Oeufs en Gelée au Madère

By corlear

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 1/2 cups clear chicken consummé
• 2 tablespoons Madeira (or port or sherry)
• 6 thin slices ham
• fresh tarragon or parsley for garnish

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Boil 6 eggs for 6 minutes, cool them under running water and shell them carefully when they are cold. Soak 1 tablespoon of gelatin in cup of cold water. Heat cups of clear chicken consommé, add the gelatin and stir until it dissolves completely. Add 2 tablespoons of Madeira (or port or sherry) and set this aspic aside to cool.

Use small molds or ramekins just wide and deep enough to hold 1 egg each with a little space to spare. Trim 6 thin slices of ham just to fit the tops of the molds. Spoon a little aspic into the bottom of each mold to make a layer about 1/4 inch thick.

When this is almost firm, decorate it with 2 crossed leaves of fresh tarragon or a tiny sprig of parsley. Gently place an egg in each ramekin, spoon aspic over them until the molds are almost full, and cover each egg with a circle of ham. Glaze the ham with a final spoonful of aspic, chill the eggs and serve them unmolded.