Oeufs en gelée

Try out this retro oeufs en gelée recipe, a French classic also known as eggs in aspic.

Ingredients

• 1 dash of vegetable oil
• 80 g ofshallots, cut in half
• 4 l water
• 1.4 kgbeef shin
• 0.5 pig's trotter
• 0.5 ox tongue
• 1.4 kgchicken wings
• 6 g ofgarlic cloves
• 5 g ofthyme
• 6 g oftarragon
• 225 ml ofsoy sauce
• 240 ml of Madeira
• 12 bronze gelatine leaves, bloomed in cold water
• 4 eggs, soft boiled for 6.5 minutes then chilled
• 160 g of smoked ox tongue, diced
• 4 sprigs of chervil
• 4 tarragon leaves
• 4 tbsp ofchopped chives, chervil and tarragon

Steps

1. To make the beef tea consommé, place a large stock pot over a medium heat with a dash of oil and place in the shallot halves, cut-side down. Cook until caramelised, then add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer, covered, at 75–80°C for 8 hours, skimming regularly to remove impurities. It should never come to the boil
2. After this time the stock shouldn’t have reduced too much, but will be dark in colour and rich in depth of flavour. Line a sieve with muslin cloth and set over another large pan. Gently ladle the stock into the sieve to pass the stock. It's important you try not to stir the stock and disturb it as little as possible whilst ladling to achieve a very clear stock and in turn, a clear jelly. The remaining meat can isn't required for this dish but can be shredded down and reserved for pie fillings or stews. The ox tongue can be peeled, cubed and smoked for use in the jelly later, however – you will need 160g for this recipe
3. Measure out 800ml of stock into a separate pan and store the rest for another use (or you can reduce it to a demi-glace to save space in the fridge or freezer.) Bring the stock to the boil then stir in the strained, bloomed gelatine leaves. Remove from the heat
4. Now to assemble the domes. Place a chervil sprig and tarragon leaf in the bottom of each mould and spoon in a little jelly. Peel the eggs and place 1 in the centre of each mould with pieces of smoked ox tongue around it. Top up with the rest of the jelly and finish with a flat layer of the chopped chives on top. Place in the fridge to set for 4–5 hours before serving