Timbale de Filets de Soles Grimaldi

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •18 cm wide by 10 cm deep charlotte or timbale mould
• •Food processor with a well-fitting vented lid
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Wide lidded sauté pan
• •Small saucepan and heatproof bowl for the bain-marie
• •Parchment and baking weights

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry

   Mix the crust flour and its salt, then rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Add the whole egg and just enough ice water to make a firm pâte à foncer, the sturdy lining pastry needed to support the garnishes. Knead only until smooth, flatten into a disc, cover, and chill for 30 minutes. A soft dough will slide down the deep mould, so give it the full rest.

2. 2

   Decorate and bake

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter an 18 cm by 10 cm deep charlotte mould. Mix the noodle-paste flour with the yolk and enough cold water to form a stiff paste, roll it thin, and cut simple leaves, bands, or diamonds. Arrange these against the buttered interior, brush their exposed sides with beaten egg, then line the mould with the chilled pastry rolled about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Press gently so the decoration adheres, trim the rim, line with parchment, and fill to the top with baking weights. Bake for 25 minutes, remove the weights, brush the interior lightly with beaten egg, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until dry and evenly golden. If a small crack appears, press on a thin scrap of raw pastry with egg and return the shell to the oven for several minutes. Ça se rattrape. Cool for 10 minutes, then unmould carefully.

3. 3

   Cook the Béchamel

   Melt the Béchamel butter over gentle heat, stir in its flour, and cook the white roux for 2 minutes without allowing it to colour. Whisk in the warm milk gradually, then simmer gently for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring until the sauce is smooth and coats a spoon. Season lightly with salt and white pepper. You need about 5 fluid ounces (145 ml) after cooking: reserve 3 fluid ounces (95 ml) for the langoustine cullis and 1⅔ fluid ounces (50 ml) for the macaroni. Press parchment directly onto the surface and keep warm. If the sauce forms lumps, whisk it hard off the heat and pass it through the fine sieve. Nothing is lost.

4. 4

   Mix the forcemeat

   Chill the processor bowl and blade, then process the cold fish trimmings with ¼ teaspoon of the sea salt until smooth and tacky. Add the egg white and process again. With the machine pulsing, add the cold cream a spoonful at a time, stopping as soon as the mixture becomes smooth, light, and cohesive. Fold in the chopped truffle and refrigerate. Warm forcemeat turns grainy; if it begins to separate, stop, chill it for 10 minutes, then work in a teaspoon of cold cream. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Cook the langoustines

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the langoustine butter in a wide saucepan. Soften the shallot and carrot without browning, add the whole langoustines, and toss until their shells turn coral. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the Cognac, wine, thyme, bay leaf, and 1 cup (240 ml) of the fumet. Cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 4 minutes. Lift out the langoustines, twist off the tails, peel them, remove the dark intestinal thread, and split each tail lengthwise. Coat the tail halves with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cover. Return every head and shell to the cooking liquid, crush them firmly with a wooden spoon, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Finish the cullis

   Let the shell mixture cool for 5 minutes, remove the thyme and bay, then process it with the reserved 3 fluid ounces (95 ml) of Béchamel. Work in batches and vent the processor lid. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve twice, pressing firmly with a ladle; the second pass is the home equivalent of the old tammy and gives the cullis its smooth body. Warm it without boiling, sharpen the salt and white pepper, and add the cream little by little. Fold in the buttered tail halves and hold the cullis in a bain-marie, a hot-water bath, with the water below a simmer. If the cream sauce separates, take it off the heat and whisk in a teaspoon of cold cream before returning the tails. Keep it warm, never boiling.

7. 7

   Finish the macaroni

   Reduce ½ cup (120 ml) of the fumet in a small saucepan until 2 tablespoons remain, then whisk this into the reserved 1⅔ fluid ounces (50 ml) of Béchamel. Put the macaroni prepared by Blanchings (No. 273) into a clean saucepan with its cream and the sliced truffle. Warm gently until the macaroni has absorbed the cream, then fold in the fumet-finished Béchamel. Remove from the heat and add the butter lumps one at a time. The macaroni should hold together without becoming stiff; if it tightens, loosen it with a spoonful of fumet. Cover and keep warm.

8. 8

   Roll the sole

   Lay the sole fillets skinned side upward and season them lightly with salt and white pepper. Spread each with a thin, even layer of the cold truffled forcemeat, leaving a narrow border around the edges. Roll each fillet from its narrow end into a compact scroll and set it seam side down. Keep the rolls cold while the fumet is readied; cold forcemeat holds the scrolls together and sets more delicately.

9. 9

   Poach at a tremble

   Warm the pastry shell for 5 minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven and place it on a stable serving platter. Bring the remaining fumet to the barest tremble in a wide sauté pan, set in the sole rolls seam side down, and cover with a lid or buttered parchment. Poach for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fish is opaque and the centre of the forcemeat reaches 145°F (63°C). Do not boil. If a roll starts to open, draw the pan off the heat, settle it seam side down again, and finish gently under the cover. Drain the rolls well so they do not soften the pastry.

10. 10

    Layer and serve

    Spread half the truffled macaroni across the bottom of the warm timbale. Arrange four sole scrolls over it, then spoon over half the langoustine tails and enough cullis to gloss them without flooding the crust. Repeat with the remaining macaroni, sole, and cullis, finishing with the handsomest langoustine tail halves visible on top. Carry it directly to the table while the crust is crisp and the sauce still gleams. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy whole langoustines with their heads and shells. The tail is the garnish, but the carapace is the foundation of the cullis; shellless tails cannot give you this sauce. Frozen whole raw langoustines are an honest choice when the fresh catch is poor.
• •Fresh black truffle is magnificent when it is truly fragrant. A good preserved whole truffle is the classical pantry's answer out of season, especially if you add any packing juice to the macaroni. Truffle oil does not replace the sliced truffle this dish is built around.
• •Choose small, even sole fillets that roll without splitting. Dover sole has the ideal firmness, though lemon sole or flounder can serve if handled gently. Technique first, always.
• •Do not fill the timbale early. The crust, macaroni, cullis, and rolled fish may wait separately, but once layered, sauce begins softening pastry. Assembly is the final minute, not a make-ahead convenience.
• •Pour a dry Champagne or a mineral white Burgundy. Both have enough acidity for the cream and butter, while leaving the langoustine, sole, and truffle in command.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the decorated pastry shell up to 6 hours ahead. Keep it uncovered at room temperature, then warm it for 5 minutes before filling. An airtight container traps moisture and softens the crust.
• •The Béchamel, processed forcemeat, and strained shellfish cullis may be prepared earlier the same day and kept chilled separately. Reheat the cullis gently, add the cream, and warm the langoustine tails in it only near service.
• •Prepare the macaroni by Blanchings (No. 273) earlier in the day, cool it promptly, and refrigerate it lightly buttered. Its cream, truffle, Béchamel, fumet, and final butter belong to the last half hour.
• •Roll the coated sole fillets up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate them covered. Poach them only after the warmed crust, macaroni, and cullis are ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 525g)