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LABELLING  Modern food production, transportation and retailing have completely transformed the availability of ingredients.  The second half of last century  brought a culinary revolution to Western countriies with international ingredients available in  a fordable prices and vast arrays of processed foods.  Seasonings and condiments.  Whereas food labelling may have been arbitrary in the early days of supermarket shopping, it became the focus of national and international legislation. Not only is it essential that pre-packed items are clearly labelled, but displays and loose produce must also be clearly labelled to designated standards.

-Food labelling.  The information given on the labels of food products sold in countries in the European Union must conform to EU regulations.  As well as telling comsumers what they are buying, labels on most foods give the weight or volume, a full list of ingredients and additives, the country of origin and the name and address of the manufacturer.  They also often give additional information, such as nutritional data, serving suggestions and the date after whiiich the productr must not be sold or used.

-Wine labelling.  Wines produced within and those imported into theEU must conform to an increasing number of regulations, which in turn can be complicated by national, regional or local laws.

            Wines produced in the EU have to state the quality of the wine – for example, Appellation ControteeVino da Tavola.  The area of origin must be indicatedt t hat can be a country, as in Deutseher Tafel Wein, or a controlled appellation, such as Appellation Margaux Controlee. If the wine   is from a European appellation, all the wine should originate from the region-specified on the label.  If the wine is from an American Viticultural Area (equivalent to a French AOC) OR FROM A SPECIFIED AREA IN Australia, at least 85% of the wine must come from that area.  The volume and alcoholic strength must be included on the label, together with the year of vintage (an exception is made for European table wine), and a minimum of 85% of the wine should be from that year’s ha rvest.

            Producers information is required and, if a grape variety is specified, the bottle must contain at least 85% wine made from that variety.  Certain countries also include health warnings on the back label and a list of additives.

            Within the EU, the use of products names on labels has been restricted so that the name sherry’ is now used only for wines produced within the Jerez DO, while port is the produce of the demarcated area of the Douro Valley and ‘champagne’ comes from the defined Champagne region in northern France.

LACAM,PIERRE  French pastrycook and culinary historian (born Saint Amand de-Belves, 1836; died Paris, 1902).  Lacam created many petits  four and desserts, notably puddings topped withItalian meringue. He is best known for his massena, which he dedicated to the Due de Rivoli: an oval of sweet shortcut pastry (basic pie dough) and an oval shaped base of sponge cake are sandwich together with chesnut puree, covered with Italian meringue and then iced, half with chocolate and half with coffee icing (frosting).  Lacam is also credited with the invention of the pastry crimper.  Among his literary works are(Le Nouvean Patissier-Glacier francais et etranger (l965), the massiveMemorial historique et artistique  en France et en Italie (l893). He also edited a professional magazine La Cuisine francaise et etrangere.

LACCARIA (laccaire)  Generic term for a group of very small orange-red, pink or amethyst coloured mushrooms, with spaced out fleshy gills and a spindly stalk. Edible laccaria are eaten as a side dish mixed with other mushrooms.

LA CHAPELLE, VINCENT   French chef, born in l703, who began his careerr in England in the service of Lord Chesterfield.  His work TheModern Cook was published in l733 in three volumes: it was subsequently repprinted several times.  He returned toFrance towork for the Prince of Orange-Nassau, then for Madame de Pompadour and, finally, for Louis XV. His book was published inFrench (as Lle Cuisinier moderne) in l735 infour volumes.  It was enlarged to five volumes in its final edition in l742. Le Cuisinner moderne was praised byGareme and even in l930 it was considered by Nignone to be perfectly up to date. La Chapelle’s recipes were internationally simple and are therefore eminently suitable fort today’’’s cooks.  Among his dishes are sole stuffed with anchovies, parsley, shallots and spring (green_ onions, cooked inwhite wine and sprinkled with orange juice,mackerel with fennel and gooseberries; and lamb ratons, paupiettes of leg of lamb stuffed with chicken, and roasted on skewers.

LA CLAPE  Red, rose or white wine from a named terrior within the coteaux de Languedoc appellation, produced in a village on a spur of theCorbieres hills.   The wines are typical of his part of the south of France- dry, aromatic, lightweight whites and full reds, most enjoyable while young, although a few can improve with some bottle age.

LLACQUERED DUCK  A traditional Chinese dish in which a duck is coated with a sweet and sour lacquer sauce, roasted and served, hot or cold, cut into small pieces. Pork is prepared in the same way. The sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, five spice powder, liquid honey, oil, garlic, vinegar, flour, ginger, red colouring, rice wine, chilli oil and baking powder.

            The duck is drawn, pierced in several places with a needle, left to marinate overnight in the sauce and then hung.  It is then brushed with sauce several times and allowed to dry between each coat.  This process makes the skin golden crispy. The duck is roasted on a spit and basted several times with  the juice and lacquer sauce while cooking.  Success depends on the degree to which the duck absorbs the sauce.  If the duck is roasted in the oven and not on a spit, it must notlie in the dripping pan, otherwise the skin will be dry and shrivelled.  Finally, theduck is cut across the grain of the meat into small pieces.  These are served with fresh lettuce leaves and heads of sweet and sour leeks or gherkins.

LACRYMA CHRISITI DEL VESUVIO   An Italian DOC white, red, rose or sparkling wine produced on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.  It gets its name, tear of Christ, from an old legend – when Lucifer was banished from Heaven, he fell to earthi n what is now Campania, and the impact created  the Bay of Naples.  Sad to see such a beautiful country falling prey to the devil.  Christ   shed a tear which landed on Vesuvius.  Where the tear fell, a vine spranng up.  The wines have a minimum alcohol level of l2 degrees.  Whites produced from Coda di Volpe, Verdeca, Fatanghina and Greco grapes can be dry, sweet or sparkling. Red and rose wines are made from Piedirosso.Sciascinoso and Aglianico grape varieties.

LACTARY  lactaire  Any mushroom of the genus lactarius, which exudes a white or coloured milky juice when cut. Lactaries are bitter, with an unpleasant smell, and are frequently inedible. They should therefore be tasted when picked, and only those with a sweet-tasting juice should be retained.  None of them is poisonous, but few are worth eating. The best is lacterius sanguifluus, which has dark red juice; it should either be grilled(broiled) or cooked slowly with meat, particularly in a gibelotte of rabbit.  The orange-coloured lactary, which mells of  either  crayfish or herrings, may be seasoned and eaten raw.  The curry milk cap (Lactarius camphoratus) smells like celery  and can be dried and used as a condiment. It can also be used to flavour omellettes. Lastly, the safron milk cap (Lactarius deliciosus ) has an orange-coloured juice that changes to green, and is usually pickled when it is small, or used tomake a piquant sauce.

RECIPE

Grilled saffron milk caps a la Lucifer

Blanch the caps from 575 g(1¼ lb) young saffron milk caps for 3 minutes, drain and blot dry.

            Prepare 200 ml (7 fl oz,¾ cup) devilled sauce, boil down to reduce, then add 1 teaspoon paprika, 300 ml (½ pint, 1¼ cups) brown sauce and 2 tablespoons tomato puree (paste).  Stir, cook over a moderate heat and season with salt. Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and a generous pinch of cayenne. Strain through a sieve, return to the saucepan and keep hot in a bain marie.

            Chop a small bunch of parsley and a little fennel.  Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil and grill (broil) for 4 minutes.  Then rub them with garlic and arrange them on a dish.  Sprinkle them generously with the chopped parsley and fennel, together with about 100 g (4 oz, 1 cup)grated Parmesan cheese and some salt.  Whisk the hot sauce and pour it over the mushrooms.

LADLE  A large bowl-shaped spoon with a long handle used for serving soups and stews.  A smaller ladle with a lip is used in cooking for basting and for spooning out cooking juices and sauces; it is made of metal.  There is another kind of ladle for punch or mulled wine, which is also lipped and sometimes made of glass.  The ladle used in cheese making for pouring the curds into the moulds is known in France as a poche.

LADOIX-SERRIGNY   A commune in the northern Cote de Beaune producing mainly red burgundy.  The commune AOC name  rarely appears on labels because the growers of the two villages understannndably prefer to use the names of wines that may be classifed as premier eru Aloxe-Corton. Le Corton and Conrton-Charlemagne vineyards also extend into the commune.  Commune wines aremore usually sold as Cote de Beaune Villages.

LAGUIPIERE  French chef (born mid-l8th century; died Vilpig l812), He learned his trade in the household in the Great) and worked for Napoleon Laguipiere then moved into the service of Marshal Murat and accompanied him on the Russian campaign. He died during the retreat of the French army from Moscow and his body was brought back to France on the back of Murat’s carriage, Careme, who had been one of Laguipiere’s pupils, wrote in his introduction to Le Cuisinier parisien: “You were a man of outstanding gifts which brought you the hatred of those  who should have admired your efforts to improve our existence. You should have died in Paris, respected by all for your great work.

            This great chef left noliterary legacy, but his names have been merely dedicated to him by other chefs: sauces, fillets of sole, turbot or brill (poached, then coated in a white wine or normande sauce, and sprinkled with a julienne of truffles marinated in((Madiera); and a salmis of pheasant (part-roasted, jointed, then casseroled in a stock made from the bones, onions, bacon, red wine,Maddiera and a little bouilon).

RECIPES

Dartois Laguipiere

Prepare some strips of puff pastry.  Sandwich them together with a salpicon of braised calves sweetbreads and truffle mixed with finely diced vegetables and bound together with a thick veloute sauce.  Bake in a preheated oven at 220ºC(425ºF, gas 7) for 15-20 minutes, then cut into rectangles and serve.

Laguipiere sauce

Put into a saucepan 1 large tablespoon butter sauce, 1 tablespoon good concomme or a little chicken glaze, a pinch of salt, some nutmeg and either plain vinegar or lemon juice. Boil for a few seconds, then stir in a generous knob of fine butter.  The sauce may also be made with fish glaze instead of chicken glaze.

            This sauce is often known as sauce au beurre a la Laguipiere.

Laguipiere sauce for fish

Prepare some normande sauce. Infuse 3 tablespoons chopped truffles in 1 tablespoon Madiera. Mix the2 preparations together thoroughly.

LAALANDE-DE-POMEROL   AOC  red wine, fragrant and smooth, produced in the communes of Lalande-de-Pomerol and Neac. The best growths come from the Eastern part of the region (see Bordeaux)

LAMB  The male or female young of the sheep. Lambs killed for the market in France fall into three categories.  The milk lamb, known in France as agnelet, is killed before being weaned, at the age of 30-40 days, and weigh 8-10 kg (18-22 lb).  Themeat of the milk lamb is very tender and delicate, if a little lacking in flavour,. Milk  collection areas  for Roquefort cheese specialize in this type of lamb production, as the ewes must be freed as soon aspossible after lambing for milking.

                        The second category is the agneau blanc or laiton, which is available mainly from Christmas  to June and provides 70% of the lamb that comes into the French market.  Slaughtered at the age of 70-150 days, it weighs 20-25 kg(44-55 lb). 

Milk Lamb

Kurdish milk lamb

Follow the recipe for stuffed milk lamb, but addcooked and chopped dried apricots to the stuffing.

Roastmilk lamb

Prepare asfor stuffed milk lamb, but  baste with melted butter and meat juices during cooking. It may be served as for stuffed lamb or surrounded by young vegetable. Instead of using a spit, the lamb may roasted in a preheated oven at 180ºC(350º F, gas 4);  allow 20minutes per 450 g (l lb) plus 20minutes to the total time.

Saddle of suckling lamb prepared ascarpaccio with a pistou sauce.

Remove the fat from a saddle of suckling lamb.  Season with salt and pepper.  Put in aroasting tin (pan) with 1  peeled shallot, cut into pieces, 2-3 sprigs thyme, a little oil and butter. Cook in a preheated oven at 220ºC (425ºF, gas 7) for 8-10 minutes.  Baste from time to time duringthe cooking.

            To prepare the pistou sauce,remove the leaves f rom 1 bunch of basil and crush them in a mortar with 3 peeled garlic cloves.  Emulsify this paste with 200 ml (7 fl oz,¾ cup0 olive oil.

            Take the saddle out of the oven, still pink,and put to the side to allow themeat to rest.  Bone the fillets  and cut into long, thin slices.

            Crush the bones finely and return them to the tin, then deglaze  it with 120 ml (4½ fl oz,½cup) dry white wine and a little water.  Reduce and add 2 teaspoons black and 2 teaspoons white coarsely ground peppercorns, 1 tomato cut into pieces, 3 chopped garlic cloves, and half of the pistou.  Strain this syrupy juice and adjust the seasoning.  Arrange the thin slices of lamb  round large plates and coat with this juice. Meanwhile, cook 200 g (7 oz) fresh noodles, drain and then mix with 1 ½ teaspoons salted butter, 60 ml (2 fl oz,¼ cup)  double (heavy) cream and the remaining pistou sauce.

            Reheat the lamb in the oven.  Place a nest of noodles in the centre of each plate and sprinkle the edge of it with Parmesan cheese.

Stuffed milk lamb

Ask the butcher to dress a whole baby lamb ready for stuffing and spit-roasting.  Finely slice the liver, heart, sweetbreads and kidneys, and fry quickly in butter, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Add these to half cooked rice pilaf and loosely stuff the lamb cavity with the mixture.  Sew up the openings and truss the animal by trying the legs and shoulders close to the body to give it a regular shape.  Pierce the lamb evenly with the spit, season with salt and pepper, and cook over a high heat (20 minutes per l kg. l5minutes per l lb). Place a pan under the lamb to catch the juices, blend sufficient stock into the pan juices to make a gravy and keep it hot.  Remove the lamb from the spit, untruss it and place it on a long serving dish.  Garnish with watercress and lemon quarters and serve the gravy separately.

Rack and Cutletsof Lamb

Breaded lamb cutlets

Season the cutlets (rib chops) with salt and pepper and coat them with a beaten egg, then with breadcrumbs. Saute on both sides in clarified butter, then arrange in a crown in a serving dish and sprinkle with noisette butter.

Grilled lamb cutlets

Season the cutlets (rib chops) with salt and pepper, brush them with melted butter or grounndnut (peanute) oil,and cook either over abarbecue or under the grill (broiler).Arrange on a servingdish: theprotruding handle bone maybe covered with a white paper frill. Garnish with watercress or with a green  vegetable, which may be steamed (and tossed in butter or cream if desired), braised, pureed or sauteed.  Serve with  noisette potatoes

Lamb cutlets Du Barry

Boil or steam small florets of cauliflower until just tender.  Pprepare some Mornay sauce.  Butter a gratin dish and arrange the florets, well separated, in it.  Coat each floret with Mornay sauce, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and pour over a little melted butter. Brown the cauliflower quickly in a preheated oven at 220ºC (425ºF, gas 7), Grill (broil) or saute the cutlets (rib chops) until cooked through, then arrange them in the serving dish with the cauliflower..

Rack of lamb with thyme

Sweat 100 g (4 oz) lean bacon in a saute pan. Add 3 racks of lamb (6-8 chops0, trimmed but with the bone still attached to the fillet..  Seal for 4-5 minutes.  Then season with salt and pepper. Remove the lamb and bacon  from  the pan.  Pour away the fat.  Deglaze with 550 mo * 18 fl oz, 2¼ cups) vegetable stock.  Reduce to a quarter.  Place the lamb in a cast-iron braising pan, then cover with a large bunch of green  thyme, and bacon cut into small pieces to baste the meat.  Cover.  Make a long sausage with 200 (7 oz) flour-and-water dough and put round the edge of the braising pan to seal it.  Cook for 10 minutes in a preheated over at 240ºC(475ºF, gas 9). Strain the juice and check the seasoning.  Open the braising pan in front of the guest before cutting up the lamb.  Serve the strained cooking juice with the lamb.

Sauteed lamb cutlets

Season the cutlets (rib chops) with salt and pepper, then saute on both sides in clarified butter, goose fat or olive oil.  The sauteed cutlets may be served with any of the following garnishes: a lafinanciere, a la francaise, a la portugaise, a la romaine

LAMBALLE  The name given to various dishes in honour of the Princesse de Lamballe, a friend of Marie-Antoinette.  These include a soup made from a puree of garden or split peas mixed with tapioca and cooked in consomme, as well as a dish of stuffed quails in paper cases.

RECIPES

Lllamballe soup

Prepare 750 ml(1¼ pints, 3¼ cup) puree of fresh.peas.  Add 750 ml (l¼ pints, 3¼ cups) consomme with tapioca cooked in it and mix well. Garnish with chervil leaves

Stuffed quails in cases ala lamballe

Preparethe stuffed quails in cases (see quail), lining the base of each greaseproof (wax) paper case with a julinne of mushrooms and truffles blended with cream. Add some port to the pan juices in which the quails, were cooked, blend in some creme fraiche and pour the resulting sauce over the quails.

LAMBIC  A highly intoxicating, slightly bitter Belgian beer made with malt, uncooked wheat and wild yeast.  Lambic is produced by spontaneous fermentation and may either  be sold from the keg and pumped under pressure into the glass or it may be bottled.  In the latter case, some new beer is added just bottling.  This induces a secondary fermentation, and the resulting beer is known as guenze.

LAMB’S LETTUCE  A plant with rounded leaves in a rosette form, which is usually eaten raw in a salad.  It is also known as corn salad and field lettude and, in France as mache,doucette, valerianelle potagere, raiponce and oreille-de-lievre. It grows wild in fields, usually in the autumn, but is cultivated in France from September to March and gives a good flavour to a winter salad.  There are several varieties: Northern Green, with large leaves, is inferior to the round variety, which has smaller leaves and is juicy and tender; Italian corn salad has lighter leaves, slightly velvery and indented, and is less tasty.  The lettuce must be carefully washed and dried, leaf by leaf, before it is eaten.  It is used in mixed salads, with potatoes, walnuts and beetroot (beef), and enriches poultry stuffing.  It can also be cooked like spinach.

RECIPES

Lamb’s lettuce mixed salad

Peel and chop 200 g (7 oz, 1 cup) cooked beetroot (beet).  Trim, wash and cut into rings 200 g (7 oz) chicory (endive).  Wash 250 g (9 oz) lamb’s lettuce.  Peel, core and thinly slice an apple, then sprinkle with lemon juice.  Place all

  These ingredients in a salad bowl.  Prepare a vinaigrette, seasoning it with mustard, pour on to the salad and mix well.  A small handful of coarsely chopped walnuts can be added on the salad, or a little Roquefort cheese can be mixed into th  vinaigrette

Lamb’s lettuce salad with bacon

Cut 150 g (5 oz) thick rindless streaky (slab) bacon rashers (slices) into pieces.  Arrange in a salad bowl.  Brown the bacon pieces in a little butter and add to the salad.  Sprinkle with vinaigrette.

LAMINGTON  A SMALL Australian cake made from a square of sponge cake coated in chocolate or chocolate icing, (frosting) and dipped in desiccated coconut.  The cakes were named after Lord Lamington, the governor of Queensland from l896 to 1901.

LAMPREY   An  ell-like fish, up to 1 m (3 ft) long, with small fins and no scales.  Using its sucker-like mouth, it attaches itself to other fish and feeds on their blood.  The European species are marine, but they migrate upriver to spawn in fresh water.  In France, they are caught in the lower reaches of Gironde, Loire, Rhone and other large rivers.  Lampreys have been a delicacy since ancient times.  Roman patricians ate them, and Saint Louis had them brought from Nantes in barrels of water.  Glouscester in England was famous for its lamprey pies, and in France, braised lamprey a Fangevine and lamprey a la bordelaise are still popular dishes.  The fish can be easily removed. Next, the head and the dorsal nerve that runs down the body from it are removed.  The lamprey can then be sliced and cooked in a similar way to ell.  It is fatty like eel, but is considered to be superior

RECIPE

Lamprey a la bordalaise

Bleed a medium lamprey, reserving the blood to flavour the sauce.  Scald the fish and scrape off the skin.  To remove the dorsal nerve, cut off the lamprey’s tail, make an incision around the neck just below the gills, then take hold of the nerve through this opening and pull it out.  Cut the fish into slices 6 cm (2½ in) thick and put them into a buttered pan lined with sliced onions and carrots.  Add a bouquet garni and a crushed garlic clove, season with salt and pepper, and add enough red wine to cover the fish.  Boil briskly for about 10 minutes, then drain the lamprey slices.

            Clean 4 leeks, cut each into 3 slices, then cook in a little butter with 4 tablespoons finely diced ham.  Add the lamprey.  Make a roux with 2 tablespoons butter and an equal quantity of flour.  Add the cooking stock of the lamprey and cook for l5 minutes.  Strain the sauce and pour it voer the lamprey in the pan with the vegetables.  Simmer very gently until the fish is cooked.

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT  A classic British dish, this hotpot of layered stewing lamb, sliced onions and potatoes originally contained oyster – at one time a cheap food for the Lancaster mills workers and often added to casseroles and stews to stretch a modest amount of meat – and mushrooms.  Lamb kidneys were also added, giving the stew a rich flavor.  The layer of potatoes on top forms a deep golden crust.

LANDAISE, A LA  Describing  dishes inspired by cooking techniques of the Landes region of France.  The most common ingredients are Bayonne ham, goose fat and mushrooms.  The name can be applied both to basic dishes such as potatoes and to more elaborate preparations such as goose or duck livers, as well as to such regional culinary classics as confit d’ote (preserved goose)

RECIPE

Potatoes a la landaise

Fry 100 g (4 oz, 2/3 cup) chopped onions and 150 g (5 oz, 1 cup) diced  Bayonne ham in goose fat or lard.  When both are browned, add 500 g (18 oz) potatoes cut into large dice.  Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook, stirring from time to time, just before serving. 1 tablespoon chopped garlic and parsley.

LANGOUSTE  a crustacean also known as spiny lobster, thorny lobster rock lobster in having no claws.  In addition, it is also sometimes known as crayfish, a cause of confusion with the freshwater crayfish which resembles a diminutive lobster.  To cap the confused nomenclature, in the United States the freshwater crayfish is also known as crawfish.

            It takes five years for a languoste to grow to the regulation size (in France) for the table – 23 cm (9 in) long – during which time it sheds its shell more than 20 times,  When it reaches its maximum size, it can weigh up to l kg (9 lb).  Despite the fact that it produces up to 100,000 eggs at a time, the languosete is becoming  scareer.  Attempts have been made to breed them near Roscoff, in Brittany.

            Langouestes inhabit rocky seabeds at a depth of 20-150 m (65-192 ft) and are found in the Atlantic, the Meditarranean and around the coasts of the West Indies and South America.

            The pale, delicate, firm flesh has a milder flavour than that of the true lobster, but the same recipes can be used for both.  However, the langouste is more suitable for highly seasoned recipes.  The most visually appealing methods of preparing Langouste are en bellevue and a la parisienne.

            There are also two other delicious recipes worthy of mention, one from Spain and one from China.  The spanish recipe is for Catalonian langouste with unsweetened chocolate, cooked with a tomato based sauce seasoned with chopped almonds and hazelnuts, red (bell) pepper and cinnamon chocolate.  The Chinese speciality is Langouste with ginger, in which the shellfish is sauteed in sesame oil with onions, chives and fresh ginger Langouste is also a popular shellfish in the Caribbean.

RECIPES

Grilled langouste with basil butter

Cut a langouste in two.  Place the halves in a roasting dish, carapace side down.  Season the cut surface with salt and pepper and moisten with olive oil.  Grill (broil) for 10 minutes, turning once.  Turn once more, so that the flesh faces upwards, and baste with a mixture of melted butter and coarsely chopped fresh basil.  Continue to baste a regular intervals until the langouste is cooked (about 20 minutes). Serve piping hot.

Langouste a la parisienne

Most of the preparation for this dish should be carried out the day before.  Prepare a court bouillon with 4 carrots and 2 medium opins (chopped very finely), a bouquet garni, 175 ml (6 ft oz,¾ cup) dry white wine, 2 tablespoons salt, some pepper and 3 litres (5 pints, 13 cups) water.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add a langouste weighing 1.8-2 kg (4-4½ lb) and simmer very gently for about another 20 minutes.  Drain the langouste by making a small opening below the thorax, then tie to a board to retain its shape.  Leave it to cool completely.

            Peel and finely dice 3 carrots and 3-4 turnips.  Cut 200 g ( (7 oz) French (green) beans into small pieces.  Cook the carrots, turnisp and 100 g (4 oz, ½ cup) fresh garden peas separately in salted water.  Cook the French beans in another saucepan of boiling water, uncovered, and do not add salt until they are half cooked.  All these vegetables should slightly undercooked.  Drain and leave to cool.

            When the langouste is cold, cut through the membrane underneath the tail and carefully remove the flesh so that the shell is intact.  Cut the tail flesh into 6-8 round slices and dice the flesh from the thorax very finely.,  Make some aspic and glaze the tail slices (several coating are necessary).  Place the shell on a serving dish and glaze it with aspic.  Arrange the glazed slices in the shell, overlapping them slightly.  Glaze this arrangement once more.

            Make a mayonnaise with 2 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon mild mustard 500 ml (17 ft oz, 2 cups)  oil, 3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar; salt and pepper.  Toss the cold vegetables and the diced flesh of the langouste in three  quarters of the mayonnaise and set this macedoine aside in a cool place.  Hard boil (hard cook)) 8 eggs and leave to cool.

            The following day, halve the eggs and sieve the yolks.  Add some tomato puree (paste) to the remainder of the mayonnaise, blend in the egg yolks and spoon this mixture into the egg white cases.  Cut the tops off 8 small tomatoes at the stalk ends, extract the seeds and juice, sprinkle the insides lightly with salt and turn upside down to drain in a colander.           One hour later , fill the tomato shells with the vegetable macedoine.  Slice a truffle and place 1 slice on each sloce of langouste.  Surround the langouste with the stuffed tomatoes and eggs, and garnish the dish with lettuce chiffonnade.

Langouste with Thai herbs

Roast 4 tablespoon coriander seeds and the same amount of cumin in an ungreased frying pan.  Allow to cool, then grind.  Mix 4 tablespoons chopped galangal, 8 chopped stems lemon grass and 4 tablespoons chopped fresh corainder (cilantro) with 100 g (4 oz) chopped shallts, 100 g (4 oz) garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons pimento paste, 120 ml (4½ fl oz, ½ cup) sweet red pepper puree, 65 g (2½ oz) shrimp paste, 1 tablespoon saffron, 3 tablespoons turmeric, 1 tablespoon salt and the zest of  1 makrut lime.  Place all these ingredients in a blender and liquidize, then strain through a sieve.

            Blanch 2 langoustes weighing 800 g (l¾ lb) and cut int two lengthway.  Remove the meat from the tail.  Cook the meat for 2 minutes in 50 g (2 oz, ¼ cup) butter in a saute pan without browning it.  Take it out and put to one side.  Now fry the Thai paste with 2 teaspoons grated fresh root ginger.  Add 200 ml (7 ft oz, ¾ cup) white port, 20 g (2/4 oz) apple julienne , 40 g 1 ½ oz)  carrot julienne and 2 kafir lime leaves.  Reduce until dry, then add 1 teaspoon turmeric and 50 g (2 oz, ¼ cup) butter.  Remove from the heat and incorporate 200 ml (7 fl oz, ¾ cup) doublle 9heavy) cream. Finally pour in 2 tablespoons coconut liqueur and similar amount of ginger wine.  Place the lagouste meat in soup bowls.  Bring the sauce to the boil and pour over the lobster meat.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

LANGOUSTINE  The French name for the Dublin Bay prawn or Norway lobster.  This marine crustacean of the lobster family resembles a freshwater crayfish.  In Britain, the shelled tail meat is knwn as scampi (after the Italian scampo or scampi in the plural), popular as prepared breaded seafood.  The langoustine is 15-25 cm (6-10in) long, with a yellowish pink shell which does not change colour when cooked. Its pincers are characteriscally ridged and like the legs, are white tipped.  Langoustines cannot live for long out of water and they are therefore usually sold cooked, displayed  on a bed of ice.  When buying langoustines, look for bright black eyes and shiny pink shells.  They can be poached and served whole, but many dishes require only the shelled tails. They are one of the ingredients of paella, and are often used instead of king prawns (jumbo shrimp) in European versions of Chinese and Vietnamese dishes.

Ninon langoustines

Remove the large, green leaves of 4 leeks. Slice the remaining white part of each leek in two, lengthway.  Seperate the leaves and wash.  Remove the tails of 24 langoustines.  Put the heads in a sauce pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Crush them slightly.  Season with salt and cover with cold water.  Bring to the boil, cover and cook for 15 minutes.  Strain.  Cut the zest of 1 orange into fine strips.  Squeeze this orange and another one.  Heat 25 g 91 oz, 2 tablespoons) butter in a saute pan.  Add the strips of leeks and cover with water.  Cook, uncovered over over a high heat until the liquid has completely evaporated.  Pour 350 ml (12 ml oz, 1½ cups) langoustine stock and 175 ml ( 6 ft oz, ¾ cup) orange juice in a saucepan.  Add the orange zest.  Bring to the boil and reduce by half.  Incorporate 50 g (2 oz, ¼ cup) plain butter, cut into piece, by  whisking. Remove from the heat, then season with salt and pepper.  Fry the langoustine tails for 2-3 minutes in 50 g (2 oz,¼ cup) butter.  Arrange the langoustine tails and leeks on a heated serving dish.  Gently pour the orange sauce on top.

Peking-style langoustines

Soak 6 large diced shittake mushrooms and 1 tablespoon Chinese lily flowers in hot water until soft.  Drain and slice the mushrooms.  Shell the tails of 12 langoustines without detaching them from the body.  Saute them in a frying pan in a little oil with 1 bunch of chopped spring (green) onions and 1 crushed garlic clove.  Take them out and keep them hot.  Blend 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch), ½ teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons say sauce with a little cold water.  Brown some crushed tomatoes in the frying pan in which the langoustines were cooked, allow to reduce, then pour in the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.  Add the mushrooms and drained lily flowers; bring to the boil, stirring and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Pour this sauce over the hot langoustines.

Poached langoustines

Add the langoustines to a cold court-bouillon, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 6 minutes, or until cooked. Drain and leaves to cool.

            The dressing are the same as for lobster or crayfish.

LANGRES  An AOP cow’s milk cheese (45% fat content)  from Bassigny (Haute-Marne department in the Champagne area of France.  Langres is a soft cheese with a reddish brown rind and is produced in rounds 10 cm (1 in0 in diameter and 5 cm (2 in) deep, which are slightly hollowed out in the middle.  It is springs to the touch, with a creamy yellow paste.  It has a strong aroma and flavour and is best served with a full bodied wine on with beer.

LANGUE-DE-CHAT  A small, dry, finger shaped biscuit (cookie), whose name (meaning ‘eat’s tongue’) is probably derived from its shape.  Langues-de-chat are thin and fragile, but they keep well and are usually served with iced desserts, cream, fruit salad, changne and dessert wines

RECIPES

Langues-de-chat (1)

Cut 125 g (4¼ oz, heaping ½ cup) butter into pieces and beat with a wooden spatula until smooth.  Add 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar and 75-100 g (3-4 oz,  l/3-½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar;work for about 5 minutes with a wooden spatula.  Blend in 2 eggs, one at a time.  Finally, add 125 g (4½. Oz 1 generous cup) sifted self- raising flour a little at a time , mixing it in with a whisk. Lightly grease a baking  sheet . Using a piping  (pastry) bag with a round nozzle , pipe  the mixture  into strips 5 cm (2 in) long , leaving a space  of about  2.5 cm (1in) between them . Bake  in the preheated oven  at 220c  (425 f, gas 7) for about 8 minute: remove as soon as the langues-de-chat have begun to turn golden.

Langues- de chat (2)

Work together in mixing bowl  250g (9 oz, 1 generous cup) caster (superfine)  sugar , 200 g (7 oz, 13/4 cups) plain (all purpose) flour and 1 tablespoon  vanilla sugar . Gently  fold in 3 stiffly whiskled egg whites. Pipe  the mixture  and bake as described  in the previous recipe . When  the langues – de- chat are cooked , turn off the heat and leave them to cool in the oven.

LANGUEDOCIENNE, A LA  The name for various dishes that include tomatoes , aubergines (eggplants)and cep mushroom , either individually or together .Fried eggs ala  languedocienne are served on the bed of aubergine rings  and accompanied by a tomato and garlic sauce . The languedicienne garnish for joints of meat and poultry consist of cep  mushroom  fried in butter or oil, sliced or diced aubergines fried in oil, and chateau potatoes (or fried sliced ceps and aubergines with chopped tomatoes).   The accompanying sauce is a demi-glace with tomatoes, often seasoned with garlic.  The term a la languedocienne is also used to described certain dishes that are typical of languedic cookery, in which the principal ingredients are garlic, ceps and olive oil or goose fat.

RECIPES

Loin of pork a la languedocienne

Stick the loin with garlic cloves cut into sticks, sprinckle with salt and pepper, bursh with oil and leave to stand for 12 hours.  Roast it in a preheated over at 220º C (425ºf, gas 7) for 1 hour per l kg (25-30 minutes per l lb) or on a spit and serve with its cooking juices accompanied by potatoes in goose fat.

LAPWING  ranneau  A bird with black, bright green and white plumage and a black crest. Through Brillat-Savarin it acquired a great gastronomic reputation and as the Roman Catholic Church did not regard it as a meat, it was a suitable for days of abstinence.  As large as pigeon, with fairly delicate flesh, the dapwing is usually roasted undrawn (except for the gizzard) for about 18 minutes, sometimes stuffed with stoned (pitted0 olives.

            Lapwing eggs came into fashion in Paris in the 1930s, imported at that time from the Netherlands, where the first egg from the nest is traditionally offered to the sovereign.  They are prepared as hard boiled (hard cooked) eggs and are used in aspics or in mixed salads.

LA QUINTINIE, JEAN DE  French horticulturalist 9born Chabanaies, 1626; died Versailles 91688).  He began his working life as a barrister in Poitiers, but left the bar to devote himself to the culture of fruit trees.  By a process of trial and error, he perfected techniques of prunning and transplanting.  He introduced the espalier method of training tress to grow against a wall by means of a trellis.  He also created many famous kitchen gardens, including those at Versailles. Chantilly vaux and Rambouillet.  The king’s kitchen garden near the chateau of Versailles benefecial from a remarkable irrigations and drainage system, in addition to cold frames and greenhouses introduced by La Quintinie.  This garden supplied the royal table with asparagus in April and melons in June.  His work Instructions pour les jardins fruitiers was published by his son in 1690.

LARD   A  cooking fat obtained by melting down pork fat,  Lard is a fine white fart, which is not used as much now as formerly because of its high animal-fat content.  It is used particularly for slow cooking, but also for deep-frying (it has a high smoking point) and for making pastry.  It has a fairly pronounced flavour, which is associated traditionally with dishes from the north and east of France   ,it is used  in the cookery  of the Allspice Brittany  Britain Scandinavia  and hungry , for rages  and dishes futuring cabbage , onion  and pork and also  in specials of the Auvergne region Lard  is  Also  a great  Deal in china.

LARDING  The process of adding fat to cuts of meat or certain types of fish to make them more moist or tender. Larding consists of threading thin strips (lardons) or pork fat into a large cut of meat with a larding needle.  The lardons can be seasoned with salt and pepper, sprinkled with chopped parsley and marinated in brandy for an hour in a cool place before use.  Strips of ham or pickled tongue may also be used, but it essential that the lardon is very from (taken straight from the refrigerator) so that it can be threaded through the meat easily.  Larding a roast with various ingredients, improves both its flavour and its appearance when it is carved.

LARDING NEEDLE  An implement used for larding cuts of meat, poultry and game.  It consists of a hollow stainless steel skewer, pointed at one end and with the other slotted into a wooden or metal handle.  A lardon is threaded into the needle, which is then pushed into the meat.  When the needle is extracted the lardon is left behind in the meat.

LARDONS  Also known as lardoons.  Strip of larding fat of varying lengths and thicknesses, which are cut from the belly far (lard maigre) of pork.  Lardons about 1 cm (½ in) whide are used to lard lean meat before roasting.  Lardons cut at right angles are used in the cooking of ragouts, fried dishes stews and fricassess, and as a garnish for certain vegetables and salads (dandelion leaves and endives).  These lardons can also be cooked with potatoes, used in omelettes, and threaded on to skewersas an ingredient of kebabs.

LARK  aloutte  A small passerine with delicate flesh, known as mauvielletes in French cookery.  There are several species, but it is mainly the crested lark and skylark that were shot for food.  According to Grimod de La Reyniere in his Almananach des gourmands, they are hardly more than a little bundle of toothpicks, more suitable for cleaning the mouth than filling it.  They were traditionally used mainly for making pies, and those from Pithiviers have been well known for centuries.  According to tradition, when Charles IX was held to ransom in the forest of Orleans and then set free, he promised to spare the lives  of his captors if they told him the provenance of the delicious lark pie they had shared with him.  This brought fame to a pastry cook from Pithiviers, called Margeolet and known as Provenchere.

LARUE  A Parisian restaurant founded in 1886 by a man named Larue on the corner of the Rue Royale and the Place de la Madeleine.  In 1904 it was taken over by Edouard Nignon, one of the greatest chefs of his day.  Marcel Proust and Abel Hermant were among his enthusiastic customers.  The club des Cent – a society of 100 gourmets – used the restaurant as its headquarters.  When the establishment closed its doors for the last time in l954, the club moved to Maxim’s.

LASAGNA  Italian pasta cut into wide flat sheets Green Lasagna is flavoured with spinach, pink lasagna with tomato.  The pasta can also be made with whole wheat.  The dish called lasagna is usually prepared with alternate layers of minced (ground) topped with grated Parmesan cheese and baked in the overn until browned.

RECIPES

Lasagna with Bolognese sauce

Make a bolognese sauce  Cook 575 (1¼ lb) lasagna in boiling salted water until tender, following the packet instructions.  Spread the lasagna out on a clean cloth.  Prepare a behamel sauce.  Butter a gratin dish and put a layer of Bolognese sauce on the bottom, then alternate layers of lasagna, bechamel sauce and Bolognese ending with a thick layer of Bechamel sauce.  Cook in a preheaded over 200ºC (400ºF, gas 60 for 30 minutes.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

LASSI  An Indian drink made from yogurt thinned with water.  Lassi may be served plain, seasoned with salt or flavoured with rosewater or fruit and sometimes lightly sweetened.  Similar yogurt drinks are prepared in Middle Eastern countries.  In Turkey, ayran, made by thinning yogurt with iced water to taste, is served as a refreshing drink with meals.

LAVALLIERE  The name given to several great culinary dishes, although it is not known whether they were dedicated to Louise de la Valliere, mistress of Louis XIV, or to a famous actress in the Belle Epoque.  The dishes include poultry or calves sweetbreads garnished with trussed crayfish and truffles a la servielle; a cream soup of chicken and celery, garnished with a salpicon of celery and royale, served with profiteroles filled with chicken mouss; poached sole fillet garnished with poached oysters, fish quenelles and mushrooms, the whole dish being coated with a normande sauce, and grilled (bloied) lamb cutlets garnished with artichoke heart stuffed with a puree of asparagus tips and served with a bordelaise sauce with beef marrow.

LA VARENNE, FRANCOIS PIERRE  French chef (born Dijon 1678).  He was in charge of the kitchens of the Marquis d’Uxelles, the governor of Chalon-sur-Saone, after whom mushroom duxelles were probably named, since this dish was perfected by la Varenne.  This master chef is also remembered as the author of the first systematically planned books on cookery and confectionery, which revealed his attention to detail and showed how French cuisine, having been influenced by Italian cookery during the previous 150 years had now developed a style all of its own.  Le Cuisinier francais was published in l65l, followed by Le Patissier francais (1653). Le Confiturier francais (1664) and L Ecole des ragouls (1668).  These books especially the first – were reprinted several times before the end of the 18^th century and marked a new direction in French cookery, a move away from the over-elaborate dishes of the past.  His books are now rare but they have been consulted for centuries and contain recipes that can still be used today.

            La Varenne is particularly remembered for his potage a la reine, invented in honour of Marguerite de Navarre, the recipe for which is still usable, as well as his soupresse (terrine)of fish, his stuffed breast of veal and his tourte admirable, a marzipan (almond paste) base covered with a lime cream and preserved cherries, then topped with meringue.  His name is still linked with various dishes that include mushrooms either as a salpicon or as dexelles.

RECIPES

La Varenne sauce

To 225 ml (8 fl oz, 1 cup) mayonnaise add 2-3 tablespoons duxelles cooked in oil and cooled, then l tablespoon each of chopped parsley and chervil.

Loin of lamb La Varenne

Trim and completely bone a loin of sucking (baby) lamb.  Flatten it slightly and season with salt and pepper.  Dip it in beaten egg and cover with finely crumbled fresh breadcrumbs (press the breadcrumbs well in to make them stick).  Cook the loin and clarified butter, allowing it to turn golden on both sides.  Prepare a salpicon of mushrooms bound lightly with cream and coat the serving dish with it’ place the loin on top.  Moisten with noisette butter and serve piping hot.

LAVER  The Welsh name of a red sea weed.  Porphyra umbillicus, with lettuce type leaves which is almost identical to Japanese nori.  It grows in inlets on the atlantic coast of northern Europe, where some fresh water dilutes the salt, and is a capricious weed, moving its location.

            When cooked it is called laver bread (bara lawr) in Wales where it is sold ready made in local markets on the south and west coasts.  Well washed, then cooked for about 5 hours, it becomes a thick dark-green puree.  Traditionally, it is mixed with a little oatmeal and shaped into small round cakes, which are then fried in bacon fat and served with bacon in Ireland, laver is also eaten with potatoes, or as a sauce for roast lamb, with lemon or orange juice.  Canned laver, available from some delicatessens, is vastly infoerior to the fresh product.

LAVEUR  A Parisian boarding house that opened in 1840 in the Rn.

            When cooked it is called laver bread (bara lawr) in Wales where it is sold ready made in local markets on the south and west coasts.  Well washed, then cooked for about 5 hours, it becomes a thick dark-green puree.  Traditionally, it is mixed with a little oatmeal and shaped into small round cakes, which are then fried in bacon fat and served with bacon in Ireland, laver is also eaten with potatoes, or as a sauce for roast lamb, with lemon or orange juice.  Canned laver, available from some delicatessens, is vastly infoerior to the fresh product.

LAVEUR  A Parisian boarding house that opened in 1840 in the Ruepente.  It was the model for the pension and its unpretentious but excellent cuisine attracted the custom of young writers and politicians.  Its patrons included Victor Hugo (whose portrait was still  hanging on the wall in 1925), Jules Valles and Gambetta.  In Paris recu, Leon Daudet said “When we had something to celebrate, we would treat ourselves to a bottle of champagne, with the invariable plate of biscuits )cookies) and Gondolo gaufrettes (wafers)

LEAVEN  Loosely, any substance that can produce fermentation in dough or butter.  In a bakery, this is dough used to make bread rise.  It is prepared by taking a piece it by kneading it with flour and water until it has matured sufficiently to act as a raising (leavening) agent for the next batch of bread.  As this is a long finicky and laborious operations, many modern bakers have changed to much simpler processes using yeast.

LEBKUCHEN  A flat, hard, German gingerbread, shaped into hearts for hanging, on ribbons, and made into gingerbread houses.  Flavoured with the seven lebbuchen spices, including black pepper, cloves star arine, cinnamon and nutmeg and honey.  Sometimes a little chopped candied peel is added and the gingerbreads are usually glazed, often with icing (frosting) decorations.

            A special raising agent called birshbornsalz (hart’s horn salt) is used – actually carbonate of ammonia – which needs a very long rising time.  This accounts for the Christmas smell of spices in many German homes in advent.

            Celebrated in Nuremberg, but made throughout German, it is perhaps the most famous type of gingerbread.  It dates to about the turn of the 12^th century, when local merchants strated importing spices into a region of south Germany, already famous for its honey.

            For several weeks after it is made,  lebbucken is too hard to eat and it must mature and soften.  It is the origin of the cinnamon and spice.  Dutch speculaas (eaten on St Nicholas Eve, 5^th December) as well as all the ginger bread men, trees and houses in Switzerland, Scandinavia, the United States of America and Britain.

LE BROUERE  Essentially a variation of French Gruyere, this new cheese (45% fat content0 is made in Alsace.  These cheese are made in not quite spherical wheels about 10 cm (4 in) in depth.  Each cheese carries, a number and signature.  They have a light brown rind with a bright yellow paste; the flavour is sweet and buttery.

LECKERLI  Also known as lecrelet. A spiced biscuit (cookie) with a very distinctive flavour, sometimes coated with icing (frosting).  It is a Swiss specialty, originating in Basle.  The name is an abbreviation of leckerli kucken, meaning tempting cake.

RECIPE

Leckerli

Sift 500 g (18 oz, 4½ cup) ca/\n andied orange peel, 40 g (l½ oz, l/3 cup) flaked (slivered) almonds, 20 g (¾ oz,¼ cup) spices (half mixed spice, half ground ginger), l teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).  The candied peel and flaked almonds can be replaced with chopped hazelnuts and cinnamon). Mix well until blended.  Butter some square baking sheets and spread the mixtre in them to a depth of 2.5 cm (l inc).  Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC (350ºF, gas 4), for about 20 minutes, or until well browned.  When done, brush with milk and cut into even rectangles.

LE DOYEN  A restaurant that opened in the gardens of the Champs-elysees towards the end of the 18^th century.  The establishment was originally a fairly humble drinking house called Le Dauphin, near the Place de la Concorde. In 179l it was rented by Antoine Nicolas Doyen, who numbered among his customers members of the National Convention including Robespierre. In his Memoires, Barras mention dining there and Grimod de La Reyniere, who was also a patron wrote about Doyen’s brother, who had a restaurant of his own in the country of the Tuileries orangery.  In about 1848 Le Doyen moved to a new location near the Rond Point, taking over a house that is said to have belonged to Marie de Medici.  The restaurant became very fashionable during the Second Empire.  A tradition grew up of dining at Le Doyen on the first day of the Paris Salon, when the customers could enjoy sauce verte Le Doyen, a herb mayonnaise. This sauce  was created for Napoleon III by his chef, Balvay, in 1855, before he took over the ownership of the restarant.

LEEK  A vegetable believed to have originated from a Near Eastern variety of garlic. Leek are usually eaten cooked either hot or cold, though they can be finely shredded in a salad.  The plant consists of a bulb and stem completely ensheathed by leaves, to form a cylindrical shaft.  It is set deep in the soil so that most of the plant is blanched; this white and tender part is considered to be the best.  Most of the green leaves are usually cut off and used in stews and for purees.

            The leek was cultivated by the Egyptian and the Hebrews.  The Romans believed that leeks had the property of imparting and maintaining the sonority of the voice.  The emperor, Nero had leek soup served to him every day, to develop a clear and sonorous voice for delivering his orations, and was nicknamed the orrophage  (porrum meaning ‘leek’ in Latin).

            The Romans may have introduced the leek to Great Britain, where it became the national emblem of Wales.  In France it has been used for centuries to make soups, and the names porreau and pourreau eventually became poireau at the beginning of the 19^th century.

            Leeks must be bought when very fresh.  They should be smooth, with a good fresh colour and erect foliage.  To prepare, the roots and base are removed, then the green part is cut off and set aside.  The white part must be washed several times and is then usually blanched in boiling salted water before further preparation.  Leeks may be served cold with vinaigrette or mayonnaise, or hot with bechamel sauce, white sauce, melted butter or cream, augratin or braised.  They are also used in soups, tarts, tritters a la  grecque, or even stuffed. They go equally well with beef, chicken, lamb and fish.  The white part of the leek can also be cut or shredded for a brunoise, or julienne and the green part used to flavour a court-bouillon or stock.

RECIPES

BOILED LEEKS

Trim and clean some young leeks, keeping only the white parts.  Cut these all to the same length, split them, wash well and tie together in bunches.  Cook them, about 10 minutes in boiling salted water until just tender (they must not fall to pieces)  Untie them, drain thoroughly on a cloth or paper towels, and arrange them in a warm dish.  Garnish with chopped pasrley and serve frsh butter seasoned and flavoured with lemon juice, or with reduced and seasoned cream.

Braised leeks

Trim and wash 12 leeks, keeping only the white parts.  Cut into slices and place in a casserole with 50g (2 oz,¼ cup) butter, sallt and pepper, and 5-6 tablespoon water or meat stock.  Braise for about 40 minutes.  Arrange the leeks in a vegetable dish and pour the braising liquid, enriched with an extra 15 g (½ oz, 1 tablespoon) of butter over the.

Leek flan with cheese

Butter a 25 cm (10 in) flan (pie pan) and line it with 350 g (12 oz) unsweetened lining pastry .  Prick the base and bake blind in a preheated oven at 200ºC (400ºF gas 6) for 12 minutes.  Allow to cool.  Clean trim and slice 800 g(1¾ lb) leeks (the white part only) and braise them gently for about 14 minutes in 40 g (1½ oz, 3 table spoons) butter.  Strain.  Make 400 ml (14 fl oz, 1¾ cups)  Mornay sauce and allow to cool.  Completely cover the base of the flan with half the sauce.  Spread the leeks on top and cover with the remainder of the sauce.  Sprinkle with 40g (1 oz,  l/3 cup ) grated Parmesan cheese and 25 g (1 oz, 2 tablespons) knobs of butter and place in a preheated over a 240ºC (475º f, gas 9) until brown.

Leeks a la creme

Put the well washed white parts of leek into a buttered casserole.  Add salt and pepper, cover and braise in butter for 15 minutes.  Competely cover with creme fraiche, then continue to simmer, with the lid on, for 30 minutes.  Arrange the leeks in a vegetable dish, add a few tablespoons of creme fraiche to the pan  juices and pour over the leeks.

Leeks a la vinaigrette

Use the white part of the leeks onlky, wash well and cook in boiling, salted water.  Drain on a cloth to remove any surplus liquid and arrange in an horsd’ocuvre dish.  Season with vinaigrette, containing mustard if liked.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley and chervil or sieved hard boiled egg yolk.

Leeks au gratin

Trim the leeks and use only the white parts.  Wash them well, blanch for 5 minutes in plenty of boiling salted water, drain them, then cook slowly in butter.  Arrange the cooked leeks in an ovenproof dish sprinkle with grated cheese (preferably Parmesan) and melted butter and place in a preheated over at 240ºC(475º F, gas 9) until brown.

Leeks with bechamel sauce

Blanch the white parts of some timmed washed leeks for 5 minutes in boiling salted water.  Drain thoroughly and braise in butter.  Prepare a bechamel sauce that is not too thick.  Arrange the leeks in a long dish, cover with the sauce and serve hot.

Turbot with leeks

Lift the fillets from a young 900 g (2 lb0 turbot. Trim and clean in fresh water and cut up into small pieces.  Make a fumet from the head abnd trimmings.  Wash. Trim and slice 6 small leeks and arrange them in a vuttered ovenproof dish.  Cover with the fumet, season with salt and pepper, and cook in a preheated over at 220ºC (425ºf, gas 7) until they are just cooked but not soft.  Drain the leeks;  retaining the cooking liquid and divide them among individual dishes,  Keep warm.

            Pour 200 ml (7 ft oz, ¾ cup) strained fumet into a pan, add 3 tablespoons creme fraiche, a pinch of sugar, white pepper (2 twists of the pepper mill), and 2 tablespoons dry vermouth.  Boil down to reduce.  Put the turbot pieces into the sauce.  Poach for 5 minutes.  Drain the fish and place on top of the leeks.  Further reduced the cooking liquid, then pour over the fish.  Serve hot.

LEES  The deposit that settle in a cask or vat, consisting mainly of tartrates and yeast.  A wine bottle directly off the lees’ may be slightly working or lively.  This is appreciated by some drinkers notably those buying Muscadet.  Normally, wine is pumped off its, lees prior to bottling.

LEGRAND D’AUSSY, PIERRE JEAN BAPTISTE  French historian (born Amiens, 1737, died Paris, 1800)  He planned to write a massive work called Histoire de la vie privee des Francais, depuis.  Dealing with the housing dress, leisure activities and food of the French.  However only three volumes, all on the subjects of food, were published  (1782).  They gave a detailed account of the diet, menus (especially at Versailles table customs and regional traditions of former times.  Legrand d’Aussy also included information about the guilds of the butcher cooks and pastrycooks, together with a collection of proverbs illustrating the most popular customs of its times.  After his appointment as chief librarian of the National Library, Legrand d’Aussy devoted his time to other topics of research.

LEMON  A citrus fruit with an acid juicy pulp surrounded by an aromatic yellow peel of varying thickness.

            Originally from India or Malaysia, the lemon was introduced into Assyria and from there passed to Greece and Rome, where it was used as a condiment and medicament.  The Crusaders brought the lemon and other citrus fruits back from  Palestine, and its cultivation became widespread in Spain.  Norther Africa and Italy.  The lemon reached Haiti with Columbus in 1943, while the spanish and Portuguese were responsible for its introduction to various places in North and South America from the 16^th century onwards.  Until the 18^th century, it was traditional for French schoolboys to give lemons to their masters at the end of the school year.  The lemon was also used as a beauty product – it was thought to make the lips red and the complexion pale.  Above all, it was a vital remedy against scurvy, being a good source of vitamin C, and was used in particular by sailors.

            Lemon are available throughout the year. The different varieties are disitinguished by shape, size thickness of the skin and the number of seeds, the quality of flavour is fairly consistent.  A good lemon should be heavy and fragrant, with a close grained peel.  As the lemon becomes very ripe, it gets less sour and more juicy.  There are numerous uses for the lemon in cookery, especially in patisserie, confectionery and drinks.

-The Juice.  Obtained simply by hand squeezing or with a lemon squeezer, lemon juice serves firstly as a natural antioxidant, with which certain fruit and vegetables can be coated to prevent discoloration.  It is also an ingredient in numerous dishes, including blanquettes and ragouts, it appears in marinades and court bouillons, and replaces vinegar in cressing for raw vegetable and salads, it seasons mayonnaise and certain sauces (butter of white), and large quantities are used in the preparation of ice creams sorbets and various refreshing drinks.  Finally, marinating widely practised in South America and the Pacific islands.

-          The peel and the zest.  A citrus fruits are often treated with diphenyl, it is preferable, if the peel is to be used to choose untreated lemons or failing this to wash and dry them carefully.  The zest may be obtained by grating, peeling it with a special utensil, or by rubbing it with a sugar lump (sugar cube) depending on the intended use.  It serves as flavouring usually in patisserie for cream, souffles, mousses, tarts and flans; candied lemon peel is used for flavouring biscuits (cookies) and cakes.

-          The fruit  Lemons slices are an essential accompaniment for a seafood platter most fried food and savoury fritters, and many dishes coated in breadcrumbs.  They are also a necessary ingredients of lemon tea.  Lemon quarters may serve as a condiment for certain ragouts and sautes (of veal or chicken) and also for tajines.  Preserved lemons are widely used for flavouring fish and meat in North african cookery.  Lemon is included  in jams, compotes lemon curd and chutneys.  Finally, whole lem,ons are prepared fosted or iced.

--The extract  Lemon extract or flavouring is used in confectionery and in wines and spirits.  It also flavours certain aromatic.

RECIPES

Savoury Dishes

Chicken with lemon

Cut a chicken into portions.  Squeeze 2 lemons and to the juice and add salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper.  Marinate the chicken portions in this juice for at least 1 hour, then drain them, retaining the marinade.  Wipe the portions, then brown them in butter in a flameproof casserole.  Reduce the heat, sprinkle the chicken with crumbled thyme.  Cover and leave to cook gently for 30 minutes.  Drain the chicken portions and keep them hot.  Now add the marinade to the casserole along with 100 ml ( 4 fl) oz, 7 tablespoons) double (heavy) cream.  Stir well and heat, stirring constantly as the sauce thickens.  Adjust the seasoning.  Coat the chicken portions with this sauce.

Chicken with preserve lemon

Cut a chicken into portions and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Finely slice 300 g (11 oz) onions; crush 3 garlic cloves.  Grate at least 1 teaspoon fresh root ginger.  Oil a flameproof casserole and spread the sliced onions over the bottom, then sprinkle with the crushed garlic, a pinch of powdered saffron, the grated ginger and 1 tablespooncoriander seeds.  Add a bouquet garni.  Garnish with 8 slices of preserve lemon.

            Arrange the chicken portions on top, sprinkle with 6 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and one third cover the chicken pieces with chicken stock.  Cover the casserole and cook over a moderate heat for about 1½ hours, or until the flesh comes easily away from the bones.  Remove and drain the chicken, throw away the bouquet garni and reduce the pan juice until it is oily.  Coat the chicken portions with it and serve very hot with rice a la creole.

Duckling with Lavender honey and Lemon.

For 4 people, allow 2 ducklings, each weighing about 1.5 kg (3¼ lb) and their giblets.  Soften 2 tablespoons mirepoix in a shallow frying pan.  Add the giblets and turn them over in the mirepoix.  Barely cover with a mixture of half white wine and half water.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and leave to cook gently for about 30 minutes.  Strain.  Season the ducklings with salt and pepper.  Fry them lightly in butter for 20 minutes, taking them out while they are still pale pink.

            Discard the cooking butter and deglaze the pan with the juice of 2 lemons; then add 1 small teaspoon lavender honey to make a sauce.  Leave to strained duck giblets juices and finally stir in a knob of butter.  Adjust the seasoning.

            Cut the breast of the ducklings into long thin slices; grill broil) the legs briefly on both sides.  Coat with the seasoned sauce.

Preserved Lemons

Wash l kg (2¼ lb) untreated lemons, wipe and cut into thick round slices. (Small lemons can simply bequartered lengthwas.)  Dust with 3 tablespoons fine salt and leave them to discharge their juices for about 12 hours.  Drain them, place in a large jar and cover completely with olive oil.  Leave in a cool place for l month before use.  Close the jar firmly after opening and keep in a cool place away from light.

Sea beam with preserve lemon

Scale and gut (clean)  a large sea beam and make a shallow incision in the back.  Oil a preserved in oil.  Arrange the bream on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add a small handful of coiander seeds and garnish the bram with 6 more slices of preserved lemon.  Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and several tablespoons of olive oil, then cook in a preheated over at 230ºC (450º F, gas 8) for about 30 minutes, basting the fish several times during cooking.

Stuffed lemons-

Remove the stones (pits) from about 30 black olives, put 6 olives aside and chop the rest together with a bunch of parsley.  Cut the stalk ends off 6 large skinned lemons, using a small spoon with a cutting edge, scoop out all the flesh, leaving the peel intact.  Separate the pulp from the fibrous partitions and seed.s  Crumble a medium sized can of tuna or salmon and remove

Any skin and bones.  Mix the lemon pulp and juice (or half the juice if the lemons are very  sour) with the crumbled fish and the chopped) egg yolks and a small bowl of aioli.  Adjust the seasoning.  Fill the lemon shells with this stuffing, garnish, each lemon with a black olive and place in the refrigerator until time to serve.

            The tuna (or salmon) and  aioli mixture may be replaced by a mixture of sardines in oil-and butter.

Sweet Preparations

Confiture de citron

Allow l.12 kg (2½ lb) sugar per 1 kg (2¼ lb) lemons.  Wash the lemons (ideally untreated ones) and carefully remove the outer peel from one third of them.  Blanch the peel for 2 minutes in boiling water, then cool in cold water and cut into fine strips.  Squeeze the peeled lemons to extract the juice and cut the remaining ones into thick slices.

            Put the juice and slices of lemon in a preserving pan, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring all the time.  Add three quarters of the strips of lemon peel, the sugar and 100 ml (4 ft oz, 7 tablespoons)water per l kg (2¼ lb) sugar.  Stir and cook for 20 minutes over a gentle heat.  When the jam is cooked, add the remaining peel, either mixing it in over the heat for 3 minutes, or adding it after straining the jam and reheating it (the jam is then clear like a jelly).  Pour into scalded jars.

Frosted Lemon

Cut the stalk ends off some large thick skinned lemons and reserve.  Using a spoon with a cutting edge, remove all the pulp from the lemon without piercing the peel.  Then chill the peel in the refrigerator.  Press the pulp, strain the juice and use it to prepare a lemon sorbet.  When the sorbet is set, fill the chilled peel with it and cover with the section that was removed.  Freeze until time to serve.  Decorate with leaves of marzipan (almond paste).

Lemon Meringue Pie

Butter a baking tin (cake pan) 23-25 cm ( (9-10 in) in diameter and line it with 350 g (12 oz) shortcrust pastry (basic pie dough).  See Short pastry.  Cook the pastry case (pie shell) blind in a preheated oven at 200ºC (400ºF gas 6) for 10 minutes.

            Boil 350 ml (12 fl oz, l½ cups) water in a saucepan.  In another saucepan put 65 g (2½ oz,½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (plain (all-purpose) flour, 65 g (2½ oz, ½ cup plus 2 table spoons) fornflour (cornstarch) and 250 g (9 oz, l cup) caster (superfine) sugar and gradually add the boiling water, stirring all the time.  Bring to the boil, still stirring, then remove from the heat on with salt and pepper.  Dip it in beaten egg and cover with finely crumbled fresh breadcrumbs (press the breadcrumbs well in to make them stick).  Cook the loin and clarified butter, allowing it to turn golden on both sides.  Prepare a salpicon of mushroe to time.  Pour the mixture into the pastry case, bake in a preheated oven at 200º C (400º F, gas 6) for 10 minutes, then leave to cool.

            Add a pinch of salt to 4 egg whites, whisk into stiff peaks, then gradually fold in 125 g (4½ oz, ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar and 20 g (¾ oz, 2 tablespoons) icing (confectioner’s) sugar.  Spread this meringue over the pie using a metal spatula, then return to the oven for 10 minutes, to brown lightly.  Serve lukewarm or cold.

Lemon sorbet

Cut away the zest from 3 lemons, chop it and add it to 500 ml (l7 fl oz, 2 cups) cold syrup with a density of 1,2850.  Leave to infuse for 2hours.  Add the juice of 4 lemons, then strain.  (tThe density should be between l,1699 and 1,1799)  Complete by the usual method.

LEMONADE A refreshing drink made by a variety of methods, the simplest from lemon juice (3 tablespoons per glass) sugar and still or aerated (sparkling) water.  The liquid is often left to infuse with the peel of the fruits before being passed through a cloth, strainer (cheesecloth).  Citron presse (pressed lemon) is made in a glass just before serving.  Alternatively, the lemon juice can be squeezed and set aside, then the peel cooked in water to extract all its flavour.  The strained cooked lemon liquid is sweetened to taste and the juice is added and diluted with water.

LEMON BALM  A lemon scented herbacceous plant native to Europe and cultivated elsewhere.  The leaves are used in salads, drinks, soups, stuffings and sauces and to flavour white meat and fish, fresh or dried leaves are also used in tisanes.  The sweet scented flowers are distilled to make melissa cordial, especially that known as cau de Carmes.

LEMON CURD  An English speciality made from a mixture of sugar, butter, eggs and lemon juice, used to fill tartlets or to spread bread and butter.  It should be kept in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.

RECIPE

Lemon curd

Finely grate the peel of 2 large lemons.  Squeeze them and reserve the juice.  Melt 100 g (4 oz, ½ cup) butter in a double saucepan (double boiler) over a very gentle heat.  Gradually add 225 g ( 8 oz, 1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar, 3 beaten eggs, the grated lemon zest and the lemon juice.  Stir until thickened.  Put into sterilized jars while still hot and cover with wax paper, pressing the paper on the surface of the lemon curd. Leave until completely cold before covering the pots.

LEMON GRASS  A variety of grass found in South east Asia, this has a strong lemon-like flavour and it is popular flavouring ingredient in Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian and Vietnamese cooking known as sereb, sera, serai, takrai or  vasamnelalang lemon grass is available fresh, dried or ground to a peer for use as a spice.

            The stem of the fresh grass are tough, but the lower 7.5 cm (3 in) of the grass is tender and edible.  The trimmed grass should be chopped and bruised.  Alternatively, the dried grass or tough stems can be praised to release their flavour, used whole in cooking then removed before serving.

LENT  in the Roman Catholic calendar, 46 days of abstinence before Easter, intended as a time of penitence.  The original strictures and Lent forbade people to eat meat, fat and eggs so the diet comprised mainly vegetables – usually dried, since fresh ones were not in season – and fish, especially dried fish, such as herring and salt cod.  However in the past, rules of abstinence were circumvented by various means.  In France, for example, special alms enabled people to eat butter and eggs in measured quantities (the proceeds of these particular alms financed the construction of Rouen cathedral’s  Butter Tower).  Moreover, certain waterflow were permitted, particularly teal and plover, because of a tenous association with fish, as well as the beaver.  Because of its fishlike scaly tail.  In the kitchen, pates and pies were brushed with mashed pike’s eggs, and carp meat was used instead of eggs as a thickening agent.  Even the pastrycook got round the difficulty.  Croquants, craquelins, echaudes and cakes of flour and honey boiled with almonds demonstrate this.

            The rule oof abstinence, which has almost disappeared now, did much to develop the cook’s imagination salt cod, served at many tables for 40 days on end, has probably more recipes than any other fish eaten in France.  Fresh fish were also served with a great variety of sauces.

LENTIL.  A small, annual leguminous plant with small, found, flat seeds that are borne in pairs in a flat pod.  They can be yellow, pink, brown, red, gray or green, and are always eaten shelled and cooked.  Lentils have been cultivated since ancient times, originating in central Asia and forming the staple diet of the poor for many centuries.  Ancient Rome imported  whole shiploads from Egypt.

Red lentils, or split red lentils. Are common.  They cook quickly to a soft, powdery texture and are popular for soups and dishes made with lentil purees.  Green and brown lentils retain their shape, becoming tender rather than mushy.  They are popular for casseroles, particularly with pork, bacon or spicy sausages, and for salads, or as accompaniment to main dishes.  Lentils are also a good source of vegetable protein, important in vegetarian diets, and are often key ingredients in main dishes.  The green Pu lentil flourishes in the volvanic soil of the Velay in France.  The seeds are dark green with blue mabling and have an excellent flavour.

Lentils do not have to be soaked before cooking, as they become tender after boiling, for about 30 minutes.  Once cooked, lentils are used as an accompanying vegetable (pureed in gravy, creamed, with parley), as well as for soup.  They are the traditional accompaniment for pickled pork and can also used in salads.

            Lentils have a mild flavour and they readily absorb the flavour of ingredients with which they are cooked or dressed.  Most herbs, spices and citrus fruits zest go well with lentils,  Citrus juice also  contrast well.

RECIPES

Green or brown lentil puree

Pick over the lentils and place them in a large saucepan, cover with plenty of cold water, bring to the boil, then skim.  Add salt, pepper, bouquet garni , a large onion stuck with 2 cloves and a small diced carrot.  Cover and simmer gently for 30-45 minutes ( the cooking time will depend on the type and freshness of the lentils).  Remove the bouquet garni and the onion.  Reduce the lentils to a puree in a blender while still, then heat the puree through, gently, beating in a knob of butter.  If desired, add a little stock, water, boiled milk or cream before beating in the butter.

Hot lentil salad

Cook green or brown lentils in boiling water for 30-35 minutes, until tender but still whole.  Cut thick bacon rashers (slices) into strips and brown the strips in a little butter.  Allow about 100 g (4 oz) bacon for 350 g (12 oz, 1½ cups) lentils.  Prepare a vinaigrette and add to it, 1 tablespoon red wine.  Drain the lengths and place them in a warm dish.  Add the pork, dress with the vinaigrette and add to it. 1 tablespoon red wine.  Drain the lentils and place them in a warm dish.  Add the pork, dress with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with plenty of chopped parsley.  Mix the salad and serve hot or cold.  A little finely chopped mild onion or a chopped bunch of spring ( green) onions can be added, and the vinaigrette can be flavoured with a crushed garlic clove.

Red lentil puree

Allow 450 ml (¾ pint, 2 cups) water for 225 g (8 oz, 1 cup) lentils.  Add 1 finely chopped onion, l finely diced carrots and 1 bay leaf, bring to the boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover the pan tightly.  Cook gently for 20-30 minutes,   or until the water has been absorbed and the lentils are tender.  Puree in a food processor or beat well,  then press through a sieve, if required.  Season and enrich with butter or cream.

L’ETOILE  An AOC wine from the Jura.  The parish of L’Etoile ande saint wineas < plus  a littel vin jaune  and  vin  de paille . the  white  wines tend  to be naturally lively (petulant)

LETTUCE A Plant  that  that grows wild all over the northern hemisphere and  is  cultivated  in many  van-eties for  as  its  large  edible leave .It  has  been cultivated  in Egypt  and Asia For  thousand of  year , and  was popular with milky juice  from  lac, Meaning  milk’)

            Lettuce was introduced into France in the Middle Ages, some think by Rabelais, who is said to have brought some seeds back from Italy, although others believe that the popes in exile at A vignon were responsible.  Until the time of Louis XVI, lettuce was eaten as a hot dish.  Raw lettuce with a vinaigrette proved a great success in London when it was introduced by the Chevalier d’ Albinac, a French  nobleman who had emigrated to England.  He made his fortune by visiting various private hotels and fashionable restaurants to dress the salads.  Brillat-Savarin described him as a fashionable salad maker going from one dining room to another, complete with his mahogany tools and his ingredients which included flavoured oils, caviar, soy sauce, anchovies, truffles, meat juices and flavoured vinegars.

            Nowadays, many varieties of lettuce are available commercially.  The most common are round 9butterhead) lettuce which has a rounded head with a yellow heart and smooth or curled floppy leaves, crisp of iceberg lettuces, which are crisp and round, with very large firm hearts, cos (romaine) lettuce which has long dark green leaves with thick veins and a relatively open crsip heart; and loose leared lettuces which have leaves sprawling out from the centre.  Lettuce in the first three categories are various shades of green, while those in the last category can be green or red, or both.

            Great care must be taken to clean lettuces thoroughly in plenty of water so that all the soil is removed.  It is important to dry the leaves gently.  The way lettuce us prepared depends on the size of the leaves.  Lettuce can be seasoned and served raw in green or mixed salads, and the leaves are often used as a garnish.  In addition it can be braised stuffed, cooked with cream and used to prepare peas a la francaise.

RECIPES

Braised lettuce au gratin

Braise the l;ettuce in meat stock or water and arrange in an ovenproof dish.  Cover with Mornay sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese, top with melted butter and cook in preheated oven at 220ºC (425º,F gas 7) until brown.

Lettuce a la creme

Braise the lettuce in stock or water.  Divide each lettuce in two, folding each in half, and place in a buttered pan.  Moisten with cream and simmer until the cream has reduced by half. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fried croutons.

Lettuce salad

Prepare a lettuce chiffonnade, incorporating a julienne of unsmoked ham, breast of chicken and either Gruyere or Emmental cheese.  Dress with a vinaigrette made with walnut oil and sprinkle with chopped herbs.

Stuffed lettuce

Trim the lettuce,blanch for 5 minutes, cool under running water and blot dry.  Halve each lettuce without cutting through the base.  Season them inside.  Fill each lettuce with a generous tablespoon of fine force at mixed with mushroom duxelles.  Tie each lettuce back and braise in meat stock or water.

            Stuffed lettuce can be serve on its own with fried croutons, or it may be sued as a garnish for roast or sauteed meat.

LEVROUX  A French goat milk cheese (45% fat content) from the province of Berry.  Shaped like truncated pyramid, it is made in the countryside around Levroux in the Indre department.  It is similar to Valencay, which some people say is derived from Levroux, they share the same characteristics.

LIAISON   Any mixture used for thickening or binding sauces, soups, stews and similar dishes.  Commonly used liaisons are beaurre manie, egg yolks, arrowroot, cornflour (cornstarch), a roux and cream.

LIBATON  An ancient religious ritual in which wine, milk, oil or blood was prinkled on the ground or on an altar to honour the gods.  A libation was made standing with cup in hand, looking up towards the heavens.  A few drops of liquid were sprinkled and this was followed by a short prayer uttered with the arms, extended towards the sky, finally, the offering was drunk from the cup.  In ancient times no one would dream of eating a meal without first performing a libation.  Aas well as being a display of deference to a deity, a libation was also intended to enlist help in times of need, especially before a battle or a journey,  It was also used to seal a truce or a peace treaty.

            In modern parlance, the word libation is used, often facetiously, to describe the act of taking an alcoholic drink.

LID  A cover with a handle or knob, placed over cooking vessels, to prevent splashing and to reduce or stop the evaporation of water and juices.  Some serving utensils, such as vegetable dishes and soup tureens, also have lids.  Lids may be convex (for saute pans) or concave (for holding water on certain types of casserole).  For utensils withoput a purpose made lid, so-called universal lids are used.  These have three concentric notches so they can fit on pans of different diameters.  Other lids have special uses;  a filter lid, made of double aluminum mesh, lets steam through but prevents fat from splashing and reduces cooking smells, an anti vapour and anti splashed lid, with a row of small holes around circumference, slows down evaporation and prevents far from splashing, a strainer lid makes a possible to drain the cooking water while retaining the solid contents of the pan.

LIEBIG, JUSTUS, BARON VON  German chemist (born Darmstach, 1803, died Munich, 1873) Professor of Chemistry at Glessen Heidelberg and then Munich, he was particularly interested in the agricultural and industrial applications of organs chemistry; his most important work on this subject was pbulished in 1823.  Realizing that the transport of enormous quantities of meat imported from South America and Australia was proving expensive, he had the idea of extracting the nutritional part of the meat.  In 1850 he produced the first meat extract, this was followed by concentrated stock powder.

            In 1862 the Fray Bentos Giebert company was formed in Belgium, the forerunner of what was eventually to be a giant industrial concern.  In 1865 Liebig was involved in founding Liebig’s Extract of Meat Company in England, which later became part of Brooke Bond Oxo.

LIEGEOISE, A LA  Describing certain dishes that include alcohol and juniper berries.  Kidneys a la liegoise are casseroled, garnished with crushed juniper berries, opotatoes and bacon, and served in a sauce made from the meat juices, gin and white wine.  Small birds cooked a la liegeoise are flamed with gin and casseroled with juniper berries and Ardennes ham.

LIGHTS  The lungs of certain animals, used as food.  Calve’s  lights are usually used.  After being beaten to expel the air, they can be cooked in a   civet (with wine, mushrooms strips of bacon and onions), a la poulette or a la persillade (cut into thin slices and sauteed in butter, with garlic and parsley).

LIGURIENNE, A LA  Describing large cuts of meat garnished with small stuffed tomatoes alternating  with saffron risotto shaped in dariole moulds, and piped duchess potatoes brushed with egg yolk, and browned in the oven.

LILY  Lily bulbs and buds are used in Chinese and Japanese cooking.  The tiger lily, lilium tigrinum and white trumpet lily, lilium brounit, are both common.  The bulbs are boiled and used as a vegetable for thickening agent.

            Tiger lily buds, fleur-de-lis in French are known as golden needles and used fresh of dried in Chinese cooking.

LIMA BEAN  A bean plant grown in tropical countries and the United states, also known as Cape bean or pea, Sieva bean, sword bean, jack bean and Chad bean.  The seeds are normally pale green and the same size as broad (fava) beans, they are prepared in the same way as fresh white haricot (navy) beans.  Butter beans are a variety of Lima beans grown in the southern United States.

LIMBURG  Originally, a Belgian cow’s milk cheese, although production has now largely been taken over by German cheesemakers.  The brick-shaped cheese (40% fat content) has a soft, smooth, yellow paste and a crust varying in colour from reddish yellow to brick red.  It weighs 500-600 g (1-1¼ lb) and has a strong aroma and a full-bodied flavour.  Many people enjoy it with a glass of beer.  It has been widely copied in the United States, where Leiderkranz is a milder version of the same cheese.

LIME  A citrus fruit closely related to the lemon.  Rounded, with bright-green peel and very sour pulp, it is smaller more fragrant and juicier than the lemon.  The lime is cultivated in tropical countries including the Ivory Coast.  Brazil and the West Indies and is often used in Caribbean and Brazilian dishes, particularly fish or meat stews, marinated chicken, jams, sorbets.  Punches and cocktails.  The zest is used like lemon zest and will keep for a long time steeped in caster (superfine) sugar or rum.  Sugar lumps (cubes) rubbed with the zest are kept in an airtight jar for flavouring tea, creams or milk.

RECIPE

Roast pork with lime sorbet and mint

Roast a 1 kg (2¼ lb) fillet of pork (pork tenderloin) for 70 minutes in a preheated oven at 220ºC 425ºF, gas 7) and leave to cool completely.  To make the sorbet, dissolve 575 g (1¼ lb, 2½ cups) sugar in 200 ml (7 fl oz, ¾ cups) water, heat just sufficiently to dissolve the sugar completely and leave to cool.  Squeeze enough limes to collect 500 ml (17 fl oz, 2 cups) strained juice.  Add it to the syrup.  Pour into ice trays and place in the freezer.  After about 1 hour, stir and leave for at least 1 further hour until set completely.

            Slice the roast thinly and arrange on the serving dish, garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.  Prepare a lettuce salad and sprinkle it with chopped mint.  Serve the sorbet in small sundae glasses alongside the cold roast meat and the salad.

LIME BLOSSOM  The highly fragrant flowers of the lime tree, or linden which are dried and used to prepare soothing infusions, sometimes to flavour creams, ices and desserts, and more rarely as aroumatic in cooking.  Edouard Nignon made a powder of dried, crushed and sifted lime blossom to season sauces and stocks, and R. Lasserre created a recipe for chicken with line blossom.  Veal chops can also be flavoured with lime blossom, as can cream sauces and dishes-cooked in white wine or cider.  The most aromatic lime blossom comes from the Drome in France, a where a lime-blossom ratafia was formerly made.  Lime blossom honey has a pronounced aroma and flavour.

LIMONER  A French word meaning to remove the skin, blood and impurities from certain foods (brains, fillets of fish, pieces of meat)  by dousing them in water or holding them under running water.  Certain freshwater fish are washed in this way to remove any slimy covering.  The word is also a synonym for ecailler, meaning to remove the scales of fish or to open oysters.

LIMOUSIN AND MARCHE.  These two province corresponding to the departments of Haute Vienne, Correze and Creuse, have the same specialties and products despite, the differences in their climate and soil.  The plateaux with their grasslands and forests, provide game (hares and partridges) and mushrooms (ceps and chanterelles ); they also provide pasture for rearing some very  fine livestock (sheep and pigs, but mostly cattle).  Where the fields are cultivated, these plateaux also yield excellent vegetables and many kinds of fruit and nuts (especially plums, cherries and chestnuts).  The rivers and swamps sustain a variety of fish, including trout, carp, pike, gudgeon and sometimes crayfish.

            The culinary specialties of the region include brejaude, miques and other hearty soups made with cabbage, pickled pork and beans; all these are traditionally finished off with red wine.  The Limousin pigs are used for making pickled pork, confits and black pudding (blood  sausage) with chestnuts, as well as ham, sausages and various pates.  Among the excellent farcidures are stuffed cabbage and stuffed mushrooms.  The great Limousin speciality is hare encalbessal, but some excellent braised veal dishes are also cooked.  Among desserts, apart from the famous clafoutis, should be mentioned the Limousin fruit tarts, plum pies, marzipan (almond paste) and cornues (two horned bruiches made at Easter time), the  rustic tartes seches (cooked in water, covered with aniseed and finished in the oven.)  madeleines from Saint-Yreix, croquants from Bort-les-Orgues and macaroons from Dorat.  Special mention should be made of the Limousin chestnuts, which have formed a staple part of the diet of the rural population and are still enjoyed boiled.

            The vineyards on the slopes of Correze and in the Vienne valley produce a modest amount of table wine, but the Limousin peasants also make cider and some very good fruit brandies, based on cherries, plums and prunes, as well as various home made liqueurs, including walnut cordial.

LIMOUSINE, A LA  Describing a method of preparing red cabbage. The cabbage is sliced very finely and cooked in lard with a little stock, a dash of venigar and a pinch of sugar.  When it is almost cooked, grated or finely diced potato and crushed raw chestnuts are added.  This garnish is served with roast pork and other roasted meat.  Chicken a la limousine is stuffed with sausagemeat and fried mushrooms, cooked in a casserole, coated with the pan juices mixed with veal gravy, and garnished with bacon and poached chestnuts.  An omelette a la limousine is filled with fried diced ham and potato.

LIPTAUER  The german name for a Hungarian cheese spread; the base is a fresh cheese originally made in the province of Lipto and also called Liptai or Juhturo. This cheese is made with ewe’s milk, sometimes mixed with cow’s milk and sold in small wooden cases.  It has a creamy colour, a buttery consistency and a slightly spicy flavour.  The spread is usually made by mixing the fresh cheese with cream, paprika, chopped capers, onions and anchovies; it is spread on wholemeal (whole-wheat) bread is a snack. It is also used as a stuffing for sweet peppers for an hors d’ocuvre ; this dish is very popular in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where it is called liptovsky sir and is usually accompanied by a glass of lager.

LIQUEUR  An alcoholic drink of more than table wine strength usually incorporating some form of spirit.  Liqueurs may be sweet or sweetish, herby (this type is often used as a digestif after meals), distillates of fruit the alcools blancs), and flavoured spirits (such as fruit brandies).  They are served at different times and in different ways – some as aperitifs, especially when poured on the rocks some after a meal, some as between times drinks, often as an ingredient of cocktails and mixes.  Liqeuers are widely used in recipes for desserts, confectionery, cakes and pastries and fruits dishes.  A large number are mad in France, and many formerly, independent producers have now become part of a few huge organizations.

            From very early times compounded mixtures of herbs, spices and other ingredients were used for medicinal purposes.  After the evolution of distilling the monastic orders made many drinks with spirits and other ingredients to serve as remedies, preventives and ultimately as enjoyable drinks.  In France so rich in many of the ingredients required, the influence of immigrant Italians during and after the 15^th century encouraged the practice of making liqueurs in many religious houses and subsequently by lay organizations, as a commercial concern.  In regions where the basic materials for liqueur making were cheap or free, the French often made such  drinks in the own homes and many old recipes are still followed, especially when there is a glut of fruit or some other ingredient and when the necessary or some other ingredient and when the necessary spirit is fairly cheap.  It should be noted, however, that the process of distilling by the general public is illegal and those who wish to make  liquuuuueurs in their homes may only do so macerating and/or infusing the ingredients in different forms of alcohol.  There are many liqueur recipes, but the fomulae for many of the most famous such as Chartreuse, Benedictine and Izarre, are closely guarded secrets, unlikely to be fathomed by the amateur  and impossible to reproduce in the domestic kitchen.

            The use of the word ‘liqueur’ as applied to certain spirits implies that it is a superior version of the product, usually intended for drinking without dilution

RECIPES

Apricot liqueur

Stone (pit) 30 apricot and put them in a preserving with 4 litres (7 pints, 4 quarts) white wine; bring to the boil. When boiling, add 1 kg (¼ lb, 4½ cups) sugar, 1½ table spoon cinnamon and 1 litre (1¾ cups) 33º eau-de-vie.  Take the pan off  the heat, cover  and leave to infuse for 4 days.  Strain, filter and bottle.  Cork the bottles tightly and store in a dry place.

Cherry liqueur

Crush 4 kg (9 lb) Montmorency cherries with their stones (pits).  Place in an earthenware dish and leave to macerate for 4 days.  Dissolve 1 kg (2¼ lb, 4½ cups) sugar in 4 litres  (7 pints, 4 quarts) 22º alcohol and add it to the macerated cherries.  Decant the mixture into a large jar, cork it and leave to infuse for 1 month.  Then squeeze the mixture through muslin (cheesecloth) to exact the liquid.  Filter and bottle.  Cork tightly and store in a cool place.

Orange liqueur

Wash 6 oranges, pare off the peel very thinly and chop it.  Squeeze the oranges and pour the juice into a jar.  Add 500 g (18 oz 2¼  cups) or white eau-de-vie, mix and leave to macerate for 2 months,  Filter, bottle, cork and store in a cool place.

            The same recipe may be be used for lemons and for tangerines.

Strawberry

Hull 1.25 kg (2¾ lb, 9 cups) very ripe starawberries, place in a large jar and cover with 4 litres (7 pints 4 quarts) eau-de-vie.  Cork and leave to infuse for 2 months, placing the jar in the whenever possible.  Add 500 g (18 oz, 2¼ cups) caster (superline) sugar and shake well.  When the sugar has completely dissolved, shake again and filter.  Bottle, cork tightly and store in a cool place.

LIQUEUR CABINET  In the past an ornate wooden cabinet in which spirits were stored.  Today this is outmoded, but any bottle of spirit should be kept upright, otherwise the spirit may not the cork or stopper.

LIQOURICE   shrub  cultivated in temperate regions for its root, from which liquorice sticks for chewing are cut and liquorice juice is extracted.  This juice purified and concentrated, is used principally to make various  types of confectionery, it is also used for flavouring medicine and aperitifs, and in brewing.  The plant grows wild in Syria.  Iran and Turkey; in France; it is cultivated mainly around Uzes in the Gard region.  It was grown extensively around Pontefract in England during the 16^th century and was used to manufacture Pontefract, Iozenges of liquorice sold as sweetmeats.

Depending on iuts origin, liquorice juice contains 5-10% glyrrhizing, the ingredients responsible for its sweet taste and its reputed therapeutic properties known since very early times.  Assyrian tablets and Chinese and Indian papyruses give evidence of its early medicinal use.  During the 19^th century, liqourice began to be made into sweet,  presented inelegantly decorated little boxes or given as a treat to children.  There are two basic types.

            HARD LIQOURICE (in the form of sticks, pastilles and cakes)  Made from a mixture of liquorice juice, sweetners, gum arabic and  perhaps, a flavouring (mint, aniseed, violet), liquorice sweets contain at least 6% glyrrhizine.

            PLIABLE LIQUORICE (ribbons, laces and twists).  Made from a paste of liquorice hjuice plus sweeters, hard-wheat flour, starch and icing (confetioner’s) sugar, this is cooked, then flavoured and extruded in a thread.  Gums pastilles and chewing gum and from liquorice are flavoured with at least 4% pure liquorice juice.

LIQUORICE WATER  A refreshing drink made from liquorice sticks soaked or infused in water with added lemon juice. The French name, coco comes from the fact the drinks resembles coconut milk in appearance.  It was popular in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, when it was sold in the streets and public gardens by the marchand de coco, who carried a small cask on his buck from which he served it in goblets very cheaply.

RECIPE

Orange flavoured liquorice water

Cut 100 g (4 oz) liquorice root sticks into small slices and wash them; place in a saucepan with 2 teaspoons grated peel and 4 litres (7 pints, 4 quarts) water.  Boil for 5 minutes, then strain and leave to cool. Serve very cold.

LIRAC  A wine from the southern Rhone with its own applellation controlee produced in the Gard around Roquemaure.  The most famous is Lirac rose, which issimilar to its neighboour.  Tavel.  It is made principally from the Grenache and Cinsault vines. The red wines are light and suitable for drinking young and the whites are aromatic.

LISETTE  Fish of the Scom,bridae family, less than 1 year old. In summer this small mackerel lives in shoals near the surface and is found in the Bay of Biscay, where it is caught in seine nets, in the Mediterranean and in the North Sea, where it is trawled.  The lissette is an excellent swimmer and has a tasty flesh less fatty than that of the mackerel.  It is eaten grilled (broiled) marinated in white wine, or smoked.

LISRAC-MEDOC  A vigorous AOC red wine of the six command appellation of the Haut Medoc of Bordeaux, with a beautiful ruby colour, pleasant bouquet and excellent structure.  Listrac became Listrac Medoc in 1986.

LIVAROT  A cow milk cheese (40-45% fat content) from the Calvados region of Normandy.  It has a soft, smooth paste and a washed, brownish red rind, traditionally tinted with annatto (an orange dye from the fruit of a tropical American flowering tree).  It is left to mature for 3-1 month in a damp cellar Livarot is one of the earliest traditional Normandy cheeses. Thomas Corneille, in his Dictionnaire universel geographique et bistorique of 1708, mentioned its excellent qualities.  It originated in the Auge, and it is still made only in the villages of the Livarot area.  It is a cylindrical cheese, 11-12 cm (5 in) in diameter and 4-5 cm (1½-2 in) deep and is sold boxed or unboxed, encircled by five thin strips of ribbon (the stripes left by this binding gained it the nickname colonel) which were originally intended to maintain its shape.  Livarot is at its best from November to June and has a fine firm elastic texture, with no holes.  It has a distinctive but not overwhelming aroma,  and a full bodied flavour that is neither bitter nor spicy.  It is protected by an appellation d’ origine now AOP, and is still made on farms by the traditional method, although there is some mass production and smaller version of the cheese, known as petits lisieux are made.

LIVER  Offal (organ meat) from carcasses of animals, poultry and game.

            Apart from chicken liver, the most tender and savoury variety is calf’s liver which is pale pink and firm, and cooked whole, larded with bacon and roasted or in slices grilled (broiled) or fried and served with a sauce.  Next in decreasing order of quality is lamb’s liver, which is often fried or grilled on skewers.  Ox (beef) liver, which has a strong flavour and is usually tougher is less expensive and sheep’s liver which is mediocre, can also be fried or grilled.  Pig’s (pork) liver can be casseroled, but it is  used mainly in the charcuterie and delicatessen trade, for pate, terrines and cooked sausages because it has a slightly stronger flavour.

            Chicken livers are widely used in cookery, particularly for cooking on skewers and for  risottos, pilafs, pates and forcenmeats and for various garnishes.  In France.  Bresse chicken livers  (foles blonds) are regarded as a delicary and used in chicken-liver terrines.  Duck’s liver even when the duck has not been fattened, is of veryhigh quality, excellent when cooked with Armagnac brandy and grapes.

            The liver of certain fish is also edible.  Skate’s liver  (in fritters) and monkfish liver (poached) are especially used.  God liver is smoked and preserved in oil, and then used to make cold canapes.

RECIPES

Calf’s Liver

Calf’s liver a la bourguignonne

Fry some slices of calf’s liver in very hot butter over a high heat.  Keep hot on a serving dish.  Deglaze the pan with red wine and stock (in equal proportions) and reduce.  Pour this sauce over the slices of liver and surround with bourguignonne garnish.

Calf’s liver a l’anglaise

Cut some calf’s liver intothin slices; fry in hot butter on both sides quickly over a high heat, allowing 25 g (1 oz, 2 tablespoons) butter to 4 slices. Drain and keep hot on the serving dish.  Fry some thinrashers (slices) of bacon in the same pan, and use to garnish the liver. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, squeeze of lemon juice and the cooking juices.  Serve with small steamed potatoes.

Fried calf’s liver a la florentine

Braise some spinach in butter.  Peel some large onions, cut into thick slices and separate into rings. Dip the onions rings in butter and fry in very hot oil until golden brown.  Drain and keep hot.  Lightly grease a serving dish, cover it with drained spinach and keep it hot.  Quickly fry some very thin slices of calf’s liver in very hot butter and arrange on the spinach. Deglaze the liver pan with white wine, reduce, then pour the juice over the slices.  Garnish the liver with the fried onion rings and (if liked) with lemon wedges.

Roast calf’s liver

Cover the liver with thick rashers (slices) of bacon, season with salt, pepper, a pinch of fennel and some chopped parsley, then mopisten with brand.  Soak a pig’s caul (caul fat) in cold water, wiping it dry and stretching it before use. Wrap the prepared liver in the caul and tie up with string.  Cook on a spit or in a preheated oven at 200ºC (400ºF, gas 6) for 12-15 minutes per 450 g ( 1 lb). Dilute the pain juices with white wine or veal stock and pour over the liver.  Serve with glazed carrots.

Chicken Liver

Bresse chicken liver terrine

Select 8 Bresse chicken livers (preferably white ones; ordinary chicken livers can be used instead, but will give a darker result); rub through a sieve together with 150 g (5 oz,¾ cup) beef marrow. Add 50 g (2 oz, ½ cup) plain (all purpose) flour.  Mix thoroughly, then, one by one, add 6 whole eggs and 4 yolks, 2 tablespoons double (heavy) cream and 750 ml (1¼ pints, 3¼ cups) milk.  Season with salt, pepper and ground nutmeg.  Add a generous pinch of chopped parsley and half a peeled crushed garlic clove.  Place the mixture in a greased mould and cover with foil. Then cook in a bain marie in a preheated over at 180ºC (350ºF, gas 4) for about 45 minutes or until set.  Turn out of the mould just before serving.

            Prepare a sauce by reducing some cream, port and fresh tomato puree, enriched with a little  butter.  Pour the sauce over the dish and garnish with a few slices of truffle.  Serve warm or cold.

Chicken liver brochettes a l’italienne

Clean some chicken livers and cut each in half.  Roll up each piece of liver in a thin slice of smoked bacon, then thread them on to skewers with pieces of onion and sage leaves in between each piece.  Moisten lightly with oil and season with salt, pepper and a little dried thyme.  Leave to stand for 30 minutes.  Grill (broil) the brochettes under a fierce heat for about 10minutes, brushing them with oil when necessary.  Serve with lemon halves and a green salad.

Chicken-liver croustades

Make some small pastry cases.  Clean the chicken livers (turkey or duck livers can be used instead), separate the pieces, season with walt and pepper, and fry quickly in very hot butter.  Drain.  Fry some slices mushrooms and chopped shallots in butter, then season with salt and pepper.  Warm the empty croustades in the over.

            Add enough Madeira sauce to the mushroom pan to make a filing for the croustades, then add the livers.  Alternatively, deglaze the liver and mushroom cooking juices with Madiera, then thicken with a small amount of beurre manie. Heat up this mixture and use to fill the pastry cases.  Serve very hot.  The croustades can be garnished with slices of truffle poached in Madiera.

Chicken liver fritos

Trim about 500 g (18 oz) chicken or duck livers and puree by rubbing through a sieve or using a blender.  Peel 4 shallots and chop them finely. Separately chop a small bunch of parsley and a small peeled garlic cloves. Gently braise the shallots in 25 g (1 oz 2 tablespoons) butter.  Mix the liver puree, garlic chopped parsley and braised shallots together in a bowl, together with 100 g (4 oz, 2 cups) fresh breacrumbs, 2 beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons Madiera, 2 tablespoons cream, 1 tablespoon plain (all purpose) flour and some salt and pepper.  Knead together to obtain a smooth mixture and leave to rest for 1 hour. Divide the mixture into small pieces (about the size of tangerine), roll into balls, flatten them slightly and dip in batter.  Deep-fry in very hot oil.  Drain well. Serve with a well seasoned tomato sauce and some fried chopped parsley.

Chicken Liver timbale

Prepare some chicken livers and mushrooms as in the recipe for chicken-liver croustades.  Cook some shell-shaled pasta or macaroni al dente.  Drain well.  Add the chicken liver to the pasta, together with the mushrooms and some Madiera sauce (or a Madiera sauce thickened wihth blended arrowroot or beurre manie) and cream.  Adjust the seasoning and serve very hot in timbale mould or large dish

Lamb’s Liver

Lamb’s liver with garlic

Peel and chop very finely as many garlic clove as there are slices of liver.  Melt some butter in a frying pan and saute the liver over a high heat, on both sides.  Season with salt and pepper, drain and keep hot.  Put the garlic in the frying pan, stirring well so that it does not brown.  Immediately deglaze the pan with as many tablespoons of wine vinegar as there are slices of liver, and allow to reduce by half. Coat the liver with this sauce, sprinkle chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Pig’s Liver

Pig’s liver with mustard

Lrd a pig’s (pork) liver with strips of bacon and brush generously with strong mustard.  Sprinkle with chopped parlsey, crushed garlic and a little butter, and cook in a covered casserole in a preheated oven at 150 C (300  F, gas 2) for about 45 minutes. Cut and arrange the liver in slices on a hot dish.  Deglaze the casserole with 1 tablespoon mustard and 2 tablespoon wine vinegar; coat the liver with this sauce.

LOAF  In addition to being the name foir an item of bread, loaf is used to describe a variety of moulded mixtures.  Typically, iit is a preparation made from a moulded forcemeat cooked in the oven in a bain marie.  The basic ingredient of the forcemeat may be fish (such as pike, carp, salmon, whiting) or shellfish (lobster, crab, crayfish), poultry, meat, game or even  foie gras.

            Vegetable loaves may be made using green vegetables such as endive (chicory), spinach and lettuce, braised and mixed with beaten eggs, artichoke hearts, aubergines (eggsplants); cauliflower or carrot.

            Although long, deep loaf tins (pans) are usually used loaf mixtures can be baked in any shape or size of mould. Delicate mixtures are cooked in a bain marie.  Loaves do not have to be serve hot--many  are  cooled before serving.  Some are not even cooked and may be cold mixtures of fish, shellfish or chicken set in mould lined with aspic.

LOBSTER  A marine crustacean related to the crayfish and crab and found in cold seas.  It is the largest and most sought after shellfish.  It has a thick shell and its small pointed head bears long red antennae.  The abdomen is in seven sections and terminates in a fan-shaped tail.  The first pair of claws, which are full of meat, end in large powerful pincers.  The thorax contains a creamy substance (the liver) and hen lobsters frequently have a coral, often used in the sauce served with lobster.  The abdomen or tail, is filled with dense-texture white meat that  can be cut into escalopes (scallops) or medallions.

            There are two main types: the European lobster, found in British and Norwegian waters, and the Northern lobster, fished off the east coasts of Canada and the United States.  When cooked, the lobster turns from blue or greenish to red, which is why it is sometimes called the cardinal of the seas’ (Monselet).  Although a prolific breeder, the lobster has had to be protected; since 1850 experiments in lobster farming have been carried out on both sides of the Atlantic, but it is still regarded as a rather special delicary.

            A live lobster, which can be identified by the reflex actions of the eyes, antennae and claws should not show any signs of damage from fighting or have any pieces missing when it is bought, especially if it is to be boiled.  A female is generally heavier and better value than a male of the same size and in the opinion of gourmets has a better flavour.

Lobster cardinal

Cook a lobster in a court-bouillon. Drain, cool a little and split it lengthway. Remove the flesh from the tail and cut it into slices of equal thickness.  Cut off the claws, take out the flesh and dice it to make a salpicon.  Add an equal quantity of diced truffles. Bind the salpicon with a lobster sauce.  Fill the halves of the lobster shell with the salpicon.  Place the slices of lobster interpersed with strips of truffles on top.  Pour on some lobster sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese and melted butter.  Place the lobster halves on a baking sheet and brown them quickly in the  oven.  Garnish with curly parsley.

Lobster en chemise

Plunge a lobster head first into boiling water to kill it and drain immediately.  Season with salt and pepper and brush with oil or melted butter.  Wrapit in a double thickness of oiled greaseproof (wax) paper, tie it securely and put it on a baking sheet.  Cook in a preheated oven at 230  C (450  F, gas 8) for 40-45 minutes for a medium size lobster.  Remove the string and serve the lobster in the paper in which it has been cooked.

            It can be accompanied either by half-melted maitre d’hotel butter or by aan americaaine, bearnaise, Bercy, bordelaise, hongroise or curry sauce.

Lobster escalopes a la parisienne

Cook a medium sized lobster in a court bouillon and leave to cool.  Remove the shell and cut the meat intothick slices. Coat slice separately with gelatine-thickkkened mayonnaise and garnish with a slice of truffle dipped in the half set-mayonnaise jelly; brush over with more jelly to give a glaze. Finely  dice the rest of the lobster flesh and  mix it with a salad; Finely diced truffles can also be added. Bind with thickened mayonnaise and pack this salad into a domed- shaped  mould out into the centre of a round serving dish and arrange the lobster slices all around it and the border .  Garnish with a chopped jelly.

Lobster  Henri  Duvernois

Split a lobster in half lengthways or if it is large , cut it up as for a lobster a l americaine. Season with a salt and paprica and saaute it in butter . as soon as it is well colourd , take it out of the pan . Add to the butter in the pan 4 tablespoon julienne of leeks and mushroom that have been tossed in butter . Put the lobster back in the pan and add 150ml (1/4 pint ,2/3 cup) sherry and 2 tablespoon brandly. Reduce the liquid, pour in some single (light) cream , cover and simmer until cooked . Arrange the lobster on a long serving dish and garnish with a rice pilaf . Boil down the sauce ,whisk in 40( 1 ½ oz, 3 tablespoon )butter and pour over the lobster.

Lobster in court- bouillon

Prepare a really well-flavoured court-bouillon –to 2 liters (3 ½ pints , 9cups) water add the following ingredients: 2 meduim carrots ,l  turnip , the white of leek and l celery stick (all finely decided), a large bouget garni , an onion struck with 2 cloves , as a small garlic clove ,500 ml. (17fl oz 2 cups) dry white wine , 200 ml (7fl oz ¾ cup )vinegar salt pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper . Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes . Plunge the lobster head first into the boiling court- bouillon and let it simmer gently, allowing  10 – 15 minutes per 450g (1 lb) . Drain, if it is to be served cold , tie it on to small board so that it keeps it shape and leave it to get completely cold .

            A lobster weighing about 450g (I lb) should be split length ways and served in 2 halves . If the lobster is large, take off the tail , remover the meat and cut  it into medallions. Split the body in half length way and remove  the crack the claws .Arrange the medallions on the tail shell and plce the 2 halves of the body together to resemble a whole lobster again . Garnish with the claws . Serve with the mayonaise .

Lobster with cream

Cut up the lobster as described in the recipe for lobster . Saute the pieces  of the lobster in butter until they are completely red. Season with salt an dew pepper . Pour off the butter  and deglaze the suate pan with 3 tablespoon brandly . Flame the lobster . Then add 400ml(14fl oz, 1 ¼ cups ) double 9heavy ) cream . Adjust the seasoning , add a pinch of cayenne pepper, cover the pan and cook gently for a maximum of 10minutes . Drain the lobster pieces and arrange them in the deep serving dish ; keep hot ,cold the juice of half a lemon to the saute pan and reduce the cream by half . Add 25g (1oz, 2 tablespoon ) butter whisk and pour over the lobster .

Lobster  sauce

Prepare 300ml (1/2 pint , 1 ¼ cups ) fish fumet made with white  wine . Reduce it by two – thirds,, lets  it ccool aand add 4 eggs tyolks ; whisk overt a low heat until thick and  light . Melt 250g (9oz , 1 ccup) buteer and blend it into the sauce , whisking constantly . Add 2 tablespoon lobster butter . Still whisking season with salt aand pepper add the juice of half a lemon . At the last moment , a little diced lobster meat can be added .

Lobster sauteed a l orange

Split a lobster  in half lenghways,     and pound the small claws, which should be cut off close to   and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Add enough oil to just cover the contents of the pan  and cook over the lowest possible heat so that the oil does not smoke.

            Rub the mixture through a sieve and adjust the seasoning.  Put 4 tablespoons of this oil into a saute pan, slice 4 shallots and 1 onion and brown them in the oil.  Together with hald an orange cut into large dice and some tarragon leaves.  Push this mixture to the sides of the pan to leave the centre free and put in the lobsters, flesh side down.  Boil for 3 minutes to reduce the liquid.

            Pour the juice of half an orange into the pan.  Turn the  lobster halves over on to the shell sides and add the claws.  Puree the coral and the intestines with 2 tablespoons single (light) cream in a blender.Add a little brandy, a pinch of cayenne  pepper and some chopped tarragon.  Garnish the lobster halves with this mixture.  Put under a preheated grill (broiler) for 3 minutes and serve at once.

Spit-roast lobster

Plunge a large live lobster head first into boiling salted water for a few minutes, then put it on a spit spit.Season with salt, pepper, thyme and powdered bay leaf, then brush with melted butter or oil. Roast it over a dish or roasting pan containing a few tablespoons of dry white wine and baste frequently while cooking.  A lobster weighing about 1.5 kg (3¼ lb)needs to be cooked for 40-45 minutes.  Remove the lobsters from the spit and arrange it on a long serving dish; serve the juice collected in the pan separately. Spit roast lobster can be served with a curry or rawgote sauce.

LOGANBERRY  The loganberry is a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. It is an American hybrid named after James H Logan, who first grew it in California in 1881.  The loganberry is a large, juicy, dark red fruit, with a tart flavour, but is  considered by some people to be less delicious than the raspberry.  Loganberry can be eaten fresh or used in the same way as raspberries.

LOIN  A cut of veal, lamb, pork or mutton that induces some of the ribs.  It is usually roasted or braised whole or can be divided into cutlets or chops.

            Boned (boneless) veal loin is cooked with the bones placed alongside the roast to add their flavour to the meat.  When cooking loin of mutton (or lamb, which is more delicate), the fat is lightly trimmed, the tops of the cutlets bones are scraped and the joint chined in order to make carving easier.

            Although boned pork loin, tied up and lightly harded, makes an excellent roast, the meat is tastier when cooked on the bone.  The butcher should be asked to split the  vertebrae and separate the top of each rib.    Then  tie all the ribs together to form a crown before roasting.  Boned loin can also becut into cubes and cooked on skewers.

LOIRE WINES  For a little more than half its length, between Pouilly-sur-Loire and Nantes, the longest river in France is bordered by gently sloping hills where vines have been cultivated since Roman times.  Different varieties of vines are grown in the different kinds of soil, the main ones being Cabernet Franc (and some Gamay) for red and rose wines and Chenin Blanc (or Pinean de la Loire) and Sauvignon Blanc for whites.  These produce a wide range of wines, ranging from sweet to dry, still to sparkling. Much rose wine is produced.  All the wines are inclined to be elegant and refreshing and some of the whites can attain a very high quality; most  should be drunk while relatively young, although this depends on both the vintage and the maker.

            From east to west, the Loire Valley is divided into nine main wine producing areas of varying sizes.  Upriver, producers in the small town of Pouilly-sur-Loire are Sauvignon Blanc grapes to make fine Pouilly Blanc Fume, the more ordinary Pouilly sur-Loire wines being made from Chasselas.  Sancerre, nearby, produce many respected dry whites, made only from the Sauvignon Blanc and some red and rose wines.made from Pinot Noir.  The small regions of Quincy and Reuilly make dry whites from Sauvignon Blanc.  The extensive vineyard of Touriane produce all kinds of wine – red, white and rose still and sparkling.  The reds include Chinon.  Bourgueil and St- Nicolas-de-Bourueil, and Champigny.  The whites, which include Montlouis and Vouvray, range from still to fully sparkling, from dry to sweet and luscious.  Slightly to the north, in the Sarthe, Jasnieres makes dry and sweet whites.  The Cotecaux-du-Loir area is known mainly for its reds.  Anjou, like Tourine, produces a huge range of wines, notably roses and pleasant whites.  The finest wines are the reds of Saumur-Champigny and the sparkling white and rose Saumur wines.  Furhther down the river, thesweeter wines of the Cotecaux-du-Layon, including Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux are famous, and Savennieres makes distinguissshed dry white.   Nearer the sea, the dry whites Muscadet and Gros Plant are made.

LOLLIPOP  A sweetmeat made of boiled sugar mounted on a little stick, which is held in the hand for sucking. Lollipops which appeared at the end of 19^th century, are flavoured with fruit, caramel   sugar or combined contrasting colours.

            The name is also used for a wide variety of ices frozen on a stick inserted in the freezing mould.  The simplest frozen lollipops are fruit flavoured, but there are many products made with ice creams as well as water based mixtures.

LOLLO  Generic name for several varieties of lettuce known for their small size, maximum 20 cm (8 in) and their shape without a firm heart.  The soft finely ribbed, divided leaves are more or less coloured at the tips.  Lollo, lettuce leaves are used in salad, they are tender and slightly crisp.

LONGAN  An oval fruit about the size of a plum, originating in India and China. Its red, pink oryellow skin covers firm, white, translucent flesh which is quite sweet and surrounds a large black stone  (pit) with a white eye shaped marking (hence the Chinese name for the fruit -–lung-yen, meaning dragon’s eye).  The longan is somewhat similar to a lychee, but has a fainter aroma.  In France it can be bought canned in syrup, or sometimes crystallized (candied).  It is used in fruit salads and can beliquidized to make a refreshing drink.

LONGANIZA  A half dried, half smoked Spanish sausage, rather like a fat chorizo sausage.  Made from fatty sausagemeat, which is highly coloured and seasoned with hot peppers and aniseed, it is eaten fried, particularly with egg dishes, or uncooked.

LONGCHAMP  The main racecourse of Paris whose name was given to a thick soup, based on a pea puree.

RECIPE

Longchamp soup

Cut some sorrel into fine strips and soften it in butter in a covered saucepan.  When well braised, add 4 tablespoons sorrel to 1 litre (1¾ pints, 4 1/3  cups) pureed fresh peas.  Add 500 ml (17 fl oz, 2 cups) stock with vermicelli and stir well.  Heat up the soup and sprinkle with parsley.

LONGEOLE  A sauge from Switzerland or Savoy, made with vegetables (spinach, beet, cabbage, leeks), which are cooked, drained and bounded, then mixed with pork fat and pluck (heart, lungs and spleen), Longeoles are braised and can be preserved in oil.

LONZO  An item of Corsican charcuterie prepared in the same way as coppa, but using the fillet instead of the faux filet.  The fillet is boned, rubbed with salt and coated with saltpetre, then washed with garlic flavoured red wine, dried and dusted with paprika.  It is then pressed into a pig’s intestine and tied up with string. Lonzo is eaten in thin slices as an hors d’oeuvre.

LOQUAT  The pear-shaped fruit of an ornamental evergreen tree that is native to China and Japan and is cultivated in the Mediterraanean basin, as well as in Australia and North, Central and South America.  The loquat, which is the size of crab apple, is also called Japanese medlar skin and white, yellow or orange flesh  that may be firm or soft, depending on the variety.  The fruit may contain one or more seeds.  The loquat is eaten raw as a dessert fruit when very ripe, having a slightly acid refreshing flavour.  It can also be made into jam, jelly, syrup or a liqueur.

LORETTE  A garnish for large joints of roast beef and smaller sauteed ones.  It consists of chicken croquettes small bunches of asparagus tips and sliced truffles.  A demi-glace sauce is used for large roast for the sauteed steaks the pan is deglazed with Madiera and demi-glace.

            Lorette potatoes are deep-fried cheese-flavoured dumphire potatoes, lorette salad consists of lamb’s lettuce with a julienne of ceeleriac and cooked beetroot(beet).

RECIPE

Lorette potatoes

Prepare a dauphine potato mixture and add grated Gruyere cheese, using 100 g (4 oz, 1 cup) for 675 g (1½ lb) potato mixture.  Divide the mixture into portions of about 40 g (1½ oz, 3 tablespoons) and mould into crescent shapes, or use a piping (pastry) bag to make stick shapes or knobs,.  Allow to dry for 30minutes in the refrigerator, then deep-fry until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

LORAINE  This province comprises widely different regions.  The Vosges mountains are rich in forests and pastures.  The rugged countryside of the Vogesprings and beautiful oak and beech forest is famous for wild boar, mushrooms and bilberries (chuckberries) and for the rearing of horned cattle, whose milk is used for making some well known cheeses (often strong or flavoured).  The Lorraine plateau with its fertile soil, increasingly used for growing maize (corn) and animal feed for horned cattle- both beef and dairy preds and also for sheep and pigs. The slopes of the Mause region with its varied agricultural activities, are covered in vineyards, orchards and pastures.  The rivers – the Meuse, Moselle and Ornain – are rich in carp, pike and rout.

            Lorraine beer no longer enjoy the same it once died, but mirabelle, raspberry,  quetche and cherry brandies are still rightly, highly appreciated.

LORRAINE, A LA  Describes a preparation of large cut of meat, usually braised, which are garnished with red cabbage, cooked in red wine, and apples. The braising juices are served as an accompanying sauce after the fat has been skimmed

            The term is also used to define other specialties from Lorraine, such as potee (smoked ham soup) and quiche as well as various egg based dishes, all of which include smoked bacon and Gruyere Cheese.

RECIPES

Baked eggs a la lorraine

Grease an ovenproof egg dish with butter and line it with 3-4 rashers (slices) of grilled (broiled) smoked bacon together with 3-4 thinslices of Gruyere cheese.  Break 2 eggs into the dish and pour a ring of double (heavy) cream around the yolks.  Bake in a preheated over at 180ºC (350ºF, gas 4) for 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are just set.

Flat omelette a la lorraine

For a 6 egg omellete, dice 150 g (5 oz, 6 slices) smoked bacon and saute in butter. Shred 65 g (2½ oz,½ cup) Gruyere cheese.  Prepare 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives.  Beat the eggs and add the rest of the ingredients, then season with pepper.  Melt 15 g (½ oz, 1 tablespoon) butter in a frying pan, pour in the mixture.  Cook on one side, then turn and cook the other side.

LOTUS  An Asian plant related to the water lily.  Its roots, leaves and seeds are used in cookery.  The large fan shaped leaves are dried, then used as a wrapping for steamed foods, to which they give a delicate flavour, particularly to rice mixtures.

            The young leaves are chopped and used in cooking a herb or in the same way as spinach.  In Java, lotus leaves are stuffed with prawns (shrimp) and rice, while in China they are stuffed with chopped meat and onion.  In Vietnam, lotus seeds which have a nutty taste are used in a very popular sweet soup.

In Chinese cookery, the seeds are used dried, when they may be ground to a powder for thickening or simmered to make a sweet filing for steamed buns and other sweet specialities. The dried lotus seeds can be eaten as a snack or used in savoury braised dishes.  The seeds are either pickled in vinegar or candied syrup.

            Lotus roots are the most striking and widely recognized parts of the plant.  They are underwater stems, rather than roots, and when cut crossways the hollow channels that run along their length are releaved.  Fresh roots have to be thickly peeled and they are often sliced before being boiled or stir-fried.  The round holes resulting from the channels give the slices an attractive, flower like appearance.  The flavour is delicate, yet distinctive, and the texture is firm and slightly crunchy.  Lotus root is known as reukon in Japanese cookery. In Europe and America fresh lotus roots are available in specialist markets and shop scanned lotus root is available prepared and sliced.

LOUISIANE  A chicken dish in which the bird is stuffed with a mixture of creamed sweetcorn and diced red and green (bell)peppers, browned on the hob (stovetop) then baked in the overn in a covered casserole, with a few herbs.  It is basted frequently.  When it is nearly cooked, some chicken stock and Madiera are added.  The chicken is served with a  garnish of sweetcorn in cream (sometimes in tartlets) rice moulded in darioles and thick fried slices of banana  (possibly arranged on fried slices of sweet potato).  The accompanying sauce consists of the strained and skimmed liquid.

LOUP D’ ATLANTIQUE  Fish of the Anarbicbadidae family, often confused with sea bass, known as wolf fish (loup) in the Mediterranean.  With a length of 1.2-1.5m (1-5 ft), it is differentiated by its elongated body, its strong head, its rounded muzzle and its very large prominent canine teeth. The loup d’Atlantique lives in cold water about 150 m (1.75 ft) deep, from the south of the British Isles to Green land.  Its flesh similar to that of ling, n the same ways as cod.

LOUPIAC  A sweet AOC white wine, form the right bank of the River Garonne, opposite.  Barsac, some 30 km (20 miles) south-east of Bordeaux.  The wines are full-bodied and with a pronounced bouquet.

LOUQUENKA  A small raw sausage from the Basque area, flavoured with pimiento and garlic. It is traditionally eaten grilled  (broiled) with oysters.

LOVAGE  An aromatic herb, which originally came from Persia but is now naturalized in many parts of celery and the plant used to be popular inEngland.  It is also used in Germany, where its leaves and seeds flavours salads, soups and meat dishes.  The leafstalks are blanched and eaten in salads but they can also be crystallized (candied) rather like angelica.  The roots too are used as a salad vegetable(raw or cooked) and can be dried and ground for use as a condiment Lovage is also added to coolk summer drinks.

LOVING CUP  vidrecome  A large drinking vessel usually with two handles originating in Germany and used in the Middle Ages at banguets, when it was passed from one guest to another.  The French name, which comes from the German wieder (again) and kovumen (come), means literally to start drinking again.

LUCULLUS, LUCIUS LICINIUS  Roman general (106-56 BC), now remembered chiefly for the splendour and luxury of his feasts.  After winning a brilliant victory over Mithridates,  Lucullus retired to his country villa, where he lived on a grand scale.  Each of his various dining halls was used according to the amount of money spent on the meals and served there. Thus, surprised one day by the unexpected arrival of Caesar and Cicero, who wanted to share his meal but would not allow him to change anything on their account, he served them in the Apollo room, where  the cost of meals had been fixed at 100,000 sesterces.  One night, when he was on his own, he reprimanded his cook for preparing a less elaborate meal than when there were guest, and shouted at him.  Today Lucullus is dining at Lucullus’s.

            It was Lucullus who introduced the pheasant, the peach tree and the cherry tree to hisnative country.

RECIPES

Hot snipe pate Lucullus

Bone 8 snipe and lay them out flat on a working surface.  Prepare some fine forcemeat a la crème and mix with a third of its volume of foie gras and chopped snipe’s entrails.  Spread the forcemeat over the birds and place a piece of truffle in the middle.  Reshape the birds and pour some Cognac over them.

Line an oval mould with pastry and spread over it a layer of forcemeat a la crème mixed with half its volume of gratin forcemeat.  Place the snipe in the mould, packing them close together and filling in the gaps with the forcemeat.  Top with a layer of forcemeat and cover with some rashers (slices) of bacon.  Cover the mould with a lid of pastry, seal and crimp the edges, then garnish with pastry motifs.  Make an opening in the middle and brush with beaten egg.

Place the mould in a bain marie, bring to the boil over a moderate heat, then cook in a preheated oven at 180  C (350  F, gas 4) for about 1 hour.  Cut away the pastry lid, take off the layer of bacon and  unmould the pate.  Add to it a ragout of truffles bound with a few spoonfuls of Madiera-flavoured game stock.  Replace the pastry lid and heat up the plate in the oven.  Serve immediately.

Macaroni Lucullus

Boil some macaroni until cooked at dente.  Prepare a very concentrated Madiera sauce, then add it to a salpicon of truffle and foie gras.  Arrange alternate layers of macaroni and salpicon in a dish.  Garnish with strips of truffle.

LUMFISH  A fish found in cold seas and therefore abundant in the North sea and the Baltic.  About 50 cm (20 in) long it leads a sedentary life, attaching itself to the rocks by means of sucker on its belly.  It is fished mainly for its eggs.  These are laid in large quantities in March and are yellow in their natural state.  They are dyed black  or red and sold as caviar substitute, but they do not have anything like the dilicious flavour of stungeon’s eggs.

LUNCH  The midday meal in many english-speaking countries. The word was introduced into France in the first half of the 19^th century, and is used for a cold buffets served at a reception where a large number of guests have to be catered for.  In addition to canapes, a lunch of this type consists of cheeses, fruit, petits fours, chilled puddings and a few larger dishes, such as fish in aspic and cold hams.

LUNCHEON MEAT  A cooked meat eaten in Britain and the United States.  Related to the sausage widely used in Germany for putting on bread, luncheon meat is made of a fine pork paste, often with the addition of chunks of lean meat, thickened with flour, and seasoned with salt, saltptre and spices.  The product is available canned or opur inside a skin, which has been smoked and rubbed with olive oil.  In the United States, the term luncheon meat is also used for cold sliced meats used for sandwiches.

LUTRE  A mixture of flour and water, also known in France as repere, used to seal the lid on to an earthenware cooking pot.  The lute hardness as it dries in the heat.  This means that the food is cooked  in a scaled container, avoiding evaporation.

LYCHEE  A fruit that originated in China and which is now grown there and in parts of India.  South  Africa, the West Indies and the United States. It is about the size of a small plum and has a thin, hard probably shell that can be removed easily.  The shell green when unripe, but turns either pink or red or white, juicy, translucent flesh surrounds a large dark brown stone (pit), the fruit has a sweet rather musky flavoured  In chinese cookery, they are often served fresh with meat or fish. They can also be used to enhance a winter fruit salad. Lychees are sold canned, preserved in sugar syrup.  If the fruit is allowed to dry in its shell, it eventually turns black like a prune. These litchi nuts are very sweet with a slightly acid flavour.

LYONNAISE, A LA   Describing various preparations, usually sauteed, characterized by the use of chopped onions which are glazed in butter until golden and often finished off with the pan juices deglazed with vinegar and sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Preparation of leftover meats, cardoons and calf’s head, are also described as a la lyonnaise if they are served  with alyonnaise sauce which has an onion base.

RECIPES

CALF’S HEAD A LA LYONNAISE

Blanc some pieces of calf’s head.  Line an overproof dish with a layer of sliced onions softened in butter, plus some chopped parsley, then arrange the pieces of meat on top.  Cover with lyonnaise sauce.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, moisten with clarified butter and cook au gratin.

Calf’s liver a la lyonnaise

Cut the liver into thin slices and season with salt and pepper.  Coat the slices with flour and saute quickly in butter. Keep them warm on a serving dish.  Peel and slice some onions and soften in butter.  Bind them with a  few spoonfuls of meat glaze and place on top of the liver.  Moisten the liver with a dash of vinegar heated up in the same frying pan and sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Serve with green beans in tomato sauce.

Cardoons a la lyonnaise

Clean some cardoons, cut them up and blanch them in white vegetable stock.  Braise gently in butter.  Add a few spoonfuls of lyonnaise sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Arrange the cardoons in a vegetable dish and serve very hot.

Lyonnaise Potatoes

Parboil some potatoes and slice them  Melt some butter in a frying pan and add the potatoes.  When butter start to turn golden brown, add some finely chopped onions that have been softened in butter; allow 4 tablespoons onions per 675 g (1½ lb) potatoes.  Saute the mixture well.  Arrange in a vegetable dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Lyonnaise Sause

Cook 3 tablespoons finely chopped onions in 15 g (½oz l tablespoon) butter.  When the onions are well soften, add 500 ml (17 fl oz, 2 cups) vinegar and 500 ml (17 fl oz, 2 cups) white wine.  Reduce until almost evaporated then add 200 ml (7 fl oz, ¾ cup) demi-glace.  Boil for 3-4 minutes, then strain the sauce or serve it unstrained.  Add 1 tablespoon tomato puree (paste) to this sauce if lifed.

Alternatively, sprinkle the cooked onions with 1 tablespoon flour and cook until golden, deglaze with 175 ml (6 fl oz, ¾ cup)  white wine, then add some meat stock or pan juices.  Boil for a few minutes and serve as above.

Omellete alla lyonnaise

Chop some onions finely.  Brown them in butter and add some chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.  Break the eggs into a fried onion per egg).  Cook the omelette and roll it on to serving dish  Pour over it a few spoonfuls of vinegar heated up in the same frying pan and a little noisette butter.

Salt cod ala lyonnaise

Prepare and cook some salt Cod.  Drain, separate the individual flakes and put them in a saucepan. Cover the saucepan and place over a low heat to dry out any water the cod might still contain. Dice 3 large white onions and cook them gently over a low heat in 225 g (8 oz, 1 cup) melted butter.  As soon as they are golden brown, add the cod and saute.  Season with pepper, grated nutmeg and the juice of 1 lemon before serving.

Sauteed veal a la lyonnaise

Take 4 loin chops or 4 escalopes (scallops) of veal and saute in butter. When they are almost cooked, add 4tablespoons sliced onions gently cooked  in butter.  Complete the cooking,  Arrange the meat on a serving dish and keep warm.  Add to saute dish 60 ml (2 fl oz,¼ cup) wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons meat stock.  Reduce and pour over the meat.

Other Recipes. See andouillette, artichoke, bean (haricot bean), beet, civet, crapaudine (en), entrecote, frog, godiveau, herring, mackerel.