Classic Wines

En Papillote - French Pouch Cooking

In French "en papillote" means "in paper," although it is often translated to "in parchment." In this method, one makes a pouch out of parchment paper, seals it, and allows the heat of the oven to steam the comestibles. It is a cooking method that is easy, quick, elegant, fun, and healthy. It's easy because it cooks quickly, it doesn't need to be stirred or watched, and clean up is painless. It makes an elegant presentation because it's served in the closed pouch; it's fun because the eater gets to open the pouch and unlock the surprise and aroma of the food getting steamed in its own juices - and to add to the long list of praises, it's healthy because it's steamed, and the vegetables often added for flavor are cooked and steamed in the pouch, leaving all of the nutrients in place.

You can use this method to cook vegetables, fruit, fish, chicken, and pasta - anything that can be steamed can be cooked en papillote. This method of cooking is usually preferred for the more delicate, leaner fish, such as sole or flounder.

Freshness is important for all recipes, but even more so in this cooking style, as the aim is to wow and tantalize the nose of your diners. It's a good idea to have your mise en place, or preparation, ready. The pouch can be entirely vegetable or partly vegetable. You want the veggies in the pouch for flavor, and you can use a variety of vegetables depending on the other pouch companions. Aromatics, such as onions, shallots, garlic, celery and carrots are good candidates for any pouch. Also, please try to julienne all vegetables accordingly, so that they all cook quickly and evenly.

The protein should be a thin filet of some kind, it could be fish or chicken. Thin is important if you want it to cook quickly. The thickest it should be is ¾ of an inch, but I'd go with ½ an inch just to be safe, as it is a pain to open the oven, lose heat from the oven, undo the bag, lose steam from the bag, close the bag, open the oven again, and - you get the drift...

It's good to add a little fat for depth, such as butter or olive oil, but it isn't necessary. A little bit, as in one teaspoon, of lemon or lime juice, and/or a tablespoon of white wine or dry vermouth help bring out the food's flavor. These added flavorful liquids not only help the steaming process, but add further aroma giving it that little kick of tang that sends an "mmmmm... eat me now" message to your brain.

As far as the parchment paper goes, you don't have to go out and buy some. Aluminum foil works just as well - the only thing is that the parchment paper is prettier looking for presentation, as it puffs up and turns slightly brown. To cut it in the right shape, fold the parchment paper in half, and cut it the way you'd cut out a big, elementary school Valentine's Day heart, and if artistic flair fails you, rectangles also work. The paper has to be large enough to place your filet inside the folded "heart" and have about an inch or more of space all around before the edge of the paper. You crimp from the widest part of the "heart" down, folding the paper over itself. If the paper is not being cooperative, fold it as much as you can and staple the paper together. There is no point in frustrating yourself.

It's a good idea to assemble your pouch on the place where you plan on cooking it, such as on the baking sheet, in order to avoid accidents. You can butter/oil the paper, or not. I like to put the protein down first, then add a slice of a citrus fruit (lemon and lime work great with fish, but no one said you couldn't use grapefruit or an orange sections), the julienne vegetables, herbs, alcohol and/or citrus juice, and butter or olive oil.

With the en papillote method, you can execute an entire meal fairly quick, depending on how much chopping you decide to do and on what side you wish to serve your little pouch with (cous cous, rice, and quinoa are great sides). Set your oven at 400 and cook these delectable pouches for 6-10 minutes, and enjoy!