Haute cuisine – a cuisine extravagant (Anouk Besselsen)

Haute Cuisine - a cuisine extravagant

Haute cuisine — pronounced /OAT kwih ZEEN/ — is a French term that more literally translates as "high cooking." It's a cuisine that is usually superbly prepared by high caliber chefs food and often comes in small portion sizes. The term is most commonly used to refer to classic French cuisine which roughly dates back to around 1750 to 1975, when nouvelle cuisine, meaning “the new cuisine,” was developed. Some, however, now use haute cuisine to distinguish any country’s elite cuisine from its ordinary cuisine. This style of food preparation is generally used to refer to food that is prepared with particular attention to appearance, used in large celebrations and especially for high-ranking members of society, and requires extremely complex cooking methods.

The earliest characterization of haute cuisine is taken from the 14th century manuscript Le Viandier which translates into English as "the preparer of meats." The book was written by Taillevent, a master cook to Charles V, King of France. In this book, three key elements of what would come to be called "haute cuisine" were identified: attention to seasoning and the plentiful use of spices; separate preparation of protein of the dish from the sauces with which they were served; and notably complex preparation instructions.

A mid 17th century book Le Cuisinier Français — which translates into English as "the cuisine of France" &mdashprovides recipes for some of the elements now viewed as most representative of haute cuisine. Some examples of these recipes include roux which is a a common base for sauces. Roux is prepared by cooking flour — usually wheat flour — together with a fat — usually butter. The resulting product is used as a base for sauces such as bechamel which is a white sauce. Other recipes detailed common haute cuisine elements including farces which is a stuffing of such things as ground chicken, mushrooms and onions; liaisons, which is a thickening agent made of egg yolks and heavy cream; and bouillon which is a strained broth often made from a mirepoix — or combination or onions, carrots, and celery— and a meat like chicken or beef. Haute cuisine eventually came to be associated with an array of stocks and sauces, like béarnaise, coulis, and remoulade sauces.

Also key to haute cuisine is the complex cooking methods, detailed knifework, and its use of pastry in main dishes. The complex cooking methods generally arise from cooking parts of a dish separately and bringing them together in the final presentation, but it also refers to the layers of flavor and numerous ingredients in each part of the dish, such as the sauce.

Some preparations in particular are closely connected with the concept of classic haute cuisine. Béchamel sauce — made by adding milk to a roux, and hollandaise sauce — a combination of butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice are two examples. Aspic — a savory jelly which is used in molded dishes or as a glaze — is another. Consommé — a clarified broth, and forcemeat — raw or cooked meats or vegetables that are finely ground, seasoned and combined with breadcrumbs — are also closely associated with haute cuisine. Entrées associated with haute cuisine include Fillets of Sole Veronique and Poached Eggs au Gratin.

Source: www.wisegeek.com 20-03-2013

Anouk Besselsen:

I was particularly drawn to this article since a lot of people are not aware of where the high end cuisine we know today origins from; France. During our research on high cuisine in France, we found that France developed the ‘haute cuisine’ in the early days of the Middle Ages already. Which was remarkable, since in the rest of Europe dining remained quite simple. However, the nobility was highly represented in France and had an almost 100% influence on every ruling aspect of the country. They also liked to show off their prosperity; and this is how fine dining was found. The dishes had to be as prestige as possible and the first master chefs in the world were hired. What I like most about this article is that they give you an insight on what you may expect in the France haute cuisine. Even the inventions related to recipes mentioned in the article even make you hungry for high end cuisine!