Chef Juliette
Various Almond Preparations
Five almond preparations, one discipline: remove the skins cleanly, dry every kernel through, then cut, toast, or cloak it in pale caramel without letting its fragrant oils escape.
Culinary Explorer
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Mousselines d’Œufs Rejane
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2737, Mousselines d’Œufs Rejane, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Mousselines d’Œufs Rejane turn ordinary meringue into vanilla-poached cushions, arranged two by two around apricot and veiled with crème anglaise, a lesson in gentle heat and confident timing.
Desserts
French
Dinner Party
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
25 min
Active Time
25 min cook•1 hr 15 min total
Yield4 servings
Mousselines d’Œufs Rejane (vanilla-poached meringues with apricot and custard) teaches the gentleness behind every poached egg-white dessert in the canon. The one true thing to know before touching the pan is this: the milk must reach the boil, as the source directs, then settle to the barest tremble before the meringues float free. A rolling boil tears them; timid warmth leaves them pasted to the paper.
The original entry assumed a pastry station with Ordinary Meringue (No. 2382) already whipped, sweet vanilla milk beside it, poached apricots and crème anglaise ready, plus silver or porcelain egg dishes waiting for service. At home, use a quarter batch of that same finished meringue, food-safe parchment in place of white paper, one wide pan, and four small porcelain dishes. The separate brigade hands were scaffolding, so they go; the paper-release poach, the apricot at the center, and the custard veil are the dish, so they stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The finished mousselines are soft and buoyant, with vanilla in the milk, sunny apricot at the center, and just enough cool custard to bind each spoonful. Before the pan, have every dish, apricot, spoon, and draining cloth in place; once the milk is ready, the clean release from the paper is the step that decides the whole dessert.
Mousselines d’Œufs Rejane belongs to the named entremets of the Parisian grand-kitchen canon, where familiar pastry and custard techniques were composed as tributes for the dining room. Réjane was a celebrated Parisian actress, and the dessert bearing her stage name follows that custom without pretending to be regional farmhouse cooking. The title can mislead: these are not whole eggs, but piped meringue forms served in egg dishes, with apricot and crème anglaise supplying the yolk color and creamy finish.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Ordinary Meringue
Quantity
¼ batch, about 1½ cups (360 ml / 175 g) Ordinary Meringue (No. 2382)
freshly made
whole milk
Quantity
4 cups (960 ml / 990 g)
for poaching
granulated sugar
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g)
for the poaching milk
vanilla bean
Quantity
1
split lengthwise and halved crosswise
whole milk
Quantity
⅔ cup (160 ml / 165 g)
for the crème anglaise
large egg yolks
Quantity
2
granulated sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g)
for the crème anglaise
poached apricot halves, homemade or canned in light syrup
Quantity
4 halves (about 120 g drained)
well drained
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Ordinary Meringuefreshly made | ¼ batch, about 1½ cups (360 ml / 175 g) Ordinary Meringue (No. 2382) |
| whole milkfor poaching | 4 cups (960 ml / 990 g) |
| granulated sugarfor the poaching milk | ¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g) |
| vanilla beansplit lengthwise and halved crosswise | 1 |
| whole milkfor the crème anglaise | ⅔ cup (160 ml / 165 g) |
| large egg yolks | 2 |
| granulated sugarfor the crème anglaise | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) |
| poached apricot halves, homemade or canned in light syrupwell drained | 4 halves (about 120 g drained) |
Equipment Needed
- •Piping bag fitted with a 12 mm plain round tip
- •Four 10 by 15 cm pieces of uncoated parchment
- •28 cm wide, deep-sided sauté pan
- •Fine-mesh sieve and instant-read thermometer
- •Four small porcelain egg dishes or 15 cm shallow dessert bowls
Instructions
- 1
Make the crème anglaise
Make the crème anglaise (English custard) first. Heat the ⅔ cup milk with one half of the vanilla bean until small bubbles gather at the edge, then take it from the heat and let the vanilla stand for 5 minutes. Whisk the yolks with the 2 tablespoons sugar until smooth, pour in the warm milk gradually, and return everything to gentle heat. Stir constantly until the custard reaches 82 to 84°C and nappes the spoon, meaning a finger drawn through the coating leaves a clean path. Never let it boil. If fine curds appear, lift it from the heat at once, whisk over cold water, and pass it through a fine sieve. Ça se rattrape. Cover the surface and cool it over cold water, then chill.
- 2
Pipe the mousselines
Drain the apricot halves and set out four small egg dishes. Cut four rectangles of uncoated parchment, each about 10 by 15 cm. Fit a piping bag with a 12 mm plain tip and fill it with the finished Ordinary Meringue (No. 2382). Pipe two smooth rounds onto each paper, about 5 to 6 cm wide and 2 cm high, resembling large macaroons. Keep them equal so they poach at the same rate, and leave space between them for the milk to circulate.
- 3
Ready the vanilla milk
Pour the 4 cups milk into a wide, deep-sided pan and add the ¼ cup sugar and remaining vanilla. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then bring the milk once to a full boil. Lower the heat immediately until the surface barely trembles, about 88 to 92°C. The first boil prepares the wet heat that releases the meringue; the quiet poach keeps its shape. Watch the pan closely, because sweetened milk climbs without warning.
The pan must be wide enough for a parchment sheet to lie flat but deep enough to hold the milk securely. A 28 cm sauté pan with high sides is ideal. - 4
Release and poach
Working with one parchment sheet at a time, hold it by the short edges and lay it flat on the milk with the meringues facing upward. Let the milk wet the paper from beneath; after 10 to 20 seconds, the rounds should sever cleanly and float. Lift away the empty paper. If one clings, spoon hot milk against the underside and wait rather than scraping it. Ça se rattrape. Poach at the barest tremble for about 2 minutes, turn gently with a slotted spoon, and poach for another 1½ to 2 minutes, until each mousseline feels set and softly springy at its center. Drain on a clean cloth and repeat with the remaining sheets. If the milk begins rolling, pull the pan partly off the heat before continuing.
- 5
Compose the egg dishes
Set two drained mousselines side by side in each porcelain egg dish and place one poached apricot half in the middle, rounded side up. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of cool crème anglaise over and around each arrangement, giving the meringue a light veil rather than drowning it. Serve promptly while the mousselines remain buoyant and the apricot holds its bright shape. À table!
Chef Tips
- •The times assume the Ordinary Meringue (No. 2382) is ready when you begin. Use that finished preparation exactly as the entry directs; another meringue method changes how the rounds release and poach.
- •Uncoated parchment is the safe home equivalent of the source's white paper. Waxed paper softens unpredictably in hot milk, while silicone-coated baking mats cannot be slipped away beneath the floating meringues.
- •Outside apricot season, use firm canned halves in light syrup and drain them thoroughly. A good preserved apricot has better fragrance and shape than a tired fresh one, and the classical pantry has always understood that bargain.
- •Serve with a lightly sweet Chenin Blanc whose acidity can meet the custard and apricot. Keep the pour modest and cool; this dessert is delicate, not timid.
Advance Preparation
- •The crème anglaise can be made up to 1 day ahead, covered directly on its surface, and kept cold. Stir it gently before serving.
- •Drain the apricot halves up to 4 hours ahead and keep them covered in the cold.
- •Prepare the Ordinary Meringue (No. 2382) shortly before piping. The poached mousselines may be drained and held for up to 1 hour, but assemble the dishes only when the table is ready because custard eventually softens the meringue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 135g)
Calories
220 calories
Total Fat
4 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2 g
Cholesterol
95 mg
Sodium
50 mg
Total Carbohydrates
43 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
43 g
Protein
5 g
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