Ondines aux Crevettes Roses

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor with metal blade
• •Fine-mesh sieve or tamis
• •Eight 2-ounce (60 ml) egg moulds or small oval silicone moulds
• •Large bowl for an ice bath
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Deep 1.5-quart (1.4 litre) oval entrée dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the cold station

   Chill the processor bowl, blade, mixing bowl, and fine sieve for at least twenty minutes. Butter eight 2-ounce (60 ml) egg moulds lightly and set them in the cold. Peel all the prawns and remove any dark veins. Trim eight tails into neat compact ovals for the centres of the mousses, leaving the remaining sixteen whole to arrange between them. Keep everything cold while you make the jelly.

   Set a large bowl of ice water beside the processor before you begin. A cold farce mousseline accepts cream smoothly; a warm one turns loose and grainy.
2. 2

   Set the clear jelly

   Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the cold water and leave it for ten minutes, until every granule is swollen. Warm 1 cup (240 ml) of the fish stock until hot but not boiling, then remove it from the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Add the remaining cold stock, pass the mixture through damp cheesecloth or a very fine sieve without pressing, and pour it into a shallow container. Chill for about two hours, until fully set. This first setting matters because the jelly will later be barely remelted, giving it the cool, coating consistency the ondines require.

3. 3

   Make the trout mousse

   Put the chilled trout, salt, and white pepper in the cold processor and pulse until the fish becomes a smooth, sticky paste. Add the egg white and process only until absorbed. Press the mixture through the chilled fine sieve into the bowl set over ice; this replaces the classical tamis and removes every fibre that would disturb the mousse. Work in the cold cream gradually with a firm spatula, holding back the final tablespoon until you see the texture. The farce mousseline should be glossy, smooth, and thick enough to hold a soft ridge. If it turns loose, shiny, or grainy, it has become warm. Stop immediately, nest the bowl in ice for ten minutes, then work in the reserved cold cream a teaspoon at a time. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Test and fill

   Poach a teaspoon of the mousse in barely simmering water for two minutes, cool it briefly, and taste. Cold service mutes seasoning, so correct the salt or white pepper now. Spoon mousse halfway into each buttered mould, pressing it against the sides so no air pockets remain. Place one trimmed prawn tail in the centre of each, then cover with the remaining mousse and smooth the tops. Tap each mould once against a folded towel to settle the mixture without knocking out its lightness.

5. 5

   Cook in bain-marie

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Arrange the moulds in a roasting pan, cover them loosely with buttered parchment or foil, and pour hot water into the pan until it reaches halfway up their sides. This bain-marie, a gentle water bath, sets the mousse without toughening its edges. Cook for 14 to 18 minutes, until the centres reach 145°F (63°C) and spring back softly when touched. The water should tremble but never boil. If it begins bubbling, add a little cold water to the pan. Overcooked mousse shrinks and grows coarse; if one surface cracks, chill it and trim the rough edge before turning that side downward in the serving dish.

6. 6

   Chill and unmould

   Lift the moulds from the bain-marie and cool them for fifteen minutes, then cover and chill for at least two hours. To unmould, dip each mould in warm water for two or three seconds, dry the outside, and invert it quickly onto a cold tray. If an ondine clings, don't pry at it. Return the mould to the warm water for another two seconds and try again. Work speedily so the mousse stays firm and its surface remains smooth.

7. 7

   Coat with jelly

   Arrange the ondines in a chilled deep entrée dish, leaving room between them, then place the remaining peeled prawns in the spaces and tuck the chervil sprigs here and there. Spoon the set jelly into a bowl and stand it over barely warm water, stirring gently, until it is only half-melted and flows like unbeaten egg white. The bowl should still feel cool. Spoon a thin layer over each mousse and around its base, then chill the dish for ten minutes to anchor everything. Repeat once before adding the remaining jelly little by little, until the ondines are completely covered. If one begins to float, stop pouring and chill the dish until the base layer firms. If the jelly sets in the bowl, warm it briefly again; if it feels warm, cool it over ice before it touches the mousse.

8. 8

   Finish the cold dish

   Chill the completed dish for at least two further hours, or until the jelly quivers cleanly and holds the ondines in place. Keep it covered and cold until serving. Bring the whole dish to the table and serve two ondines to each person with several prawns and a generous spoonful of the clear jelly. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a fresh, mild trout fillet with firm flesh and no strong river smell. Technique comes first, but this mousse has nowhere to hide tired fish. Ask the fishmonger to remove the skin and pin bones, then chill the fillet thoroughly before processing.
• •Small cooked pink prawns suit the scale of the egg moulds and remain tender when cold. Avoid heavily brined prawns, whose salt overwhelms the trout and clouds the clean flavor of the jelly.
• •The fish stock must be genuinely clear. If homemade stock is murky, let it settle in the cold and pour off the clear portion without disturbing the sediment. A pale jelly shows every shortcut.
• •Serve with a very dry Champagne or another lean, mineral white wine. Sweetness fights the savory jelly; brisk acidity keeps the trout, cream, and prawns in balance.
• •Do not freeze the finished dish. Freezing weakens gelatin and makes the mousse release water when thawed.

Advance Preparation

• •The fish jelly can be prepared and set up to two days ahead. Keep it covered in the cold, then barely remelt it over warm water when assembling the dish.
• •The trout mousses can be poached, chilled, and unmoulded one day ahead. Keep them covered on a cold tray so their surfaces do not dry.
• •Assemble the complete dish between four and twenty-four hours before serving. Longer storage dulls the chervil and softens the prawns, even though the jelly remains set.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 375g)