Jambon Persillé en Gelée (Parsleyed Ham in Aspic)
Put a fresh ham, weighing from 10 to 12 pounds, in the following pickling liquor; Combine 5 quarts water, 5 pounds coarse salt, ½ pound brown sugar, ¼ pound, saltpeter, 15 peppercorns, 15 juniper berries, 1 bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme. Bring to a boil and cook for twenty minutes. Cool. Add the hum when the liquor has become very cold and let it remain in the liquor in a cool place 7 to 8 days in winter or 6 days in summer. Remove the ham from the liquor and discard the liquor unless it is needed to cure another ham. Giver the ham well with cold water and leave it overnight.
The next day put the ham in a large kettle, cover well with fresh water, and add 2 pig's knuckles or a piece of pork shoulder and a few pork or veal bones. Parboil the ham for about 1 hour. Taste the water and. if it is salty, discard it and cover the ham with fresh water. Add 2 onions, each studded with a clove. 1 clove of garlic, 1 carrot, sliced, 2 leeks, and a faggot made by tying together 2 stalks of celery. 6 sprigs of parsley. I bay leaf, and a little thyme. Bring the water to a boil, simmer the ham for 4 hours, then leave it in the water until it is cool enough to handle.
Remove ham from the kettle and save the cooking liquor. Take off the skin from the top of the ham in one piece and save it to cover the ham later. Trim off the surplus fat from the top of the ham and discard it. Trim off any remaining skin and any of the lean meat at the edges that have darkened in cooking. Combine all these trimmings with the skin of (he pig's knuckles or pork shoulder and run them through a meat chopper. Measure this mixture and add to it an equal quantity of finely chopped parsley, 1 clove of garlic, minced, 1 teaspoon chopped shallot or onion, a little freshly ground black pepper, a little grated nutmeg, and 1 ½ tablespoons good wine vinegar. Mix thoroughly.
Carefully remove the bones from the cooked ham so that the meat comes off them in a few very large pieces. Strain the reserved cooking liquor, taste it and, if it is too salty, add a little unsalted white stock; if not seasoned enough, add salt. This liquid must have enough gelatin in it to become firm when cold. The pig's knuckles usually supply enough bur if there is any doubt that it will gel add 1 tablespoon gelatin dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water for every pint of liquor, and bring to a boil to dissolve the gelatin. Cool.
To make the ham mold, use a hamshaped mold designed for this purpose, but if one is not available a large oval mold is equally satisfactory. Spread over the bottom of the mold about ½ inch of the ground stuffing, which should be green from the parsley. On this arrange pieces of the ham, and continue to put in additional layers until all is used and the top has a smooth layer of stuffing. Pour over this enough of the stock to fill in around the edges and over the top, and place the reserved skin of the ham over the top. Place on top of the mold something quite heavy (a stack of plates or a platter with a weight on it) and put the ham in the refrigerator until it is thoroughly chilled and the liquor is congealed. To serve, unmold and cut slices to arrange around the ham on the platter. Garnish with chopped aspic jelly. The slices of ham should have attractive pink sections of ham interspersed with the bright green stuffing.
Asperges Vertes en Branche (Green Asparagus)
Wash asparagus thoroughly, letting the water from the faucet flush through the tops. Cut off the tough ends and tie the asparagus with soft twine into bundles of 6 to 12 stalks each. Cook the asparagus gently in boiling salted water to cover for about 15 to 20 minutes. The exact time depends upon the freshness of the asparagus and the thickness of the stalks. When done, the point of a small knife will slip into the tip easily. Remove each bundle carefully from the pan, being careful not to break the tips: drain, and then place on a hot dry napkin or towel placed on a plate or tray and leave until all the surplus water has been absorbed by the cloth.
Turban de Fraises Printanier (Spring Strawberry Ring)
Bear 5 egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar with a whip or wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Scald 1 cup milk with a piece of split vanilla bean and add the milk gradually to the egg yolks, mixing thoroughly. Cook the mixture slowly, stirring constantly until it almost reaches the boiling point. but be careful that it docs not boil. Remove the vanilla bean and stir in ½ tablespoon gelatin, softened in 2 tablespoons cold water. Cool, stirring from time to time to prevent a crust from forming on the surface. Fold in ¾ cup heavy cream, whipped, and pour into a ring mold, rinsed in cold water. Chill until set.
To serve, loosen the edges and invert the cream on a serving dish. If it doesn't slip out easily place a cloth wrung out in hot water on the outside of the mold.
Wash and drain 2 cups strawberries and put them in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoons sugar. Also prepare 1 cup apricot sauce (see March, 1954) and add 2 tablespoons kirsch. Put a few strawberries around the outside of the unmolded cream, fill the center with the remaining berries, and spread apricot sauce over them. Decorate around the ring with whipped cream and crystallized violets.
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