Mousse de Jambon au Blanc de Poulet

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Deep 8-inch / 20-cm square porcelain or glass serving dish
• •2 to 3-quart snug-fitting saucepan with lid
• •Food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small wire rack and tray
• •Mixing bowls for cold-water baths

Instructions

1. 1

   Reserve and poach

   Reserve ¾ cup (180 ml) of the stock for the mousse and 1½ cups (360 ml) for the aspic, keeping the aspic portion covered in the refrigerator. Put the remaining stock in a snug saucepan with the shallot, bouquet garni, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Bring it just below a simmer, add the suprêmes, the breast fillets, and cover. Poach at the barest tremble until the thickest part reaches 165°F / 74°C, about 12 to 16 minutes. Boiling toughens the chicken and clouds the liquid. Lift the suprêmes onto a shallow plate, cool briefly, then cover and refrigerate. Strain the poaching liquid and reserve ¾ cup (180 ml) for the chaud-froid.

   Choose a saucepan that holds the suprêmes closely. A broad pot demands unnecessary stock and lets the surface boil before the centres cook.
2. 2

   Build the mousse base

   Sprinkle the mousse gelatin over 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the cold water and leave it to bloom for 5 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan, stir in 2 tablespoons of the flour, and cook this white roux for 2 minutes without letting it color. Whisk in the reserved ¾ cup stock little by little, then simmer gently until the sauce is smooth, thick, and free of raw flour flavor, about 4 minutes. Remove it from the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Let the base cool until barely warm but still fluid.

3. 3

   Fold and set mousse

   Process the chilled ham with the mousse base until very smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. For the finest texture, press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Season with up to ¼ teaspoon of the salt and half the white pepper, remembering that cold mutes seasoning. Whip ½ cup (120 ml) of the cream to soft peaks and fold it through the ham mixture without knocking out its lightness. Spread the mousse evenly in a chilled 8-inch / 20-cm square serving dish, tap the dish once to release large air pockets, smooth the surface, and refrigerate until firm, 1½ to 2 hours.

   If the mousse still yields like thick cream after 2 hours, do not assemble over it. Give it another 30 minutes in the cold. If you have already placed a collop and it begins to sink, lift it away, smooth the mark, and chill again. Ça se rattrape.
4. 4

   Make the chaud-froid

   Bloom the chaud-froid gelatin in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the cold water for 5 minutes. Melt the remaining 1½ tablespoons butter in a small saucepan, add the remaining 2½ tablespoons flour, and cook the white roux for 2 minutes without browning. Gradually whisk in the reserved ¾ cup poaching liquid, then add the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) cream. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon in an opaque ivory layer. Remove it from the heat and dissolve in the bloomed gelatin with 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice. Season with salt and white pepper, strain, then set the bowl over cold water and stir until the sauce is cool and as thick as pouring cream. If it sets before the chicken is ready, warm it over barely warm water until it flows again. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Slice and coat

   Pat the chilled suprêmes completely dry and cut them across the grain into regular collops, even oval slices about ¼ inch / 6 mm thick. Dry each cut surface. Dip or spoon the cool chaud-froid over every collop so the top and sides carry a smooth white coat, then place them on a rack over a tray. If the sauce slides off, either the chicken is damp or the sauce is too warm; dry the collop, cool the sauce until it thickens, and coat again. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, until the coating no longer marks under a light fingertip.

6. 6

   Prepare the aspic

   Sprinkle the aspic gelatin over the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 ml) cold water and let it bloom for 5 minutes. Warm ½ cup (120 ml) of the reserved clear stock without boiling, remove it from the heat, and stir in the bloomed gelatin until no granules remain. Add the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) stock and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Season a little more boldly than you would a warm broth, then pass the aspic through a dampened fine cloth or coffee filter. Cool it over cold water, stirring occasionally, until it becomes slightly syrupy but has not begun to set.

7. 7

   Test the foundation

   Press one clean fingertip lightly against the centre of the mousse. It should feel cold, firm, and spring back without leaving a wet hollow. Arrange the coated collops over it in neat overlapping rows, working from one side so you do not disturb the surface. This pause is the dish, not brigade ceremony. If a collop begins to settle into the mousse, lift it off immediately and return the dish to the refrigerator until the foundation is firm.

8. 8

   Seal with aspic

   Spoon a very thin layer of syrupy aspic around and over the arranged collops, using only enough to anchor them. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes, until this first layer is set. Pour the remaining aspic slowly over the back of a spoon so it covers the chicken without disturbing the chaud-froid, forming a clear layer about ¼ inch / 6 mm deep. If the aspic sets in its bowl, stand the bowl in barely warm water and stir just until fluid. Never boil it.

9. 9

   Chill and serve

   Cover the dish without touching the aspic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting. Dip a thin knife in hot water, wipe it dry, and cut four generous squares, cleaning the blade between cuts so the pale rose mousse, ivory chaud-froid, and clear aspic remain distinct. Serve cold from the dish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a mild unsmoked cooked ham, such as jambon de Paris, with no honey glaze or heavy smoke. The mousse should taste cleanly of ham and cream; sweetness and smoke overwhelm the delicate chicken.
• •Use the clearest low-sodium chicken stock you can buy. The grand kitchen clarified aspic by the stockpot, but that labor was service scaffolding. Clear packaged stock and powdered gelatin give the home cook an honest, savory seal.
• •Keep the ham, cream, cooked chicken, and serving dish properly cold. The mousse gains its light texture from whipped cream, while the layered structure depends on gelatin setting before the next component arrives.
• •Cold dulls salt, acid, and pepper. Taste the mousse and chaud-froid from a spoon chilled for a few minutes, then correct the seasoning before either one sets beyond adjustment.
• •A dry Champagne or mineral Chablis suits the chilled ham, chicken, and cream without bullying them. Serve good bread alongside and leave the plate free of decorative fuss.

Advance Preparation

• •Poach the chicken and set the ham mousse up to 1 day before assembly. Keep both covered and refrigerated, then prepare the chaud-froid and aspic when you are ready to layer the dish.
• •The complete dish is best assembled the day before serving. The overnight rest gives the aspic a clean set and allows the mousse to cut without smearing.
• •Keep the finished dish covered and refrigerated at 40°F / 4°C or colder, and serve within 2 days. Do not freeze it, because freezing damages both the whipped mousse and the clear aspic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)