Stuffed Cucumbers

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp paring knife
• •1-teaspoon melon baller or rounded measuring spoon
• •Wide saucepan
• •Large bowl for an ice bath
• •Shallow nonreactive dish
• •Wire rack
• •Piping bag with a 1/2-inch (12 mm) plain opening
• •Long chilled serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the barquettes

   If you have it, set the finished Barquettes (No. 314) shell beside the board as a shape reference only; otherwise the dimensions here are your honest home equivalent. Cut each cucumber crosswise into three equal cylinders, then halve each lengthwise to make twelve pieces. Taper the ends gently with a paring knife. Scoop out the seedy center with a teaspoon or melon baller, leaving a floor and walls about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Keep the walls even rather than carving elaborate edges. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.

   A rounded teaspoon works nearly as well as a melon baller. Scrape in shallow passes so you don't pierce the cucumber floor.
2. 2

   Blanch and chill

   Bring a wide saucepan of water to a gentle simmer and add 1 teaspoon of the salt. Lower in the cucumber barquettes in two batches and blanch for 60 to 90 seconds, just until the green brightens and the rim flexes slightly while the walls remain distinctly firm. Lift them immediately into ice water for 5 minutes, then drain. Do not let the water boil hard; forceful heat makes the cups collapse. If a thin rim tears, trim the ragged edge cleanly and place that boat in the center of the platter. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Marinate twenty minutes

   Whisk the completely cold Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) with 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Lay the thoroughly chilled cucumber barquettes in a shallow nonreactive dish and spoon the mixture over and inside them. Marinate for exactly 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. Drain the cups upside down on a rack for at least 10 minutes, then blot their interiors. If liquid beads inside later, blot them again and chill uncovered for 15 minutes; ça se rattrape. Filling a wet cup is what turns it limp.

4. 4

   Cook the macédoine

   Return the cucumber blanching water to a gentle boil. Add the carrot and turnip, wait 1 minute, add the green beans, wait another minute, then add the peas and cook for 1 minute more. The roots receive 3 minutes, the beans 2, and the peas 1, so every vegetable remains distinct under the teeth. Drain into ice water, then spread the macédoine on a clean towel until completely cold and dry. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. If the vegetables still glisten with water, wait; wet macédoine loosens mayonnaise.

5. 5

   Build the mayonnaise

   Whisk the egg yolk with the Dijon mustard, remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the white pepper. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons oil a few drops at a time at first, then in a thin thread once the emulsion takes, whisking until the mayonnaise holds the trace of the whisk. If it breaks, stop. Put 1 teaspoon cold water in a clean bowl and whisk the broken mayonnaise into it drop by drop until it returns to a smooth emulsion. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Bind and chill

   Fold the cold, dry macédoine into the mayonnaise without crushing the vegetables. The filling should glisten and hold a neat mound, not swim. Chill it uncovered for 20 minutes so the emulsion firms and the separate vegetable flavors settle together. Taste it cold; chilled food speaks more quietly, so adjust only if the filling truly needs another pinch of salt.

7. 7

   Pipe and serve

   Fit a piping bag with a 1/2-inch (12 mm) plain opening, or cut a disposable bag slightly wider. Spoon in the macédoine and pipe it generously into the dry cucumber barquettes, letting the filling rise just above the rims. If a vegetable catches in the opening, widen it rather than squeezing harder; forcing the bag bruises the filling and can split the cup. Arrange the barquettes on a chilled platter and serve within 1 hour. Keep them cold until the guests reach for them. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose straight English cucumbers with firm, narrow seed channels. Broad field cucumbers leave too little wall after hollowing, and their waxed skin can turn slippery in the marinade.
• •The finished Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) freezes well in 1/2-cup portions. Thaw one portion fully and chill it before it touches the cucumber; a warm marinade continues cooking the cup.
• •Frozen petite peas are the honest choice outside their brief season. They were picked tender, they stay brilliantly green after blanching, and they suit a small macédoine better than large starchy peas.
• •Use a wide plain piping opening, not a fluted tip. The macédoine should pass through without being crushed, and its clean little dice are decoration enough.
• •Serve with a dry Loire white or a very dry sparkling wine. The acidity meets the marinade, while the bubbles clear the mayonnaise from the palate.

Advance Preparation

• •The vegetables for the macédoine and the mayonnaise can be prepared 1 day ahead and chilled separately. Bind them no more than 4 hours before serving so the vegetables keep their definition.
• •The cucumber barquettes can be shaped, blanched, marinated, and drained up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them upside down on a rack in the refrigerator, uncovered, then blot once more before filling.
• •Pipe the barquettes no more than 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate them immediately and keep the platter loosely covered so condensation doesn't collect inside the cups.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)