Mousseline (Forcemeat)

A mousseline is the most delicate class of forcemeat in the classical French charcuterie canon. It is produced by processing very cold lean protein — most commonly fish (pike, salmon, sole), poultry breast, or veal — with egg whites and heavy cream in a food processor or by hand through a fine drum sieve. The entire preparation must be kept at or below 4 °C (40 °F) throughout: the cold temperature keeps the emulsion stable, prevents the fat in the cream from breaking, and maintains proper protein structure so the finished product holds its shape after cooking. Once the protein is puréed smooth, egg whites are incorporated to provide structure and lift, then chilled cream is beaten in gradually to create a light, airy emulsion. The result is cooked by poaching (as quenelles), baking in a bain-marie (as a timbale or mousseline mold), or used as a stuffing inside roulades, galantines, and paupiettes. The texture should be perfectly smooth with no graininess, and the mouthfeel should be lush, almost cloud-like — markedly lighter than a straight forcemeat or a gratin forcemeat. Seasonings are kept subtle so the primary protein flavour shines. Classic sauces include sauce Nantua (crayfish bisque butter) with fish mousseline and sauce suprême with poultry mousseline.

“The chef piped the salmon mousseline into paupiette cylinders, poached them in a court-bouillon, and plated each one over a pool of sauce Nantua.”

• TechniqueQuenelle
• ConceptEmulsification
• TechniqueBain-Marie

1. 1.The Professional Chef, 9th ed. — The Culinary Institute of America (Wiley, 2011)
2. 2.Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing — Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn (Norton, 2005)
3. 3.Larousse Gastronomique — Prosper Montagné (Crown, 2001)
4. 4.Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery — Auguste Escoffier (Wiley, 2011)

Confidence: high