A Jab at Jell-O - Ouefs en Gelees

There is a saying...  "Real men don't eat quiche."

This little tidbit of supposed wisdom has never made sense to me.  I have always assumed it was coined by someone with certain amount of prejudice.   After all, quiche is nothing more than scrambled eggs (albeit with cream) that have been baked in a pastry shell in the oven.  In essence, it is a scrambled egg pie.

News Flash!! Guys like pie.

With Chicken pot pie, Shepherds pie and Apple pie usually being the top picks by men the world over.

That being taken into account, scrambled egg pie (quiche) usually contains some form of meat... Not always, but I would say over 50% of the time the recipes include things like Sausage, Bacon, Ham, Clams or any combination of the a fore mentioned delights of the carnivore's diet. 

News Flash!!   Guys like meat.

Especially those having been preserved via copious quantities of nitrates & nitrites. (Oh yea!)

Thus, following this thought process, I am sure you can understand my confusion over the somewhat ludicrous statement that "Real men don't eat quiche"

There is, however, a "food" that I believe would have been a better fit in the "Real men don't eat...." concept.

Aspic!

This is where my own prejudices come into play.  I, personally, have never been overly fond of Jell-O or other gelatin based desserts.  Not even as a child attending Church potlucks.  I always avoided the pink and green CoolWhip/Jell-O salads along with the three tiered gleaming red mound with grapes suspended in the center... and don't get me started on the proverbial Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise... (shudder)  If I am not going to eat sweetened fruit flavored Jell-O then why; Oh WHY would I want to eat meat flavored Jell-O?

Yes, it' sort of tastes like meat, and I DO like meat; but it's not really "meat".  It's more of a "delicate suggestion" of meat; the very essence of bridge parties, tea parties and "luncheon"; not lunch, not brunch... luncheon.  What the heck is a luncheon?  I am not really sure, but obviously there ain't no meat bein' served.

Be that as it may...  Real men face their fears head on.

Thus, after much soul searching, I resigned myself to face my own fear of said aspic by biting the bullet and making Ouefs en Gelee, which is a fancy French way of saying "Eggs suspended in meat flavored Jell-O" (it sounds more appetizing in French)  So, armed with a little left over consommé, a little fortitude and a tweeked Laura Calder recipe, the Gelatinous Journey began.

Ouefs en Gelees

2 Large Eggs, boiled or poached
1 3/4 cups Chicken Consommé (you can use stock, Laura Calder did on her show)
1 TB Unflavored Gelatin
1 TB Armagnac or Cognac
Fresh Tarragon leaves

Place 2 eggs (I did 4 cause I wanted to make a little egg salad too) in a saucepan and cover with cold water.

Place over medium flame and bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat and cover; allowing the eggs to sit for 20 minutes. Then drain and refrigerate.

This is why I held back a little of the consommé I made the other night.

Sprinkle gelatin over the consommé and allow it to bloom for 10 minutes. (I should have just done it in the saucepan)

Pour the consommé/gelatin mixture in a saucepan and set over medium low heat.

Add Cognac and stir the mixture until you can no longer see any gelatin granules (the mixture will be clear again)

Spoon a thin layer of gelatin into 4 ramekins and refrigerate them until it becomes slightly tacky but not completely set, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel your boiled eggs.

and cut them in half.

When the gelatin is partially set, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator and lay tarragon leaves in the "bottom" (remember, the bottom will be the top when they are unmolded, so lay the leaves vein side up)

Place 1 half of a boiled egg in each ramekin, over the tarragon, yolk side down.

Divide the remaining consommé/gelatin mixture between the ramekins, pouring gently over the backside of the egg half.

Return to the refrigerator for 45 minutes to 1 hour until completely set.
Run a small knife or small frosting spatula around the edge of the ramekin and unmold onto a bed of greens.

Serve.

On the whole, it really wasn't THAT bad.  I have always loved egg and tarragon together, and the aspic had really delicate chicken/cognac flavor.  It's a texture thing though.  I mean, it didn't kill me to eat it.  I made it, so I ate it.  But it's not something I am going to be salivating for, any time soon.  My Aunt and Mother, however, were unequivocally enraptured.  LOL

So I reiterate....  Real men don't eat aspic.  But, for the record, one should at least be brave enough to try it.   LOL

Mangia!!
~~

Commencing Clarification - Chicken Consommé

Consommé may be one of the most misunderstood soups.  It's utterly clear yet brims with intense flavor.  How is this possible?  Why is Consommé so much "thicker" than "stock"?

Put on your life preservers folks, it's time to go a rafting!

Consommé is simply stock that has been clarified by a mixture of ground meat, miripoix and egg whites.  This mixture is added to everyday regular stock then heat is applied.  In the process the mixture forms a "raft" on top of the stock... Through continued simmering, the "raft" combines with the impurities in the stock and traps them in the albumen from the egg whites.  It all sounds complicated.  But trust me, you don't need a degree in food science or advanced culinary education.  It's surprisingly simple

Chicken Consommé

6 cups (about 1.5 Liters) Chicken Stock
1 lb (600 g) ground Chicken
1 Carrot, finely diced
1 Celery stalk, finely diced
1 Leek, finely sliced
3 large Egg Whites
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Tarragon Leaves

Pour the chicken stock into a pot.

In a separate bowl combine ground chicken and diced vegetables in bowl.

Add the egg whites.

Then mix everything together with a fork until you have a big "mess" in the bowl.

Spoon the mixture into the Chicken Stock.

Place the messy mixture over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stir while you are doing this.

You will notice as the temperature rises the chicken/vegetable mixture will begin to rise to the surface and form the "raft".

Once the mix starts to simmer, stop stirring and let the stock bubble up through the "raft", allowing the egg whites to trap everything.

Continue simmering for 30 minutes. (though you can push it to 45)
Remove from the heat and skim off the "raft" (you will want to discard this.  Don't feed it to your dog, cause it contains onion...  Yeah, it's leek but they are closely related, so don't take chances)

Once the raft has been removed, go ahead and pour the Consommé through cheese cloth to endure you have removed all the "bits" of coagulated egg white.

You should have about 5 cups of perfectly clear pale amber liquid.

And there you go...  An elegant Consommé.

You can refrigerate the Consommé in a sealed container for about 1 week.  Do not be surprised if you find that it has gelled.  It is higher in gelatin than normal stock giving consommé a more voluptuous mouth-feel. (it's a good thing) I am only saving out 1 3/4 cups for something else... But the rest was delicious!

Mangia!!
~~