Mousseline a la Walesky

This is one of Ranhofer's shorthand entries: nearly everything is delegated to other numbers in The Epicurean, so the page is really a set of assembly instructions for two forcemeats, a decoration and a sauce. The points below cover what those cross-references assume you already know.

• The hinge: keep everything coldA mousseline is raw poultry flesh pounded with egg white and finished with heavy cream. If the meat, bowl and cream are not thoroughly chilled the fat breaks out and the mixture curdles when poached. Work over ice, and in a food processor pulse rather than run continuously so the friction does not warm the paste.
• Proportions Ranhofer assumesProportions the cross-references assume -- Ranhofer's chicken and Guinea fowl mousseline formulas are given elsewhere in the book (Nos. 86 and 87) and are not reproduced here. A mousseline of this type runs roughly to 1 lb of skinless boneless breast, 2-3 egg whites, and about 2 cups of cold heavy cream beaten in a little at a time, seasoned with salt, white pepper and a scrape of nutmeg. Poach a teaspoon of the mix in simmering water to check seasoning and texture before filling the molds.
• The molds"Mousselines" here are shaped in individual molds, dariole or timbale, buttered; the recipe does not state a size, though small molds of a few ounces are usual for a side dish. Modern equivalents are small metal dariole cups or ovenproof ramekins; silicone will work but conducts heat poorly and lengthens the cooking.
• Decorating the moldsTruffle, cooked red tongue and blanched pistachios are cut into thin shapes and pressed against the buttered inside of the chilled mold before the forcemeat goes in. The pattern shows only when the mousseline is turned out, so it must be laid in reverse.
• CookingPoach in a bain-marie, the water reaching two-thirds up the molds and held below a simmer; the recipe specifies no oven or temperature, and either a low oven or the stovetop will serve. Small molds take roughly 20 to 30 minutes; the centers should read 160-165F and feel just set. Boiling water makes them coarse and weeping.
• TongueRanhofer means cooked pickled or salted beef tongue, which is what gives the pink of the decoration. Sliced deli-cured tongue works; smoked tongue is darker and will read almost black against the truffle.
• Guinea fowl and duckGuinea fowl is sold at better butchers and by mail order; pheasant or a good free-range chicken breast substitutes reasonably. Use duck breast with all skin and surface fat removed, or the mousseline will be greasy and gray rather than pale.
• Colbert sauceIn this period that is generally a meat glaze or reduced demi-glace sharpened with lemon and often Madeira, with chopped parsley; No. 451 itself is not reproduced on this page. It is mounted with cold butter off the heat just before serving, which is what the entry's "buttered just when ready to use" calls for. Once buttered it cannot be reheated to a boil without splitting, so make it last.
• Yield and serviceA pound of meat per forcemeat, worked as above, fills about eight to ten small molds; the dish as written pairs two flavors on one platter, so plan on one duck and one Guinea fowl mousseline per person for eight. Sauce goes in a boat, not over the decoration.