Though Manhatten has long been the mecca of French restaurant dining in this country, the official center of French culture and cuisine here is the 5th Avenue mansion that is the office and residence of the consul general of France.
Andre Baeyens, who currently holds that office, is a seasoned diplomat. At the dining table, he is a charming conversationalist and toastmaker, but except for choosing the wines, he leaves menu planning and execution to his wife and to chef Luc Pasquier.
Monica Baeyens, an Austrian countess with a delightful sense of humor, is known to her friends as Mo. She is well aware of the rise of American cuisine, including the Clinton’s hiring of an American chef at the White House.
“French cuisine still is the food of diplomacy,” she observes. “But the world has become smaller, and it is inevitable that the food world will as well. French chefs have become less insular. There’s more interaction with American chefs, more use of local products. Luc goes to market and comes back with soft-shell crabs, spaghetti squash, corn on the cob. None of these are used in France, but we incorporate them into our menus.”
In tune with the times, she says the food served at the consulate is lighter than it used to be. “But,” she adds, “we use butter and cream when appropriate. I think people who talk about their diets and won’t eat this or that should stay at home.”
Chef Pasquier, a native of the Lyons area who has been in New York since 1987, is strong-minded too. He hints he doesn’t have to make the compromises his colleagues who cook for a paying clientele in restaurants do. He says that though his work can be routine when he prepares canapes for a reception, it becomes very stimulating when he creates new recipes for a dinner party or cooks with famous chefs who come from France for promotional events.
Outside the kitchen, the chef is working to promote French gastronomy in a novel way; he is coordinating a program that brings top chefs into New York’s public schools to teach taste appreciation and some fundamental cooking techniques.
Here are two of the recipes chef Pasquier prepares at the consulate.
BEGGAR’S PURSES WITH SAUCE VIERGE
Six servings
For the sauce:
12 ounces ripe tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, tarragon, thyme, rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 cup olive oil, extra-virgin preferred
For the purses:
1 green cabbage
5 to 6 ounces chilled fillet of white-fleshed fish, such as whiting, scrod or whitefish
1/4 cup chilled creme fraiche
1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro leaves or 1 teaspoon freshly grated gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or more to taste
2 large eggs
1. Make the sauce: Place the tomatoes in boiling water for 15 seconds, or long enough to loosen the skins. Plunge tomatoes into cold water to stop the cooking, peel them, then cut them in half and squeeze out the seeds. Cut tomato pulp into small chunks.
2. Place tomato chunks in a glass or stainless-steel bowl. Add the herbs, lemon juice, pepper and optional garlic. Pour oil into the bowl and stir. Let stand to marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring water to a boil in a large pan. Discard outer leaves of the cabbage. Dip cabbage in boiling water until outer leaves soften. Remove leaves and repeat dipping as needed until you have removed nine leaves. Drain and pat dry. Cut leaves in half and cut away the thick stalky parts of each half.
4. Remove any bones or skin from the fish fillet and cut it into 2-by-2-inch pieces.
5. In a food processor, combine the fish, creme fraiche, cilantro, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Blend until smooth, then, with the motor running, add the eggs one by one. (Filling may be prepared up to a day ahead and refrigerated.)
6. Bring water to a boil in a tea kettle or large saucepan. Spread a cabbage leaf piece flat. Place a tablespoon of the fish mixture in the middle and fold the leaf over the mixture, envelope fashion. Transfer bundle, folded side down, to an ovenproof gratin dish. Continue until you have made 18 purses, or bundles.
7. Cover the gratin dish with foil and place in a larger shallow pan. Transfer both to the oven and pour boiling water into the larger pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the gratin dish. Close the oven door and bake for 30 minutes.
8. Cover each of six warm plates with 1/4 cup sauce. Remove dish from pan, uncover and portion 3 bundles onto each plate. Serve with a wine from the Loire such as Sancerre or a pinot gris from Alsace.
RABBIT IN CREAM SAUCE
Four servings
1 rabbit (about 2 1/2 pounds), thawed if frozen, cut into serving pieces
Salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 shallots, peeled and cut in half
1/2 bunch tarragon, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup creme fraiche
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Season the rabbit pieces with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
2. Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a large skillet. Cook rabbit pieces over medium-high heat until browned on all sides.
3. Transfer rabbit pieces to a Dutch oven or another heat-proof dish with a lid. Add shallots to the pan and saute over medium heat. When shallots are soft, add half of the tarragon, then add the wine and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
4. In a bowl, mix the creme fraiche, cream and mustard. Scrape this mixture into the skillet, stir well and when the liquid returns to a boil, pour it over the rabbit.
5. Cover the dish, transfer to the oven and cook for an hour or until meat is very tender, turning the pieces once.
6. Transfer rabbit pieces to a warm serving platter or four warm plates. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning as desired. Pour sauce over rabbit and garnish with remaining tarragon. Serve with rice or noodles and a light red wine such as Beaujolais.
