French Provincial Cooking - Elizabeth David [56]
Laurier, Feuilles de BAYLEAVES Part of the traditional bouquet garni and a flavouring for scores of stews and soups.
Levure YEAST.
Macis MACE The beautiful bright orange, lacy outer covering of the nutmeg. Ground mace is a valuable seasoning for many aromatic preparations, such as stuffings and pâtés, as well as for spiced cakes and breads.
Maïs, Farine de MAIZE FLOUR, POLENTA Common in the south-western provinces of France, and used to make various coarse rustic cakes and breads as well as for cramming geese which are being fattened for the sake of their livers.
Maizena A proprietary name for CORNFLOUR.
Marc, Eau de vie de A spirit made from the skins of the grapes after the juice has been pressed for wine. Marc is made in every wine-growing area and the quality varies enormously. The best ones seldom reach the market, as every wine-grower is allowed by law to distil only a certain very small percentage of marc, fixed in proportion to the amount of wine he produces. These marcs are, of course, used a certain amount in cookery since they are ready to hand and also much preferred by the people who make them to the brandies of Cognac and Armagnac. When a recipe specifically calls for marc, vodka makes a reasonable substitute.
Marinade For details of the process of marinating and for recipes, see pages 77 and 128.
Marjolaine MARJORAM An aromatic herb used to flavour stuffings and stews. More commonly used in England, especially to flavour sausages, than in France.
Mauve MALLOW I have never come across this plant in French cookery, although I believe it is still used as a vegetable, and for infusions, in country districts. In the Middle East it is the basis of a popular soup called Melokhia; its mucilaginous nature makes it rather an acquired taste for Europeans.
Mélisse LEMON-BALM Used in infusions and in a liqueur called eau des Carmes, or eau de mélisse des Carmes.
Menthe MINT Very little used in French cookery. Our mint sauce is considered positively barbaric by the French; sauce paloise, a béarnaise sauce flavoured with mint, is, however, admitted to be a good, although recent, invention.
Miel HONEY The most highly prized honey in France comes from the Narbonne district and is said to owe its distinctive aromatic flavour to the nectar of the rosemary flowers which have been sucked by the bees. Other excellent honeys come from the Gâtinais, Normandy, Burgundy, Champagne, the Savoie, Saintonge, and upper Provence. A number of spiced breads and cakes, particularly the pain d’épice of Dijon and other districts, are made with honey and rye flour.
Mignonnette Coarsely ground white peppercorns. According to Larousse, mignonnette formerly meant a mixture of allspice, nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves enclosed in a little muslin sachet which was steeped for a few moments in a dish, in order to impart an aromatic flavour.
Mirepoix A basic preparation of chefs’ cookery, composed of the red part of carrots, onions, celery and raw ham all cut into dice and stewed very gently in butter, with the addition of bayleaf and thyme. The mixture forms the basis of many sauces, including espagnole, and of preparations such as braised chickens, croquettes and so on.
Moutarde Mustard, one of the oldest condiments of French cookery, is mainly sold in France in the form of mustard flour mixed with verjuice, grape must or vinegar, and aromatic herbs and spices. The one most commonly used for flavouring sauces is the tarragon mustard of Dijon. The firms of Grey-Poupon and Maille are famous for the finesse of their Dijon mustards, and that of Louit for Bordeaux mustard. This firm also puts out a mustard flavoured with the piment of the Pays Basque, which is excellent. It is worth spending the small extra sum for genuine Dijon or Bordeaux mustards, for the English imitations of French mustards have not the same flavour. For sauces, choose a mustard with a good yellow colour; the darker ones spoil the look of the sauce.
Moutarde de Chine The variety of