Treatment and Accompaniment of Ham Mousse

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve and flexible scraper
• •1-quart (1-liter) smooth-sided charlotte mold or deep round metal mold
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Warm, slightly deep serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the panade

   Melt 2 tablespoons butter gently in a small saucepan without coloring it. Stir in 1/4 cup flour and cook for one minute, then add the milk gradually while whisking. Cook over low heat until the panade, the cooked flour-and-milk binder, becomes a thick smooth paste that leaves the sides of the pan. Spread it thinly on a plate, cover its surface, and chill until completely cold. If it has lumps, press it through the sieve while still warm.

2. 2

   Ready the bain-marie

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter a smooth-sided 1-quart (1-liter) charlotte mold or deep round metal mold generously, reaching every corner. Set it inside a deep roasting pan and heat enough water to 205°F (96°C) to come two-thirds of the way up the mold. Keep the water aside until the mold is filled so the kitchen remains calm and dry.

3. 3

   Work the forcemeat

   Put the chilled ham and cold panade in a food processor and pulse until very fine. Add the egg whites and white pepper, then process briefly. With the motor running, pour in the cold cream in a thin stream and stop as soon as the mixture is smooth; a warm processor bowl can make the fat bead and the texture turn coarse. If the bowl loses its chill, stop and refrigerate everything for ten minutes before continuing. Press the forcemeat through a fine-mesh sieve. Poach a teaspoonful in barely trembling water until set, taste it, and add salt only if the ham truly needs it.

4. 4

   Fill and cover

   Spoon the forcemeat into the prepared mold a little at a time, pressing each addition against the sides to remove hidden air pockets. Tap the mold twice on a folded towel, smooth the surface, and cover it tightly with buttered parchment and foil. Air pockets leave holes in the finished mousse, while a loose cover allows water to dilute the surface.

5. 5

   Hold the bath steady

   Pour the 205°F (96°C) water into the roasting pan and transfer it carefully to the oven. Poach under cover for about 45 minutes, keeping the bain-marie between 205 and 208°F (96 and 98°C). Check the water after ten minutes and occasionally thereafter, adding hot water if it falls below the range or a little cool water if it climbs. If it begins boiling, correct it at once rather than abandoning the mousse. Ça se rattrape. Begin checking the mousse near 40 minutes: it is cooked when it has swollen and risen visibly in the mold, feels resilient at the center, and registers at least 160°F (71°C).

6. 6

   Build Sauce Suprême

   While the mousse poaches, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and stir in 1/4 cup flour to make a roux, the cooked butter-and-flour foundation. Cook gently for two minutes without browning. Whisk in the chicken stock by degrees, scraping the corners, then simmer very gently for 10 to 12 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the measured cream and add the rest, simmering until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and white pepper. Off the heat, monter au beurre, whisk in the diced cold butter to give the sauce its final gloss. If it is lumpy, strain it; if too thick, loosen it with stock. If butter beads on the surface, whisk in the reserved cold cream away from the heat.

7. 7

   Settle and invert

   As soon as the mousse has risen and set, lift the mold from the bain-marie and let it stand undisturbed for exactly five minutes so its contents settle. Remove the cover, place a warm, slightly deep serving platter over the mold, and invert both together. Wait two full minutes before attempting to lift the mold. Liquid will drain around its rim; absorb every drop with folded paper towel while the mold remains in place, just as the original treatment requires. If the mousse clings, wrap the mold briefly in a hot damp towel, then lift it straight upward without shaking.

8. 8

   Lift, sauce, serve

   Lift away the mold and spoon enough hot Sauce Suprême around the base to form a generous pool without hiding the pale-rose dome. Pass the remaining sauce separately and carve the mousse at the table while it is still tender and warm. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a firm, unsmoked cooked ham without a sweet glaze or pumped-in flavoring. The sauce is delicate, and a sugary or aggressively smoky ham overwhelms it. Chill the ham thoroughly before processing because cold is what keeps the forcemeat smooth.
• •A food processor replaces the old mortar, but it does not replace the sieve. Pressing the forcemeat through a fine mesh removes sinew and gives the mousse the close, silky texture that makes the name worth using.
• •Sauce Suprême is the principal accompaniment here. The source also permits a velouté, a stock-based white sauce, seasoned with curry or paprika, or a highly seasoned demi-glace (half-glaze) enriched with butter and Madeira, Port, or Marsala. Choose one sauce and let it speak clearly.
• •The source directs garnishes back to the broader ham repertoire without naming one in this treatment, so none is invented here. The molded mousse and its sauce already make a complete presentation.
• •Pour a dry white Burgundy with enough acidity to meet the cream and salt of the ham. Serve the mousse promptly, since prolonged holding tightens the egg whites and steals the tenderness you protected in the bain-marie.

Advance Preparation

• •The panade may be cooked one day ahead, covered directly on its surface, and refrigerated. Bring it straight from the cold when making the forcemeat.
• •The forcemeat may be processed and held in the mold under cover for up to six hours in the refrigerator. Keep it thoroughly chilled and set the mold into the bain-marie only when ready to poach.
• •Sauce Suprême may be prepared through the cream reduction one day ahead. Chill it promptly, reheat gently with a spoonful of stock, and whisk in the final cold butter immediately before serving.
• •For a dinner party, poach the mousse close to serving time. Its five-minute settling and two-minute inverted wait are brief enough to manage while guests sit down.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 310g)