When you decorate aspies first get all the materials ready on your board; if you are lining a mold, set it in a bowl of cracked ice to keep the aspic firm as you work. Aspic decorations include hardcooked egg, tarragon leaves, and truffles -or their substitute, black olives. Chefs usually make daisies of eggs, the white cut to simulate small petals and the center made of sieved yolk. There are special cutters to make fancy shapes of truffles and olives. Pinch off and discard the tarragon steins, cover the leaves with boiling water, plunge them into cold water, then drain them and dry them carefully on a paper towel. You will find tarragon prepared this way pliable and easy to arrange gracefully. A final word before we go on to the preparation of the ham mousse that is on GOURMET'S cover this month. Many of the basic formulas for aspic dishes were given in GOURMET for July 1 suggest that you refer to the “Classes in Classic Cuisine” article in that issue when necessary.
Mousse de Jambon (Ham Mousse)
Coat a mold-or individual molds with aspic and as the aspic Congeals, arrange on it in an attractive pattern truffles cut in fancy shapes. Or you may use hard-cooked eggs cut in various shapes and tarragon leaves, or chervil and parsley. Chill the aspic thoroughly so that the decorations adhere firmly, then coat the mold with another layer of aspic and chill it. Fill the coated mold with prepared mousse and again chill it thoroughly.
To make the mousse, put 2/3 cup cooked lean ham, cut in pieces, through the food grinder two or three times. (If you use highly seasoned Virginia h3m, ½ cup will be enough.) You should have a little more than ½ cup firmly packed ground ham. Add 1 cup stock or consomme, 1 cup tomato juice, and ½ teaspoon paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook it slowly until it is reduced to two-thirds the original quantity. Force the mixture through a sieve or puree it in an electric blender and add to it 2 tablespoons gelatin that has been softened in 4 tablespoons cold water. Cool the mixture and chill it in the refrigerator, stirring it occasionally. When it starts to congeal, fold in with a spatula 1 cup cream, whipped. Add 1 tablespoon Sherry and correct the seasoning with salt. Turn the mixture into the decorated mold.
To serve the mousse, unmold it onto a serving dish. Individual molds of ham mousse are sometimes served with a cold trimmed poached egg on top of each, or they may be unmolded onto slices of chicken breast.
Boeuf à la Mode en Gelée (Jellied Braised Beef)
Soak 12 strips of larding pork in brandy, sprinkle the strips with parsley and lard a 4-pound piece of beef cut from the rump, Sprinkle the meat with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little grated nutmeg, put it in a large mixing bowl and cover it with the following marinade: Combine 1 small onion and 1 small carrot, thinly sliced, 3 sprigs of parsley, 1/8 teaspoon thyme, 2 whole cloves, 1 large bay leaf, crushed, 2 tarragon leaves. 6 bruised peppercorns, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 cup red wine and ¼ cup water. Put the bowl in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning the meat occasionally in the marinade.
Dry the meat thoroughly and scar it quickly on all sides in 3 tablespoons hot lard in a heavy skillet. Transfer the meat to a heavy kettle or Dutch oven. Discard the fat from the skillet. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Hour into the skillet and add ½ cup water. Cook, stirring in all the brown bits and juices in the pan. Pour this sauce over the meat in the Dutch oven, add the strained marinade, 1 cup cooked tomatoes or ½ cup tomato purée, 2 calf's feet that have been cleaned, split and blanched, some veal bones, 2 cups red wine, 3 tablespoons brandy, 1 small clove garlic, crushed, and 1 bay leaf tied with a few tops of green celery and 4 sprigs of parsley. Cover the pot, bring the liquid to a boil and braise the meat in a moderate oven (350° F.) for 3 hours. Turn the meat twice dating the cooking.
Transfer the meat to another kettle. remove the calf's feet, skim all the fat from the surface of the liquid and strain the liquid over the meat. Add 12 small young carrots and 12 small white onions. Remove the meat from the calf's feet, cut the meat into small tubes and add it to the kettle with the meat. Cover the kettle tightly, return it to the oven and continue cooking for I hour or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the meat from the kettle and cool it. When the meat is cold, place it on a serving dish and chill it in the refrigerator. Remove the onions and the carrots and chill them. Strain the sauce, add ½ cup Madeira and cool it. Arrange the meat with the vegetables around it and spread the sauce over them. Chill until the sauce is congealed, then coat the whole with clear aspic. Or slice enough of the meat for the first serving, arrange the slices in front of the rump and coat the meat and the vegetables as indicated above.
Oeufs Pocbés Rachel (Poached Eggs Rachel)
Poach 6 eggs, trim them evenly and put them on a rack to cool. Prepare white cbaud-froid sauce, using sauce supréme for the base. Coat the cold eggs with the cold sauce, chill them until the sauce is set and repeat twice more to give each egg a generous coating. Fill the hollows of 6 cooked and chilled artichoke bottoms with mousse de foie gras and set one of the coated eggs on each. Decorate the eggs with sliced truffles or with tarragon leaves and chervil, Chill thoroughly and finish with a final coat of aspic.
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