Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [113]
8 leeks, green tops only (whites reserved for another use, such as soup or sauce, or simply braise them in stock)
3⁄4 cup/185 milliliters heavy cream
A large pinch of saffron threads
1 pound/450 grams sea scallops
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon/15 grams kosher salt
1 teaspoon/3 grams ground white pepper
1 teaspoon/5 milliliters fresh lemon juice
1 pound/450 grams Maryland lump or jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
3⁄4 cup/100 grams chopped fresh chives
1. Freeze all your blades and bowls before gathering and measuring your ingredients (see Note below).
2. Wash the leek greens thoroughly, and split them lengthwise so you end up with long strips about 2 by 8 inches/5 by 20 centimeters. Cook them in a large pot of heavily salted boiling water until completely tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and chill in ice water, then drain and pat dry. Lay out on a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over high heat; remove from the heat. Add the saffron and let it sit for 15 minutes to infuse the cream, then chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator.
4. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F./150 degrees C.
5. Combine scallops with the egg whites in a food processor and puree until smooth. While the machine is running, add the saffron cream in a slow, steady stream. Season with the salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the crabmeat and chives. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
6. Line a 11⁄2-quart/1.5-liter terrine mold with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang on the two long sides to cover the filled terrine (moistening the mold first will help the plastic wrap adhere to the corners). Then line it with the leek greens, laying them crosswise in the mold and leaving enough overhang to cover the top. Pack the scallop mixture into the mold. Fold the leek greens over the top, followed by the plastic wrap. Cover with the lid or aluminum foil.
7. Place the terrine in a high sided roasting pan and add enough hot water (very hot tap water, 150 to 160 degrees F./65 to 71 degrees C.) to the pan to come halfway up the side of the mold. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the pâté registers 140 degrees F./60 degrees C.
8. Remove the pâté from the oven, remove from the water bath, and set a weight of about 2 pounds/1 kilogram on top of it. Let cool, then refrigerate overnight.
Yield: 24 slices; 12 appetizer servings
[ NOTE: See pages 204–212 for a detailed description of the general terrine method. ]
SALMON PÂTÈ IN BASIL CORNMEAL CRUST
This is a highly refined pâté en croûte, an elegant version of other well-known dishes in which fish is cooked in a pastry crust, such as the Russian coulibiac. It uses a salmon forcemeat, with shrimp, salmon, and fresh basil and chives as the bright flavorful interior garnish. The herbed cornmeal crust makes this a very special pâté en croûte. Serve it with Cucumber Dill Relish (page 281), Smoked Tomato and Corn Salsa (page 282), Rémoulade (page 279), or Sauce Gribiche (page 280).
This, like all classical pâtés en croûte, requires a special mold—12 by 3 by 3 inches/30 by 7.5 by 7.5 centimeters—with a removable bottom (see Sources, page 304). There are many steps involved—making the dough, making the forcemeat, cooking and cooling the pâté, preparing the aspic—so it’s a good idea to read the recipe through first to decide on a good plan for yourself.
THE DOUGH
6 ounces/168 grams cornmeal (about 1 cup)
11 ounces/308 grams bread flour (about 2 cups)
1⁄4 cup/35 grams nonfat dry milk powder
1 1⁄2 tablespoons/20 grams kosher salt
1⁄4 cup/24 grams firmly packed chopped fresh basil
1⁄4 cup/24 grams chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large eggs
1⁄2 cup/125 milliliters whole milk
1 tablespoon/15 milliliters white vinegar
THE SALMON FORCEMEAT
1 pound/450 grams salmon fillet,