Cold Eggs, Frou-frou

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Fine-mesh sieve and damp cheesecloth or coffee filter
• •Wide saucepan and slotted spoon
• •3-cup (700 ml) smooth charlotte mould or bowl
• •Wire rack set over a rimmed tray
• •Two round piping tips and a sharp paring knife
• •Shallow 8-inch (20 cm) pan for setting aspic
• •Large chilled serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the clear aspic

   Pass the chicken stock through a dampened coffee filter or several layers of damp cheesecloth if it carries any cloudy sediment. Reserve 3/4 cup (180 ml) of the stock for the chaud-froid. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the remaining cold stock and leave it for 5 minutes, until every grain has swollen. Warm the rest of the stock just below a simmer, remove it from the heat, and stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Season lightly with salt, remembering that cold dulls seasoning. Pour 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) into a shallow pan for the chopped jelly and dice; put the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) in a heatproof container for the sauce, salad and glaze. Chill both until firm, about 4 hours.

   The stock need not be colorless, but it must be pale and clear. Skim away every bead of fat while it is cold, since fat turns the finished aspic cloudy.
2. 2

   Poach and chill eggs

   Bring a wide saucepan holding 2 inches of water to the barest simmer and add the poaching vinegar. Crack each small egg into its own cup. Slip in four at a time and poach without boiling for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are set around still-tender yolks. Lift them into ice water with a slotted spoon, then trim ragged white fringes with small scissors so all eight eggs form neat, equal ovals. Transfer them to fresh cold water, cover, and refrigerate. Hard-cook the other four eggs for 10 minutes, chill and peel them, then remove the yolks. Press the yolks through a fine sieve and measure a lightly packed 1/3 cup (80 ml / about 70 g).

3. 3

   Blanch the green salad

   Bring a saucepan of well-salted water to a lively boil. Blanch the haricots verts until tender but still shapely, about 3 minutes, then lift them into ice water. Cook the asparagus tips for about 2 minutes and the peas for 1 minute, chilling each as soon as it is ready. Drain everything thoroughly and spread the vegetables on a clean towel. Water left clinging to them weakens the mayonnaise and prevents a clean set, so let them become properly dry before mixing.

4. 4

   Bind and mould salad

   Whisk the pasteurized yolk with the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise vinegar and a pinch of salt. Add the neutral oil first drop by drop, then in a fine thread, whisking until the mayonnaise stands in soft peaks. If it splits, place 1 teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl and whisk the broken mayonnaise into it a teaspoon at a time until smooth again. Measure 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) of mayonnaise. Gently melt 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the aspic and cool it until fluid but no longer warm, then whisk it gradually into the measured mayonnaise. Fold this binder through the dry vegetables. Brush a 3-cup (700 ml) smooth mould very lightly with oil, pack in the salad without crushing the asparagus tips, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours.

5. 5

   Build the chaud-froid

   Melt the butter gently without coloring it, add the flour, and stir for 2 minutes to make a roux blanc, a white roux cooked without browning. Whisk in the reserved 3/4 cup (180 ml) chicken stock a little at a time, then add the cream. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the raw flour taste is gone. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve, return it to the pan, and reduce it to exactly 3/4 cup (180 ml). Melt 1/4 cup (60 ml) aspic and stir it in, giving you 1 cup (240 ml) white chaud-froid sauce. Cool it until barely lukewarm, then whisk in the measured 1/3 cup sieved yolk, preserving the source formula's one-third proportion. Season with salt and white pepper. Test it on a chilled spoon: it should cloak the metal smoothly. If it runs, stir the bowl over ice; if it drags into ridges, loosen it with melted aspic one teaspoon at a time. Ça se rattrape.

   Do not boil the sauce after adding the aspic and yolks. Strong heat dulls its color and makes the coating coarse instead of satin-smooth.
6. 6

   Coat and dress eggs

   Drain the poached eggs and dry them very carefully on a smooth towel. Set them on a wire rack over a chilled tray, rounded side up. Spoon the yolk chaud-froid over each egg in one generous, even coat, making certain no white shows through, then refrigerate for 10 minutes. Slice the truffle paper-thin. Cut eight rings with two round piping tips, one nested inside the other, then make six shallow notches around each outer edge with a sharp paring knife to reproduce the original indented ring without a specialized cutter. Place one ring on each egg while the coating remains faintly tacky. Chop the truffle trimmings finely and press a narrow ribbon around the base of every egg.

7. 7

   Glaze with aspic

   Melt the remaining aspic reserved for glazing and let it cool until it is clear, fluid and beginning to gain body. Spoon or brush a thin coat over each decorated egg, covering both the chaud-froid and truffle. If the yellow coating begins to soften, the aspic is too warm. Stop, return the eggs to the refrigerator until firm, and cool the aspic before continuing. Chill the glazed eggs until completely set.

8. 8

   Unmould and arrange

   Cut half the aspic from the shallow pan into clear 1/4-inch dice and chop the other half more finely. Dip the vegetable mould in warm water for 3 to 5 seconds, dry its outside, and invert it onto the centre of a chilled platter. If it clings, wrap the mould briefly in a warm towel rather than soaking it and melting the binder. Place a line of chopped aspic around the mould's base. Encircle it with the eight eggs, resting them on the chopped jelly, then finish the outside of the platter with a border of clear aspic dice. Keep the platter cold until serving. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Pullet eggs are the ideal size if a farmers' market or good egg seller has them. If only large eggs are available, poach four and serve one per person; the flavor remains, but the original close ring of little eggs becomes a looser arrangement.
• •A good whole preserved black truffle is an honest answer when fresh truffles are unavailable. Truffle oil cannot make the black rings or chopped ribbon that define Frou-frou, so it cannot replace the truffle here.
• •Frozen peas are often sweeter than tired fresh ones and hold their color beautifully. Use fresh haricots verts and asparagus when possible, since their cut shapes give the mould its clean mosaic.
• •Serve with dry Champagne or a mineral white Burgundy. The wine needs enough freshness for the eggs and mayonnaise, but no heavy oak to quarrel with the truffle.
• •The chaud-froid and aspic should be seasoned a little more firmly than a warm sauce. Taste each cold from a chilled spoon before assembling, because the refrigerator softens both salt and pepper.

Advance Preparation

• •The aspic can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Melt only the portions needed for each stage, using gentle heat.
• •The vegetable salad can be moulded the day before serving. Keep it covered and unmould it only when the platter is ready to assemble.
• •The poached eggs may be held in fresh cold water for up to 12 hours under refrigeration. Dry them immediately before coating.
• •The coated, decorated and glazed eggs can be completed up to 8 hours ahead. Refrigerate them on their rack under a deep cover that does not touch the glaze, then assemble the platter shortly before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)