Aspic de Queues d’Écrevisses à la Moderne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor fitted with a small bowl
• •Tamis or sturdy fine-mesh sieve
• •Flexible bowl scraper
• •1-quart (1-liter) crystal or clear glass bowl, thoroughly chilled
• •Small offset spatula
• •Large shallow basin for crushed ice
• •Damp muslin or several layers of fine cheesecloth

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the aspic

   Pour 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the cold fish stock into a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Leave it for 10 minutes to bloom. Warm the remaining stock only until hot, then remove it from the heat and whisk in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Never boil gelatin after adding it, because hard boiling weakens the set. Season the liquid so it tastes slightly more pronounced than a warm broth, then strain it through damp muslin into a clean bowl.

2. 2

   Test the jelly

   Spoon a teaspoon of aspic onto a chilled saucer and refrigerate it for 5 minutes. It should set clearly and hold when the saucer is tilted, yet yield cleanly beneath a spoon. If it runs, gently rewarm the batch, bloom the optional extra gelatin in a tablespoon of cold stock, and dissolve it into the aspic. Cool the aspic over ice until cold but still liquid, then measure a generous 1/2 cup (140 ml / 140 g) for the mousse and reserve the rest for assembly and glazing.

3. 3

   Reach for the crayfish

   Reach for the Écrevisses à la Bordelaise (No. 966), prepared with Champagne replacing its white wine and with the fully cooked Mirepoix (No. 228) called for by the formula. Lift the crayfish from their cooking mixture and let them cool just enough to handle. Strain and reserve the Mirepoix (No. 228), leaving behind excess liquid.

4. 4

   Trim and shell

   Twist away the tails and remove their meat without breaking the carapaces. Trim the tail meat evenly, saving every offcut, then split each tail lengthwise to make 24 neat halves. Crack the claws and collect their meat. From the carapaces, reserve only the clean creamy or coral-colored edible matter; discard the gills, stomach sacs, grit, and any grey-green residue. Trim the carapaces so they sit neatly on their backs, then keep the shells and tail halves covered in the cold.

5. 5

   Refine the mousse

   Put the tail trimmings, claw meat, reserved creamy parts, and the drained Mirepoix (No. 228) into the small bowl of a food processor. Process until very fine, stopping to scrape down the bowl, then force the purée through the tamis with a flexible scraper. The processor replaces the mortar, but the tamis stays. Without it, shell fibers and coarse meat interrupt the silkiness that defines cold Mousses.

6. 6

   Settle the mousse

   Beat the cold cream only until it thickens slightly, with no firm peaks. Stir the measured 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (140 ml / 140 g) of cold liquid aspic into the crayfish purée, then fold in the cream without whipping air into it. Chill for 15 to 25 minutes, stirring once, until the mousse holds a soft mound. If it turns grainy because the aspic began setting before it was fully mixed, place the bowl over barely warm water and fold gently until smooth, then return it to the cold. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Fill the carapaces

   Cut 12 small roundels from the black truffle, reserving its roundest end for the cone. Spoon a little mousse into each trimmed carapace, no more than about 1 teaspoon, and smooth it level. Place a truffle roundel in the center of each filling and chill the carapaces for 10 minutes so their surfaces hold.

8. 8

   Build the cone

   Set the chilled crystal bowl in a basin of crushed ice. Mound the remaining mousse in the center and use a small offset spatula to form a tall cone, narrow where it meets the bowl and rising as high as the mousse will support. Work in two or three additions, chilling briefly between them if necessary. If the cone slumps, it is too warm; chill it for 10 minutes and reshape it rather than adding more gelatin.

9. 9

   Arrange the rings

   Arrange the filled carapaces on their backs around the cone. Cool the reserved aspic until half-melted, with the loose consistency of egg white. Dip each tail half in it and apply the tails to the cone in overlapping, superposed rings, working from the bottom upward. Set the reserved round piece of truffle at the tip. If a tail slides, do not press harder; chill the cone and let the aspic thicken for another few minutes before continuing.

10. 10

    Glaze and chill

    With the bowl still over crushed ice, spoon half-melted aspic over the entire arrangement in thin coats. Let each layer turn tacky before adding the next, repeating five to seven times until the mousse, tails, carapaces, and truffle sit beneath a clear continuous glaze. If the jelly runs straight off, it is too warm; if it catches in lumps, warm it only until smooth. Chill the finished aspic for at least 4 hours. Bring it to the table nested in fresh crushed ice, then divide the cone among four plates and give each diner three filled carapaces. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Whole crayfish are not optional here. Frozen tail meat can make a pleasant mousse, but it cannot supply the carapaces or the overlapping architecture that defines this particular aspic. If whole crayfish are unavailable, wait for a reputable supplier rather than changing the dish into something else.
• •Clear aspic begins with clear stock. Let homemade stock settle, lift away every trace of fat, and decant it before straining. Cloudy stock will still taste good, but repeated glazing magnifies every impurity.
• •Use a whole preserved black truffle if fresh is not available, then pat it thoroughly dry before cutting. Truffle oil supplies neither the earthy bite nor the black roundels the composition requires.
• •Serve the same brut Champagne used for the crayfish preparation. Its acidity cuts through the cream and cold jelly without covering the sweetness of the shellfish.
• •Keep the bowl refrigerated at or below 40°F / 4°C until service, then nest it over fresh crushed ice. Return leftovers to the cold promptly and eat them within one day.

Advance Preparation

• •The clear fish aspic can be prepared up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm it gently only until liquid, then cool it to the half-melted stage before use.
• •The completed dish is best assembled the evening before serving. Let the final glaze set uncovered, then cover the bowl without touching its surface and keep it refrigerated.
• •Do not freeze the finished aspic. Freezing damages the gelatin structure and leaves the glaze wet and broken when thawed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)