Oeufs Mimosa L’Atelier de Joël RobuchonNatasha V
These over-the-top oeufs mimosa (devilled eggs) stuffed with crab and caviar are part of the tasting menu experience at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Montreal. Chef Éric Gonzalez shared the recipe, if you're inclined to try it at home
Eggs
4 large eggs
Stuffing
3 tablespoons king crab
2 tablespoons cauliflower purée (recipe follows)
Tartar sauce, to taste (recipe follows)
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
Espelette pepper, to taste
Tabasco, to taste
Cauliflower purée and sauce
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup whipping (35%) cream
Mimosa
4 cooked egg yolks (from the hard-boiled eggs)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whipping (35%) cream
1 teaspoon sherry
Tabasco, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tartar sauce
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sherry
Tabasco, to taste
Water, as needed
Garnish
2 teaspoons caviar, divided
Chives and chive blossoms, for garnish (optional)
Method
Cook the eggs by covering them with cold water, bring to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes. Cool, peel and slice off the top third, crosswise. Carefully remove the yolks and set aside. Cut a thin slice off the round bottom of the eggs so that they sit upright on a plate.
Place the egg yolk and cream in a small bowl, whisk to combine and whisk in a small ladle of hot broth. Whisk the mixture back into the saucepan, and continue whisking just until it starts to boil; immediately remove from the heat. Set aside to cool completely, and adjust the thickness with more cream if necessary.
For the cauliflower purée, bring the cauliflower and chicken stock to a simmer; add the curry powder and salt and cook for 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is very tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Purée until smooth, and press through a cheesecloth-lined sieve.
In a medium saucepan, simmer the reserved cauliflower liquid over medium heat until it’s reduced to 2 cups. In a small dish, whisk the cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water. Whisk a small ladleful of the cauliflower stock into the cornstarch mixture, then return it to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking until thickened.
To make the mimosa (egg yolk filling), blend the cooked egg yolk, mayonnaise, cream, sherry, Tabasco, salt and pepper until smooth, adjusting the seasonings as needed.
For the tartar sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, sherry, Tabasco, and enough water to make a consistency similar to loose mayonnaise.
In a small bowl, stir together the crab, cauliflower purée and enough tartar sauce to generously moisten the mixture, along with the tarragon, espelette pepper and Tabasco. To assemble, spoon a pool of the cauliflower sauce onto four small serving plates, spoon the crab mixture into the empty egg whites, top with some caviar (a generous 1/4 teaspoon each, leaving the rest for garnish), and pipe in the mimosa mixture. Set filled eggs in the pools of sauce, garnish with the remaining caviar and some snippets of fresh chives and chive flowers.