February 2, 2010 | 1 minute read

“En papillote” (pap-ee-YOTE) – the cooking trick in today’s Health-e-Recipe – refers to food baked inside a parchment paper wrapping.

It actually doesn’t catch on fire, as one might think, or become soggy. Instead, as the food cooks, the parchment paper puffs up and gently steams the food inside, allowing the fish to stay moist and absorb the lemon juice and piquant olive tapenade.

Why not use foil? Lore has it that acidic liquids, like wine, tomato or citrus, taste funny when cooked in foil. (And using wax paper can really get messy.)

Papillote is designed for cooking and can be used to line baking sheets, as well. Now you know an easy way to impress people with your French cooking savvy (or savoir-faire, as they say in the Old Country). Complete this heart-healthy, cancer preventive dish with brown or wild rice and a salad of dark, leafy greens.

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