Big Pot Blanching - French Laundry Cookbook
I often hear people comment in amazement why the same foods they cook at home can taste so much better out at a restaurant. One of my favorite
cookbooks is Thomas Keller’s French Laundry Cookbook. For those that don’t know Thomas Keller is considered one of the best chefs in the country, if
not the world. His restaurants include the French Laundry, Bouchon in Napa, Bouchon Las Vegas and Per Se in New York.
The French Laundry Cookbook has been described as food porn. It contains beautiful photography and detailed recipes and techniques. One of the
things I enjoy most is that it provides in details the exact steps the chefs use for even the seemingly simple tasks.
One such technique is big-pot blanching. Last night I utilized this technique to put together a simple after work dinner of Grilled Skirt Steak,
Asparagus and sautéed parsnips.
To make the asparagus I used the big-pot blanching technique described in the French Laundry cookbook. One of the main objectives is to give green
vegetables bright vivid color. Heating vegetables actually releases a layer of gas which allows the green pigment to rise to the surface. It sounds a
bit like science but it makes sense when you compare the color of raw vs. blanched vegetables. To achieve this goal you need to cook the vegetables
fast in a large pot of rapidly boiling water. I used a large stock pot filled more than half way with water to cook one bunch of asparagus. The reason
you need so much water is to avoid reducing the heat of the water when the vegetables are added. If you lose the boil, the vegetables will cook too
slowly to achieve the results you expect in a restaurant.
The next key step is using a lot of salt. Just like when cooking pasta you want the water to taste like the ocean. The salt prevents the color for
leaving the vegetables and going into the water. Plus it helps season each piece the same. The French Laundry cookbook uses 1 cup of salt per gallon
of water.
Plunge the asparagus into the pot of boiling water just a few minutes until cooked. It only took me 2 minutes for the asparagus I cooked last night.
So far this is a pretty simple process and the final and perhaps most important step is just as easy. However I guess it’s a step a lot of people probably
skip in the home kitchen and this is why their food never tastes the same as what they experience when dinning out. After the vegetables are
cooked plunge them directly into an ice bath. Leave them in the bath till they are cold and then drain.
I finished off my asparagus by heating them up in a pan with a little butter. The idea is just to warm them up, not cook them.
The results should be vivid and perfectly cooked asparagus. There is nothing worse than dull mushy asparagus but when it’s done right you know
the difference. I encourage you to try this process. I know you’ll be happy with the results.
Recipe Source: The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller
I often hear people comment in amazement why the same foods they cook at home can taste so much better out at a restaurant. One of my favorite
cookbooks is Thomas Keller’s French Laundry Cookbook. For those that don’t know Thomas Keller is considered one of the best chefs in the country, if
not the world. His restaurants include the French Laundry, Bouchon in Napa, Bouchon Las Vegas and Per Se in New York.
The French Laundry Cookbook has been described as food porn. It contains beautiful photography and detailed recipes and techniques. One of the
things I enjoy most is that it provides in details the exact steps the chefs use for even the seemingly simple tasks.
One such technique is big-pot blanching. Last night I utilized this technique to put together a simple after work dinner of Grilled Skirt Steak,
Asparagus and sautéed parsnips.
To make the asparagus I used the big-pot blanching technique described in the French Laundry cookbook. One of the main objectives is to give green
vegetables bright vivid color. Heating vegetables actually releases a layer of gas which allows the green pigment to rise to the surface. It sounds a
bit like science but it makes sense when you compare the color of raw vs. blanched vegetables. To achieve this goal you need to cook the vegetables
fast in a large pot of rapidly boiling water. I used a large stock pot filled more than half way with water to cook one bunch of asparagus. The reason
you need so much water is to avoid reducing the heat of the water when the vegetables are added. If you lose the boil, the vegetables will cook too
slowly to achieve the results you expect in a restaurant.
The next key step is using a lot of salt. Just like when cooking pasta you want the water to taste like the ocean. The salt prevents the color for
leaving the vegetables and going into the water. Plus it helps season each piece the same. The French Laundry cookbook uses 1 cup of salt per gallon
of water.
Plunge the asparagus into the pot of boiling water just a few minutes until cooked. It only took me 2 minutes for the asparagus I cooked last night.
So far this is a pretty simple process and the final and perhaps most important step is just as easy. However I guess it’s a step a lot of people probably
skip in the home kitchen and this is why their food never tastes the same as what they experience when dinning out. After the vegetables are
cooked plunge them directly into an ice bath. Leave them in the bath till they are cold and then drain.
I finished off my asparagus by heating them up in a pan with a little butter. The idea is just to warm them up, not cook them.
The results should be vivid and perfectly cooked asparagus. There is nothing worse than dull mushy asparagus but when it’s done right you know
the difference. I encourage you to try this process. I know you’ll be happy with the results.
Recipe Source: The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller
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