Moulded Pease Purée for Garnish

Timbales de Purée Saint-Germain (moulded pease purée for garnish) teach the exact art of setting a vegetable purée without burdening it. The one true thing is this: the purée must be creamier than you would serve from a spoon, because the eggs firm it as they poach. Begin stiff and the timbale lands stodgy; begin with a slow, thick ribbon and it sets tender enough to yield under a fork.

The original direction assumed a quart of Saint-Germain purée already made under a saucier's eye, eggs passed through muslin, and a shelf of dariole moulds or baba moulds ready for service. For one cook, the formula is halved exactly to two cups, the muslin becomes a fine-mesh sieve, and six small metal moulds or straight-sided ramekins sit in a roasting tin. Those are brigade scaffolds stripped away; the egg ratio, gentle bain-marie, and five-minute stand are the dish, and they stay.

Poach them at a tremble, never a boil. If the water grows lively, cool it along the side of the tin and lower the heat. Ça se rattrape. The step that decides the finish is the five-minute stand before unmoulding; it lets the custard settle, so patience, not force, gives you clean sides.