Who remembers how an ultrafashionable soup was served in restaurants of the unforgettable "soviet" past, after cold snacks, in tiny cocottes, with a ruddy cheese crust? The excitement around this dish was heated either by a melodic, or murmuring, like a brook, French word “Julien”. So, this dish has nothing to do with French cuisine.
No wonder they say that demand creates supply. There was a funny thing in the history of cooking. After the victory of the Republicans in France, the ruined investors rushed into Russia, looking for a living and a better life, and this exodus of the French from Europe happened during the reign of Peter the Great. The French are well placed in the rich houses of Russian nobility, as teachers of the French language, trendsetters and chefs. Serf cooks, who were immediately lowered to the level of kitchen workers, were not taught any French language and manners. The Frenchman, the chef, shouted indignantly: “Julien, Julien ...” because in Russian cuisine it was often not at all customary to cut the ingredients, and even more so - very thin. Not understanding what the word means, the cooks and apprentices called the dish a soup-julienne. They say that it was about mushrooms baked in sour cream.
In France, the soup-julienne with mushrooms and cheese is still, even the professionals, while serving, emphasize that this is an old Russian recipe, and in the restaurant menu the word “old” is recorded in transliteration, that is, without translation . Only the French have transferred the dish to the category of hot appetizers.
Most likely, the cook and her children were able to retain jobs, learning to cut into straws and remembering the names of some French cheeses, because the recipe for julienne was repeatedly stated in old Russian cookbooks. This marketing ploy was duplicated by catering workers in a network of restaurants fighting for the title of institutions with a high culture of service. Again, the French word worked, the meaning of which the technologists and visitors did not bother to look in the dictionary. Julien soup was too tasty to pay attention to the technical details of its preparation. Now you can’t surprise anyone with a julienne; any housewife can cook it, but extending the culinary horizon will not harm anyone.
Julienne with mushrooms and cheese - the main technological moments
Since a julienne is a dish with an unusual history and cheating, the particularities of its preparation will have to be considered in this perspective, leaving readers the right to decide for themselves which ingredients and processing methods to choose for making this soup.
The very first Russian julienne with French soups did not have the slightest resemblance. The prototype of this dish was the age-old Russian dish - mushrooms, baked in sour cream. The Frenchman, who was watching how the serf cooks cooked him, certainly appreciated the dish, and his emotional exclamation “Julien” only meant that it was necessary to chop the mushrooms into very thin straws. The serf peasant women, of course, did not speak French, so they decided that Monsieur calls the dish so. That's all the wisdom associated with the origin of the French name of the dish in Russian cuisine.
Note that the traditional Russian soup, broths and other first courses were prepared from whole or very large pieces of vegetables, roots and all other ingredients. By the way, any dish consisted of one or two components, with the exception of rich soup. All this was loaded without any special cutting, not to mention the thin straw, which, of course, shocked the arriving French chefs. Russian scope was always not clear to them.
At that time, Russian cuisine mainly used spices and spicy roots of local origin, and there were few of them, and France already colonized the southern countries, smelling the aroma of exotic spices, which the French, naturally and immediately, used in all the recipes of their dishes in order to consolidate the title of connoisseurs of high cuisine.
In order to completely understand and distinguish between Russian and French technologies, one must add that French soups are prepared on the basis of clear broths. There is, of course, the French have such a dish as a cream soup, but it is unlikely that a French chef would think of thickening the cream soup with flour, as in Russian cuisine. They say that the French in the intervals between meals most of the time argue about how to properly eat, to keep a slim figure, but the flour does not contribute to this. But this is in France, which is closer to the south, and in Russia, the flour dressing is calories, which give energy that warms in the cold. In any case, before humanity stepped into the era of technical progress, the Russian people had to adapt to the more severe conditions of their vast expanses, and it was difficult to give up habits - all the more, they took shape over the centuries. By the way, the creamy sauce, which the French prepare for a hot appetizer of juliens with mushrooms and cheese, has flour in the ingredients as the main thickener, and not mayonnaise, as many housewives think. That is, talk by talk, and the Russian flour dressing recipe went to France, and became known as the trademark bechamel. Oh, those French! Mayonnaise is, of course, very tasty, but it is categorically not suitable for hot processing, besides it has much more calories than in a creamy sauce made from flour, butter and milk. It is not always necessary to follow the French fashion.
Another example: after the French had taught all the housewives of Russia to cook in French, they took to France the favorite ingredient of Russian cuisine - the turnip, and still successfully add it to their French soups, while we eat potatoes, with its many carbohydrates. They even learned to cook Russian soup, to understand the varieties of fish and types of mushrooms, although, from the gifts of the forest, they still prefer mushrooms and truffles.
The French love cheese. Between the main course and dessert, they will surely eat a small piece, while Russian cooks add it to all dishes in large portions, generously in Russian, and in a julienne with mushrooms, cheese is always present, out of respect for the French teachers, and also because It turned out very tasty.
Finally, we note the last difference between French and Russian cuisine - the technology of cooking soups. The traditional French method of preparation consists in a complex step-by-step cooking of products. So vegetables for soups in French cuisine after cutting are pre-boiled, stewed or fried (much less often). The technology of cooking soups in Russian cuisine is simpler than in French. Until the second half of the eighteenth century, when the French influence in Russian cuisine reached its apogee, all the ingredients of any Russian dish, as a rule, were either stewed, or cooked, or baked. With the appearance in Russia of new plates, with a metal coating of the hearth, Russian cuisine was enriched with new technological methods, without losing its national characteristics. If you have already decided which direction to use to make soup, then proceed to the recipes. These are modern variations on the theme of the popular soup.
1. Julien with mushrooms and cheese in Russian
Ingredients:
Ghee 100 g
Onion 350 g
Sour cream (15-20%) 450 g
Chicken fillet 1.2 kg
Broth 900 ml
Parsley 60 g
White mushrooms (or champignons) 250 g
Spice
Flour 120g
Hard cheese 300 g
Cooking:
Cut the meat into bars, onions and mushrooms in thin strips: pre-divide the caps and legs of the mushrooms. All slicing should be “Julien”! Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the chicken fillet until half cooked. Add the mushrooms and onions. In 0.5 liters of broth, dilute sour cream and flour: you can use a blender. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, with mushrooms and meat. The broth should be quite thick, similar to the liquid puree. Bring to the desired taste by adding salt, a mixture of peppers, lemon zest.
In ceramic bouillon cups, portion pots or other suitable dishes, pour the soup, dividing it into 4-5 servings, and put it on the pan. Sprinkle the surface of each portion with grated cheese, put in a preheated oven and bake until golden brown. Decorate each serving with parsley before serving.
2. Spicy Julienne with Mushrooms and Cheese
Required:
Tomatoes 600 g
Chives (chisel, sharp) 180 g
Eggs 6 pcs.
Broth (or water) 1.2 l
Hot pepper (“Ratunda”) 360 g (net)
Mushrooms marinated 450 g
Onion 240 g
Basil 90 g
Cream Cheese 420 g
Salt
Parsley 100 g
Smoked ham 550 g
Carrots 200 g
Spice
Cooking Technology:
Blanch the tomatoes and peel them. It is advisable to choose the fruits of a fleshy variety, dense, with a small amount of grains. Cut into thin plates, dividing each of them in half. Remove the seeds from the pepper, cut into strips. The same straw cut onions, mushrooms, carrots, ham. Put a sheet of foil on a baking sheet, grease it with any fat, and spread a thin layer of carrots, tomatoes, peppers, onions. Sprinkle the vegetables with sugar, put the baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven, heated to 250 ° C, for 5-8 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the vegetables are covered with a light caramel crust. In the pan, fry the ham with chive. Spread the prepared vegetables, mushrooms and ham equally into the baking dishes in the oven. Capacity up to half volume, fill with broth, meat, vegetable or mushroom - of your choice. You can pour hot boiled water. Put in the oven for 15 minutes, Tomit at 100 ° C, the flavor of vegetables combined with the broth. Combine part of the broth with cheese, chopped greens, chop with a dipping blender to a uniform consistency. Enter the mixture into the soup in equal parts, stirring intensively with a whisk. Return the baking tray with the portions back to the oven, increase the temperature to 200 ° C so that a crust forms on the surface. Cook poached eggs. Take the pots of julienne, in each portion, place the top of the egg, cut in half, and sprigs of parsley and basil. Serve with croutons.
3. Julienne with mushrooms and cheese in chicken broth with dumplings
Products:
Minced chicken 300 g
Onions 100g
Pepper 10 g
Broth 600 ml
Egg 1 pc.
Parsley
Salt
Lemon 1 pc.
Mushrooms 250 g
Butter or margarine for frying mushrooms
Cooking:
Mix stuffing with chopped onion, salt and pepper, beat to viscosity. Keep in the fridge, at least for an hour. Then form with the help of teaspoons of dumplings, weighing 25-30 g. Boil them in broth, salt to taste. Dumps get skimmer and temporarily shift to the plate. Fry the mushrooms, cut into thin strips, in French.
Strain the broth and pour part, 200-300 ml, in a separate bowl. Pour one piece back into the pan. In the cooled part, enter the raw egg, whisk until smooth. Pour the broth with the egg into the boiling part, stirring actively. In the thickened liquid, put the dumplings, mushrooms, chopped parsley. Remove the zest from the lemon and add to the soup a refreshing scent. Optionally, you can add some juice. Boil the soup to a boil.
Pour into a tureen or other fireproof dishes. Sprinkle with hard, finely grated cheese and melt it in a microwave or a well-preheated oven.
4. Meat julienne with mushrooms and assorted cheese
Ingredients:
Bow
Cheese 240 g
Ham, boiled 360 g
Champignons, large 600 g
Chicken Breast 480g
Creamy sauce:
Milk 0.5 L
Oil 150 g
Salt
Wheat flour
Muscat
Pepper
Toasts - by the number of servings (6-7 pcs.)
Cooking Technology:
Cut off the feet of mushrooms, wash and dry them with a napkin. Slice thinly. Ham, breast and onions are also cut into strips. Fry the ingredients separately in a pan, strongly heating any vegetable oil in it. Combine the ingredients of the dish by placing them in a strainer placed on a pan to remove excess oil.
In the skillet, melt the butter and fry it until you get a nutty smell and a slightly brownish tint. Add flour to fat, mix until smooth. Separately boil the milk and pour into the toasted flour, quickly mixing the sauce with a whisk, to avoid the formation of lumps. The sauce should have a consistency of thick cream. Put all the fried ingredients in it, season with spices.
Spread hot appetizer on roasted toasts, sprinkle with any hard cheese and melt it in the microwave.
5. Julienne with mushrooms and pike cheese
Ingredients:
750 g chilled fish fillet
White mushrooms 600 g
Cheese, soft 240 g
Sauce:
White wine 120 ml
Thyme (sprigs) 15 g
Onions 200 g
Butter 150g
Cream (33%) 250 ml
Rolls, round 6 pcs.
Cooking:
For a fish julienne, ingredients need to be cut into large cubes: the fish has a very delicate and loose texture, and can fall apart during processing. To ensure that the ingredients are evenly fried, you need to maintain the same size and shape of the cut. In addition, the same shape gives an aesthetic appearance to the dish, a feeling of harmony of taste.
All stages of pre-heat treatment of ingredients are absolutely repeated, as in the previous recipe: the components are roasted separately, with the exception of ceps - they must be boiled over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, dipped in cold water.
To make the sauce, melt the butter, pour the wine and cream into it. Place thyme sprigs, sauteed mushrooms, fish and onions. Stew in a skillet all together until thick. Cut off the top of the buns, making a “lid”. Remove the crumb to make an empty form of the crust. Fill the buns with fish julienne. Put the bread on a baking sheet, sprinkle the top with grated cheese. Bake until golden brown at 180 ° C. When serving, decorate the dish with “caps” cut from the rolls with sprigs of fresh thyme.
6. Julienne with mushrooms and cheese in the style of Mediterranean cuisine
Isn't it true that French hot appetizer is very similar to Italian pizza, if you add tomatoes to the ingredients? Only instead of coconuts, buns and pizza dough we use as a form, for example, half zucchini. Let's see how an Italian who is in love with Russia has cooked a julienne.
Ingredients:
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Sweet onions
Mushrooms
Pepper, salad
Cheese, cream
Carrot
Oregano
Basil
Flour
Pepper
Coriander
Sugar
Carnation
Salt
Cream 300 ml
Working order:
The technique of cutting and pre-roasting vegetables remains unchanged - we follow the French technology “Julien”.
As a form for filling we use zucchini halves, removing the pulp from the middle with a spoon. To make the zucchini easier to process, pre-halve the vegetables in the oven so that the steamed core is easier to remove from the skin. The ratio of ingredients should be the same, and their number depends on the size of the zucchini. To get the sauce the desired consistency, 250 ml of cream, add a tablespoon of flour with the top.
Chop vegetables and fry in olive oil over high heat, separately. Remove excess fat. Stir the ingredients.
Prepare the sauce, frying the flour in butter. Add hot cream (20%), spices. Combine all the ingredients by putting them in the sauce. Stuff the zucchini forms. Cover the baking sheet with foil, grease. Place the stuffed vegetables on a baking sheet, cover the mince with cream cheese and bake until a golden-brown cheese is formed. When serving, sprinkle each serving with traditional Italian herbs.
Julienne with mushrooms and cheese - useful tips
- Champignons contain a lot of fluids. Fry the mushrooms in small portions in boiling oil at the maximum temperature so that a crust forms on the surface of the mushrooms faster, which will trap moisture inside and preserve the juiciness of the fried product. If you put a large number of mushrooms in the pan, they will be stewed, not roasted.
- On a baking sheet in which the julienne is baked in forms, pour water at room temperature so that the bottom of the form does not burn when baking the cheese in the oven.
- To give the sourish taste to the Julienne, add sour cream, lemon juice or dry wine.
