Halibut Timbales II

A steamed fish mousse of the sort that filled the entree course in American cookery around 1900. The method it points back to — Halibut Timbales I — means buttered molds set in a pan of hot water and cooked gently until just set.

• The hinge: gentle, moist heatTimbales are custards. Butter individual molds or ramekins, fill them three-quarters full, set them in a pan with hot water reaching halfway up the sides, and cook gently until the centers are just firm. The book gives no temperature or timing; a moderate oven and small molds will want checking early. Direct heat or a hot oven curdles the egg and the mixture weeps.
• Grinding and sievingA meat chopper is a hand-cranked grinder. A food processor does the whole job in one step: pulse the raw halibut to a smooth paste, and the sieving becomes unnecessary.
• "Cream beaten until stiff"Thick cream here is heavy cream, whipped to soft-stiff peaks before folding in. It is what lightens the timbale, so fold rather than stir and cook the molds soon after mixing.
• SaltA full 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt to a pound of fish reads high by modern taste. Start with about half and season the raw mixture to your judgment — a teaspoonful cooked in a small skillet tells you where you are.
• Cayenne"Few grains" means a scant pinch; the intent is warmth behind the pepper, not detectable heat.
• CornstarchTwo-thirds of a teaspoon in a pound of fish is a stabilizer, not a thickener; a little starch helps keep the egg from separating during the slow cook.
• Yield and servingA pound of fish, with the milk and cream, will fill roughly six small molds, enough for about six as a first course or four as a light main. Unmold onto warm plates and spoon the sauce around rather than over, so the shape stays visible.
• SauceCream sauce is a plain white sauce loosened with cream; lobster sauce is the same enriched with lobster butter and diced meat. Either can be made while the timbales cook.