First off, this is a point completely unrelated to cooking, but I’d just like to say I’m having a problem with the idea that it’s already March. Apparently somebody has taken control of time, and is being nefarious about it. What I’m saying folks, is that there are shenanigans, and this person must be stopped. Thanks.
Okay, so let’s get back to cooking. Baking in parchment is a cooking technique whereby you wrap up some food in parchment paper and then toss it in the oven. The food steams as it bakes; it’s a good idea to drizzle in just a bit of wine, stock or fruit juice (it doesn’t require much) to add a little liquid to help produce steam. The truly great thing about this technique comes during presentation to your guests. You can serve everyone their own individual packet, and cut them open at the table with a pair of scissors or a sharp paring knife. The steam that comes out has a great aroma, and it makes a real impression.
So, a couple of tricks are involved to do this right. First, you need to know how to fold a piece of paper so that it makes an airtight seal. Second, since you’re not going to be able to check on the food to know if it’s done once you wrap it up, you need to know how long the food needs to cook.
Baking in parchment works great with seafood and thinly sliced vegetables, because they will cook quickly. In most cases, you never want to overcook seafood, but in this case, it’s almost better to err on the side of overcooking a little bit. It really ruins the dramatic effect if your guests open their special packages and discover their food is still raw in the middle.
The most general rule for baking seafood is 400º will cook fish 1” in thickness in 10 minutes. With parchment, the food cooks more slowly at the beginning, but once the packet heats up enough to generate its own internal steam, the food inside cooks very quickly.
Figure on serving a 7-8 oz. portion of fish and 6-7 oz. of vegetables per serving. Wrapped up in parchment with a tablespoon of wine, this amount of food should cook in a 400º oven in 9 minutes.
You can find parchment paper or baking paper in your supermarket next to the foil and plastic wrap. The standard size of parchment is 15”x36”, but you can buy it by the roll and cut pieces to length.
Here’s a basic recipe to serve 4; you can switch ingredients (fish, vegetables, herbs, wine) around as you like, but this is the basic form:
Halibut en Papillote
serves 4, oven 400º
4 7-8 oz. halibut fillets
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3/8 lb. asparagus, cut at an angle into 2” pieces
2 roma tomatoes, quartered
1 lemon, sliced to make 8 good slices
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground rosemary
4 good-sized sprigs fresh thyme
4 Tbsp. sherry
Saute mushrooms, onions and garlic in olive oil briefly over high heat until onions soften; season with salt and pepper to taste, reserve. Blanch asparagus in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 2 min.
The traditional way of doing this is to fold each piece of paper in half, then trim it with scissors to make a giant heart shape. Divide the mushroom mix among 4 such paper shapes, placing it in the center, to one side of the fold.
Combine salt, pepper and rosemary. Pat halibut fillets dry with paper towels, rub with olive oil, then rub with seasoning mix. Place fillets atop mushroom mix. Lay thyme sprigs on halibut, top with 2 slices of lemon. Arrange tomato and asparagus next to the fillets. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. wine.
Some people like to put a pat of butter on top. It will add aroma and richness, but for myself, the olive oil here is sufficient. Alaskans like butter on their fish…
To fold up, fold top of heart over food, then starting at the top of the heart, fold up both edges of paper, overlapping the folds as you move along. When you get to the bottom point, tuck the last couple of inches underneath. Transfer packets to a baking sheet and pop in the oven; cook for 9 minutes. Remove from oven.
It’s by far best to open the packets at the table. Using a very sharp paring knife or a pair of scissors, cut an X in the top of each packet and fold back the paper. Obviously, be careful of the steam escaping!
I like this technique because it takes care of both the entree and the vegetable for the meal, so all you have to do is add a starch. Crusty garlic bread works fine for a light meal, otherwise, potatoes, rice or pasta. I’ve had good results from pairing a rich starch with this type of entree, such as a pasta alfredo (and garlic bread!), or rice pilaf with a bit of sharp white cheddar/Double Gloucester stirred in at the end.
Here’s my recipe:
Rice Pilaf with Double Gloucester
serves 4
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. basmati rice, or long grain white rice
2 c. water
3/4 tsp. salt
a very small pinch of nutmeg (1/16 tsp)
6 oz. Double Gloucester or sharp white cheddar
Heat olive oil over medium heat with a bit of onion, until onion starts to sizzle. Add onion, garlic and rice, and saute, stirring constantly, until onions soften, and rice becomes slightly browned and opaque. Reduce heat slightly if necessary to keep from burning rice. Rice should give off a nutty aroma.
Frying the rice like this before adding liquid denatures some of the starch on the outside of the grains, making it less absorbent. Then when you add liquid to the rice, there is less free starch to dissolve into the liquid. This yields a pilaf where the grains are distinct, and less sticky.
Add water, salt and nutmeg. The amount of nutmeg should be just on the threshold of taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover, and simmer 12-15 minutes until ‘pits’ appear on top of rice, and rice is cooked. Fluff rice and fold in cheese, stir lightly to melt. Re-season if necessary.
- Derrick Snyder