Chef Juliette
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Mousses et Mousselines de Bécasse
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1879, Mousses et Mousselines de Bécasse, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Mousse and mousselines are one woodcock farce in two forms, a generous sharing mould or four individual moulds, poached gently and served with fumet drawn only from their carcasses.
Main Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Make Ahead
45 min
Active Time
1 hr 25 min cook•2 hr 30 min total
Yield4 servings
Mousses et Mousselines de Bécasse teach the discipline of the farce mousseline, a fine forcemeat kept cold from first mixing to final moulding. Mousse means the large form to share; mousselines are the same mixture divided among individual moulds. The one true thing to know before touching a pan is temperature: warmth loosens the farce, while boiling water contracts it into something coarse.
The original entry assumed a garde-manger preparing Mousses et Mousselines de Faisan (No. 1850), with bécasse substituted as the basic ingredient, while a saucier on staff reduced the carcasses beside a stock never off the fire. A salamander might wait nearby, but it has no honest work here because nothing is glazed or gratinéed. At home, one linked batch serves four, one saucepan draws the fumet, and an ordinary oven and bain-marie provide the gentle heat. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The brigade’s separate hands and banquet quantities were scaffolding, so they go. The proportions and method of the referenced preparation stay whole, as the source requires, along with three things that are the dish itself: the cold farce, restrained cooking, and a sauce based only on fumet, the concentrated stock drawn from the birds’ own carcasses and remains.
Work straight from the cold. If the farce begins to soften or shine before it reaches the moulds, stop and set the bowl over ice until it firms again. Ça se rattrape. Guarding that temperature is the step that decides the dish.
Mousses et mousselines de bécasse belong to the Parisian grand-kitchen repertoire of game, supplied by hunting country such as Sologne and the Landes, where the migratory bécasse has long been treated as a prized bird. The preparation carried its dark, aromatic flesh from the roasting spit and salmis pot into the moulded-forcemeat canon; contrary to a common reading, mousse and mousseline are not separate mixtures, but the same constituents and quantities presented in large or individual moulds. Its proper sauce begins with the bird itself, a fumet from the carcasses and remains rather than a borrowed brown sauce.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Mousses et Mousselines de Faisan
Quantity
1 home-scale batch (about 3 cups / 710 ml / 750 g) Mousses et Mousselines de Faisan (No. 1850)
prepared as directed with trimmed raw woodcock flesh replacing pheasant flesh by equal weight
woodcock carcasses and edible remains
Quantity
from 4 birds (about 1¼ lb / 560 g)
necks, wings, bones, and sound trimmings reserved from the referenced preparation
cold water
Quantity
3 cups (710 ml / 710 g)
fine salt (optional)
Quantity
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g)
used only as needed after reduction
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Mousses et Mousselines de Faisanprepared as directed with trimmed raw woodcock flesh replacing pheasant flesh by equal weight | 1 home-scale batch (about 3 cups / 710 ml / 750 g) Mousses et Mousselines de Faisan (No. 1850) |
| woodcock carcasses and edible remainsnecks, wings, bones, and sound trimmings reserved from the referenced preparation | from 4 birds (about 1¼ lb / 560 g) |
| cold water | 3 cups (710 ml / 710 g) |
| fine salt (optional)used only as needed after reduction | ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •One 3-cup (710 ml) metal mousse mould or four 6-fluid-ounce (175 ml) dariole moulds
- •Roasting pan deep enough for the referenced bain-marie
- •2-quart (2-litre) heavy saucepan
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Ready the linked preparation
Prepare the Mousses et Mousselines de Faisan (No. 1850) exactly as its own entry directs, using woodcock flesh in place of pheasant by equal weight and changing no other constituent or ratio. Retain every sound carcass and edible trimming. Work with the linked preparation straight from the cold; if it softens or turns glossy before moulding, stop and nest the bowl over ice until it firms again. Ça se rattrape. Choose its large-mould form for mousse or four individual moulds for mousselines, since only the size changes.
Do not add liver, truffle, Cognac, or another game farce unless the referenced entry calls for it. This source changes the basic bird and nothing else. - 2
Start the carcass fumet
Inspect the reserved carcasses carefully, removing shot, feathers, bruised tissue, and any green-stained or bitter organ material. Break the carcasses at their joints and set them with the sound remains in a broad heavy saucepan over medium heat. Turn them until the exposed surfaces bronze and their own fat begins to glisten. If the pan catches before the bones colour, add a tablespoon of the measured water and scrape immediately; browned is useful, burnt is not.
- 3
Draw the fumet gently
Add the remaining cold water and bring it slowly to the first tremble, skimming away the grey foam as it rises. Hold the liquid just below a full simmer, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes. A hard boil clouds the fumet and drives bitterness from the small bones, so lower the heat if the surface rolls. Strain through a fine sieve without crushing the remains; pressing gives more liquid but less clarity.
- 4
Reduce to a gloss
Return the strained fumet to a clean saucepan and boil it steadily until about 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) remains. It should taste distinctly of woodcock and carry a light gloss, but it need not coat the spoon like a flour-thickened sauce. Season only after reduction. If it becomes too strong or salty, whisk in hot water one tablespoon at a time. Ça se rattrape. No roux, wine, cream, or borrowed brown sauce belongs here; the carcass fumet is the foundation and the finished sauce.
- 5
Coordinate the finish
Time the linked preparation so the mousse or mousselines finish cooking as the fumet reaches its proper concentration. Let the moulds settle for 5 minutes while the fumet waits over the lowest heat. If moisture beads on the exposed surface, blot it gently with a clean towel. Do not brown the top under a broiler; the smooth, tender surface is correct.
- 6
Unmould and sauce
Unmould the large mousse onto a warmed serving platter, or set one mousseline in the centre of each warmed plate. Spoon the reduced fumet around the base rather than burying the shape. Bring the large mousse to the table whole and portion it there; serve the mousselines one apiece. The sauce should pool generously enough for every spoonful. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Buy bécasse only from a licensed game dealer or a hunter working within local law. Ask whether non-toxic shot was used, then inspect the flesh yourself. One pellet found with a knife is preferable to one found with a tooth.
- •If bécasse cannot be sourced legally and in good condition, cook Mousses et Mousselines de Faisan (No. 1850) as written. Pheasant is the dish’s honest cousin; chicken relabelled as bécasse is not.
- •The sauce is deliberately severe: carcasses, remains, water, reduction, and only enough salt to clarify the flavour. Madeira, demi-glace, and cream would make larger sauces, but they would leave this source behind.
- •Serve a supple red Burgundy or an elegant mature northern Rhône. Woodcock has dark, woodland depth, so the wine should meet it without smothering the fine texture of the mousseline.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare Mousses et Mousselines de Faisan (No. 1850) with the woodcock substitution up to its own chilled holding point as much as 12 hours ahead. Keep it covered at or below 40°F (4°C), then continue according to that entry near serving time.
- •The carcass fumet may be drawn and reduced up to 2 days ahead. Cool it promptly in a shallow container, cover and chill, then return it to a full simmer before serving.
- •Inspect and joint the carcasses as soon as the birds are prepared. If the fumet will not be made that day, wrap and freeze the remains promptly rather than letting their strong game flavour stale in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 185g)
Calories
435 calories
Total Fat
36 g
Saturated Fat
18 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
16 g
Cholesterol
180 mg
Sodium
850 mg
Total Carbohydrates
3 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
26 g
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