Tartelettes Agnès

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Twelve fluted tartlet moulds, 2 to 2¼ inches (5 to 6 cm), or one 12-well shallow tartlet pan
• •Heavy rimmed baking sheet
• •Small wide saucepan, about 6 inches (15 cm)
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Thin sharp knife and small slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the marrow

   Put the whole marrow cylinders in a bowl of very cold water and soak them for 1 hour, changing the water once, until the surface is pale and free of blood. Drain, pat completely dry, wrap, and refrigerate while you make the pastry. Keep the marrow whole and cold for now; chilled marrow cuts cleanly, while warm marrow smears under the knife.

   Ask the butcher to push the marrow from straight, unsplit beef bones in whole cylinders. Split bones are splendid for roasting but cannot give the neat roundels this garnish requires.
2. 2

   Make the pâte brisée

   Combine the flour and pastry salt, then cut in the cold butter until the mixture holds small flakes and pea-sized pieces. Add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of ice water, tossing just until the dough holds when squeezed; add the remaining water only if dry flour remains. Press into a disc without kneading and chill for 45 minutes. This pâte brisée, a short butter pastry, needs rest so it stays tender and keeps its fluted shape.

3. 3

   Line the moulds

   Butter twelve fluted tartlet moulds measuring 2 to 2¼ inches (5 to 6 cm) across. Roll the pastry about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick and cut circles large enough to cover the bases and sides. Ease the pastry into every groove without stretching it, trim the rims, and chill the lined moulds for 20 minutes. If a shell cracks, press on a thin scrap with a damp fingertip. Ça se rattrape. Do not blind-bake them; the original sequence cooks pastry and custard together, and the preheated baking sheet will supply the strong bottom heat.

4. 4

   Reduce the glaze

   Pour the unsalted stock into a small, wide saucepan and simmer gently until reduced to 2 tablespoons (30 ml), pale amber and tacky enough to coat a cold spoon. Keep it warm over the lowest heat. If the glaze remains watery after reducing, bloom the optional gelatin in 1 teaspoon of cold water and whisk it into the glaze off the heat. If it tightens into jelly before service, loosen it with hot water a teaspoon at a time. The goal is a thin lacquer, not a heavy sauce.

5. 5

   Fill and bake

   Set a heavy baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and heat to 375°F (190°C). Whisk the eggs with the cream, custard salt, and cayenne just until smooth, without beating in foam, then fold in the Gruyère. This is the appareil à quiche au fromage, the cheese quiche custard. Fill the cold raw shells nearly to their rims and place the moulds on the hot sheet. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is butter-gold and the custard is set around the edge but still trembles faintly at the center. If the filling swells, don't chase it with more heat; take the tartlets out when the pastry is colored, and the custard will settle.

6. 6

   Poach the marrow

   While the tartlets bake, bring the poaching water and salt to 175 to 185°F (80 to 85°C), with small bubbles clinging to the pan and the surface barely quivering. Cut the cold marrow crosswise into twelve roundels about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Slide them into the water in two batches and poach for 60 to 90 seconds, until their edges turn pale ivory and the centers remain supple. Lift them gently with a slotted spoon onto a clean towel. If a round begins to soften or feather, lift the batch immediately and chill it for 2 minutes before glazing. Ça se rattrape. A rolling boil cannot be rescued because it renders the marrow into the water.

7. 7

   Glaze and crown

   Unmould the tartlets as soon as they leave the oven and arrange them on a warm platter. Roll each poached marrow roundel gently in the fluid pale meat glaze, then turn one side through the chopped parsley. Set one roundel, parsley side up, on each tartlet. Work steadily and without fuss; the tartlet should stay crisp, the custard tender, and the marrow warm.

8. 8

   Serve at once

   Carry the tartlets to the table within 5 minutes, allowing two per guest. They need no sauce beneath them and no further decoration. The pastry, cayenne-warmed custard, soft marrow, meat glaze, and parsley are already the complete composition. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Straight, unsplit marrow bones are the essential butcher's request. Ask for the marrow removed whole if possible; otherwise loosen it from thoroughly chilled bones with a narrow knife and push it out from the wider end.
• •Use a nutty Gruyère and grate it finely. Large shreds rise through the shallow custard and scorch before the pastry is ready, while a fine grate melts into the appareil evenly.
• •The hot baking sheet replaces the stronger floor heat of a professional pastry oven. It crisps the raw shell from beneath, preserving the source's single bake without adding a blind-baking step the dish never asked for.
• •Choose unsalted stock for the glaze. Reduction concentrates salt mercilessly, and a salted carton can become harsh before it gains enough body to coat the marrow.
• •Serve with a dry Champagne or Crémant de Bourgogne. Its acidity clears the richness of Gruyère and marrow without competing with the cayenne.

Advance Preparation

• •The pâte brisée can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Let it soften only until it rolls without cracking.
• •The moulds can be lined, covered, and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Keep them cold until filling so the flutes remain sharp.
• •The pale meat glaze can be reduced up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm it gently, loosening it with hot water a teaspoon at a time if necessary.
• •The marrow can be cleaned and kept whole in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Slice and poach it only while the tartlets bake.
• •Do not bake or crown the tartlets ahead. Their last-minute union is the dish, not brigade scaffolding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (2 tartlets, about 130g)