Mushroom Garnish
Select 12 firm, fresh white mushrooms, remove the stems, and peel the dps. With a small, sharp knife, carve the top of each cap into a roselike design, turning the cap in the left hand while working with the knife in the right. Cook the turned mushrooms in ½ cup slightly salted water with 1 tablespoon butter and the juice of ½ lemon for 5 minutes. Let the mushrooms cool in the liquid and reserve it to use in making the sauce.
Cocks' Combs
Select 12 cocks' combs from fresh, young fowl. Scrape away the outside skin, make small incisions in the points, and place the combs, covered with cold water, in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight, changing the water two or three times.
Drain and cover the combs with 2 cups salted cold water mixed with I tablespoon flour and the juice of 1 lemon. Bring to a boil and cook gently for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain before using.
Mousseline of Chicken
Remove the skin and sinews from ½ pound of breast of chicken. Cut the breast meat into small pieces, add ¼ teaspoon salt and a little pepper, and pound it in a mortar or run it through the finest blade of the food chopper, gradually adding 1 egg white. Rub the mixture through a fine sieve into a Saucepan, Put the pan on a bed of ice, work the mixture with a wooden spoon until it is chilled, and add gradually about 1 ¼ cups heavy cream, working it in a little at a time.
For garnishing timbales. the mousse is made into small moussetries shaped with a teaspoon. Heap the mixture in the spoon and then press the top with the inside of another spoon to form an olive-shaped mousseline. Dip the second spoon into warm water, slip it under the mousse in the first spoon, and slide the mousseline into a buttered pan. Add a little salted water or chicken stock, bring just to the boiling point, and poach the mousselines over very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until firm. Remove them carefully from the pan with a skimmer or perforated spoon and lay them on a towel to dry. When the mousselines are to be used for garnishing elegant dishes like thmbale de ris de veau Régence, they are usually decorated with pieces of truffle cut in flower shapes. The piece of truffle must be carefully pressed into the top of each mousseline, and great care must be taken in poaching or the decoration will fall off.
For a simple fish mousse to make info mousselines, see July, 1951.
Godiveau (Veal Quenelles or Forcemeat Balls)
Make a panade as follows: Bring to a boil 2/3 cup water, a pinch of salt, and 1 tablespoon butter. Add ¼ cup Hour and stir with a wooden spoon over the fire until the mixture is smooth and does not cling to the side of the pan. Remove from the fire, stir in 1 egg, and set aside.
Grind ¼ pound of lean veal, sinews removed, and 1/3 pound of beef kidney suet, free of membranes, through the finest blade of the food chopper. Add 1 teaspoon salt, a little pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. Add the panade, mix well, and spread on a fiat plate. Cover with wax paper and chill in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours.
Divide the farce into smalt pieces to roll into fingers about the size and shape of tiny sausages. Bake them on a flat baking dish in a slow oven (300° F.) for 10 to 15 minute;, or until they are firm but not crusty or brown.
The timbale fillings are like the fillings for vol-au-vent. Some are combinations that might be served with rice. But the important point to remember is not to put the filling into the timbale crust until ready to serve.
Timbale de ris de Veau à la Régence (Timbale of Sweetbreads Régetice)
Soak 3 pairs of sweetbreads in cold water for several hours. Drain, cover with salted cold water, and bring slowly to a boil. Boil gently for 5 minutes, drain again, and plunge the sweetbreads into fresh cold water. Cool and then cut away the connecting throats and the tough sinews, unless they were trimmed before cooking. Spread the sweetbreads on a platter and weight them down with another platter. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours, or until they are flat and firm.
To braise sweetbreads, spread in a casserole 1 onion and 1 carrot, both sliced, and 1 tablespoon butter. Cook until the vegetables are a little soft but not brown. Add 1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of parsley, and a little thyme. Lay the sweetbreads on this mirepoix and add ½ cup dry white wine and 1 cup white stock. Bring to a boil and cook in a moderately hot oven (375° F.) for 45 to 60 minutes, basting often. The casserole should be covered during the cooking to keep the sweetbreads à blanc, or light in color.
Pinterest
