Lapwings’ Eggs in Aspic

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-cup (1.2 L), 8 to 9-inch metal border or ring mould
• •Small saucepan
• •Fine sieve with damp muslin or a coffee filter
• •Large bowl for an ice bath
• •Chilled serving platter and lint-free folded white napkin

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook and peel eggs

   Bring a small saucepan of water to a quiet boil. Lower in the quail eggs and cook for 4 minutes, keeping the water lively but not violent enough to knock them together. Transfer them immediately to ice water for 5 minutes. Crack each shell all over, begin peeling at the blunt end where the air pocket sits, and peel under cool water. Dry the eggs thoroughly and choose the 18 smoothest, keeping their pointed ends easy to identify.

   Quail shells are thin but their inner membranes are stubborn. Rolling each cooled egg gently under your palm loosens the shell without crushing the white.
2. 2

   Prepare the decoration

   Blanch the carrot diamonds in simmering water for about 90 seconds, until just tender but still bright. Blanch the chervil for 3 seconds, then move both directly to ice water. Drain and pat everything completely dry. Water trapped on the decoration can make it drift and blur the surface of the jelly.

3. 3

   Make the clear aspic

   If the consommé shows fat or sediment, chill it thoroughly, lift away every trace of fat, and pass it through damp muslin or a damp coffee filter before proceeding. Pour 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of the cold consommé into a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over its surface. Leave it for 5 minutes to bloom. Warm the remaining 3 cups (710 ml / 710 g) until hot but never boiling, then stir it into the bloomed gelatin until perfectly dissolved. Skim away bubbles and taste a teaspoon after chilling it on a cold saucer for 3 minutes; cold mutes seasoning, so add only as much salt as the cold sample requires. Hold the aspic in a bowl of barely warm water so it remains liquid but feels cool on a clean finger. If the gelatin forms threads or begins setting in the bowl, warm it gently and strain it again. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Coat the mould

   Chill a clean 5-cup (1.2 L) metal border mould for 10 minutes. Spoon about 1/3 cup (80 ml / 80 g) of liquid aspic into the bottom and tilt the mould slowly until the entire base carries a thin, even coating. Set it in the refrigerator for 8 to 10 minutes, until firm enough to touch without leaving a mark.

5. 5

   Fix the decoration

   Arrange the carrot diamonds and chervil face down on the set coating, remembering that the bottom of the mould will become the top of the finished aspic. Place a few drops of liquid jelly over each piece to fix it, then chill for 3 minutes. Cover the decoration with another 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 45 g) of aspic and chill until firmly set. This thin protective layer keeps the design from shifting when the eggs arrive.

6. 6

   Stand the eggs

   Arrange the 18 peeled eggs evenly around the ring with their pointed ends facing down against the decorated coating. When the mould is inverted, those points will face upward and the eggs will appear to stand. Spoon in enough cool liquid aspic to come about one-third of the way up the eggs, pouring against the side of the mould rather than directly onto them. Chill for 10 to 15 minutes, until this anchoring layer is firm.

7. 7

   Build successive layers

   Add the remaining aspic in successive layers of about 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g), pouring each over the back of a spoon and chilling it until firm before adding the next. Keep the liquid jelly cool and fluid. Warm jelly melts the layer beneath and allows the eggs to float or lean; if that happens, stop pouring, chill until support returns, then straighten the eggs with two teaspoons before continuing with cooler jelly. Ça se rattrape. Finish with enough aspic to cover the blunt ends of the eggs completely and fill the mould.

8. 8

   Chill and unmould

   Cover the filled mould without touching the surface and chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Lay a smooth, lint-free folded white napkin on a chilled platter. Dip the mould only to its rim in hot water for 4 to 5 seconds, lift it out, wipe it quickly, and invert it squarely over the napkin. Wait for the aspic to release under its own weight. If it clings, lift the mould and repeat the dip for 2 seconds rather than tugging at the jelly. Return a softened edge to the refrigerator for 10 minutes, then carry the clear ring to the table cold. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Do not collect or buy wild lapwing eggs. Lapwings and their nests are protected across much of Europe. Farmed quail eggs are the honest modern equivalent: small, delicately flavoured, readily available, and pointed enough to preserve the original presentation.
• •Clarity is the whole show. Start with a pale, fat-free consommé you can see through when cold. A cloudy stock cannot be made brilliant by adding gelatin, and heavy brown stock hides both the eggs and the decoration.
• •Test the seasoning cold. Set a teaspoon of the prepared aspic on a chilled saucer before filling the mould; what tastes properly seasoned while warm often becomes timid once cold.
• •Use metal if you have it. A metal border mould responds quickly to the brief hot-water dip and releases with sharper definition than thick ceramic or flexible silicone.
• •Serve the aspic as a cold first course with dry Champagne or a lean, mineral white wine. It needs no sauce or ornamental salad around it; the clear jelly, upright eggs, carrot, and chervil have already done the work.

Advance Preparation

• •The complete mould can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead. Once the top is firm, cover it without letting the wrapping touch the jelly and keep it thoroughly chilled.
• •The eggs may be cooked and peeled one day ahead, while the carrot and chervil may be blanched several hours ahead. Keep each component covered and chilled, then dry it again before assembly.
• •Unmould no more than 30 minutes before serving. Hold the finished ring in the refrigerator so its edges remain crisp and the surface stays bright.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)