The CookingBites Prize Challenge: 'En Papillote'

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

Obsessive cook
Staff member
Joined
19 Apr 2015
Local time
4:02 AM
Messages
48,222
Location
Maidstone, Kent, UK
The prize challenge is back - in time for Christmas! So to counteract all the rich and calorific Christmas fare I thought I'd choose a 'healthy' way of cooking. To enter, all you need to do is post a recipe and photograph of something you have cooked 'en papillote'. Post it as a new thread, tag it cookingbites prize challenge' and place a link to it (and a photo if you wish) in this thread.* The winner will be decided by a members' poll. New deadline: Midday 25th January.

So - what is 'en papillote'? Its a French term which literally means 'in parchment', describing the cooking method which involves cooking ingredients in a pouch of paper or foil and baking in the oven. To quote Great British Chefs website:

The enclosed parcel traps in any moisture released while cooking, resulting in tender, juicy flesh which is part steamed, part baked. Cooking en papillote is, therefore, a fantastic trick for healthy recipes as very little – if any – oil is required during the cooking process. That said, however, oil, herbs, spices and other ingredients can be added to the parcel before cooking in order to infuse the finished dish with beautiful, fresh flavours.
Click to expand...

Although its a classic French method of cooking its very well suited to home cooking and useful if 'cooking for one' - what is more, there is no washing up and minimal preparation time! You just need to remember a few simple rules. Cooking en papillotte is suitable for all kinds of ingredients including vegetarian and vegan. One thing to remember if you intend using meat is that it isn't going to brown - so you might want to consider using a paste to coat the meat and colour it.

There are some good tips here:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/03...-packages-vegetables-meat-fish-slideshow.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-an...papillote-for-simple-parcels-full-of-sensati/

Details of the prize will be in the next post.

*Please PM me if you need help regarding how to enter.
 
Last edited:
In the spirit of keeping things simple - the prize on offer is Ottolenghi's brand new book: Simple

Ottolenghi is an Israeli-British chef, restaurant owner, and food writer, renowned for bold flavours, with lots of vegetarian friendly dishes. He is the co-owner of 6 restaurants in London, including the acclaimed Nopi and is author of bestselling cookbooks, including Ottolenghi, Plenty, and Jerusalem and Nopi. ‘Simple' (published October 2018) is his most recent book. He has recently completed an American tour to promote the book.

simple-3d-1300_1_.jpg
 
I had an amazing fish and fennel 'En Papillote' last September when we stayed at a posh hotel in Wales for our 20th wedding anniversary. It smelled amazing (they opened it under my nose) but after that was a little disappointing. Though the standards had been set high by other dishes. Strawberry caviar :love:
 
Herbie said:
I had an amazing fish and fennel 'En Papillote' last September when we stayed at a posh hotel in Wales for our 20th wedding anniversary. It smelled amazing but after that was a little disappointing. Though the standards had been set high by other dishes. Strawberry caviar :love:
Click to expand...

Fish seems to be the thing most favoured by chefs to cook 'en papillote'.
 
Might be something to use hogfish, lionfish or grouper in. Fennel for sure and a nice pilaf to serve it with. I think fish is perfect for this technique as it is one of the fastest cooking proteins.
 
'En Papillote' became poular in Edwardian England where it was known as 'Paper Bag Cookery'. If you are interested in retro recipes an entire book of Paper-Bag Cookery by Vera Countess Serkoff (1911) is on-line here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41406/41406-h/41406-h.htm

Fascinating reading... all manner of things are included such as stews, cakes and puddings. I may try my hand at one of the cakes.

Curiously, this book also includes recipes for things in batter - which one would not think would cook in a papillote. So maybe @Yorky it is possible to cook battered fish en papillote after all?
 
Last edited:
I liked the movie with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman :D
This past summer, it was a great way to cook an entire meal and not heat up the kitchen. There are also some good ideas at Reynolds Wrap.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom