Babettes
gæstebud (Babette's
Feast): is a classic 1987 Danish film
written and directed by Gabriel Axel. that
won the Academy Award for Best Foreign
Language Film.. The film is based on a short
story by Isak Dinesen, the author of Out
of Africa. In this exquisitely haunting
film, food is a metaphor for overcoming
anti-religious prejudice with acts of
kindness and a reminder that the
needs of the flesh often reflect the needs
of the spirit. An interesting note about
this film- it is one of Pope Francis three
favorite films (the other two are La
Strada and Rome,
Open City).
Two elderly
single twin sisters, Martine
and Philippa,
live in a remote
seaside village on
Denmark's Jutland peninsula and carry on
their deceased father's conservative Lutheran ministry
to a dwindling elderly population. A French
Catholic, Babette Hersan, whose husband and
son have been killed during the Paris
Commune, arrives from France to work for the
sisters as a cook and housekeeper and
soon becomes and indispensable member of the
household, even
though she is Catholic which is anathema to
the conservative Lutheran. sect. After
several years of service, Babette wins
10,000 francs in the French lottery and
decides to use all the money for the
preparation of a magnificent banquet in
honor of the minister's 100th birthday.
Soon the
ingredients for the feast arrive by boat and
include a cage of live quail, a calf's head,
a live sea turtle, several cases of wines,
champagne and liquor, as well as the candelabra
and silverware, elegant china and table
linens for the table We
watch Babette prepare the spectacular feast
consisting of turtle soup with Madeira,
blinis Demidoff with caviar, quails stuffed
with foie
gras and
truffles in puff-pastry cases, a salad,
cheeses, tropical fruits, and a baba
au rhum, all
accompanied by champagne and fine wines.
At first, the
austere sisters are reluctant to participate
in the banquet which
they fear will turn into a "witches'
Sabbath", but
eventually relent and along with the guests
enjoy Babette's sumptuous
feast which renews many friendships, and
restores lost love.
It is then revealed that Babette once was
the head chef of the famous Café
Anglais in
Paris (the restaurant that is also mentioned
in Marcel Proust's Remembrance
of Things Past. in Umberto Eco's The
Prague Cemetery, and in The
Alice B. Toklas Cookbook),
The opening
of the film prompted many restaurants
worldwide to feature all of the sumptuous
dishes so lovingly demonstrated in the film
and several restaurateurs to name their
eateries Babette's Feast So to remind
ourselves of the interplay of the needs of
the flesh and of the spirit, here is
Babette's Feast.
Potage a’la Tortue
(Turtle Soup)
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Ingredients
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- 2 lb boned turtle meat
- 2&3/4 tsp salt,
- 3/4 tsp cayenne, in all
- 6 cups water
- 1 stick butter
-
1/2 cup
flour
-
1& 1/2 cup
chopped
onions
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2
tablespoons
minced
shallots
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3 bay leaves
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1/2 tsp
dried leaf
thyme
1/4 cup
chopped
green bell
peppers
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1/4 cup
chopped
celery
2 TB minced
garlic
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1 cup
chopped
tomatoes
1/2 cup
Worcestershire
sauce
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3 TB fresh
lime juice
-
1/2 cup
Madeira
-
1/4 cup
chopped
parsley
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1 cup
chopped
green onions
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Instructions
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1. Put the
turtle meat in a
large saucepan
with 1 teaspoon
of salt, 1/4
teaspoon cayenne
and the water.
Bring to a boil.
Skim off
any foam that
rises to the
top. Reduce heat
to medium and
simmer for 20
minutes.
2. With a
slotted spoon
transfer the
meat to a
platter. Cut the
meat into 1/2
inch dice and
reserve the
liquid. In
another large
sauce
pan, combine
the butter and
flour over
medium heat,
stirring
constantly for 6
to 8 minutes to
make a dark
roux.
3. Add the
onions,
shallots, bell
peppers and
celery. Stir
occasionally and
cook for 2 to 3
minutes until
the vegetables
are slightly
tender. Add
the bay leaves,
thyme and
garlic, cook for
2 minutes. Add
the tomatoes and
the turtle meat.
Cook for 5 to 6
minutes
stirring
occasionally.
Add the
Worcestershire
sauce, the
remaining salt
and cayenne, the
turtle stock
(about 6 cups)
lime
juice, and
Madeira. Bring
to a boil,
reduce heat to
medium and
simmer for 10
minutes. Add the
parsley, green
onions, and eggs
and
simmer for 45
minutes.
Note" Babette
used green
turtle which is
now an
endangered
species,. You
can order
commercial boned
turtle meet from
STEAKS-USA. com
(1-877=398-0152) |
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Blini Demidoff
au
Caviar
(Buckwheat
cakes
with
caviar)
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Ingredients
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1
large egg yolk
2 oz buckwheat flour
1 oz plain Flour
2 oz. beer
2 TB milk
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2
egg whites
A pinch of Salt
vegetable oil
6 oz. caviar (ideally
Beluga)
20.oz. crème
frâiche
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Instructions |
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1.
Place the flours in large
mixing and mix well.
2. Place the egg yolk, beer
and milk in a measuring jug,
whisk together then
gradually add to the flour,
beating well until you have
a smooth batter.
3. Beat the egg whites until
quite stiff then fold into
the batter.
4. Heat enough oil in a
large frying pan to just
cover the base and once hot
drop tablespoons of the
batter into the oil making |
sure they are well
spaced apart. You’ll
probably only be able to
cook 3 or 4 at a time.
5. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes
on each side until golden
brown.
6. Serve topped with a
spoonful of crème
frâiche and
garnish with caviar. |
Note:
Although Russian in origin, this recipe was
later refined at the Maison
Doree a
famous restaurant in Paris and frequented by
Count Demidoff |
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La Salade
(Belgian Chicory and Walnuts
in a Vinaigrette) |
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Les Fromages
(An Assortment of Cheeses including
Blue Cheese, Papaya, Figs, Grapes,
Pineapple, and Pomegranate)_ |
Cailles en
Sarcophage
(Quall in Puff
Pastry)
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Ingredients
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1 pound
frozen puff
pastry,
defrosted 20
minutes at
room
temperature
4 quails,
boned
1& 1/2
ts0salt
Freshly
ground white
pepper to
taste
12 ounces foie
gras, of
which is cut
across in 8
slices, the
rest
cut into
2/3- inch
cubes
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1 1-oz black
truffle, sliced as thinly as possible, at
least 12
slices
1 TB unsalted butter 1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup demi-glace *
16 black figs, quartered
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Instructions |
1. Preheat
the oven to
400 degrees.
Cut 4 5-inch
rounds from
the pastry.
Make a
3-inch
circle in
the center
of each
round, being
careful
not to cut
to the
bottom of
the dough.
Bake on a
parchment-lined
baking sheet
for 22
minutes, or
until puffed
and golden
.Carefully
lift out the
3-inch round
from the
center to
create a
nest with a
top. Set
aside to
cool.
2. Raise the
oven to 450
degrees.
Season the
inside of
the quails
with 1/2
teaspoon of
salt and a
few grinds
of pepper.
Lay 1 slice
of foie
gras in
each quail
cavity
followed by
3 truffle
slices and
top with the
remaining
foie gras.
Truss the
quails.
Season the
outsides
with 1/2
teaspoon of
salt and a
few grinds
of pepper.
Melt the
butter in an
ovenproof
skillet over
high heat.
Sear the
quails,
20 to 30
seconds per
side. Place
the pan in
the oven and
roast for 10
minutes.
Turn the
quails and
roast for 5
minutes
more.
Remove and
keep warm in
a covered
dish.
3. Place the
skillet over
high heat on
top of the
stove. Pour
in the wine
and bring to
a boil,
scraping up
any browned
bits on the|
bottom
of the pan
with a
wooden
spoon.
Simmer for 1
minute. Pour
in the stock
and
demi-glace
and simmer
for 3
minutes.
Stir
in the
figs and
simmer for 1
minute. Stir
in the 1/4-
inch cubes
of foie gras
and simmer,
stirring,
for 1 to 2
minutes,
until the
sauce is
reduced to
2/3 cup.
Season with
1/4 teaspoon
of salt and
pepper to
taste.
4. To serve,
put each
quail in a
pastry nest.
Drizzle with
sauce, top
with the
pastry round
and surround
with the
figs.
*See Appendix A
or order from Amazon.com |
Serves 4
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Ingredients
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1 package of dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup soft butter
1 TB grated lemon zest
1 TB grated orange zest
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt |
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white raisins
2 cups sugar
2 cups rum
1 cup apricot jam, forced through a fine sieve
1 cup orange juice
1 cup orange juice
6
maraschino cherries, halved |
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I
instructions
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1. Sprinkle yeast over lukewarm milk
in a mixing bowl and allow 5 minutes for it to
dissolve. Add sugar, eggs, butter, and zests. Mix
well.
Add flour and salt and beat mixture until dough
is smooth. Fold in raisins.
2. Add orange juice and sugar in a saucepan. Cook
over high heat, stirring constantly until sugar
dissolves. Remove from heat and cool.
Add rum.
3. Beat down dough and fill greased muffin cups
about 1/2 full. Cover and place in a warm place to
rise for about 45 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350º F.
5 Bake babas for 15 to 20 minutes until they brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes
before removing from muffin cups.
Place babas in a shallow pan and spoon on rum
syrup. Turn babas several times so that they will
absorb syrup from bottom of pan.
6 Glaze with strained apricot jam.
7. When ready to serve, whip cream for topping and
add a half cherry.
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© 2017Gordon Nary
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