Other Preparations of Trout after the same Recipe

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) wide sauté pan with lid
• •Blender or food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •1¼-quart (1.2-liter) shallow oval mold
• •Large bowl for an ice bath
• •Balloon whisk and flexible spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the court-bouillon

   Combine the white wine, water, onion, carrot, parsley stems, bay leaf, peppercorns, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice in a wide pan. Bring it slowly to a bare simmer and let the aromatics give themselves to the liquid for 20 minutes. Strain, pressing lightly on the vegetables, then return the court-bouillon to the clean pan.

   A wide sauté pan is the honest home equivalent of a fish kettle. The fillets need room to lie flat, not an impressive piece of copper that spends the rest of its life in a cupboard.
2. 2

   Poach the trout

   Bring the court-bouillon back to the faintest tremble. Lay in the trout in a single layer, working in two batches if necessary, cover with a round of parchment, and poach for 5 to 7 minutes. The flesh should turn opaque and separate in moist flakes, reaching 145°F (63°C) at its thickest point. A hard boil tightens the fish and breaks its surface; if the liquid begins rolling, pull the pan from the heat at once and finish in the retained warmth. Lift the fillets onto a tray, strain and reserve the cooking liquor, then chill the trout promptly until completely cold.

3. 3

   Prepare one flavor

   Choose one mousse and prepare only its flavoring. For the shellfish, pepper, physalis, and herb versions, reduce 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of the strained trout liquor to ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) and cool it before blending. For either Burgundy wine version, follow its separate reduction below. Each flavor must be smooth enough to join the velouté without breaking the molded texture.

   Mousse d'Écrevisses: reserve 8 whole crayfish tails. Blend the remaining crayfish with the reduced trout liquor and the remaining lemon juice, then press the purée through a fine sieve.

   Mousse de Homard: reserve 8 lobster slices and any cooked coral. Blend the remaining lobster with the reduced trout liquor and lemon juice, then pass it through a fine sieve.

   Mousse de Crevettes: blend all the shrimp with the reduced trout liquor and lemon juice, then pass the purée through a fine sieve. The garnish comes later from crayfish tails and capers, exactly as the variation requires.

   Capsicum Mousse: reserve several neat strips of grilled red capsicum. Blend the remaining flesh with the reduced trout liquor and lemon juice until perfectly smooth.

   Physalia Mousse: reserve 6 small bunches of physalis. Simmer the remaining fruit with the reduced trout liquor for 5 minutes, blend, and pass it through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.

   Green Pimentos Mousse: reserve several neat strips of grilled green pimento. Blend the remaining flesh with the reduced trout liquor and lemon juice until smooth.

   Early-season Herb Mousse: blanch the mixed herbs for 10 seconds, cool them immediately in cold water, and squeeze them very dry. Blend with the reduced trout liquor until vividly green.

   Mousse au Volnay: combine the Volnay, Brown Game Stock (No. 8), and 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of strained trout liquor. Reduce gently to 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g), strain, and cool.

   Mousse au Chambertin: combine the Chambertin, Brown Game Stock (No. 8), and 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of strained trout liquor. Reduce gently to 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g), strain, and cool.
4. 4

   Set the velouté

   Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the cold water and leave it for 5 minutes, until every grain has swollen. Warm about one quarter of the cleared velouté over gentle heat, remove it from the stove, and whisk in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Whisk this back into the remaining velouté, then add the chosen shellfish purée, vegetable purée, herb purée, or Burgundy reduction. Season with white pepper and only as much of the remaining salt as it needs. If gelatin threads appear, set the bowl briefly over gently hot water and whisk until smooth. Ça se rattrape. Never let the mixture boil.

5. 5

   Fold in cream

   Whip the cold cream until it forms soft folds, not stiff peaks. Set the mousse base over an ice bath and stir until it cools to about 64 to 68°F (18 to 20°C) and lightly coats the spoon. Fold in one third of the cream to loosen the base, then fold in the rest with broad strokes. If the base is warm, wait or it will melt the cream; if it begins setting into lumps, warm the bowl for a few seconds, whisk it smooth, cool it again, and continue. This temperature bridge is the step that decides the dish.

6. 6

   Mold and chill

   Rinse a shallow 1¼-quart (1.2-liter) oval mold with cold water and leave it lightly wet. Pour in the mousse, tap the mold once against a folded towel to release large air pockets, smooth the surface, and cover. Chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until set through but still tender under a spoon. The book's large buffet mold has simply become one that fits a home refrigerator; the molded texture remains.

7. 7

   Unmold and arrange

   Set the serving platter over the mold and invert both together. Wrap the mold for 5 seconds in a towel wrung from warm water, then lift it away. If the mousse clings, repeat for another few seconds rather than tugging at it. Pat the chilled trout fillets dry and arrange them in slightly overlapping pairs across the mousse, keeping their delicate shape intact.

8. 8

   Finish the variation

   Give each mousse its proper finish. Garnish Mousse d'Écrevisses with crayfish tails and tarragon leaves; Mousse de Homard with lobster slices, coral, and chervil; Mousse de Crevettes with crayfish tails and capers; Capsicum Mousse with grilled red strips; Physalia Mousse with chervil, tarragon, and bunches of physalis; Green Pimentos Mousse with green strips; Early-season Herb Mousse with chopped hard-boiled egg and parsley; and either Burgundy wine mousse with anchovy fillets, capers, and olives. Keep the platter cold until serving and return leftovers to the refrigerator within 2 hours. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy for one mousse only. The nine alternatives are a working family, not instructions to empty the fishmonger's counter and the greengrocer in a single afternoon.
• •Cold mutes seasoning. The finished mousse base should taste a shade more assertive before chilling than you want it to taste at the table, particularly the herb and shellfish versions.
• •For Mousse au Volnay or Mousse au Chambertin, the wine names are part of the preparation. If those bottles are beyond what you comfortably want to cook with, choose the crayfish, pepper, or herb mousse instead of putting a generic red wine beneath a Burgundian name.
• •Use lobster coral only when it comes naturally with the cooked lobster. Its brick-red color and concentrated shellfish taste are the garnish; there is no need to imitate it with dye or a substitute.
• •Physalis must be ripe, golden, and fragrant. If the fruit is hard or sharply green, choose the capsicum or early-herb variation. Then we change the plan, not the standard.
• •The source also gives sole or chicken-turbot as suitable fish. Use skinless fillets of similar thickness and keep the same gentle poach, adjusting the cooking time by feel.

Advance Preparation

• •The mousse can be molded and chilled up to 24 hours ahead. Keep it covered so its surface stays supple and unmold it shortly before arranging the trout.
• •Poach the trout up to 12 hours ahead, cool it promptly, and refrigerate it in a covered single layer. Do not leave the fillets soaking in the cooking liquor, which softens their surface.
• •The wine reduction or chosen shellfish and vegetable purée can be prepared a day ahead. Chill it separately, then bring it just to cool room temperature before combining it with the velouté.
• •The completed platter may be assembled up to 2 hours before dinner and kept covered in the refrigerator. Add tender chervil and tarragon leaves just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)