Great Dinners from Life: Shrimp-Stuffed Artichoke (1969)

This is the dinner that you, my friends, chose as my Spring Dinner from Great Dinners from Life by Eleanor Graves***.  (1969).

The globe artichoke is surely the engineering marvel of the vegetable world. It is so formidably  constructed that one wonders what inquisitive Italian first though that the bud of the thistle plant would be good to eat. Layers of leaves must be pulled off with the fingers, then scraped between the teeth. The fuzzy choke must be carefully removed. At last the prize is finally revealed–the heart, or bottom. The artichoke is trouble to eat, but worth it–hot or cold, as an appetizer or a vegetable course, with a sauce or stuffed. Here it is presented as an appetizer extravaganza, willed with pureed shrimp blended with an herb mayonnaise In eating it, each leaf is dipped in the shrimp sauce, and then finally the bottom, coated with the sauce, is cut up and eaten with a fork.

I’m a big fan of Eleanor’s style of cookbook writing. They’re not a listed step one, step two, step three recipes, but it’s more as though you’re being instructed by a friend. There are little asides throughout like, “This may seem like fussy work, but it protects the soufflé from overflowing in the oven and makes it rise to glorious proportions.” “Pheasants never get terribly tender so don’t expect them to be like chicken.” “Claret is for boys, and port is for men. So be prepared for the men to be more appreciative of this rich wine than the ladies.” “It is so good that people will accept seconds if you offer them. Don’t.”

The intros to each dinner are excellent–detailing exactly how/when/why each bit should be done, all with entertaining in mind.

I started the night before by cooking the shrimp and making the filling.

Yes, that is ssentially shrimp-flavored mayonnaise.

That night I also made a cream/jelly roll. Why? Elenore suggested that you may want an “ace in the hole” if you feared the souffle would be a fail. (That dessert will appear on the blog eventually).

So, early the day of the dinner party, I steamed the artichokes, put them in the fridge to chill, and prepared them for filling.

I began cooking at 3.

I made the supreme sauce for the chicken (up until the cream is added), prepared the souffle dish with the sugared collar, made the base for the souffle, and filled the artichokes with the stuffing.

This was all done by 4:30 so I had a moment to change and put on some makeup.

Folks arrived at 5 for cocktail hour. We had a little wine and a little cheese and crackers. Right before I served the artichokes, I whipped the egg whites, combined it with the basic souffle mixture, and got it in a low oven.

Time for the first course!

I liked the artichoke, but I don’t know if everyone else did. They aren’t easiest to eat and I guess a shrimp-mayo could turn some folks off. Whatever. I thought they looked nice!

After the first course was done I added the cream to the chicken sauce and voila–main course is on the table! (between 6:30 and 7, which was my goal)

I love Chicken Supreme and haven’t had it in ages. I remember my mum making it for us growing up. I feel like I could lighten this sauce a bit and it may become one of my regular dinners (that is, if Mr. Sauce, Esq. liked it).

After dinner we had the Grand Marnier Souffle.

It was not a fail! I did not have to rely on my back-up cake!

I do believe that the souffle could have risen a bit more, but Mr. Sauce, Esq. did some very spirited cleaning between courses that perhaps wiggled it a bit. (Last night I had a nightmare that the souffle expanded so much that it started to puff out of the oven door. So I’d rather have smaller souffle than one that could take out my kitchen a la The Blob).

But that didn’t matter much–tall or not, the inside was wonderfully fluffy.

And delicious. If you like Grand Marnier, you would dig this souffle.

I liked this dinner overall, especially Eleanor’s helpful instructions. I truly never felt rushed while making this meal, which I cannot say about my Holly Balls or a number of the DiS1972 cards I’ve tried with guests.

I liked Eleanor’s how-to so much that I think I’ll do one Life dinner a season. Summer looks to have some interesting selections. I’ll look to you in June to pick which one!

Because it was so successful, here is the full souffle recipe. It was much easier than I thought and I did it while making other courses!

GRAND MARNIER SOUFFLÉ

If you have never made a soufflé before, try one-of any kind-before you prepare it for company. If nothing else, experience will make you less nervous. Also you may be the kind who would feel easier with a bowl of fruit or some cheeses on hand, in case something goes terribly wrong. Chances are it won’t, particularly if you have the assurance that comes with an ace in the hole.

Any kind of fruit liqueur or brandy or rum can be substituted for Grand Marnier. A wire whisk is the preferred tool of most chefs when they are trying to get an absolutely smooth sauce, and it is recommended in this recipe that you blend the cream sauce with one. However, beating eight egg whites into a meringue is a tiresome chore when done by hand, particularly while your guests are in the living room. Use an electric beater if you have one. Egg whites will whip up more quickly and produce more volume if they are brought to room temperature first. Remove them from the refrigerator half an hour be- forehand. Be sure to prepare the soufflé baking dish ahead.

of time, and to grease the “collar” enough. It would be a pity to tear a hole in the side of the soufflé at the very end as you remove the collar. This recipe calls for more flour than most. It does not affect taste or texture and it does give it more staying power, the quality needed most in the triumphant march from stove to table.

1/3 cup butter 3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt 11/2 cups milk
5 eggs, separated
3 egg whites
rind
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
1 teaspoon grated lemon

You can’t use just any baking dish for a proper soufflé. Buy the special soufflé dish, straight-sided and made of china, two-quart size. Grease it lightly with butter, then sprinkle with granulated sugar. (Sugar helps prevent sticking.) Cut a strip of waxed or brown paper or foil about 30 inches long and six inches wide-long enough to overlap itself by at least two inches when placed around the outside of the dish. Fold it in half lengthwise, then grease one side with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Tie the paper as a collar around soufflé dish, sugared side in, so that it extends at least two inches above dish. Secure ends of collar with paper clips or straight pins so that it will hold firm when the soufflé rises. This may seem like fussy work, but it protects the soufflé from overflowing in the oven and makes it rise to glorious proportions.

Melt butter over low heat in saucepan-don’t let it brown. Remove from heat, add flour and salt, and mix until smooth. Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until thickened and smooth. (This is best done with a wire whisk which tends to keep the sauce smooth.) Remove. from heat. Separate the eggs. Set egg whites aside. Beat the five egg yolks until thick. Add hot cream sauce a small amount at a time, beating constantly until all the sauce has been added and the mixture is a creamy custard. Set aside to cool. If you make the sauce ahead of time keep it covered and at room temperature. When hot weather dictates refrigerating the sauce, remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before proceeding with recipe.

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat all eight egg whites until soft peaks form when the beater is lifted gently. Use a rubber spatula to keep returning the whites to the center of the bowl as you beat them to guarantee that all of them are properly beaten. Add sugar gradually, beating constantly until a stiff meringue is formed. Gradually beat in the lemon juice, a few drops at a time. Stir the lemon rind and Grand Marnier into the egg yolk mixture, mixing well. Add, all at once, to the egg whites and fold in thoroughly using quick, light strokes. Pour into the soufflé dish and set dish in a pan containing one inch of hot water. Bake in a moderate oven (350°) for one hour. Remove from oven and carefully remove paper collar. Serve at once, dishing it out with a large spoon.

***Eleanor died just last year at 95!