which usually takes a back seat to others, becomes a shining star when gently braised in a little stock. Its pungent, oniony bite mellows, its layers become soft and supple. Stunning in its simplicity–this is more of a method than a recipe and can be applied to many other vegetables, as Julia herself suggests. To braise celery, add a mirepoix (diced carrots, onions and celery lightly sauteed in some butter); to braise endives, replace the stock with water and add a little lemon juice. 
The result? Melt in your mouth delicious.

Braised Leeks

This is a lovely side dish to serve with roasted meats. When you select leeks at the grocer, choose ones that are bright green and white, with tight outer layers. They usually come in bunches of 2 or 3 if they’re bigger, fatter leeks, or 4 or 5 if they’re on the smaller size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dry off leeks and place them in a buttered casserole or ovenproof pan. Pour in enough chicken stock to come up about one third of the way. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt on top.

Cover the leeks with a piece of buttered wax or parchment paper, tucking it in on the sides. Place foil securely over the casserole or pan. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until leeks are tender.

Remove foil and wax paper and place leeks on a platter. Pour the chicken stock into a small saucepan. Add a teaspoon of butter and boil down until stock is reduced and syrupy.

Pour reduced stock over the leeks and season lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with minced parsley. Voila–c’est tout!

Adapted from Julia Child
Serves 4:

unsalted butter
1 bunch leeks 
low sodium chicken stock
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
minced parsley

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