Moulded Eggs Palermitaine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 4-ounce (120 ml) metal Baba-moulds or smooth dariole moulds
• •Four 3½-inch (9 cm) removable-bottom tartlet tins
• •Deep roasting tin for the bain-marie
• •Baking parchment and pastry weights
• •Thin flexible knife or small offset spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pâte brisée

   Combine the flour with ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) of the salt. Rub in the 4½ tablespoons (65 g) cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized flakes remaining. Stir in the yolk and 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) ice water, then add only enough of the remaining water to make the dough hold when squeezed. Press it together without kneading, flatten into a disc, cover, and chill for 30 minutes. If it remains sandy, add water one teaspoon at a time; if it turns sticky, return it to the cold instead of burying it in more flour. Ça se rattrape.

2. 2

   Bake the tartlet crusts

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Divide the dough into four pieces and roll each between sheets of baking parchment to about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Line four 3½-inch (9 cm) tartlet tins, press the pastry into the corners, trim the rims, and prick the bases lightly. Chill for 10 minutes, then line with parchment and pastry weights. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the weights, and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the bases are dry and the edges are an even butter-gold. Cool for 5 minutes before unmoulding onto a rack. These shells will not return to the oven, so a damp, pale base cannot be left for later to fix.

3. 3

   Set the mould linings

   Coat the bottoms and sides of four 4-ounce (120 ml) Baba-moulds generously and evenly with the softened butter. Press one truffle round flat against the bottom of each, then scatter the finely chopped red tongue over the sides and press it gently into the butter without making a solid wall. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, until the butter is completely firm. If a piece of tongue falls when you tilt a mould, the butter is still too warm; press it back and chill again. Do not add the eggs until every piece holds.

   The truffle on the bottom becomes the crown after unmoulding. Center it carefully now, because there is no discreet way to move it once the egg is cooked.
4. 4

   Cream the macaroni

   Cook the macaroni in a medium saucepan of boiling water seasoned with 1½ teaspoons (9 g) of the salt until tender but still holding its shape. Drain it very thoroughly. Reserve 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the cream, then simmer the remainder in the dry saucepan until reduced by roughly one-third and able to coat a spoon. Add the macaroni and cook gently for 2 minutes so it drinks in the cream. Remove from the heat, stir in the cold butter, and season with ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) salt and half the white pepper. Cover and keep warm. If the macaroni tightens while the eggs cook, loosen it with the reserved cream; do not drown it, because loose cream will soften the tartlet crusts.

5. 5

   Fill the chilled moulds

   Lower the oven to 325°F (160°C). Break each egg first into a small cup, then slide it gently into a chilled mould without disturbing the tongue lining. Season each with about ⅛ teaspoon (0.75 g) salt and a trace of the remaining white pepper. Keep the moulds cold while you prepare the water bath; the butter must remain firm until the cooking begins.

6. 6

   Poach in bain-marie

   Set the moulds on a folded kitchen towel inside a deep roasting tin so they cannot slide. Pour just-simmering water around them to come halfway up their sides, then tent the tin loosely with foil. Bake for 10 minutes before checking, then continue for 1 to 4 minutes as needed. The whites should move as one tender mass with no transparent patch at the center, while the yolks still yield beneath a light touch. Lift each mould from the bain-marie as soon as it reaches that point. If a white remains watery, return that mould to the bath for 1 minute. Gentle correction works; a hard boil only toughens the egg.

   Metal moulds usually finish in 11 to 14 minutes. Ceramic ramekins take several minutes longer, so judge the egg rather than trusting the clock.
7. 7

   Unmould and serve

   Divide the warm macaroni with cream among the tartlet crusts and make a shallow hollow in each center. Run the tip of a thin knife only around the upper rim of an egg, place a tartlet upside down over the mould, then invert both together and lift the mould away with one decisive motion. If the egg clings, dip the base of the mould in the hot bain-marie for 3 to 5 seconds and try again. Ça se rattrape: any tongue left behind can be lifted with the knife and pressed onto the egg while the butter is soft. Serve at once, while the pastry is crisp, the cream gleams, and the yolk remains tender. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A 4-ounce (120 ml) metal dariole mould is the honest home equivalent of the Baba-moulds named in the source. Its smooth taper matters because it lets the egg release without tearing. Straight-sided ramekins work, but produce a squatter shape and need a heavier coat of butter.
• •Choose cooked, cured beef or ox tongue with a clear rosy-red interior. The instruction for very red tongue describes a properly cured piece, not food coloring. Chop it almost to a mince so it follows the curve of the mould.
• •A small whole preserved black truffle is better here than truffle oil. The slice is structural as well as aromatic, and it must remain visible on the crown when the egg is turned out.
• •Poach one extra egg in a spare mould when cooking for a particularly important table. The timing varies with mould material and egg temperature, and the test egg tells you exactly when to lift the other four.
• •For guests advised to avoid soft-cooked eggs, use pasteurized shell eggs or cook until the yolks are set. The presentation survives, though the center will no longer flow into the macaroni.
• •Serve these as a first course rather than beside toast and coffee. A dry Champagne has the freshness to meet the cream, butter, tongue, and truffle without crowding them.

Advance Preparation

• •The tartlet crusts can be baked up to 1 day ahead. Cool them completely and keep them airtight at room temperature; refresh for 4 minutes in a 325°F (160°C) oven if they lose their crispness.
• •The butter, truffle, and tongue linings can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead and kept refrigerated. Add the eggs only when the bain-marie and macaroni are nearly ready.
• •The macaroni can be boiled up to 2 hours ahead, drained, and spread in a thin layer to cool. Finish it in the reduced cream just before poaching the eggs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)