Mousseline of Eggs, Mimi

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-quart smooth metal charlotte mould or lidded pudding basin
• •Deep lidded pot and low trivet for the bain-marie
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Stand mixer for Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383)
• •Digital thermometer
• •Thin flexible knife
• •Low-rimmed chilled serving plate

Instructions

1. 1

   Stew the apricots

   Put the apricot halves, sugar, water, and lemon juice in a wide saucepan. Bring them slowly to a gentle simmer, then cook for 8 to 12 minutes, turning the fruit once, until the halves are tender but still recognizable and the juices have become lightly syrupy. If very ripe fruit collapses, let it. You have compote rather than neat halves, and it will taste splendid. Cool, cover, and chill.

2. 2

   Clothe the mould

   Warm a 1-quart smooth metal mould with hot tap water, dry it thoroughly, and set it on a heatproof surface. Combine the caramel sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan, heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then boil without stirring until it reaches a clear, deep amber. If crystals appear before the syrup colours, add a spoonful of water and dissolve them again over low heat. Pour the caramel immediately into the mould and, gripping it with thick dry towels, rotate it so the base and sides receive a thin coating. The source calls this clothing the mould, borrowing the coating motion described in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916); only the motion comes across, naturally, not the aspic. Caramel burns fiercely, so keep your fingers clear of the rim.

   The caramel will harden before the meringue enters. That is exactly right; it liquefies again during poaching and chilling.
3. 3

   Prepare the bain-marie

   Place a low trivet in a deep, lidded pot wide enough to hold the mould. Add enough water to reach halfway up the mould and warm it to 82 to 88°C, when the surface barely quivers and releases an occasional small bubble. This bain-marie, the hot-water bath, shields the meringue from direct heat.

4. 4

   Fill with meringue

   Prepare the half batch of Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383) while the caramelled mould and bain-marie wait. Use it promptly, while it is still supple and glossy. Spoon it into the mould in several additions, pressing each gently against the sides to avoid large empty pockets without beating out its air. Leave about 1 inch at the top, smooth the surface, and cover with the mould’s lid or a round of parchment beneath tightly crimped foil.

5. 5

   Poach at a tremble

   Lower the covered mould onto the trivet, check that the water reaches halfway up its sides, and cover the pot. Poach over the lowest heat for 35 to 45 minutes, keeping the water at a constant tremble. Never let it boil. If it does, lift the pot off the heat immediately and uncover it until the violence subsides, then return it to the lowest setting. Ça se rattrape. The mousseline is ready when its centre feels resilient, a fine skewer emerges without wet foam, and the middle reaches at least 71°C.

   Check the water after ten minutes and again halfway through. A bath that looks uneventful is doing its work properly.
6. 6

   Chill it completely

   Lift the mould from the bath and remove its cover. Let it cool for no more than 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight. Do not turn it out warm. The cold is part of the structure, allowing the set meringue to contract slightly while the caramel becomes a flowing amber syrup.

7. 7

   Turn out and serve

   Dip the lower part of the mould in hot tap water for 5 to 8 seconds, dry the outside, and loosen only the upper edge with a thin flexible knife. Place a chilled, low-rimmed serving plate over the mould and invert them together decisively. If the mousseline stays put, return the mould to the water for another 3 seconds and try again; prolonged warming will soften the outside, so work in brief passes. Bring it to the table cold, with the stewed apricots and chilled crème anglaise in separate bowls. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a smooth metal charlotte mould or pudding basin with a 1-quart capacity. Glass dislikes the sudden heat of caramel, and elaborate fluting gives a fragile cold mousseline too many places to cling.
• •Have the caramelled mould and bain-marie ready before preparing the Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383). Hot-syrup meringue waits better than French meringue, but it still fills the mould most evenly while fresh, glossy, and warm.
• •Apricots give the sweet meringue the acidity it needs. Outside their season, use frozen apricot halves picked ripe, or stew firm pears with the same sugar and lemon. An honest preserved fruit is better than a pale fresh one.
• •Keep the mousseline, fruit, and crème anglaise separate until serving. Poured on too early, the custard hides the caramel and softens the pudding’s clean surface.

Advance Preparation

• •Stew the apricots and prepare the crème anglaise up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate them in separate covered containers.
• •Poach the mousseline the day before serving and leave it in its mould overnight. Its structure and caramel release are both better after a complete chill.
• •Turn the mousseline out shortly before dinner and return it to the cold. Keep it loosely covered so nothing touches the caramel surface, and serve within 24 hours of poaching.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 325g)