No. 2500

Garnishing of Artichoke Bottoms Filled with Macedoine

Garniture de Fonds d'Artichauts Garnis de Macedoine

Artichoke Bottoms.—Trim some small round artichoke bottoms two inches in diameter; rub over with lemon and blanch in plenty of water; cook them in a white stock (No. 182) seasoned with salt and lemon juice, putting in also half a pound of chopped beef marrow; cover with buttered paper and boil slowly. When the bottoms are well done remove from the fire, place them into a stone bowl, cover with buttered paper and leave to cool in their liquid; wash them off in boiling water, marinate and drain. Lay each bottom on a turnip cut out to imitate the base of a vase, and fill with either macedoine salad (No. 2650) or a separate vegetable; carrots, turnips, green peas, cauliflower, string beans, asparagus tops, crawfish tails, or else a salpicon of tongue, truffles and mushrooms mixed in even parts and mingled with mayonnaise sauce (No. 606).

← No. 2499 Galantine of Turkey a la Berger—Boned Turkey Garnishings for Cold Dishes No. 2501 Garnishing of Artichoke Bottoms, Imperial →

For the Modern Kitchen

A cold buffet garnish from Ranhofer's Delmonico's kitchen: artichoke bottoms cooked in a rich fatted stock, chilled in it, then degreased, dressed and mounted on a carved turnip plinth. The hinge is the boiling-water rinse — skip it and every bottom carries a film of congealed marrow fat.

Artichoke bottomsSmall round globe artichokes, trimmed of leaves and choke to a disc about two inches across. Rub the cut surfaces with lemon at once and keep them in acidulated water; they blacken within minutes. Frozen or jarred bottoms can stand in, but they are already cooked and should only be warmed through in the seasoned stock.
The cooking liquidNo. 182 is a white stock, as the recipe states; its exact composition is given elsewhere in Ranhofer, but a light unsalted chicken or veal stock works. Season with salt and lemon juice as directed; the acid keeps the flesh pale.
Chopped beef marrowHalf a pound of marrow scooped from split beef bones, soaked and chopped. It enriches the liquid and seals the surface as it chills. Ask a butcher for canoe-cut marrow bones. Omitting it gives a leaner but less silky result; nothing else substitutes convincingly.
Buttered paperA cartouche of parchment rubbed with butter, laid directly on the surface to keep the exposed bottoms from drying or discolouring. Parchment does the same job as the original's greased paper.
"Boil slowly"A bare simmer, not a boil — around 180-190F. Small bottoms are tender in 15 to 25 minutes; test with a knife tip, which should meet no resistance.
Stone bowlA glazed earthenware or stoneware crock, presumably chosen because it stays cold and does not react with acid. Any non-reactive bowl serves. Cooling in the liquid is what keeps them moist, so do not drain early.
"Wash them off in boiling water, marinate"A quick dip in boiling water to melt away the set marrow fat, then dressed while still warm in a plain vinaigrette so the seasoning penetrates. Drain thoroughly before filling or the mayonnaise will slacken and slide.
The turnip baseA thick slice of raw turnip carved into a footed socle, purely structural and not meant to be eaten. A round of cucumber, a slice of firm bread croustade, or nothing at all will hold the artichoke steady on a modern plate.
FillingsNo. 2650 is Ranhofer's macedoine salad, a mixture of small-cut vegetables of the kind listed here: carrot, turnip, green beans, peas, each cooked separately to just-tender. The recipe attaches the mayonnaise (No. 606) to the salpicon variant. Cut the dice small so the mound sits neatly. The salpicon of equal parts cooked tongue, truffle and mushroom is the richest of the options.
YieldFigure one bottom per guest as a garnish, two or three as a cold first course. They can be cooked and dressed a day ahead and filled shortly before serving.

A Little History

The Epicurean (1894) is Charles Ranhofer's record of some thirty years as chef at Delmonico's in New York, and this entry belongs to a long chapter of garnishes built for the cold buffet — the era of the grande cuisine display piece, where food was mounted on carved socles of turnip, rice paste or aspic so that a platter read as architecture from across the room. A macédoine is a mixture of small-cut vegetables, the name generally traced to Macedonia as a byword for a medley of peoples under Alexander; French kitchens had used it in that sense since at least the eighteenth century. Artichoke bottoms were a staple of this work because they hold a shape, take a dressing well, and act as an edible cup — which is also why they appear filled and refilled a dozen different ways across Ranhofer's numbered entries. The half pound of beef marrow is the tell of a professional kitchen with whole carcasses coming through the door and no reason to be sparing with what came out of the bones.