Adventures in Aspic: Part III; Chapter 1, Oeufs en Gelée

There may be always room for Jello but the same can't be said for aspic. After the first two expeditions I had to take a couple days off before I attacked my third adventure.

Oeufs en Gelée




This French delicatessen dish translates to Eggs in Aspic and is particular to a poached egg encased in a single-serving size. Every single article I find about Oeufs en Gelée on Our Lady of the Internet professes that it is an old-timey French treat, that it's practically unheard of nowadays, a memory of yesteryear...but I'm disinclined to believe that this dish is *that* banished from the planet because each one of these same articles provides several stories about ordering Eggs in Aspic in a French deli, or details on experiencing them at some shi-shi catered event, and all of them feature several photos about the Oeufs en Gelée that they ate or made to serve at their own meals, not to mention links to thousands of different recipes.



I made mine in restaurant-style ramekins with sliced smoked salmon, a few cubes of Monterey Jack, vegetable stock, gelatin, and the runny poached eggs that are trademark to the dish.




There's a line in the movie Sideways where the Virginia Madsen character implies that one wouldn't open a bottle of 1961 Cheval Blanc for a special occasion, rather, the day one opens a bottle of 1961 Cheval Blanc, that this event is the special occasion. Eating these Oeufs en Gelée was a special occasion chez Smother d'Un--it was the first time the Hubby ever declared one of my kitchen exploits to be "restaurant worthy." WOW! =D He showered his with many mmm's and commmmpliments.

So following that, I felt sort of bad for admitting that I thought they were gross. They were very rich, and because the egg was runny my palate just wasn't ready for cold veggie-stock gelatin. Ultimately I prefer my food at room temperature, to the core. Am I an American aspic luvr over a French one? You bet your aspic I am! (Aye, sorry. That one hurt me too.)