Paysanne
Paysanne is a rustic knife cut of thin, flat pieces about 1 cm across and 3 mm thick, keeping the shape of the vegetable. It suits soups that cook fast.
Paysanne is a French knife cut that makes thin, flat pieces of vegetable. The pieces are about 1 to 1.2 cm (1/2 inch) across and 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Their shape follows the vegetable, so they can be squares, triangles, rounds or half moons. The name means "peasant style" or "country style".
How to do it
- Peel the vegetable. Carrots, turnips, leeks, celery and potatoes are the usual choices.
- Cut it lengthwise into a long piece about 1 to 1.2 cm (1/2 inch) wide. For a carrot, you can cut it into quarters lengthwise instead. For a leek, halve it lengthwise.
- Slice across the piece every 3 mm (1/8 inch) to make thin, flat pieces.
- For a rounded vegetable, you do not need to square it off first. The pieces keep the outline of the vegetable, which is the point of the cut.
Why it works
Thin, flat pieces cook quickly and evenly. They soften in about 10 minutes in a soup and give a lot of surface to sweat in butter for flavor. Because the cut keeps the shape of the vegetable, there is very little waste, which is how home cooks in the country used it.
How to use it
- Vegetable soups, such as a country-style soup of leek, carrot, turnip and potato.
- Quick braises of mixed vegetables.
- A neat garnish for broths.
Common mistakes
- Cutting the pieces too thick. They take longer to cook than the other ingredients and look clumsy.
- Mixing very different sizes in one pot, so some pieces go mushy and others stay hard.
- Squaring off the vegetable and wasting the sides. That turns it into a regular dice and loses the rustic look.
In recipes
"Cut paysanne" or "cut into thin, flat pieces" means this cut. A round slice of a whole carrot or zucchini is a rondelle. Small, even cubes of the same width are a macédoine.
Related terms
- DiceTo dice is to cut food into small, even cubes. Large, medium and small dice have set sizes, so everything in the pan cooks at the same rate.
- RondelleA rondelle is a round slice cut straight across a carrot, cucumber, zucchini or other long, round vegetable, usually 3 to 6 mm thick and all the same.
- MacédoineMacédoine is a small, even dice of about 6 mm, and also a mix of fruit or vegetables cut that way and served as a salad, side dish or garnish.
- SliceTo slice is to cut food into flat pieces of even thickness. Good slicing is about a sharp knife, a safe grip and, for meat, cutting across the grain.
- SweatTo sweat vegetables is to cook them gently in a little fat over low heat until soft and translucent, without browning, to bring out a mild, sweet flavor.