Pompano en Papillote
Encyclopedia
Pompano en Papillote is a dish created by Jules Alciatore at Antoine's
Restaurant in New Orleans for a banquet honoring the Brazilian balloonist Alberto Santos-Dumont
. The dish was based in turn on a dish that Jules's father Antoine Alciatore had created—Pompano Montgolfier--honoring the brothers who had created the first balloons. A filet of pompano
is baked in a sealed parchment paper envelope
with a white sauce of wine, shrimp, and crabmeat. With a bit of luck the steam will puff up the parchment a bit, suggesting perhaps a hot air balloon.
The presentation of baked fish in a paper envelope is about theater and spectacle. There are no purely culinary reasons to do it. The same effect can be had by baking fish in a shallow dish with a tight lid. As long as the contents can be heated quickly and most of the steam retained, you will get the same basic dish. But grand restaurants are not simply about the food. At their best, they create a sense of specialness, of celebration, of achievement, and even a bit of mystique. Great restaurants today do this. Antoine's has been doing it since the mid 19th century. The presentation en papillote is an attention getter in the dining room, much like a soufflé
has always been, and much like the now played-out towering architectural food of the 1990s was.
A tie to France is part of the very concept of New Orleans Creole. The city had come into the United States when Jefferson
made the Louisiana Purchase
in 1803—over a hundred years after its founding. It remained an American center for French culture, tradition, and immigration into the twentieth century. The velouté is one of the 'mother' sauces, foundational in French cuisine. New Orleans took from France, but also began to impart its own spin. The traditional seasoning in the French version would be diced onion
s (sauteed briefly), salt, white pepper
, and a pinch of ground nutmeg
. A bouquet garni
consisting of parsley
, bay leaf
, and thyme
may have been added to the shrimp stock. New Orleans chefs would have added more onion, a bit of garlic, and a pinch of cayenne pepper
(or a splash of hot sauce
) in addition to the white pepper, producing a spicier version compared to the classic. Not the tongue searing hotness that came out of the caricature of Cajun food in the 1980s, but rather a piquant that added interest.
The final driving force shaping the nature of New Orleans cooking was the richness of the local food products—in this case, pompano, shrimp, and lump crabmeat. New Orleans (and southern Louisiana) is uniquely situated. It is close to the Gulf of Mexico
which yielded pompano, snapper
, drum
, trout, flounder
, mackerel
, shrimp, and sea turtle
. But it is also part of the Mississippi River
delta system and is just south of the wetlands abutting Lake Pontchartrain
. From these regions came crab, crawfish, and oysters.
So, in the dish of Pompano en Papillote, one can see all three elements that essentially define haute Creole cuisine—the spectacle of a grand restaurant, the foundation in French cuisine (with a twist), and the richness of the local region in the amount and variety of seafood. It should be obvious that it is one thing to illuminate the defining characteristics of a cuisine, and quite another to be judged as the best dish. To contemporary sensibilities, baked fish in a rich seafood sauce would not usually be worth a special trip. When well made (a flavorful stock, just enough of a light sauce to bind the shrimp and crabmeat, in and out of the oven and to the table) the dish can be wonderful even sensual. Too often, though, the stock is insipid, the sauce gummy, the final result overdone and a mess.
Antoine's
Antoine's is a Louisiana Creole cuisine restaurant located at 713 rue St. Louis in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It has the distinction of being the oldest family run restaurant in the United States, having been established in 1840 by Antoine Alciatore...
Restaurant in New Orleans for a banquet honoring the Brazilian balloonist Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont , was a Brazilian early pioneer of aviation. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to science studies in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life....
. The dish was based in turn on a dish that Jules's father Antoine Alciatore had created—Pompano Montgolfier--honoring the brothers who had created the first balloons. A filet of pompano
Pompano
Pompanos are marine fishes in the Trachinotus genus of the Carangidae family . Pompano may also refer to various other, similarly shaped members of Carangidae, or the order Perciformes. Their appearance is deep bodied and mackerel-like, typically silver and toothless with a forked tail and...
is baked in a sealed parchment paper envelope
En papillote
En Papillote is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper, but other material such as a paper bag or aluminium foil may be used...
with a white sauce of wine, shrimp, and crabmeat. With a bit of luck the steam will puff up the parchment a bit, suggesting perhaps a hot air balloon.
Other versions
The popularity of the dish has spawned many imitators, using fish, shellfish, or chicken. Any number of different kinds of sauces are used, and in many cases aluminum foil has replaced the harder-to-handle parchment paper.As a Symbol of New Orleans Grand Creole
It is tempting in the modern culinary world to view Pompano en Papillote with some derision—a gimmicky old warhorse of a bygone era. But it is important to understand its place in culinary history. It is in some ways the epitome of New Orleans grand Creole cooking; to understand the dish is to understand the cuisine and the nature of the grand dames of New Orleans restaurants.The presentation of baked fish in a paper envelope is about theater and spectacle. There are no purely culinary reasons to do it. The same effect can be had by baking fish in a shallow dish with a tight lid. As long as the contents can be heated quickly and most of the steam retained, you will get the same basic dish. But grand restaurants are not simply about the food. At their best, they create a sense of specialness, of celebration, of achievement, and even a bit of mystique. Great restaurants today do this. Antoine's has been doing it since the mid 19th century. The presentation en papillote is an attention getter in the dining room, much like a soufflé
Soufflé
A soufflé is a light baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert...
has always been, and much like the now played-out towering architectural food of the 1990s was.
A tie to France is part of the very concept of New Orleans Creole. The city had come into the United States when Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
made the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
in 1803—over a hundred years after its founding. It remained an American center for French culture, tradition, and immigration into the twentieth century. The velouté is one of the 'mother' sauces, foundational in French cuisine. New Orleans took from France, but also began to impart its own spin. The traditional seasoning in the French version would be diced onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s (sauteed briefly), salt, white pepper
White Pepper
-Singles:* "Even If You Don't" was released as a single on Mushroom Records with the B-side "Cornbread Red".* "Stay Forever" was released as a single on Mushroom Records with "The Grobe" and "Who Dat?"-Musicians featured on the record:* Dean Ween* Gene Ween...
, and a pinch of ground nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
. A bouquet garni
Bouquet garni
The bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs usually tied together with string and mainly used to prepare soup, stock, and various stews. The bouquet is cooked with the other ingredients, but is removed prior to consumption....
consisting of parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
, bay leaf
Bay leaf
Bay leaf refers to the aromatic leaf of the bay laurel . Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance. The leaves are often used to flavor soups, stews, braises and pâtés in Mediterranean cuisine...
, and thyme
Thyme
Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.-History:Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of courage...
may have been added to the shrimp stock. New Orleans chefs would have added more onion, a bit of garlic, and a pinch of cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper
The cayenne pepper—also known as the Guinea spice,cow-horn pepper, aleva, bird pepper,or, especially in its powdered form, red pepper—is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes and for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum...
(or a splash of hot sauce
Hot sauce
Hot sauce, chili sauce or pepper sauce refers to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients.-Ingredients:There are many recipes for hot sauces - the common ingredient being any kind of peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chili peppers...
) in addition to the white pepper, producing a spicier version compared to the classic. Not the tongue searing hotness that came out of the caricature of Cajun food in the 1980s, but rather a piquant that added interest.
The final driving force shaping the nature of New Orleans cooking was the richness of the local food products—in this case, pompano, shrimp, and lump crabmeat. New Orleans (and southern Louisiana) is uniquely situated. It is close to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
which yielded pompano, snapper
Lutjanidae
Snappers are a family of perciform fish, mainly marine but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in freshwater. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red snapper....
, drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
, trout, flounder
Flounder
The flounder is an ocean-dwelling flatfish species that is found in coastal lagoons and estuaries of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.-Taxonomy:There are a number of geographical and taxonomical species to which flounder belong.*Western Atlantic...
, mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
, shrimp, and sea turtle
Sea turtle
Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...
. But it is also part of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
delta system and is just south of the wetlands abutting Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
. From these regions came crab, crawfish, and oysters.
So, in the dish of Pompano en Papillote, one can see all three elements that essentially define haute Creole cuisine—the spectacle of a grand restaurant, the foundation in French cuisine (with a twist), and the richness of the local region in the amount and variety of seafood. It should be obvious that it is one thing to illuminate the defining characteristics of a cuisine, and quite another to be judged as the best dish. To contemporary sensibilities, baked fish in a rich seafood sauce would not usually be worth a special trip. When well made (a flavorful stock, just enough of a light sauce to bind the shrimp and crabmeat, in and out of the oven and to the table) the dish can be wonderful even sensual. Too often, though, the stock is insipid, the sauce gummy, the final result overdone and a mess.