Kentucky Country Ham Mousse

Total Time: 7 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 6 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk, heated
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup madeira wine
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin powder
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 lb cured country ham, trimmed of fat and cut into chunks
• watercress leaves or parsley sprigs or rosemary sprig

Recipe

• 1 in a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, add the flour and whisk the roux for 1 minute.
• 2 gradually add the milk, decrease heat to low, and whisk the mixture until very thick.
• 3 add the mustard, sage, cayenne, and madeira and stir until very well blended.
• 4 in a small bowl, combine the egg yolks and heavy cream, whisk until well blended; stir in a little of the hot sauce.
• 5 add the yolk mixture to the hot sauce and continue cooking over low heat, whisking until thickened.
• 6 in another small bowl, soften the gelatin in the chicken broth for 5 minutes, then stir it into the hot sauce.
• 7 place the ham into a meat grinder or food processor, grind finely, and stir into the sauce.
• 8 scrape the mixture into a 1-quart mold, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 6 hours.
• 9 unmold the mousse on a large serving dish, garnish the edges with watercress, and serve with rectangles of toast or crackers.