Cold Eggs with Tarragon

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 6-ounce (180 ml) porcelain ramekins, cocottes, or small baba moulds
• •Wide 3-quart (2.8 L) saucepan or sauté pan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Damp coffee filter or doubled muslin
• •Slotted spoon
• •Heatproof measuring jug
• •Small offset spatula or paring knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Filter the stock

   Pass the cold chicken stock through a damp coffee filter or a fine sieve lined with doubled damp muslin, letting it drip without pressing. If your stock is already brilliantly clear, the fine sieve is enough. Sediment that looks harmless in liquid becomes conspicuous once suspended in jelly, so begin as cleanly as you mean to finish.

   Choose a pale, gently seasoned chicken stock. A dark roasted stock may taste splendid in a braise, but here it hides the egg and turns the tarragon muddy.
2. 2

   Make tarragon jelly

   Pour 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the filtered stock into a heatproof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Leave it for 5 minutes, until every granule is swollen. Warm the remaining 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of stock with the tarragon sprigs and salt just until the edge begins to quiver, then remove it from the heat and infuse for 8 minutes. Strain the hot stock onto the bloomed gelatin and stir gently until perfectly dissolved. Do not boil gelatin, which weakens its set and dulls the stock. Taste while warm; it should seem one shade more seasoned than soup because cold mutes salt. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate briefly until cold but still fluid.

   If gelatin grains remain, set the bowl over warm water and stir gently. Ça se rattrape. Keep the heat mild and they will dissolve without clouding the jelly.
3. 3

   Poach and chill eggs

   Bring the poaching water and vinegar to the barest simmer in a wide pan, about 185°F (85°C), with only an occasional bubble breaking the surface. Crack one egg into a small fine-mesh sieve for 10 seconds so the loose white drains away, transfer it to a cup, and slide it gently into the water. Poach no more than two at once for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes, until the whites are set but tender and the yolks remain soft. Lift each egg into the ice water for 2 minutes, then place it on a towel-lined tray and chill for at least 20 minutes. Trim away ragged white with a small knife and blot every egg completely dry. If a white feathers, trim it once cold; if a yolk breaks, use the spare egg rather than hiding the damage under clear jelly.

   The water must tremble, not boil. A rolling boil toughens the white and throws it into tatters before it can gather around the yolk.
4. 4

   Set the decoration

   Arrange four chilled 6-ounce (180 ml) porcelain ramekins or baba moulds on a tray. Spoon about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of cold liquid jelly into each and chill for 10 to 15 minutes, until set but faintly tacky. Reach for the tarragon leaves prepared according to Blanchings (No. 273). Dip each leaf in a little liquid jelly, then place six against the bottom and lower sides of each mould, with their best surfaces facing outward. Seal them with another teaspoon of jelly and chill again. If the leaves float, the first layer was too soft; lift them out, chill the layer until tacky, and replace them. Ça se rattrape.

   Keep the prepared leaves flat and dry before moulding. Water trapped beneath a leaf makes a cloudy halo in an otherwise clear jelly.
5. 5

   Mould the eggs

   Place one chilled, dry poached egg in each mould with its smoothest face downward, since that side will be seen when unmoulded. Pour in enough cold fluid jelly to surround and cover the egg by about 1/4 inch (6 mm), pouring slowly down the side so the leaves stay in place. If the jelly begins setting in the jug, stand the jug in warm water for a minute and stir gently until fluid. If the decorative layer softens as you pour, stop and return the moulds to the cold before continuing. Cover once set and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until the jelly is firm through the centre.

6. 6

   Unmould and serve

   Chill four serving plates. Dip the base of one mould in warm, never hot, water for 3 to 5 seconds, loosen the rim with a damp fingertip, and invert it onto a plate. If it resists, repeat the dip for 2 seconds rather than forcing it. Serve directly on the chilled plate or set each portion on a small baked tartlet crust just before it reaches the table. The jelly should hold a clean outline and yield softly under the fork, revealing the tender egg beneath. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh French tarragon is the dish’s backbone. Dried tarragon cannot furnish the green leaves and gives the jelly a dusty bitterness, so if the fresh herb is tired, choose another cold egg preparation and save this one for a better bunch.
• •Gelatin strengths vary. Weighing 9 g is more dependable than counting sheets; if using sheet gelatin, use 9 g total and soak it according to its package before dissolving it in the hot infused stock.
• •Baba moulds are small, deep cylinders that flare slightly toward the top. Four lightly flared porcelain ramekins are the honest home equivalent and release the jelly more readily than straight-sided cups.
• •For the tartlet presentation, choose shells just wider than the moulded eggs and add them only at serving. Left together in the cold, the jelly’s moisture softens the pastry.
• •A dry, restrained white wine suits the cool egg and aniseed edge of tarragon. Chablis or another lean white Burgundy will accompany it without overwhelming the clear jelly.

Advance Preparation

• •The tarragon jelly can be prepared one day ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Warm it gently over barely warm water until fluid, then cool it before moulding.
• •The complete moulds may be assembled up to 24 hours before serving. Cover them only after the surface has set, keep them at or below 40°F (4°C), and unmould directly onto chilled plates.
• •If using tartlet crusts, bake or purchase them ahead, then keep them airtight at room temperature. Set the eggs on them only as the plates go to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 170g)