En Papillote Cooking

[flyinglentris]

I have not seen en papillote cooking discussed and I am given cause to wonder what one might cook in a closed pouch and how the method of heating the pouch may vary. I looked up the raw definition of en papillote and it is defined as cooking something wrapped in paper. That's not a pouch. Then too, it suggests wrapping in aluminum foil, banana leaves, corn husks and so forth. Further, two methods immediately suggest themselves, baking in an oven or cooking with the wrapped item buried in heated coals or ground, - pit cooking. And then there's the old plastic bag in boiling water trick. Where does en papillote end and a new word apply?

The raw definition also introduces the Italian 'al cartoccio' which specifically is defined as rolling the food into a pouch (paper) and baking it, specifically.

Of course, there are all sorts of related cooking methods involving wraps, such as egg rolls, burritos, lumpia, etc. And many of these are fried, deep fried, microwaved or boiled, such as wrapped dumplings, etc.

 

[flyinglentris]

Oh. And let us not omit mention of the French 'en croute' method where food is partially cooked and then wrapped in a pastry shell and finished cooking.

 

[flyinglentris]

BTW: En papillote is a US invention, introduced first in a New Orleans restaurant, "Antoine's Restaurant."

 

[Morning Glory]

I've got quite a few recipes on the forum for 'en papillote'. Its one of my favourite ways to cook. It seems that its mainly chicken I cook that way!

Recipe Turkey or Chicken Breast with Cranberries & Saffron
Recipe Charred Chicken Breast with Lavender, Juniper and Orange
Recipe Buttermilk Chicken with Honey & Saffron
Recipe Chicken Breast en Papillote with Saffron & Tarragon
Recipe Paprika and Papaya Chicken
Recipe Mango Mustard Glazed Chicken Breasts
Recipe Chicken Fillets with Cumin & Lime Leaves
Recipe Chicken with Saffron, Ginger and Rosewater
Recipe Chicken En Papillote with Soy Sauce, Chilli and Mushrooms

Also fish:
Photo of dover sole en papillote here: Recipe - Parsley Oil

And cabbage:
Recipe - Cabbage Wedge Stuffed with Juniper Butter 'en Papillote'

I even cooked cherry cakes en papillote once!
Retro Recipe - Cherry Cakes 'en papillote'

I also hosted an 'en papillote' prize challenge here back in 2018
The CookingBites Prize Challenge: 'En Papillote'

 

[Morning Glory]

BTW: En papillote is a US invention, introduced first in a New Orleans restaurant, "Antoine's Restaurant."

That was a particular a particular dish: Pompano en Papillote but the origin is French and dates back to the 17th century.

The modern Papillote technique has been perfected in France starting from the 17th Century. The term Papillote means paper envelope and describes the technique literally. Even if the foil is a common alternative, the Papillote is mainly made with parchment paper. The most popular food cooked in the Papillote is fish.

SALMON EN PAPILLOTE RECIPE & HISTORY- all you need to know!

Also:

Pompano en papillote is an American dish hailing from New Orleans, where it was invented by Jules Alciatore at the famous Antoine's restaurant in honor of Brazilian balloonist Alberto Santos-Dumont. The dish is made using a French baking method in parchment paper called en papillote, hence the name of the dish.

It's made with a combination of pompano fillets that are baked in parchment paper with a sauce consisting of white wine, shrimp, and crabmeat. Once packed, the dish is baked in a hot oven, and the steam will puff the paper up, so it will look similar to a balloon.

Pompano en papillote is served in the same paper, and each patron slices the paper open before eating. Nowadays, there are many versions of the dish with additions such as sherry, mushrooms, tomatoes, flour, parsley, or paprika.

Pompano en papillote | Traditional Saltwater Fish Dish From New Orleans | TasteAtlas

 

[flyinglentris]

It turns out that 'en papillote' specifically involves wrapping food in parchment paper, folding the paper over on the food and always, baking. It can include meats as well as vegetables.

I can see one advantage to en papilotte cooking in that the baking pans are not oiled or greased and are spared sticky messes by the parchment paper. I am not sure to what degree enclosing the food in the paper pouch serves to enhance the thoroughness or results of heat distribution while cooking. There may be something to that.

I had thought to use parchment paper for baking granola bars, just recently, instead of oiling the pan. That was what peaked my curiosity to search out usage (parchment paper for baking).

 

[TastyReuben]

Here's a video of Pepin using the technique at home:

View: https://youtu.be/Pxou7Kjh7Dc


I do something similar with veg, especially potatoes, when I'm using the barbecue grill outside. I'll rough-chop potatoes and onions, throw in a sprig of some kind of herb, a big knob of butter and some seasoning, wrap it in foil, and throw it on the grill to cook. I also do my corn-on-the-cob that way.

Some people around here call those foil packets tossed on the grill "hobo packets," or "hobo dinner," but I've never liked that name, for some reason.

 

[medtran49]

Hah, Craig and i were just talking about him doing kalua pork or cochinita pabil next weekend on the BGE as Winn Dixie has whole bone in pork shoulder on sale for $1.99 a pound. Not parchment papillote, but banana leaves.

Glad you brought this topic up flyinglentris . I had forgotten about the recipes i made for the challenge and the technique is nearly perfect for make ahead dishes as I've been cookkng recently.

 

[Morning Glory]

Oh - and I also remembered I have this book from the early 90's dedicated to 'en papillote':

 

[karadekoolaid]

En papillote has been around in France for a long time. The Pompano in papillote is a specific dish invented in New Orleans. En Croute means "in a crust", which is a different technique altogether.
Many countries cook food by enclosing the item in banana leaves, but I´d say the technique is not absolutely the same. Cochinito Pibil in Mexico, for example, involves covering a piece of spiced pork with banana leaves and condimenting with orange juice, onions and tomatoes - it can also be done in a pressure cooker. I´ve cooked an Indian fish dish where the fish is smothered with a coriander/mint/yoghurt spice paste, enveloped in banana leaf, then grilled. Then there´s an Indonesian dish which involves banana leaves, lobster and whole spices - Bumbur Rudjak, I think it´s called.
Tamales are a whole different thing; as are Venezuelan hallacas.

 

[caseydog]

Hah, Craig and i were just talking about him doing kalua pork or cochinita pabil next weekend on the BGE as Winn Dixie has whole bone in pork shoulder on sale for $1.99 a pound. Not parchment papillote, but banana leaves.

Glad you brought this topic up flyinglentris . I had forgotten about the recipes i made for the challenge and the technique is nearly perfect for make ahead dishes as I've been cookkng recently.

I have cooked one meal in banana leaves, but can not remember what it was. I remember having to buy about ten times the leaves I needed, but not what I wrapped in them.

CD

 

[Morning Glory]

En papillote has been around in France for a long time. The Pompano in papillote is a specific dish invented in New Orleans. En Croute means "in a crust", which is a different technique altogether.

Yep - there is a link to the New Orleans dish in my post above: #5 En papillote has been around in France since the 17th century. It isn't the same as 'en croute'. With the en papillote technique the food is not wrapped but placed in paper arranged in a slight 'tent' with the edges sealed. This means the food (although baked) is also partly steamed inside the 'en papillote'.

One thing I love about this is that there is zero washing up!

 

[garlichead]

Yep - there is a link to the New Orleans dish in my post above: #5 En papillote has been around in France since the 17th century. It isn't the same as 'en croute'. With the en papillote technique the food is not wrapped but placed in paper arranged in a slight 'tent' with the edges sealed. This means the food (although baked) is also partly steamed inside the 'en papillote'.

One thing I love about this is that there is zero washing up!

Yep, it's a very old French technique. The space left "tent" for steaming is vital.