Mousselines Froides de Jambon

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 6-ounce (180 ml) porcelain cassolettes or straight-sided ramekins
• •Food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Mixing bowl set over an ice bath
• •Whisk or electric hand mixer
• •White baking parchment, kitchen twine, or tape

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the clear aspic

   Pour ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the cold stock into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly across its surface. Leave it for 5 minutes, until every grain has swollen and the mixture looks like a soft sponge. Heat the remaining 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of stock just until hot, never boiling, then whisk in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Strain through a fine sieve and cool it over an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until fluid and no longer warm. Do not let it set.

2. 2

   Set the aspic floors

   Following the moulding method of Petites Mousses de Homard (No. 958), spoon 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) of liquid aspic into the bottom of each cassolette. Set them on a level refrigerator shelf until the aspic is firm from edge to edge, about 20 to 30 minutes. Press it gently with a clean fingertip: it must resist without leaving liquid behind. If it is still tacky, give it another 10 minutes. A soft layer will mingle with the filling, but ça se rattrape before filling simply by chilling it longer.

   Keep the remaining ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) of aspic fluid while the bases chill. If it begins to set, stand its bowl briefly in barely warm water and stir until smooth, then cool it again.
3. 3

   Fit the paper collars

   Once the aspic bases are firm, cut four strips of white baking parchment long enough to overlap around the cassolettes and wide enough to rise 1 inch (2.5 cm) above their rims. Wrap one tightly around each vessel and secure the overlap on the outside with tape or kitchen twine. Keep tape away from the food. The silver timbales of the old service are optional ceremony; these collars are not, because they give the mousselines their characteristic soufflé height.

4. 4

   Purée the ham

   Put the chilled ham, white pepper, and reserved ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) of fluid aspic in a food processor. Petites Mousses de Homard (No. 958) supplies the individual moulding method, and the source directs ham to replace lobster here. Process in short bursts, scraping the bowl frequently, until the mixture is completely smooth. Push it through a fine sieve into a chilled bowl; the processor replaces the old pounding, but the sieve remains because it removes every stubborn fibre that would make the mousse coarse.

5. 5

   Fold the mousse

   Set the sieved ham mixture over ice and stir until it is cold and slightly thickened, like cream beginning to coat a spoon. Whip the chilled heavy cream to soft folds that droop from the whisk, not stiff peaks. Fold one-third into the ham to lighten it, then fold in the remainder with broad strokes until no white streaks remain. If the ham mixture sets into little gelatinous grains before the cream is incorporated, stop. Ça se rattrape: hold the bowl over barely warm water and fold gently just until smooth, then return it to the ice. Do not beat it, or you will lose the air that makes the mousse tender.

6. 6

   Fill above the rims

   Divide the mousse among the collared cassolettes, filling each vessel to about ¾ inch (2 cm) above its ceramic rim. Press the first spoonful gently into the corners so no large air pockets remain, then add the rest without packing it down. Level the tops with the back of a spoon. The mixture should hold softly within the paper; if it flows like cream, chill the bowl over ice for 5 minutes before continuing.

7. 7

   Chill and reveal

   Refrigerate the mousselines on a level shelf for at least 4 hours, until thoroughly cold and set. Once the surfaces are firm, cover them without letting wrapping touch the mousse. At serving time, loosen the tape or twine and peel each paper collar away slowly, supporting the mousse with a small palette knife if any spot clings. Bring the cassolettes to the table cold, with their pale ham mousse standing proudly above the rims. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a moist, mild cooked ham such as jambon de Paris, with excess rind and hard exterior fat removed. Smoked or heavily cured ham overwhelms the cream, while dry sliced ham makes a fibrous paste no amount of sieving can quite civilize.
• •For clear aspic, use a well-defatted homemade stock or a good clear chicken consommé. Cloudiness does not alter the set, but a clean stock gives the little jelly floor the quiet polish the dish deserves.
• •Whip the cream only to soft folds. Stiff cream leaves white lumps and makes the finished mousse seem chalky; soft cream disappears into the ham while keeping enough air to lighten it.
• •Serve the mousselines as a cold main course with sharply dressed bitter leaves, cornichons, and good bread. A dry Champagne or another crisp, mineral white wine cuts through the cream without bullying the ham.
• •Keep the mousselines refrigerated until shortly before serving and return any leftovers promptly to the cold. Gelatin softens in a warm room, and the proud shape is part of the pleasure.

Advance Preparation

• •The clear aspic can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Melt it gently over warm water and cool it until fluid before dividing it between the cassolettes.
• •The assembled mousselines are excellent made 1 day ahead. Leave the paper collars in place, cover only after the tops have set, and remove the collars immediately before serving.
• •Do not freeze them. Freezing damages both the gelatin and the cream, leaving the mousse grainy and prone to weeping when thawed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 197g)