Timbale de Filets de Soles Cardinal

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •7-inch (18 cm) low Charlotte mould for preparing the Timbale Crust (No. 2394)
• •Food processor with a small bowl
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •10-inch (25 cm) wide sauté pan
• •Parchment paper
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small sharp paring knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach the lobster

   Bring 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of the fish stock, 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the wine, and the shallot to the barest simmer in a small saucepan. Add the lobster tail, cover partly, and poach gently for 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until the shell is bright and the thickest part reaches 145°F (63°C). Lift it out immediately and strain the poaching liquor into a jug. Once the tail can be handled, remove the meat in one piece and cut it crosswise into 4 small medallions. Cover and keep cool.

   The liquid should barely tremble. A hard boil tightens lobster before the centre has cooked.
2. 2

   Make lobster butter

   Break the lobster shell into small pieces. Melt 6 tbsp (85 g) of the unsalted butter over medium-low heat, add the shell, and cook for about 8 minutes, pressing and turning the pieces until the butter becomes orange-red and smells deeply of lobster without browning. Add 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the reserved poaching liquor, cover, and take the pan off the heat for 10 minutes. Strain firmly through a fine sieve, chill until the fat sets, and lift the colored lobster butter from any liquid beneath it. Reserve 2 tbsp (28 g) for finishing the Cardinal sauce.

3. 3

   Make the farce

   Chill the food-processor bowl and blade. Process the whiting with 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt and 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) white pepper until completely smooth. Add the egg white and pulse only until absorbed, then drizzle in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the cold cream while pulsing. Add the crayfish butter and process briefly to a pale, smooth paste. This farce de merlan, whiting forcemeat, must remain cold enough to hold its emulsion. If it turns loose or greasy, stop. Ça se rattrape: chill the bowl for 10 minutes, then pulse in 1 tbsp of the measured cold cream. Poach a teaspoon in the lobster liquor, taste, and correct the seasoning.

4. 4

   Roll the sole

   Lay the sole fillets skinned side up between sheets of parchment and flatten them lightly with the smooth side of a mallet or a small pan until evenly thin, about 1/8 inch (3 mm). Spread each with an even layer of farce, leaving a narrow border. Roll each fillet into a compact scroll from the narrow end and set it seam-side down. If a fillet tears, overlap the edges and use a little farce as the binder. Cover the 5 paupiettes and refrigerate while the sauce and garnishes are completed.

5. 5

   Cook mushrooms white

   Trim the mushrooms and use the point of a paring knife to cut shallow curved grooves from the centre of each cap to its edge. Melt 1 tbsp (14 g) of the plain butter in a small pan, add the mushrooms, lemon juice, 1/4 cup (60 ml) fish stock, and a pinch of salt. Cover with parchment and cook gently for 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until tender but still white. Drain them well, adding their cooking liquor to the reserved lobster liquor. Keep the large mushroom separate for the central garnish.

6. 6

   Build Cardinal sauce

   Boil the combined lobster and mushroom liquors until reduced to 3/4 cup (180 ml). If the measure falls short, add enough of the remaining fish stock to reach it. In the cleaned saucepan, melt the final 1 tbsp (14 g) plain butter, stir in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes without letting the roux color. Whisk in the reduced liquor gradually, scraping into every corner, then add the remaining cream. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce has reduced to about 2/3 cup (160 ml) and coats a spoon in a smooth, ivory layer. Strain it and hold it warm, but do not add the lobster butter yet.

7. 7

   Warm every component

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Set the Timbale Crust (No. 2394) on a baking sheet and warm it for 8 minutes, just long enough to refresh its crispness. If the base still feels soft, give it another 5 minutes and shield the decorated rim with foil if it is already deeply browned. Place the warm crust on a folded clean linen napkin set over its serving platter. Meanwhile, warm the lobster medallions and mushrooms gently in 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the remaining fish stock, then drain them well.

8. 8

   Poach at service

   Only now combine the remaining fish stock and wine in a wide sauté pan and bring them to a bare simmer. Set in the paupiettes seam-side down, cover with a parchment lid, and poach for 5 to 7 minutes. The liquid must only tremble; if it begins bubbling hard, pull the pan off the heat for 30 seconds, lower the burner, and continue. The rolls are ready when the sole is opaque, the farce feels just firm, and the centre reaches 145°F (63°C). Lift them onto a clean towel and drain them thoroughly. Water left on the fish would dilute the Cardinal sauce and soften the pastry.

9. 9

   Mount and fill

   Return the sauce base to gentle heat. Take it off the burner and whisk in the 2 tbsp (28 g) lobster butter a little at a time, then add the cayenne and adjust the salt and white pepper. The sauce should be coral-red, glossy, and fluid enough to settle around the fish. Never boil it after mounting the butter. If it separates, ça se rattrape: place 1 tsp hot sole-poaching liquid in a clean warm bowl and whisk in the broken sauce a spoonful at a time until smooth. Arrange the well-drained paupiettes in a circle around the bottom of the timbale, place the lobster medallions and 4 small mushrooms in the centre, and cover them with the Cardinal sauce. Set the large grooved mushroom over the centre and encircle it with 6 truffle slices. Carry it to the table immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger for thin, evenly sized sole fillets and whiting with every pin bone removed. Thin local sole can replace Dover sole when necessary, but keep the fillets delicate and similar in size so all five paupiettes finish together.
• •The source keeps crayfish butter in the farce and lobster butter in the sauce. Prepared crayfish butter is the sensible home purchase. If none can be found, use 1 tbsp of the homemade lobster butter and know that the filling will taste slightly sweeter and less distinctly of crayfish.
• •A small preserved black truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer when fresh truffle is unavailable. Drain it well and slice it thinly; six clear slices are truer to the dish than a large quantity of truffle paste.
• •Serve a dry white Burgundy with enough acidity for the cream and shellfish, such as Chablis or a restrained Côte de Beaune. The timbale needs no side beyond simply dressed leaves offered separately.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake and dry the Timbale Crust (No. 2394) up to 1 day ahead. Cool it completely and store it airtight at room temperature. Its separate preparation time is not included above.
• •The lobster, lobster butter, mushrooms, and unmounted Cardinal sauce base can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated separately. Reheat the sauce gently and add the lobster butter only at the final assembly.
• •The farce can be made and the sole rolled up to 4 hours ahead. Keep the paupiettes covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
• •Do not poach the paupiettes or fill the pastry ahead. Those are the last-minute acts that keep the fish tender and the crust crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 390g)