Palmettes of Pheasants a la Torrens

Ranhofer writes in shorthand for a professional brigade, so nearly every step here points elsewhere in the book. What is actually being made is a poached pheasant mousseline, shaped in small palm-leaf molds, then crumbed and fried and served with a chasseur sauce.

• The hinge: poach, never simmerA mousseline forcemeat is an emulsion of pounded meat, egg white and cream. Held at 165-175F it sets silky; at a bubble it breaks and weeps, and no amount of frying afterwards will recover it. Poach the filled molds in a water bath, covered, until just firm to the touch.
• Mousseline forcemeat proportionsRanhofer's No. 87 is a mousseline forcemeat of the usual sort: lean raw meat pounded and sieved, then worked cold with egg white and cream; his own proportions are set out there, not here. As a modern working ratio, 1 lb boneless pheasant to 1 large egg white and 8-10 fl oz cream, everything and every tool kept cold. A food processor replaces the mortar and drum sieve, but stop before the friction warms the mixture.
• Palmettes and their moldsThe name comes from the palm-leaf ornament; Ranhofer does not describe the molds, though shallow ovals or barquettes are the likely sort. Small dariole molds, silicone barquettes or buttered ramekins will do; the point is uniform pieces that unmold cleanly and fry evenly.
• "Fry the same as for No. 920"No. 920 is not reproduced here; the usual treatment is to unmold the cold poached shapes, flour them, pass them through beaten egg and fine breadcrumbs, and fry in clarified butter or deep fat until golden. Chill the poached palmettes thoroughly first or the crumb coating will not adhere.
• Hunter's sauceNo. 480 is sauce chasseur: shallots and sliced mushrooms sweated in butter, deglazed with white wine, finished with tomato and a reduced brown game or veal stock. Serve it in a sauceboat as directed, not poured over, or the coating goes soft.
• The pheasant itselfFarmed pheasant is what you will find now, and it is milder and slightly fatter than the wild birds Ranhofer had. Use the breast meat for the forcemeat and reserve legs and carcass for the stock that goes into the sauce. If working with a shot bird, check carefully for lead pellets before pounding.
• HamThe "finely shred, cooked lean ham" should be a dry-cured or lightly smoked ham cut into a fine brunoise or shredded, not diced coarsely, or it will tear the forcemeat when unmolding. It seasons the mixture, so hold back on salt until you have poached a spoonful as a test.
• Favor frillsNo. 10 is the paper cuff of the period, purely ornamental and pinned to the serving piece. Nothing is lost by omitting them.
• YieldA pound of pheasant meat made into mousseline gives roughly eight to ten palmettes, which is a side dish for eight in the sequence of a long dinner, or a starter for four.