Making Mousseline
Finally, a way to get the kids to eat their vegetables: Turn them into pudding. I mean the vegetables. The French word “mousseline” is used in a couple of culinary ways — it’s a mousse; it’s a sauce (a variation of hollandaise) — but its original meaning is “muslin,” a fine weave of soft cotton. Making a mousseline in the kitchen turns anything into something that your tongue is happy to touch. It doesn’t hurt that, in fine French fashion, a vegetable mousseline is pumped up with cream and butter and eggs, but those too are key to both its tactile and tasty charms. The basic method is to cook any vegetable until extremely soft, mash it into a mousse-like texture, add the enrichments, and heat it through until the mousseline has cooked into a sort of predessert pudding. Mousselines are usually pastel in color (an-
other inviting feature), can be served warm or room temperature (once cooked through), and also lend themselves to preparation in individual serving portions (ramekins and the like, yet again an appealing aspect to young people). Furthermore, a mousseline is one way to use up vegetables that remain nutri- tious and quite edible but also that no longer may look their best. And mousselines are close to infinitely variable, the only fixed stars being the egg, cream and butter (olive oil and whipped eggs whites are less fatty, but also less sexy, substitutes). You might start by asking (and energizing) the picky vegetable eaters in the house with the question “What color would you like to eat tonight?” — and go from there.
Mousseline of Carrot and Turnip
Makes 4-6
Ingredients
6 small to medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium turnips, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten 4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
Steam, boil or microwave the carrots and turnips until very soft. Into a large bowl, process the vegetables, or press through a sieve with a wooden spoon, or pass through a food mill.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Put into buttered ovenproof baking dishes or ramekins, of whichever size you prefer. (Makes 1 large or 4-6 individual.)
Sprinkle with bread crumbs (and more butter, soft or melted, if desired).
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven, in a bain marie, for 30-45 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.
Variations: Substitute the same amount (approximately 4 cups) of turnip and squash; broccoli and potato; spinach and potato; zucchini and yellow summer squash; or mixed frozen vegetables.