Cold Eggs à la Nantua

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium lidded saucepan
• •Small saucepan for the aspic
• •Heavy mortar and pestle or sturdy mini food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve and two layers of cheesecloth
• •Narrow demitasse spoon and sharp paring knife
• •Small pastry brush
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Chilled oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook and chill eggs

   Bring a medium saucepan of water to a gentle boil. Lower in the eggs, hold the water at a steady simmer for 11 minutes, then transfer them directly to ice water until cold through. The whites must be completely firm or they will tear during shaping, but a violent boil makes them rubbery and knocks them against the pan. Refrigerate the unpeeled eggs while you cook the crayfish.

2. 2

   Cook crayfish à la Bordelaise

   Melt the butter in a lidded saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the carrot and shallot and cook for 4 minutes without browning, then add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds. Add the crayfish, half the salt, and the white pepper; turn them through the aromatic butter until their shells begin to redden. Pull the pan from the heat before adding the Cognac, then return it to the stove and pour in the wine and 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the fish stock. Add the bouquet garni, cover, and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, turning the crayfish once, until the shells are bright red and the tail meat is opaque. Cool them in their liquor, then refrigerate until thoroughly cold. This wine, Cognac, tomato, and aromatic cooking is the crayfish preparation à la Bordelaise.

3. 3

   Set the aspic

   Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and leave it for 5 minutes to swell. Warm the remaining 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) fish stock just until hot, then whisk in the softened gelatin until completely dissolved. Taste and add only as much of the remaining salt as the stock needs. Set the bowl over ice and stir until the aspic begins to feel lightly syrupy, then refrigerate it. If it becomes firm before glazing, stand the bowl briefly in lukewarm water and stir until it loosens; do not let it become warm.

4. 4

   Shape the egg barrels

   Peel the cold eggs carefully. Cut a thin slice, about 1/8 inch (3 mm), from each narrow end so the eggs stand upright, then remove a slightly thicker slice, about 1/4 inch (6 mm), from each broad end to expose the yolk. Slip a narrow spoon between yolk and white and lift the yolk out in pieces, working only through the broad opening and leaving the base intact. You want four hollow white barrels with walls thick enough to hold the filling. Reserve the yolks for another dish, brush away loose crumbs, and return the barrels to the refrigerator.

5. 5

   Make the coral coulis

   Lift the cold crayfish from their liquor and reserve the liquor. Remove all 12 tails and pull out any dark intestinal threads. Set aside two whole tails for each egg, eight tails in all, and split each lengthwise to make 16 neat half-tail petals. Dice the remaining four tails finely and keep them cold. Break up the heads, bodies, claws, and tail shells, retaining any orange coral or soft shellfish matter but discarding the dark stomach sacs and feathery gills. Pound the remains very finely in a heavy mortar, adding the cream gradually, or pulse them cautiously in a sturdy mini processor. Press the mixture firmly through a fine sieve lined with two layers of damp cheesecloth. Whisk the smooth coral-colored extract with the mayonnaise. If it is too thick to spoon, loosen it with one teaspoon of the cold cooking liquor; if it seems loose, chill it for 15 minutes and use only enough to bind the tails.

   Rub a drop of coulis between two fingers. If you feel even one grain of shell, strain it again through fresh damp cloth. The tammy in the old kitchen existed for a reason, and perfect smoothness is one of the steps that must stay.
6. 6

   Fill and crown eggs

   Reserve 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 10 g) of the crayfish coulis for the artichoke bottoms. Fold the diced four tails with just enough of the remaining coulis, about 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g), to bind them without drowning their texture. Spoon the mixture into the egg barrels, filling each cavity and building a small rounded dome above the rim. Cut 16 small lozenges from the truffle. Crown each dome with four half-tail petals and four truffle lozenges arranged alternately as a compact rosette. Chill the filled eggs for 15 minutes so the garnish fixes itself in place.

7. 7

   Glaze and mount

   Set the cold eggs on a rack over a tray. Stir the aspic until it has the consistency of unbeaten egg white, then brush it over the crayfish rosettes and exposed egg whites in two or three thin coats, chilling for 5 minutes between coats. If the glaze slides off, the eggs are too warm or the aspic is too loose. Chill both for another 5 minutes and try again. Ça se rattrape. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of the reserved crayfish coulis inside each cold artichoke bottom, stand a glazed egg upon it, and arrange the four in a circle on a chilled platter. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, then let the platter stand for 10 minutes before serving so the coulis can show its full flavor. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Whole crayfish are essential because the bodies and shells make the coulis. Peeled tails give you the garnish and steal the dish's foundation. Raw frozen whole crayfish are an honest answer when live ones are unavailable; thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
• •If your market sells only whole cooked crayfish, make the Bordelaise liquor without them and cool it completely, then steep the crayfish in it for 30 minutes. Do not simmer cooked tails again. The coulis will be lighter, and that is the honest cost of the substitution.
• •Use whole artichoke bottoms packed in water, not marinated hearts carrying oil, vinegar, or herbs. A good preserved bottom is better here than a tired fresh artichoke, and the classical pantry has always understood that distinction.
• •Choose a small whole preserved black truffle that can be cut into proper lozenges. The truffle is part of the source's rosette, not decoration added for pomp, so olive, mushroom, and black garlic are not equivalent.
• •The removed yolks do not belong in this filling. Mash them into a mustard vinaigrette, pass them over asparagus, or use them for œufs mimosa the next day.
• •Serve with a dry Bugey blanc or another crisp, restrained white wine. Artichoke can make a heavily oaked wine taste metallic, while a lean white leaves room for the sweet crayfish and truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook the eggs and crayfish up to 1 day ahead. Keep the eggs unpeeled and the crayfish submerged in their cooking liquor, covered and refrigerated in separate containers.
• •Prepare the aspic up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Loosen it gently over lukewarm water before glazing.
• •The eggs may be filled, crowned, glazed, and mounted up to 6 hours before serving. Cover the platter without touching the rosettes and keep it refrigerated; once filled, do not hold the eggs longer than 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 165g)