Oeufs en Gelée — Eggs in Aspic

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, no more than 3 days old
• 15 ml white wine vinegar, per litre of poaching water
• For the aspic
• 750 ml fond blanc de volaille or veal consommé, fully clarified
• 25 g gelatin, leaf or powdered, to yield 3–4% concentration in total aspic volume
• For the garnish
• 8 tarragon leaves, blanched (Artemisia dracunculus)
• 4 truffle slices, cut into diamonds (Tuber melanosporum)
• 40 g jambon de Paris, cut into fine julienne

Method

1. 1
   Crack each egg individually into a fine-mesh strainer and allow the loose outer albumen to drain away. Transfer each egg to its own small cup. This preliminary step produces a tighter, more cohesive white during poaching. The egg is ready when no watery albumen remains in the strainer.
2. 2
   Bring a deep saucepan of water to 80–82°C and add 15 ml white wine vinegar per litre. Slide the eggs into the water one at a time and poach for exactly 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Transfer immediately to an ice bath at 0–2°C to arrest cooking. The white must be fully set and opaque; the yolk, when pressed lightly, should yield with the unmistakable give of a fluid centre.
3. 3
   Remove the eggs from the ice bath. With scissors, trim any trailing wisps of white to achieve a clean, ovoid form. Each egg should present a smooth, even outline with no ragged edges visible.
4. 4
   Melt the clarified stock and dissolve the gelatin to achieve a 3–4% concentration. Cool the aspic to 28–30°C, stirring gently, until it is just viscous enough to coat the back of a spoon without running freely. Pour a 5 mm base layer into each chilled dariole mould or oval ramekin. Refrigerate for 10 minutes until the layer is just set — it should tremble but not flow when the mould is tilted.
5. 5
   Arrange the decorative garnish — blanched tarragon leaves, truffle diamonds, or jambon de Paris julienne — on the set base layer. Spoon a thin veil of aspic at 28–30°C over the garnish to anchor it, taking care that the aspic is not warm enough to melt the set layer beneath. Refrigerate for a further 10 minutes until this second layer is firm.
6. 6
   Place one trimmed poached egg, yolk-side down, in the centre of each mould. Fill each mould to the brim with aspic at 28–30°C. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. The aspic must be fully set throughout — crystal-clear and without tremor when the mould is moved.
7. 7
   To unmould, dip the exterior of each mould in warm water at 35°C for 3–5 seconds only. Invert onto a chilled plate. The aspic should release cleanly, retaining its gloss and the sharp definition of the garnish within. Serve immediately. When cut at table, the yolk flows in a controlled stream against the trembling clarity of the surrounding gelée.