Bon Appetit

 

Julia Child was born 100 years ago this Wednesday and me and a few like-minded friends decided to celebrate. We ate Julia-inspired food, drank wine and watched Julie and Julia...or rather chatted and ate and drank while the movie played in the background. I made quick gravlax served with avocado slices and burrata cheese, figs drizzled with honey, potatoes au gratin with gruyere, braised cucumbers, salad with fresh herbs, and chocolate souffles to finish. Everything turned out nicely, although the souffles did immediately fall upon removal from the oven. I followed the recipe closely and still don't know why they fell, but as Julia would say, "No excuses, no apologies, no explanations." And so we ate rather flat but still delicious chocolate souffles topped with homemade creme fraiche whipped cream - and no one complained.

The most exciting element of the meal - for me at least - was the gravlax. A close cousin to lox and smoked salmon, gravlax is a Nordic dish consisting of salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill. Traditionally whole filets of salmon are rubbed with a salt, sugar and dill mixture and left to cure in the fridge for 5 days or so. This variation is a much quicker version; by slicing the salmon very thinly from the start it cures in just an hour. So for those last minute decisions, homemade gravlax is still a possibility.

The next morning I awoke to a kitchen stocked with leftover gravlax, herbs and market-fresh eggs, so I decided to keep the Julia theme alive a little longer. I made her recipe for "Oeufs in Cocotte" or eggs baked in ramekins, but with my own special twist. Below each egg, sitting in cream, I placed several pieces of the homemade gravlax and some chopped tarragon. The gravlax lent the resulting custard a salty, herby, rich, smoked salmon-ish flavor. This was probably my favorite dish of the weekend.

One Hour Gravlax

prepare salmon at least 1 hour before serving

1 large and very fresh wild-caught salmon filet  (avoid farmed salmon)

finely chopped fresh dill (I also used fresh fennel blossoms and garlic chive flowers)

aquavit

course sea salt

a very sharp, thin knife (I used a boning knife)

Prep a large serving platter or plate by sprinkling lightly with sea salt. 

Check salmon for any bones; remove with tweezers or needle-nosed pliers. Using sharp knife slice salmon thinly across the top, doing your best to achieve thin, even slices. Lay slices on platter. 

Continue until only the salmon skin is left. Sprinkle the sliced salmon pieces with more salt and the chopped herbs. Drizzle very lightly with aquavit. Set aside for an hour. Salmon will begin to "sweat" as it cures.

Serve on bread or crackers with thin slices of avocado and some burrata or fresh mozzarella cheese.

 

Oeufs en Cocotte - with gravlax and tarragon
adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

preheat oven to 375 degrees

For each serving:
unsalted butter
1 small ceramic ramekin
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 oven-proof pan filled with 1-2 inches of simmering water
1 or 2 eggs
gravlax (or lox or smoked salmon)
1 TB fresh chopped tarragon

Butter the ramekins. Add a few tablespoons of cream, a few pieces of gravlax and the tarragon and set the ramekins in the simmering water over moderate heat.

Break the eggs into small bowl. When the cream is hot, carefully pour in the eggs. Pour the remaining cream over the egg and top with a dot of butter.

Place in the middle level of the hot oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes. The eggs are done when they are just set but still tremble slightly in the ramekins. They will set a little more when the ramekins are removed, so they should not be overcooked.

Season with salt and pepper, and serve.


Bon Appetit!