Cabbages for Garnish.—B

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor with metal blade
• •Large pot for blanching
• •12-inch / 30 cm lidded ovenproof sauté pan
• •Small saucepan
• •Clean kitchen towels
• •Parchment paper for the cartouche
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the cold forcemeat

   Chill the food-processor bowl and blade for 15 minutes. Add the pork shoulder, fatback, ½ teaspoon of the fine salt, the white pepper, and nutmeg. Pulse in short bursts until the mixture becomes smooth and tacky, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the egg white and process only until absorbed, then add all but 1 teaspoon of the cold cream in three additions. Stop as soon as the farce looks satiny and holds together on a spoon. If it becomes shiny, greasy, or slack, it has grown too warm. Stop, chill the bowl and blade for 15 minutes, then pulse in the reserved teaspoon of cream. Ça se rattrape. Poach a teaspoonful in barely simmering water until completely cooked, taste it, and adjust with a little of the remaining salt. Cover and refrigerate the farce.

   Keep the farce below 50°F / 10°C while processing. Cold preserves the emulsion of meat, fat, egg white, and cream, which is what gives the cooked centre its smooth, close texture.
2. 2

   Blanch and refresh

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the tablespoon of blanching salt. Lower in the 10 whole outer leaves and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes, just until flexible without becoming limp. Lift them into cold water. Add the shredded inner cabbage to the boiling water and blanch for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh it in cold water as well. Cooling stops the cooking and preserves the cabbage's fresh green colour.

3. 3

   Dry the cabbage

   Spread the whole leaves on towels and blot them carefully. Gather the shredded cabbage in a clean towel and squeeze hard until no more water runs from it. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a wide pan, add the shredded cabbage and ¼ teaspoon of the remaining salt, and stir over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until it is butter-glossed and no moisture hisses from the pan. Wet cabbage loosens the parcels and dilutes the braise, so if it still weeps when pressed, keep cooking. Spread it on a tray and let it cool completely.

4. 4

   Shape the parcels

   Divide the chilled farce into eight oval portions of 1 ounce / 28 to 30 g each, about the size of the pigeon’s egg named by the book. Divide the cooled shredded cabbage into eight equal portions. Trim the thick central rib from each whole leaf without cutting through the tender end, then lay a leaf cupped-side up. Flatten one portion of shredded cabbage in its centre, press a hollow into it, and set a farce oval in the hollow. Mold the shredded cabbage completely around the pork, then fold the whole leaf tightly over it to make a compact ball about 2 inches / 5 cm across. Use two leaves as repairs or discard them if every parcel closes cleanly. If a leaf tears, overlap a piece from a spare leaf over the opening. Keep the finished balls cold while you shape the rest.

   The pork must remain enclosed on every side. This centred core poaches gently while the surrounding cabbage braises, so neither component waits for the other.
5. 5

   Build the braising bed

   Heat the oven to 325°F / 160°C. Scatter the onion and carrot across the base of a 12-inch / 30 cm lidded ovenproof sauté pan. Lay the bacon over the vegetables and tuck in the bouquet garni. Arrange the cabbage balls snugly on top, seam-side down, and dot them with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Warm the chicken stock in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer.

6. 6

   Braise at a tremble

   Pour the hot stock down the side of the pan until it reaches roughly halfway up the cabbage balls. Bring it to the barest tremble on the stove. Cover the surface with a cartouche (a round of buttered parchment set directly over the food), put on the lid, and transfer the pan to the oven. Braise for 40 to 50 minutes, until a fine skewer enters the cabbage without resistance and the pork centres register at least 160°F / 71°C. A hard boil tightens the farce and pushes at the seams, so lower the oven to 300°F / 150°C if the liquid bubbles vigorously. If a parcel opens, turn the split toward the pan wall, cover it with a spare piece of leaf, and wedge it gently against its neighbour while it finishes.

7. 7

   Reduce and glaze

   Lift the cabbage balls onto a warm shallow serving dish. Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan, pressing lightly on the vegetables, then discard the bacon, vegetables, and bouquet garni. Skim any obvious surface fat and boil the liquid until about ½ cup / 120 ml remains and it lightly coats a spoon. If it tastes fully seasoned before reaching that point, stop reducing. Off the heat, whisk in the final tablespoon of cold butter until the juices turn glossy. If the glaze separates, whisk in a teaspoon of cold stock away from the heat. Spoon it generously over the cabbage balls and serve two to each guest. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Savoy cabbage is the willing leaf here. Its crinkled leaves soften without becoming slippery and fold around the filling with less argument than a dense white cabbage. If white cabbage is what you have, blanch the outer leaves a minute longer.
• •Use fresh fatback in the farce, not smoked bacon. The fatback gives the pork its smooth texture without pushing smoke or extra salt into the centre; the separate bacon belongs beneath the parcels, where it seasons the braise.
• •Unsalted stock matters because the braising liquid is reduced at the finish. A salty carton can become harsh before it becomes glossy, so dilute strongly seasoned stock with water before it enters the pan.
• •These are a garnish in the full classical sense, not a sprig set beside the plate. Serve two with roast veal, roast pork, or poularde, letting their buttered juices meet the roasting jus.

Advance Preparation

• •The farce can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and kept tightly covered in the cold. Shape the parcels no more than 12 hours before braising so the salted filling does not draw water from the cabbage.
• •The cabbage leaves and shredded cabbage can be blanched earlier the same day. Squeeze and dry them thoroughly, then refrigerate them separately until cold before shaping.
• •The cabbage balls may be braised 1 day ahead. Cool them in their liquid within 2 hours, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat them gently, covered, at 325°F / 160°C until the centres reach 165°F / 74°C, then strain, reduce, and butter the braising liquid just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)