Mousselines de Jambon à la Florentine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor with metal blade
• •Fine-mesh sieve and flexible scraper
• •Four 6-fluid-ounce (180 ml) ramekins
• •Deep roasting pan for the water bath
• •Shallow 2-quart (1.9 L) gratin dish
• •Small heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill and prepare

   Chill the processor bowl and blade for fifteen minutes. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C), set a kettle of water to heat, and butter four 6-fluid-ounce (180 ml) ramekins generously. Cut four parchment circles to fit their tops and butter one side of each. Cold equipment protects the forcemeat while the buttered moulds let the delicate mousselines release without tearing.

2. 2

   Make the mousseline

   Process the chilled ham until it becomes a fine, even paste, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the egg whites one at a time, processing only until each disappears, then add half the white pepper and the nutmeg. With the machine running, pour in the ¾ cup (180 ml) cold cream in a thin stream and stop as soon as the mixture is smooth. If it turns slick, grainy, or warm, stop immediately. Nest the bowl over ice for ten minutes, then pulse in the optional cold cream one teaspoon at a time until the paste becomes smooth again. Ça se rattrape. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a chilled bowl. Poach a teaspoonful in barely simmering water for three minutes and taste it; add salt only if the ham truly needs it. The test should hold its shape but yield softly under the teeth. If it is bouncy, fold in a little of the optional cream. If it is very soft, chill the mixture for fifteen minutes rather than adding flour.

   The sieve is not ceremony. It removes connective fibres and gives mousselines their defining fine texture; that smoothness is part of the dish, not brigade scaffolding.
3. 3

   Build the velouté

   Reserve 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the hot stock. Melt the sauce butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook this roux blanc, or white roux, over gentle heat for two minutes without letting it colour. Whisk in the remaining hot stock a little at a time, scraping into the corners so no flour hides there. Bring it to a bare simmer and cook for ten to twelve minutes, stirring often, until smooth and lightly coating the back of a spoon. If lumps appear, whisk firmly and strain the sauce while hot. Lay parchment directly on its surface and hold it off the heat.

4. 4

   Poach the mousselines

   Divide the ham mixture among the prepared ramekins and smooth the tops without packing them hard. Cover each with a buttered parchment circle, buttered side down, and set the moulds in a deep roasting pan. Pour hot water around them to reach halfway up their sides. Poach in the oven for twenty-two to twenty-eight minutes, until the centres register 160°F (71°C) and feel just set with a gentle spring. The water should barely tremble. If it bubbles actively, replace a cupful with cold water and lower the oven by 25°F (15°C); boiling makes the mousselines tighten. Rest them for five minutes, loosen the rims with a thin knife, then unmould onto a clean folded towel and drain well.

   Do not pry at a stubborn mousseline. Wait another two minutes, loosen the edge again, and invert it with one firm movement.
5. 5

   Fry the spinach

   Put the washed spinach into a large covered pot with only the water clinging to its leaves. Wilt it in batches over medium-high heat, turning until every leaf collapses. Drain, let it cool just enough to handle, then squeeze it very dry in a clean towel and shred it across the leaves. Melt the spinach butter in a wide skillet and fry the shredded spinach for five to seven minutes, tossing and separating it until glossy but no longer wet. If liquid puddles in the pan, keep cooking until it evaporates before seasoning. Add a cautious pinch of salt and the remaining white pepper, then spread the spinach in an even layer across a shallow 2-quart (1.9 L) gratin dish.

6. 6

   Finish sauce Allemande

   Whisk the reserved egg yolks with the ¼ cup (60 ml) cream in a heatproof bowl. Reheat the velouté until hot but not boiling, then whisk about ½ cup (120 ml) of it slowly into the yolk mixture. Return everything to the saucepan and stir over the lowest heat until the sauce Allemande, the velouté enriched with yolks and cream, reaches about 175°F (80°C) and nappes the spoon in a glossy coat. It must not boil. At the first sign of graininess, set the saucepan in cold water, whisk in a spoonful of cold cream, and strain it; ça se rattrape. Off the heat, add the lemon juice. Taste before adding any salt. If the sauce is too tight, loosen it with the reserved stock a teaspoon at a time.

7. 7

   Coat and glaze

   Heat the broiler fully and place an oven rack 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) below it. Arrange the drained mousselines on the buttered spinach and spoon the sauce Allemande over them, coating the tops and sides completely. Scatter the Parmesan evenly over the sauce. Broil for one to three minutes, watching without turning away, until the Parmesan bronzes and the sauce shows small bubbles at the edges. Rotate the dish if one side colours first. Do not leave it longer merely to deepen the crust; the quick glaze colours the top without overcooking the mousselines.

   The broiler is the honest home equivalent of the salamander. Have it fully hot before the dish goes underneath, because speed gives colour while preserving the tender interior.
8. 8

   Serve at once

   Bring the gratin dish directly to the table while its sauce remains glossy. Give each person one mousseline with a generous bed of spinach, then spoon the Allemande gathered around the dish over the top. This needs no decorative herb and no second sauce. The browned Parmesan, ivory Allemande, and dark spinach have already said everything. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for a thick piece of jambon de Paris or another gently cured, unsmoked cooked ham. Avoid honey-glazed ham, smoked country ham, and thin wet sandwich slices; sweetness, smoke, or excess water overwhelms the mousseline.
• •Fresh mature spinach gives the best leaves, but frozen whole-leaf spinach is an honest alternative. Thaw it completely, squeeze it until no water remains, then fry it in butter exactly as directed. Wet spinach dilutes the sauce and prevents the mousselines from sitting proudly.
• •A light veal stock is the classical foundation for this Allemande. Pale chicken stock works on a home stove, provided it is unsalted and clean-tasting. Dark roasted stock makes the sauce muddy and masks the ham.
• •Grate the Parmesan finely enough that it melts before the mousselines overheat. Large coarse strands require too long beneath the broiler.
• •Pour a dry white Burgundy or a supple cru Beaujolais. The dish wants freshness beside its cream and ham, not a heavy red that bullies the spinach.

Advance Preparation

• •The ham forcemeat can be made up to four hours ahead and kept tightly covered in the cold. Do not leave it at room temperature while preparing the sauce or spinach.
• •The mousselines can be poached, unmoulded, and chilled one day ahead. Rewarm them, covered, for about ten minutes at 300°F (150°C) before placing them on the spinach.
• •The velouté base can be prepared one day ahead, but add the yolk-and-cream liaison only shortly before serving. The spinach may also be wilted, squeezed, and shredded ahead, then fried in butter while the mousselines rewarm.
• •Do not assemble and glaze the finished dish ahead. The spinach releases moisture, the Allemande tightens, and the Parmesan loses the quick bronze that defines the finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)