Saumon Froid ou Darne de Saumon Froid à la Riga

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Snug 5 qt (4.7 L) oval pan or roasting pan with a lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Four 2 1/2 in (6 cm) tartlet tins
• •Channel knife, melon baller, and small paring knife
• •Fine-mesh sieve and clean muslin
• •Small food processor or stick blender
• •16 in (40 cm) chilled oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pâte brisée

   Make the pâte brisée, the short pastry for the tartlets. Mix the flour with 1/4 tsp of the salt, then rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few small flakes remaining. Add 1 1/2 tbsp of ice water and press the dough together; add the final 1/2 tbsp only if dry flour remains. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. Work lightly, because overmixed pastry shrinks and hardens.

2. 2

   Poach the darne

   Lay the salmon on a wide strip of parchment long enough to serve as a lifting sling, then lower it into a snug oval pan. Pour the chilled Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) around it and warm everything slowly over medium-low heat. Hold the liquor between 170 and 180°F (77 and 82°C), with only a faint movement at the edge, until the thickest flesh reaches 140°F (60°C), about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and rest the fish for 5 minutes so it carries to 145°F (63°C). If the liquor boils and white albumen beads on the salmon, pull the pan off the heat immediately; once the fish is cold, wipe the albumen away gently with a damp cloth. Ça se rattrape. Lift the darne onto a rack, cool for no longer than 30 minutes, then refrigerate until completely cold, at least 3 hours.

3. 3

   Set the jelly

   Strain 2 cups (475 ml) of the used Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) into a clean saucepan, boil it for 2 minutes, then pass it through a damp cloth-lined sieve. Bloom 3 tsp of the gelatin in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the cold water for 5 minutes. Remove the liquor from the heat, whisk in the bloomed gelatin until dissolved, and chill a teaspoonful on a saucer for 5 minutes. It should cut cleanly rather than slump. If it remains soft, bloom the reserved 1 tsp gelatin in the remaining cold water, rewarm the liquor without boiling, and whisk it in. Reserve 2 tbsp of liquid jelly for the mousse, then pour the rest into a shallow dish and chill until firm.

4. 4

   Bake the tartlets

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll the chilled pastry 1/8 in (3 mm) thick and line four 2 1/2 in (6 cm) tartlet tins. Prick the bases, chill them for 10 minutes, then line with parchment and baking weights. Bake for 12 minutes, remove the weights, and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, until dry and evenly golden. Cool completely before filling. A warm shell softens the mayonnaise and loses its crisp bite.

5. 5

   Build the mayonnaise

   Whisk the pasteurized yolk with the Dijon, 2 tsp of lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of white pepper. Add the neutral oil first in drops, then in a thin thread once the emulsion thickens, reserving a few drops of oil for the cucumber. If the mayonnaise becomes too stiff, loosen it with a teaspoon of cold water. If it separates, stop pouring: whisk a teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl, then feed the broken mayonnaise into it one teaspoon at a time. Ça se rattrape. Cover and keep cold.

6. 6

   Cook the macédoine

   Macédoine is the precise dice of vegetables that fills both the timbales and tartlets. Bring a saucepan of well-salted water to a lively boil and cook the vegetables separately: potato and turnip until tender but square, carrot until just tender, beans until bright and yielding, and peas for 1 minute. Chill each batch in iced water, drain thoroughly, and spread it on a clean towel until dry. Moist vegetables loosen mayonnaise. Fold the cold dice with about 2/3 cup (160 ml) of mayonnaise, adding only enough to bind the pieces into a salad that holds the shape of a spoonful. If it weeps, drain it briefly, pat it dry, and bind again with another spoonful of mayonnaise.

7. 7

   Shape cucumber timbales

   Run a channel knife down the cucumber at even intervals to make lengthwise grooves, then cut four sections about 1 1/2 in (4 cm) tall. Hollow each section with a small spoon, leaving a 1/4 in (6 mm) base and sturdy walls. Reserve the cucumber ends and grooved trimmings for the cushion. Parboil the timbales in salted water for 90 seconds, just until they bend slightly without collapsing, then chill them in iced water and drain upside down. Marinate them with the reserved drops of oil and a few drops of lemon juice. If one wall cracks, wrap it in a thin cucumber collar cut from a reserved end and stand the join toward the salmon.

8. 8

   Prepare eggs and mousse

   Cook the eggs for 9 minutes, chill them thoroughly, and peel. Cut a shallow zigzag around each equator with a paring knife, separate the indented halves, and remove the yolks for another use. For the mousse, purée the crayfish meat with 2 tbsp of mayonnaise, the reserved 2 tbsp of barely liquid jelly, a pinch of salt, and white pepper. Whip the cold cream to soft folds and fold it into the crayfish mixture. Spoon the mousse into the four cleaned crayfish shells and chill for 20 minutes. If it slumps, chill the bowl for 10 minutes before filling; if it sets too firmly, fold in a teaspoon of cold cream.

9. 9

   Ready the garnishes

   Cut the firm jelly into neat 1/4 in (6 mm) dice. Fill the cucumber timbales generously with macédoine. Fill the tartlet shells with the same salad and crown each with a crayfish shell stuffed with mousse. Spoon the caviar into the four egg cavities only now, so its surface stays glossy and its salt does not stain the egg.

10. 10

    Build the Riga ring

    Pat the reserved cucumber trimmings dry and pack them into a low oval cushion on a chilled platter. Remove the salmon skin carefully and scrape away any dark surface bloodline without disturbing the shape, then lift the darne onto the cushion so it sits slightly raised. If it cracks at the central bone, fit the pieces back together on the cushion; the intact outline matters more than an invisible join. Alternate the four cucumber timbales, four caviar-filled egg halves, and four crayfish-mousse tartlets around the salmon. Encircle everything with a generous border of jelly dice. Keep the platter cold until serving, and set it over a shallow tray of ice for outdoor dining. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A darne is a thick cross-cut steak taken through the fish and its central bone. Ask the fishmonger for one broad center cut; the bone keeps the piece handsome during poaching and gives you the oval centerpiece the dish requires.
• •The title permits either saumon or darne. If a large darne cannot be cut, use a compact 2 lb (900 g) center section of skin-on salmon fillet, poach it by the same method, and present it whole. The outline changes, but the book's intent does not.
• •Frozen cooked whole crayfish are an honest choice when fresh ones are absent. Thaw them under refrigeration and dry the shells well; loose tail meat alone makes a good mousse, but the stuffed red shells are part of the Riga garnish.
• •Test the jelly before committing the whole pan. Acid weakens gelatin, and the linked marinade contains vinegar and wine; the chilled teaspoon tells you the truth while there is still time to correct it.
• •For outdoor dining, keep the platter below 40°F (4°C) until the table is ready and set it over ice. Return leftovers to refrigeration within 2 hours, or within 1 hour in very hot weather.
• •Pour a dry Champagne or a mineral Chablis. Both have enough freshness for the mayonnaise and enough restraint to leave the caviar and crayfish alone.

Advance Preparation

• •Poach and chill the salmon up to one day ahead. Keep it covered once cold, but leave the skin in place until assembly so the flesh does not dry.
• •The jelly, tartlet shells, mayonnaise, macédoine, and crayfish mousse can all be prepared one day ahead and held separately in the refrigerator. Fill the pastry and cucumber only shortly before serving.
• •Shape the cucumber timbales several hours ahead and keep them drained upside down. Marinate and fill them near serving time so their walls remain firm.
• •Transport the assembled platter in a deep insulated carrier over frozen packs, with the jelly dice and caviar eggs protected from direct contact with the lid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 510g)