Grenadins Froids en Bellevue

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four shell-shaped dishes or straight-sided moulds, each holding 8 to 10 fluid ounces / 240 to 300 ml
• •Narrow larding needle, or a metal skewer and small pointed knife
• •Heavy skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Shallow dish for the chopped aspic
• •Large chilled serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Lard the grenadins

   Chill the fatback strips until firm enough to handle. Choose one broad face of each grenadin as the larded face, then use a small pointed knife and narrow metal skewer to open three parallel tunnels through the upper third of the meat. Push one fatback strip through each tunnel and trim it level with the sides. If the fat softens or tears, stop and chill it for 10 minutes; cold fat threads cleanly. Tie a loop of kitchen twine around each grenadin so it holds a neat round shape.

2. 2

   Cook and chill

   Season the grenadins with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and the white pepper. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, and when its foam subsides, set the grenadins in larded-side down. Brown for about 2 minutes, turn, brown the second face, then lower the heat and cook gently, turning onto the edges as needed, until the centres reach 145°F / 63°C. Rest for at least 3 minutes, remove the twine, and refrigerate uncovered on a rack until thoroughly cold, about 1 hour. Blot away every trace of surface butter before moulding; grease makes the aspic slide and turn cloudy.

   Do not press the meat against the pan. Pressure drives out juice, and cold veal needs all the tenderness you can keep.
3. 3

   Build the aspic

   Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over 1 cup of the cold stock and leave it to bloom for 10 minutes. Heat the remaining 3 cups with ½ teaspoon of the salt until just below a simmer, then remove it from the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Do not boil it. Strain through a dampened fine-mesh sieve without pressing, then taste a spoonful after chilling it briefly on an icy saucer; cold mutes seasoning, so the aspic should taste full but not salty. If it starts setting before you need it, warm the bowl over barely hot water until fluid again. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Blanch the vegetables

   Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and season it with the remaining salt. Blanch the carrot and turnip separately until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes; blanch the green beans for about 2 minutes and the peas for 30 seconds. Transfer each vegetable directly to ice water to stop the cooking and preserve its colour. Drain everything thoroughly, then spread the pieces on a clean towel and pat them dry. Water trapped on the vegetables dilutes the aspic exactly where it must grip.

5. 5

   Set the first layer

   Pour 1 cup of the aspic into a shallow dish and refrigerate it for the chopped border. Spoon a thin layer, about ⅛ inch / 3 mm, into the bottom of each shell-shaped mould and chill until firm. Arrange a restrained design of carrot, turnip, green bean, and peas on this layer, remembering that the bottom of the mould will become the top. Touch each piece with a few drops of liquid aspic and chill again until fixed.

6. 6

   Place the grenadins

   Set one thoroughly chilled grenadin into each mould with its larded face undermost, directly against the decoration. Pour cool, still-fluid aspic slowly down the side of each mould until it reaches halfway up the thickness of the meat. Refrigerate until this layer is completely set, about 25 minutes. The aspic must be cool before pouring; warm jelly melts the first layer and releases the design.

7. 7

   Fix the vegetable border

   Arrange the remaining carrot, turnip, green bean diamonds, and peas around each grenadin, forming a close border on the set aspic. Sprinkle the vegetables with only enough liquid aspic to wet and anchor them, then chill for 10 minutes, until the fixing drops feel tacky and firm. If a piece floats when you test the first mould, lift it back into place and chill longer before continuing. Ça se rattrape; the mistake is pouring the final layer before the border can hold itself.

8. 8

   Fill and set

   Fill the moulds to their rims with the remaining cool aspic, pouring slowly against the side so the current cannot disturb the vegetables. Refrigerate on a level shelf for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until the jelly is firm from edge to centre. Once set, cover the moulds without letting the covering touch the surface.

9. 9

   Unmould the crown

   Chill a large serving platter until very cold. Dip each mould into hot tap water for 3 to 5 seconds, wipe the outside dry, cover it with your hand, and invert it onto the platter. If it refuses to release, repeat the dip for 2 seconds rather than soaking it; too much heat melts the detail. Arrange the four grenadins in a crown with their decorated larded faces upward. Chop the reserved aspic into clear, irregular pieces and place it around the crown as a generous border. Keep the platter cold and serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Grenadins are veal, not beef tenderloin cut under another name. Ask for four equal centre-cut veal medallions, and ask the butcher to lard them if that service is offered.
• •Fatback, not smoked bacon. Smoke perfumes the delicate veal and the clear jelly, changing the dish completely; unsalted fatback supplies tenderness without announcing itself.
• •Aspic can only display what the stock gives it. Chill and degrease homemade stock completely, or choose a purchased stock clear enough to see through. Cloudy stock cannot be repaired by forcing it through a filter.
• •Frozen petite peas are the honest choice outside their brief season. They are sweeter and greener than tired fresh peas, and the classical pantry has always understood preservation.
• •Serve the grenadins directly from the cold with a dry, mineral white wine. Do not freeze them, since thawed aspic weeps and loses its clean structure.

Advance Preparation

• •The grenadins may be larded, cooked, and chilled up to 24 hours before moulding. Keep them covered once completely cold, then blot them dry before they meet the aspic.
• •The vegetables may be blanched a day ahead. Drain and dry them thoroughly, then refrigerate the colours separately so the turnip remains pale.
• •Complete the moulds the evening before serving. Their long rest improves the set and makes unmoulding calmer; keep them refrigerated at 40°F / 4°C or colder.
• •The reserved aspic may be chopped several hours before service and kept covered in the cold. Fluff it gently with a fork before arranging the border.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 420g)