Quenelles are dumplings made from finely ground fish, meat, or poultry mixed with a binding mixture and cooked in broth. They can be served as a main course or side dish, and paired with creamy white sauces. The word “quenelle” comes from the German knodel, and they can be garnished with ingredients such as parsley and sage.
A quenelle is a dumpling made from finely ground fish, meat, or poultry mixed with a binding mixture and then cooked in broth. Quenelles can be served on their own as a main course, typically with a rich white sauce, and can also be used as a side dish to other dishes. You can also see the quenelles in the soup, adding texture and body to the soup. Some restaurants serve quenelles, and they can also be made in-house with relative ease.
Some versions of the quenelle appear to date back to at least Roman times, and the food may be even older. Basic quenelles typically include breadcrumbs along with egg catcher, and some are made with panade, a mixture of butter, flour, and water that’s blended into a coarse, crumbly mixture. Some regions specialize in quenelles with unique ingredients, such as regionally available fish or animals.
The word “quenelle” comes from the German knodel, a diminutive of “knot,” a reference to the approximate shape of a traditional quenelle. Quenelles are usually molded into spoons so that they are roughly oblong in shape, with the ingredients tightly compacted so they don’t fall apart during the poaching process. Poaching also needs to be done over a low heat to avoid pushing the quenelles too hard, as rough handling will cause the dumplings to fall apart, making a considerable mess.
Creamy white sauces typically pair best with quenelles, but adventurous cooks can experiment with other sauces as well. The naturally mild flavor of the quenelle leaves plenty of room for experimentation, with some cooks preferring to use simple sauces to bring out the flavor of the meat used, while others prefer more elaborate layers of flavor. Quenelles can also be garnished with ingredients such as parsley and sage.
Because the shape of the quenelle is so distinctive, some people use the term “quenelle” to refer to any food item shaped roughly into the shape of an egg. For example, sherbet quenelles can be shaped to accompany dessert, and quenelles of other materials can be used in a variety of ways. Because of the double meanings of the word “quenelle,” most menus spell out the type of quenelle in question, describing a dish as a “mackerel quenelle in a pale cream sauce” or “ice cream quenelle.”
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