Vegetables cooked in a blanch include artichoke bottoms, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes and salsify. A blanch consists of water and lemon juice which is lightly thickened with flour.
Preparation of a blanch
Ingredients:
— 50 grams flour
— 2½ liter cold water
— 2 juice of lemons
— 20 grams salt
Method:
(1) Place the flour into a receptacle and whisk in the water.
(2) Strain through a conical strainer.
(3) Add the lemon juice and salt.
(4) Bring to the boil.
Notes:
(1) This preparation is now ready to receive the vegetables. Items cooked in this preparation should be covered with a muslin cloth during cooking and retention.
(2) A blanc preparation needs to be very light and the ratio of flour to water should be approximately 100 g of flour to 5 litres of water.
Retention
Vegetables that have been cooked in a blanch should be retained for future use in the blanch in which they have been cooked, not in an aluminium container as this will cause the vegetables to discolor but preferably in a receptacle made of plastic, stainless steel or china. Vegetables cooked in this way must be covered with a damp cloth when cold and stored in a refrigerator at approximately 8°C.
Reheating
To reheat vegetables cooked in a blanch, reboil the blanch in which they were originally cooked. This will bring them back to their original state. If the vegetables are to be used in a dish which is to be cooked by a process in addition to boiling then this rule does not apply.