Jellied Ham with Parsley

By corlear

Jambon Persillé à la Bourguignonne

Ingredients

• 2 to 2 1/2 lbs tenderized ham
• shin bone or knuckle of veal with some meat on the bones
• a calf’s feet
• a good quantity of parsley and tarragon
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• salt
• pepper
• 2 or 3 shallots
• a bottle of dry white wine
• a little water
• a beaten egg white
• 1 tablespoon tarragon wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• a large amount of finely chopped parsley

Preparation

Step 1

Soak a slice of tenderized ham weighing 2 to 2 1/2 pounds for an hour or so, to remove some of the salt. Make a fine stock with a shin bone or knuckle of veal with some meat on the bones, a calf’s feet, a good quantity of parsley and tarragon, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme, salt, pepper, 2 or 3 shallots, a bottle of dry white wine, and a little water. The bones should be more than covered with liquid. Cover the kettle and simmer for about 3 hours.

Add the ham slice and poach it in the stock until it is tender. Chop the ham coarsely, meat and fat together, and press it gently into the bottom of a glass bowl. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and cool to lukewarm.

Remove all the fat from the surface. Clarify the stock by adding a beaten egg white and reheating it very gradually, stirring continually with a whisk. When it reaches the boiling point, let it stand 10 minutes over a very low fire, the liquid barely moving. Strain the stock through a sieve lined with a fine cloth. This should give a good, clear stock.

Pour a small amount of stock, just enough to moisten it, over the ham. Cool the remainder in the refrigerator and when it is just beginning to jell, stir in 1 tablespoon tarragon wine vinegar, 1/4 cup dry white wine, and a large amount of finely chopped parsley. Pour this over the ham and let it jell in the refrigerator.

The result will be deliciously flavored pink morsels of ham, covered with a layer of beautiful green jelly, to be served directly from the glass bowl.