Parmesan and Truffle Fondant by Alain Passard

Great Chefs of the France Episode 101: Appetizer
Parmesan and Truffle Fondant
Alain Passard
Restaurant Arpège
Paris, France
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This lovely breakfast or luncheon dish is a perfect example of a few basic ingredients, raised to the sublime by extraordinary technique. Very soft eggs are separated from truffle fondant by a translucent layer of fine cheese; when the dish arrives at the table, it looks like a bowl of dark chocolate. You will work the eggs and the truffle mixture simultaneously -- Chef Passard whisks the eggs with his right hand as he swirls the truffle mixture, then purees it, with his left. If this sounds really hard, take the truffle mixture off the heat as soon as the butter is melted, then puree it while the cheese is melting under the heated plates.
Serves 2
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 black truffle, shaved into thin slices
1 cup truffle juice
2 tablespoons salted butter
3 extra-large eggs
Shave the cheese paper-thin into virtually transparent sheets. Trim into half circles. Place the slices in single layers on sheets of parchment paper. Set aside in a cool place.
Combine the truffles and truffle juice and place in a warm spot near the stove. Put the butter in the truffle juice.
Break the eggs into the top of a double boiler set over hot water (150 F). Whisk the eggs rapidly as they cook, a process which can take 5 to 6 minutes or even more. At first the eggs will become foamy, then the foam will become finer and finer and begin to thicken. Remove from heat when the eggs are a consistency between sabayon and scrambled eggs, like soft whipped cream.
As the eggs are finishing, place the truffle pan over very low heat. When the butter is melted, puree the mixture in a blender or with a stick blender. It should be the consistency of thick heavy cream.
To serve: Spoon the eggs into two warmed soup plates. Tap the bottom of each plate against your hand or arm to evenly distribute the eggs in the plates. Cover the surface of the eggs with the shaved cheese, overlapping the pieces slightly and completely covering the eggs. Place a heated plate on top of each bowl for a few moments, until the cheese is melted. Lift off the plates. Spoon the truffle mixture over the eggs and serve immediately.

[@5ezekiel5]

The guy translating sounds like Thomas Keller.

[@aveuch]

"Almost high fashion" 👌🏻

[@DanielDaniel-kx4lz]

Now thermomix is mixing for you

[@philippechevereau9818]

Daniel Daniel - must be a rich man to put this in a thermomix ... or very ignorant, or both!

[@bengt_axle]

America: Leg’go my Eggo!

[@Ndstars1]

Breakfast dish?!?!

[@eddieagr]

yes

[@aveuch]

I can't help but hear his enthusiasm for this as an energizing breakfast as subtle satire. It has eggs, non?

[@tommyjakks]

Well done

[@doggieGZ]

Maybe the most decadent dish I've seen.

[@jasonfaulkner5027]

Amazing

[@Ghetodrgn04]

What a genius. Needs some texture though

[@edmoore]

Why? There’s a real fad atm, especially in North America, for every dish to need to be full of ‘balanced’ contrasts for seemingly no reason - likewise with flavour, the mind-dissolving slogan, the MAGA of the food world, is ‘salt fat acid head’, unthinkingly repeated, as if every dish needs all those things present to be ‘balanced’. Sometimes you can just let a delicate bit of fish taste like it tastes. Or ‘balance’ throughout the whole meal rather than requiring every dish to be self-containedly balanced. We don’t insist a slow movement in a symphony must have fast bits to be ‘balanced’. I can’t wait for this fad to go away.

[@Tennisisreallyfun]

@@edmoore While I agree that our American concepts of “balance” tend to be misguided at the best of times, I sort of agree with Ryan here, but not that we need something crunchy. I just think the dish would have benefited if the eggs were in the texture of a truly set custard, something you could properly cut into with your spoon. And if the custard were flavored with Parmesan in the mixture rather than on top then the cheese flavor could have come through more strongly in contrast to the Earthy truffle mixture. In this manner, the eggs and truffles wouldn’t mix so completely and the flavors would not dilute so much. Although, as this dish is, it does look very delicious! Alain Passard truly is one of the finest chefs to ever live, and he’s still at the top of his game today!

[@edmoore]

@@Tennisisreallyfun Really I'm surprised I wrote such a strident reply. I still agree with its sentiment but I suspect it was the result of a bottle of wine and reading half a decade's worth of food writing in a week, back in the dark days of deep lockdown when the normal rules didn't apply. I don't disagree with any of your comment.

[@Tennisisreallyfun]

@@edmoore No worries! I look back at things I wrote years ago and sometimes I too am surprised at what I see, but you are right in what you say. I mean, while this dish wouldn’t have suffered if a green salad with a truffle vinaigrette were served on the side, imagine if there was some sort of acidic or spicy element hidden throughout the dish in the name of “balance”, at least if the world agrees that every dish needs to have that ratio of salt, fat, acid, and heat to even be worth eating. The essence of this beautiful and simple dish would have been completely destroyed. Same goes for other glorious plates of food like Le Squer’s famous “timbale” with ham hock and morels, or Paul Bocuse’s Bresse Chicken “en Vessie”. Isn’t that the point of classic cooking? It’s an indulgence, something you don’t have for every meal of every day. Sometimes it’s nice just to savor the richness and enjoy it.

[@aveuch]

@@Tennisisreallyfun I'd die to sop this soupy fondant with a crusty baguette.