Mousselines de Jambon Alexandra

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •7-cup food processor with metal blade
• •Fine-mesh sieve and flexible scraper
• •Four 6-ounce (180 ml) ramekins
• •Deep roasting pan for the water bath
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •12-inch broiler-safe oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the equipment

   Put the food processor bowl and blade in the freezer for 15 minutes. Keep the diced chicken, 300 g of diced ham, egg whites, and ¾ cup cream thoroughly cold but not frozen. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C), bring a kettle of water nearly to a boil, and butter four 6-ounce ramekins plus a broiler-safe serving platter. Cold is not fuss here; it keeps the fat and cream held inside the mousseline instead of separating.

   Set the processor bowl over ice if the kitchen is warm. A mousseline mixture should feel cold whenever you touch the outside of its bowl.
2. 2

   Build the mousseline

   Process the chicken, egg whites, white pepper, and a small pinch of salt until the mixture becomes smooth and tacky, scraping the bowl twice. Add the 300 g chilled diced ham and process until very fine. With the motor pulsing, add the cold cream gradually, two spoonfuls at a time, stopping as soon as each addition disappears and the mixture looks satiny. If it becomes loose, shiny, or oily, stop immediately. Chill the entire bowl over ice for 10 minutes, then resume with brief pulses; ça se rattrape, provided you restore the cold before forcing in more cream. Press the finished mixture through a fine sieve into a chilled bowl.

3. 3

   Test and mold

   Poach a teaspoon of the mixture in barely simmering water for 3 minutes, cut it through, and taste. The texture should be tender and close, never grainy; correct the salt now, remembering that the ham will vary. Place one ham lozenge and one truffle lozenge side by side on the buttered bottom of each ramekin. Divide the mousseline mixture evenly among the molds, filling them no more than three-quarters full, smooth the tops, and cover each with a buttered parchment round.

4. 4

   Poach without boiling

   Set the ramekins in a roasting pan and pour the hot water around them until it reaches halfway up their sides. Poach in the oven for 22 to 28 minutes, until the centers feel softly resilient and register 160°F (71°C). The water should barely quiver. If it begins bubbling hard, lower the oven to 300°F (150°C) and add a little cool water to the bath; boiling squeezes moisture from the forcemeat, while gentle heat sets it evenly. Lift the molds from the bath and let them stand for 5 minutes while you finish the sauce.

5. 5

   Make ham essence

   While the mousselines poach, combine the 60 g chopped ham trimmings with the stock in a small saucepan. Bring it only to a bare simmer and cook for 12 minutes, until the stock smells distinctly of ham without turning harsh or salty. Strain, pressing the trimmings lightly, and measure 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g) of ham essence. If you have less, add a little water; if you have more, reduce it briefly.

6. 6

   Finish Sauce Allemande

   Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook this blond roux gently for 2 minutes without letting it color. Whisk in the warm ham essence little by little, then simmer gently, whisking often, until smooth and reduced to 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g). Whisk the yolks, ¼ cup cream, and lemon juice together, temper them with two ladlefuls of hot sauce, then return everything to the saucepan over the lowest heat. Stir until the Sauce Allemande naps the back of a spoon, but never let it boil. If fine curds appear, remove the pan at once, whisk in a teaspoon of cold water, and strain into a cool bowl. Ça se rattrape. Adjust the finished sauce to 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g), then stir in the 30 g Parmesan, preserving the source proportion of two ounces per imperial pint. Keep it hot over warm water.

7. 7

   Butter asparagus heads

   Blanch the asparagus tips in generously salted water until brilliant green and just tender, 2 to 4 minutes depending on their thickness. Drain them thoroughly, then roll them over medium-low heat with the 2 tablespoons butter until the butter clings and no water remains in the pan. If a puddle forms, keep the pan moving over the heat before adding anything else; the asparagus should be cohered with butter, glossy but not swimming.

8. 8

   Drain and crown

   Heat the broiler fully and place a rack about 5 inches beneath it. Run a thin knife around each ramekin, invert the mousselines onto a folded clean towel, and leave them for 1 minute so excess liquid drains away. Blot their bases carefully, then arrange them decoration-side up in a close crown on the buttered heatproof platter. Wet mousselines dilute the sauce and resist glazing, so do not hurry this little pause.

9. 9

   Glaze in a flash

   Cover the mousselines generously with the hot Parmesan-enriched Sauce Allemande, letting a little pool around their bases. Place the platter beneath the fierce broiler for 45 to 90 seconds, only until the sauce takes scattered pale-gold blisters. If it has not colored by then, remove the platter and let the broiler heat further before trying again; leaving the mousselines under weak heat only dries them. Heap the buttered asparagus tips in the center of the crown and serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a plain cooked ham with a clear pork flavor, not prosciutto, country ham, smoked ham, or a sweet glazed joint. Their salt, smoke, and sugar overwhelm a preparation built on delicacy.
• •A preserved whole black truffle is an honest choice when fresh truffle is not available. Drain it, dry it, and cut proper lozenges. Truffle oil has no place here; it supplies perfume without the quiet earthy bite the dish expects.
• •The Parmesan belongs inside the Sauce Allemande in the source's exact proportion, not scattered over the platter like gratin cheese. Thirty grams for 300 ml of sauce respects its two ounces per imperial pint and gives quick color without a heavy crust.
• •This exact Alexandra needs asparagus. Outside its best season, good frozen asparagus tips are the classical pantry's honest answer; cook them directly from frozen and dry them well in the butter. Peas make a pleasant cousin, but they make another dish.
• •Serve with a dry white Burgundy or a firm dry Chenin Blanc. The wine needs enough acidity to answer ham, cream, butter, egg yolk, and Parmesan without quarrelling with the asparagus.

Advance Preparation

• •The ham essence and roux-thickened sauce base can be prepared one day ahead and chilled. Reheat gently, then add the egg-and-cream liaison, lemon, and Parmesan shortly before serving.
• •The mousseline mixture may be processed and molded up to 4 hours ahead. Keep the covered ramekins below 40°F (4°C), then poach them directly from the refrigerator and allow a few extra minutes.
• •The asparagus can be blanched up to 2 hours ahead, refreshed in cold water, dried thoroughly, and held chilled. Warm and cohere it with butter only when the platter is ready for glazing.
• •Do not glaze in advance. The final broiler flash must happen immediately before serving or the mousselines lose the moisture the gentle poach preserved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 370g)