Timbale de Filets de Soles Carême

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8½ by 4½-inch (21 by 11 cm), about 1¼-liter metal pound-cake mould or loaf tin
• •Food processor with metal blade
• •Rolling pin or flat meat pounder
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Shallow lidded pan for the paupiettes

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the working parts

   Put the food-processor bowl and blade, the diced whiting or cod, the sole trimmings, and the cream in the cold for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C), place a rack in the lower middle, and bring a kettle of water to the boil. Butter an 8½ by 4½-inch (21 by 11 cm), roughly 1¼-liter metal pound-cake mould liberally, reaching every corner. Lay each sole fillet between sheets of parchment and tap it gently to an even ⅛-inch (3 mm) thickness. Trim the edges neatly, add the scraps to the chilled fish, and return the fillets to the cold.

2. 2

   Make the farce mousseline

   Reserve 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the cold cream. Pulse the diced fish and sole trimmings with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the white pepper until smooth and tacky. Add the egg white and pulse just until absorbed, then feed in the remaining cream gradually while the machine runs. Stop as soon as the farce mousseline looks glossy and holds a soft peak. Poach a teaspoonful in barely simmering water for 2 minutes, taste, and correct the seasoning. Reserve about ⅓ cup (80 ml / 85 g) of the farce mousseline for closing the timbale and keep everything cold.

   If the paste turns grainy or leaves an oily smear in the bowl, it has become too warm. Stop immediately, chill it for 10 minutes, then pulse in the reserved cold cream. Ça se rattrape. Do not add flour, which would make the finished wall heavy.
3. 3

   Line and set

   Line the buttered mould with the sole fillets, placing them side by side with their narrow tails meeting around the centre of the bottom and their broad ends projecting above the rim. Overlap the edges slightly and press out every pocket of air. Spread the farce mousseline over the fish in an even ½-inch (1.25 cm) layer, using a spoon dipped in cold water. Set the mould in a roasting pan, add boiling water to come about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up its sides, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes, just until the forcemeat loses its wet gloss and adheres firmly to the fillets. Remove the mould, let it settle for 5 minutes, then cut the projecting fillets level with the rim and reserve those pieces for the lid.

   The shallow bain-marie replaces the cooler front of the old oven. If the lining bubbles or pulls away, lift the mould from the water, lower the oven by 20°F (10°C), and press the farce mousseline back gently with a wet spoon before continuing.
4. 4

   Prepare the garnish

   Put the mussels in a covered saucepan with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water and cook over medium heat until they open, about 3 minutes. Discard any that remain closed, remove the meats, and drain them well. Warm the oyster liquor until it barely trembles, slide in the oysters, and poach for 1 to 2 minutes, just until their edges curl. Drain them and cut any large oyster in half. Melt half the butter reserved for the garnish in the saucepan and cook the mushrooms gently until tender and their released liquid has evaporated, without taking them to a hard brown. Combine the cooled mushrooms, shrimp, oysters, mussels, and sliced truffle. Keep the garnish dry and barely warm.

5. 5

   Build the Béchamel

   Melt the Béchamel butter over medium-low heat, stir in the flour, and cook the roux for 2 minutes without coloring it. Add the milk in several portions, whisking each one smooth before the next, then simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes. The Béchamel must be thick enough to hold a clear trail from the whisk. Season it confidently with ½ teaspoon of the remaining salt, ¼ teaspoon of white pepper, the nutmeg, and half the cayenne. Reserve ¾ cup (180 ml / about 185 g) for Sauce Nantua and cover its surface. Fold enough of the remaining Béchamel into the shellfish garnish to cohere it completely without leaving loose sauce in the bowl.

   If the bound garnish becomes loose because the shellfish carried in water, return it to a wide pan for a minute or two, stirring gently, then cool it until thick again. Ça se rattrape. A wet filling is what finds the seams and breaks the timbale.
6. 6

   Fill and close

   Spoon the bound garnish into the lined mould, pressing gently into the corners without disturbing the sole wall, and stop ⅓ inch (8 mm) below the rim. Cover the filling with the reserved pieces of sole, overlapping them to make a complete lid. Spread the reserved farce mousseline over them in a thin, continuous layer and smooth the seam with a wet spoon. No filling should remain visible. Chill the closed timbale for 10 minutes while the kettle returns to the boil.

7. 7

   Poach the timbale

   Set the mould in the roasting pan and pour in freshly boiled water to come halfway up its sides. Poach in the 325°F (160°C) oven for 30 minutes. The bath should tremble gently, never churn, and the centre of the timbale should reach 145°F (63°C). If it has not reached that point after 30 minutes, give it another 5 minutes and test again. Lift the mould from the bain-marie and rest it for 8 to 10 minutes before unmoulding.

   If the water begins boiling hard, add a little cool water and reduce the oven to 300°F (150°C). Gentle heat preserves the tender sole and keeps the forcemeat from swelling away from the mould.
8. 8

   Make crayfish butter

   While the timbale poaches, remove the tails from all eight crayfish. Reserve four tails whole for the paupiettes and chop the other four for Sauce Nantua. Clean and dry the four best red carapaces for the crown. Crush the remaining shells and claws, then cook them with the crayfish-butter portion of butter over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring and pressing until the butter turns coral and smells richly of shellfish. Cover, steep off the heat for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve, pressing firmly on the shells. Keep the crayfish butter warm but not hot.

9. 9

   Shape the paupiettes

   Flatten the salmon strips to an even ⅛ inch (3 mm) and season them lightly with salt and white pepper. Lay one whole crayfish tail across each strip and roll the salmon around it to form a compact paupiette. Butter a shallow lidded pan with the remaining garnish butter, arrange the paupiettes seam-side down, and add ¼ cup (60 ml) of water. Cover and poach at the barest tremble for 4 to 5 minutes, until the salmon is just opaque and holds its shape. Keep them warm in the covered pan and brush the cleaned carapaces with a trace of crayfish butter.

10. 10

    Finish Sauce Nantua

    Warm the reserved Béchamel with all but 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the cold cream, whisking until smooth. Bring it only to a gentle simmer, then remove it from the heat and whisk in the crayfish butter a spoonful at a time. Fold in the four chopped crayfish tails and season with the remaining cayenne, salt, and white pepper. Sauce Nantua should flow in a broad ribbon while coating the back of a spoon. Keep it warm in a sauceboat and do not boil it after the crayfish butter enters.

    If Sauce Nantua looks greasy around the edges, take it off the heat and whisk in the reserved tablespoon of cold cream. Ça se rattrape. Add a teaspoon of warm water only if the sauce remains too tight.
11. 11

    Unmould and crown

    Run a thin knife only along the two short ends of the mould, place a warm round platter over it, and invert decisively. Lift the mould straight upward. If it clings, wrap the outside with a warm damp towel for 20 seconds and try again without shaking. Arrange the four salmon paupiettes as a garland across the top, setting one cleaned crayfish carapace above each. Bring Sauce Nantua separately, slice the timbale thickly with a sharp knife, and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger to skin and fillet two medium soles, returning all eight fillets and the clean trimmings separately. The fillets must be thin and supple enough to overlap inside the mould; thick cod or halibut cannot replace them there.
• •Buy cooked crayfish with their shells intact. Jarred tails can fill a paupiette, but they cannot give Sauce Nantua its coral color or shellfish perfume. Shell-on langoustines will follow the same method, though the resulting sauce is no longer strictly Sauce Nantua.
• •A sound preserved whole truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer when fresh black truffle is out of season. Drain it well and slice it visibly. Truffle-flavored oil supplies perfume without the truffle's texture and does not belong in this filling.
• •Use a rigid metal pound-cake mould. Flexible silicone makes the half-inch wall difficult to press evenly and can buckle when the filled timbale is moved into its bain-marie.
• •Serve with a dry, mineral white wine such as Chablis or a restrained white from the Loire. The sauce is rich, so the glass should bring freshness rather than more weight.

Advance Preparation

• •The Béchamel and crayfish butter can be prepared one day ahead. Press parchment directly against the Béchamel, chill both components, and reheat them gently before finishing Sauce Nantua.
• •The shrimp, oysters, mussels, mushrooms, and truffle can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead. Keep them covered and cold, then drain them once more before binding with Béchamel.
• •The timbale can be assembled and sealed up to 4 hours before poaching. Keep it cold in its mould and allow about 5 additional minutes in the bain-marie if it goes into the oven directly from the refrigerator.
• •Shape the salmon paupiettes up to 4 hours ahead and keep them covered in the cold. Poach them while the timbale rests so they reach the platter tender and warm.
• •Chill leftovers within 2 hours and use them the following day. Reheat covered in a gentle bain-marie until the centre reaches 145°F (63°C), since direct oven heat will dry the sole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)