Salade Monte-Cristo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (2-liter) saucepan
• •Medium nonreactive bowl and balloon whisk
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Sharp chef's knife
• •12-inch (30 cm) chilled oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook potatoes and eggs

   Put the scrubbed potatoes and eggs in a medium saucepan, cover them by 2.5 cm with cold water, and add 2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring the water just to a boil, lower it to a steady simmer, and begin timing. Lift the eggs into ice water after 10 minutes. Continue cooking the potatoes until a thin knife enters their centers without resistance, usually 18 to 25 minutes depending on size. Drain them immediately, let their surfaces dry, then peel while just warm and chill completely. Warm potato crumbles under the knife and drinks the mayonnaise; cold waxy potato gives a clean dice.

2. 2

   Whisk mustard mayonnaise

   Whisk the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, vinegar, remaining salt, and white pepper in a stable bowl until smooth. Add the oil one drop at a time at first, whisking constantly; once a thick emulsion forms, pour the rest in a thin, steady thread. Loosen with cold water, a teaspoon at a time, until the mayonnaise falls from the spoon in a broad ribbon rather than standing like mortar. If it splits, don't discard it. Ça se rattrape: whisk 1 teaspoon cold water in a clean bowl, then add the broken mayonnaise a teaspoon at a time until the emulsion becomes smooth again. Cover and chill.

   Oil and yolk emulsify most readily when they are close to the same temperature. The first few spoonfuls of oil demand patience; after the emulsion takes hold, it becomes much more forgiving.
3. 3

   Dice equal portions

   Peel the eggs and cut them into even 8 mm dice. Cut the cold potatoes, lobster, and drained truffles to the same size, working with each ingredient separately. Weigh exactly 200 g of each prepared component and return the four portions to separate bowls. If the potato edges begin to crumble, stop and chill them for 15 minutes before continuing; ça se rattrape. Pat any surface moisture from the lobster and truffles so it cannot thin the mayonnaise.

4. 4

   Keep heart whole

   Remove the dark outer lettuce leaves one at a time until only the compact, very pale heart remains. Reserve those outer leaves for another salad. Rinse the heart gently in cold water without pulling it apart, invert it to drain, and dry it thoroughly between clean towels. Pare only the brown end of the root so the heart can stand upright while its base still holds every leaf together. Do not quarter it and do not core it. The heart goes in whole, never cut.

5. 5

   Build distinct heaps

   Set the whole lettuce heart upright in the center of a chilled oval platter. Arrange the lobster, truffle, potato, and egg around it in four generous, distinct heaps, keeping clear borders between them. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of mustard mayonnaise over each heap, allowing the ingredients to remain recognizable, then place another spoonful around the foot of the lettuce. Scatter the chopped tarragon over the mayonnaise and pass any remaining sauce separately. The dish must look composed, not mixed.

6. 6

   Serve well chilled

   Return the completed platter to the refrigerator for no more than 20 minutes, just long enough to settle the arrangement without dulling the lettuce. Bring it to the table while the heart is crisp and the four heaps are clearly defined. Each guest takes a leaf from the center and a little of every heap, joining the contrasts on the plate rather than in the serving dish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Equal means prepared weight. Shells, truffle preserving liquid, potato peel, and eggshells do not count. Weigh the four cold, edible components after preparation and keep the one-to-one-to-one-to-one ratio exact.
• •Buy whole cooked black truffles preserved as première ébullition, meaning whole truffles packed after their first cooking. Truffle peelings disappear among the dice, and truffle-flavored oil cannot replace a heap of actual truffle. If the full quantity is beyond the evening's budget, choose another salad rather than pretending the substitution is invisible.
• •Ask for 200 g of picked cooked lobster meat, with both claw and tail if possible. Claw meat is tender, tail meat gives a firm clean dice, and together they make a better heap than tail alone. Keep it below 4°C until assembly.
• •Use a waxy potato such as Charlotte, fingerling, or a small yellow potato. Floury baking potatoes fracture into meal when diced and turn the mayonnaise pasty.
• •Brut Champagne is splendid here. Its acidity cuts through the mayonnaise, while its breadth can stand beside lobster, egg, and truffle without bullying any of them.

Advance Preparation

• •Boil the potatoes and eggs up to one day ahead. Keep them whole, covered, and refrigerated; dice them only when fully cold so their edges remain clean.
• •The mustard mayonnaise can be made one day ahead with a pasteurized yolk and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator. Whisk in a teaspoon of cold water if it becomes too firm.
• •The lobster and cooked truffles may be diced up to four hours ahead and refrigerated in separate covered containers. Prepare the lettuce heart and assemble the platter shortly before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)