Home › Bridge Party Menus › Ham Mousse No. 2
Ham Mousse No. 2
3/4 tablespoon gelatine 2 tablespoons cold water 2 tablespoons shortening 2 tablespoons flour 1/4 teaspoon salt few grains pepper 1/8 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon onion juice 1 cup milk 1 1/2 cups ground ham 1/2 cup celery, cut in small pieces 1 pimiento, cut fine 1/2 cup cream, whipped Soak gelatine in cold water for five minutes, then dissolve over hot water. Melt the shortening, add flour, salt, pepper, paprika and onion juice. Stir milk in gradually, bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes, remove from fire, add dissolved gelatine, stirring well. Fold in ham, celery and pimiento. When the mixture cools and begins to thicken, fold in the whipped cream. Turn into a mold and chill. Serve as a cold meat on a platter, garnished with parsley or as a salad on lettuce leaves with mayonnaise. Six servings.
A gelatine-set savory mousse built on a thick white sauce, typical of the light cold lunches served at card tables. Nothing here is difficult, but two things decide the result: the gelatine measure and the temperature of the base when the cream goes in.
- Gelatine amount3/4 tablespoon is 2 1/4 teaspoons of powdered gelatine, near enough one standard 1/4-oz envelope (2 1/2 teaspoons). One envelope sets this quantity firmly enough to unmold.
- ShorteningIn books of this era shortening generally meant whatever solid fat was to hand: lard, vegetable shortening, or butter. Butter works and tastes better; the roux is only a thickener for the milk.
- Onion juiceGrate half a small onion on a fine grater and press the pulp through a sieve, or crush it in a garlic press. A small piece of onion yields the half teaspoon needed.
- Boiling the sauceFive minutes at a boil was meant to cook out the raw flour. One to two minutes of gentle bubbling with constant stirring does the same and is less likely to scorch the milk on a modern burner. It should be thick enough to coat the spoon heavily.
- The hinge: fold the cream at the right momentIf the base is still warm, the whipped cream deflates and the mousse turns dense; if it has set hard, the cream will not fold in without lumps. Wait until the mixture mounds slightly on a spoon but still moves, then fold quickly.
- Ground hamUse cooked ham, pulsed in a food processor to a coarse mince rather than a paste. Reckon on roughly 10 to 12 oz of ham for the 1 1/2 cups called for, depending how finely it is ground.
- Mold and chillingA 1- to 1 1/2-quart mold or loaf pan suits the volume. Chill at least four hours, preferably overnight; dip the mold briefly in warm water to turn it out.
- ServingSix servings as stated, which is a light lunch portion. Keep it refrigerated until the moment it goes to the table, as the set is soft and the cream will weep if it stands in a warm room.