(2537). Mousseline Of Lobster (Mousseline De Homard)

Select a plain cylindrical mold (Fig. 150) and incrust it in pounded ice; cut some crosswise slices of large green gherkins, of equal size and thickness, lift them up with the pointed end of a larding needle, dip into half-set jelly, and then arrange them symmetrically against the sides of the mold; coat this decoration lightly with jelly. Cut up into quarter-inch dice the claw meat of four lobsters and enclose them in a small saucepan. Pound the tail meat with two or three spoonfulsof bechamel (No. 409), pass it through a sieve and return it to the mortar to pound once more, adding three or four gills of blond chaudfroid sauce (No. 596). a few spoonfuls of jelly (No. 108) and a tew drops of tarragon vinegar; season highly and set the preparation in a saucepan to thicken lightly while stirring on ice; incorporate into this five or six spoonfuls of well-drained whipped cream. After this preparation is well smoothed add to it the dice pieces of claw meat and with the whole fill up the coated mold; put on ice for one hour.

Just when ready to serve dip the mold in warm water and invert the contents on a dish having a small support fastened to the center; on top of this place a hatelet garnished with fine shrimps or crawfish of graduated sizes, and serve at the same time a separate mayonnaise sauce (No. 606).

Fig. 510.

(2538). Mousseline Of Pheasants, Princess (Mousseline De Faisans, Princesse)

This cold entree is dressed on a carved rice croustade slightly hollowed out on top to form an outspreading ledge. Incrust in chopped ice a plain pyramidical flat-top mold. Take the meat of two breasts of cooked pheasants and half a cooked foies-gras; with these make a preparation the same as for a chaudfroid of fillets of pheasants (No. 2456); before thickening it on ice put a quarter of this into a saucepan and incorporate in it two spoonfuls of black pounded truffles; thicken the two preparations separately on ice. Moisten the interior of the mold with a brush dipped in jelly, fill it to a third of its height with the white mixture, and when this is cold pour in a layer of the black one inch deep, and on this another of the white, of the same thickness as the first, then another one of black, the same as before, and finish filling with the white; cover with a buttered white paper and leave to cool for two hours. Lastly dip the mold in hot water and turn it over to un-mold on the croustade; surround the base with a row of sticky chopped jelly (No. 2526) and on this lay a chain of small, crimped paper cases, each one filled with a round of truffle.

On top of the mousseline fasten a hatelet garnished with mushrooms of graduated sizes, and surround this with chopped jelly; lay around some cases the same as the lower ones, only somewhat smaller, also filled with truffles.

Fig. 511.

(2539). Mousseline Of Pullet (Mousseline De Poularde)

Poach in butter four well-pared pullet fillets; when cold pound them with a third of their quantity of the very best butter; season and rub through a sieve. Put this pulp into a thin iron vessel and beat it for five minutes with a spoon to have it smooth, then incorporate slowly three gills of blond chaudfroid sauce (No. 596); try a little of this preparation on ice to rectify if necessary, and when perfect thicken it on ice, stirring in a quarter as many truffles, red beef tongue and cooked mushrooms, the whole cut in three-sixteenths of an inch dice, also the volume of a pint of well-drained whipped cream. With this preparation fill an oval mold decorated with truffles and coated with a light coating of jelly, or else several quenelle molds, covered with half-set jelly, having used a brush for this purpose; then smooth the top nicely and keep the mold on pounded ice for one hour. At the last moment un-mold the mousseline on a cold dish and surround the base with pretty jelly croutons (No. 2442).

(2540). Mousseline Of Woodcock (Mousseline De Becasses)

Simply dress this on a channeled rice croustade foundation fastened on a dish. Remove some rounds of cooked truffles with a cutter, and use them to decorate symmetrically the interior sides and bottom of a plain cylindrical mold (Fig. 150) imbedded in ice, dipping them one by one in half-set jelly to be able to fasten them on, then coat over the entire inside of the mold lightly with half-set jelly. Pound the breast meats of three cooked woodcock with an equal quantity of cooked foies-gras, half as much cooked and chopped-up truffles and a very little of the cooked intestines from the birds; season and pass the whole through a sieve. Put this pulp into a thin metal vessel and stir into it gradually three gills of brown chaudfroid sauce (No. 594), increased with a few spoonfuls of wanned jelly (No. 103); the chaudfroid sauce should be reduced with a game fumet (No. 397) prepared with the woodcock legs and bones; thicken the preparation properly by stirring it on ice and with it fill up the mold; then harden it on ice for one hour.

When needed dip the mold in hot water, wipe dry and invert the mousseline on the rice foundation, surrounding it with a bed of chopped jelly.

Fig. 512.

Fig. 513.