Cold Eggs Capucine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 3-quart (3 L) saucepan
• •Small 1-quart (1 L) saucepan
• •Slotted spoon
• •Fine wire rack and rimmed tray
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Immersion blender or small food processor
• •Narrow offset spatula
• •Cold round serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach the eggs

   Bring the water and vinegar to a bare tremble in a wide saucepan. Crack each egg into a small cup, then slip it close to the surface, poaching no more than three at once so the water stays calm. Cook for 3½ to 4 minutes, until the whites are firm enough to lift while the yolks remain yielding. If a white feathers, gather it gently around the yolk with a spoon; any loose threads can be trimmed once cold. Lift each egg into ice water with a slotted spoon and chill completely.

2. 2

   Dry them completely

   Drain the cold eggs and trim only the ragged edges, keeping their natural oval shape. Lay them between clean kitchen towels and blot every surface without pressing on the yolks, then refrigerate them uncovered on a rack for 20 minutes. Touch one lightly before continuing. If your fingertip comes away damp, blot and chill again; sauce laid over water will slide straight off.

3. 3

   Build the chaud-froid

   Bloom the ¾ teaspoon gelatin in its tablespoon of cold water for 5 minutes. Melt the butter gently in a small saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook for 90 seconds without allowing the roux to color. Whisk in the ¾ cup chicken stock gradually, simmer for 5 minutes, then add the cream and cook until nappé, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, whisk in the bloomed gelatin, season with salt and white pepper, and pass through a fine sieve. Cool over ice, stirring, until it flows like thick cream. If it sets before the eggs are ready, don't force it. Ça se rattrape: stand the bowl in barely warm water and whisk gently until it flows again.

4. 4

   Make truffle purée

   Bloom the remaining teaspoon of gelatin in its tablespoon of cold water. Warm the ⅓ cup chicken stock with the reserved truffle juice, stopping before it boils, then dissolve the gelatin in it. Blend 75 g of the truffles with this jelly until completely smooth and pass the purée through a fine sieve. Cool it over ice until it has the same thick, flowing consistency as the chaud-froid. If it remains loose, give it another few minutes over ice; if it turns firm, warm the bowl gently and stir. The two coatings must flow alike or their seam will wander.

5. 5

   Coat the ivory halves

   Set the eggs on a fine wire rack over a chilled tray. Working from the blunt end toward the pointed end, spoon the chaud-froid over one longitudinal half of each egg, keeping the division as straight as your hand allows. Let the excess fall away, then refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes, until the ivory coating is set and no longer marks when touched lightly.

6. 6

   Add the truffle halves

   Spoon the truffle purée over the exposed half of each egg, bringing it neatly against the edge of the white coating without covering it. If the purée begins to run across the seam, stop and chill it for 5 minutes before continuing. Wipe a small mistake away with the tip of a warm, damp palette knife while the coating is still soft. Chill the finished eggs for at least 30 minutes so both coats set cleanly.

7. 7

   Build the brandade pyramid

   Beat the cold Brandade de Morue (No. 1027) briefly with a wooden spoon to restore its smooth, potato-purée consistency, then fold in the remaining 25 g minced truffle. Taste before adding salt, because morue carries its own. If the brandade is too firm to shape, leave it out for 5 minutes and beat it again rather than thinning away its character. Mound it in the center of a cold round platter and shape it into a low pyramid with an offset spatula.

8. 8

   Set the platter

   Slide a narrow offset spatula beneath each coated egg and arrange the eggs evenly around the brandade, pointed ends facing outward. Cover the platter without letting the cover touch the coatings and chill for another 30 minutes. Bring it from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving so the truffle opens and the brandade softens slightly while remaining properly cold. Serve two eggs and a generous spoonful of brandade to each guest. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Preserved whole black truffles or good truffle peelings are the honest classical pantry answer when fresh truffles aren't in season. Avoid truffle oil and pastes bulked with mushrooms; this coating needs the texture and restrained earthiness of the truffle itself.
• •Gelatin strengths vary. Chill a teaspoon of each coating on a cold saucer before touching the eggs. It should set softly enough to cut with a fork, not bounce like confectionery.
• •Despite the eggs, this is a cold first course for dinner rather than a breakfast plate. Pour a dry Champagne or a restrained white Burgundy, and serve good bread for the last of the brandade.
• •For guests who require fully cooked eggs, use pasteurized shell eggs and poach until the yolks are set. Keep the finished platter thoroughly chilled and return leftovers to the refrigerator promptly.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and chill the Brandade de Morue (No. 1027) up to one day ahead. The timing here assumes that finished component is ready, because the source treats it as its own preparation rather than rebuilding it inside this dish.
• •The eggs may be poached up to 24 hours ahead and kept submerged in fresh cold water in the refrigerator. Drain and dry them with particular care before coating.
• •Both coatings may be prepared one day ahead. Chill them covered directly on the surface, then return each to a thick, flowing consistency over barely warm water before use.
• •The completed platter may be assembled up to 4 hours before serving. Refrigerate it under a deep cover that cannot touch the gelatin-set surfaces.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)