The European cookbook for American homes (from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France)

Recipes for vol-au-vent are legion, since their daintiness is a challenge to the ingenuity of the cook. The filling may be any tasty little ragout. Some of the best known are: vol-au-vent a la financiere, with a ragout of olives, mushrooms, sweetbreads, green peas, truffles, and cocks' combs, in a wine-flavored sauce; a la Normande, with fillet of sole, oysters, mussels and mushrooms; a la Macedoine, with carrots, turnips, peas, string beans and cauliflower in Bechamel sauce; au salmon a la ravigote, with salmon, scallops, and white sauce; and vol-au-vent de Brandade, filled with brandade (see recipe). Other vol-au-vents, under various names, are filled with either feathered or furred game, always with truffles or mushrooms; with ragouts having as their base veal or pork, or chicken giblets; and the simplest ones are made with chopped hard-boiled egg in sauce or cheese fondu filling. QUENELLES Quenelles have come to mean any forcemeat, bound with egg, and moulded and rounded between two teaspoons dipped in hot water. But at one time the material used was young . rabbit, as the name indicates — connil, a young coney. They are cooked in boiling salted water and used as a garnish for soup or entrees, or served as a separate dish. The Germans have elaborated on the quenelle in their many meat dumplings, which they have made into an important feature of their cuisine. But the French meat balls are daintier, and a number are worth describing. Quenelles au Foie d'Oie, so nearly German that it hails from Alsace, is made of mashed fat goose liver held together with egg, and cooked in an Alsatian Tokay locally known as Klevner. Quenelles de Veau Dauphinioise: Finely grind veal, work to a paste with a little butter, yolk of egg and cream, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Poach in broth flavored with thyme and serve in a sauce of butter, flour, meat broth, tomato and white wine. Quenelles Lyonnaise: Grind a thick slice of pike and work with beef marrow, some puff paste, and beaten egg white. Form quenelles of cylindrical shape and cook in boiling salted water; drain and serve with sauce Nantua (see recipe). Sprinkle with grated Gruyere cheese. (Some enterprising cook of Lyons no doubt borrowed this from Nantua.) Quenelles de Truites a la Savoyarde: Grind trout, mix with bread crumbs soaked in cream. Serve with crayfish sauce and garnish with crayfish tails. {Legumes) Lyonnais STRING BEANS LYONNAISE {Haricots Verts a la Lyonnaise) 1 pound string beans Salt and pepper 6 tablespoons butter i grating nutmeg 2 medium-sized onions, sliced 1 tablespoon lemon juice thin i tablespoon minced parsley Cook beans in uncovered sauce pan, in slightly salted boiling water. Melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add onions and slowly fry until tender and golden. Add well-drained beans, additional salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Gently toss until mixed with onions. Saute 5 minutes. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter in small bits, lemon juice and parsley. Toss again, and serve. nnais LYONNAISE POTATOES Lyo {Pommes de Terre a la Lyonnaise) 1 tablespoon butter 3 cups small cooked potatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil sliced thin 2 tablespoons salt pork in tiny Salt and pepper dice 3 tablespoons meat gravy 2 small onions, sliced thin 1 tablespoon minced parsley