Read The Essential James Beard Cookbook for Free Online Page B

arrange the drained eggs, beets, and onions in a large bowl, moisten with some of the vinegar mixture, and serve as an accompaniment to meat salads, cold meats, and cheese. If you prefer, arrange the eggs in one bowl and the beets and onions in another.
    CLAY’S DILL PICKLES
    MAKES ABOUT 2 QUARTS
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    Editor: Clay Triplette was Beard’s housekeeper for decades.
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    For Clay’s dill pickles, wash and dry 3 pounds of small pickling cucumbers, the unwaxed kind, about 2½ to 3 inches long, that are in the markets in summer and early fall. Pierce each end of the cucumbers with a good-sized needle. This lets the pickling solution seep in and makes the pickles much crisper to the bite. Pack the cucumbers into a sterilized 2-quart canning jar with 1½ tablespoons of pickling spice, 1 teaspoon of plain (not kosher or iodized) salt , 3 unpeeled garlic cloves , and 3 sprigs of fresh dill arranging them neatly to make what Clay calls “a fine picture jar.” Bring to a boil 5 cups of water with 1 cup of white wine vinegar and pour this over the cucumbers. Leave for 15 minutes before putting the lid on the jar. Store in a cool, dark place for 4 to 5 weeks before using.
    Dill pickles are good to munch as a snack with cold foods and wonderful with choucroute garnie or any hot sauerkraut dish to which they give a pleasant zest. Thinly sliced dill pickles are marvelous tucked into a hamburger, and I also like to serve them, thinly sliced, with cold salmon or halibut or any other cold fish with which I’m serving a mayonnaise or dill sauce. You can make a quick tartar sauce for fish by chopping the pickles or putting them into the food processor with a little onion, garlic, parsley, and mayonnaise. In fact, you can make your mayonnaise in the food processor, then switch over from the blade to the shredder and shred the onion and pickle right into the mayonnaise.
    COLD HAM MOUSSE
    MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
    A savory mousse, with a béchamel sauce base, this is an easy and good way to use up leftover cooked ham. You might serve it for a summer luncheon party or as part of a cold buffet.
For the Ham Mousse
Vegetable oil, for the mold
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk, heated
Kosher salt
Freshly grated nutmeg
Cayenne pepper
¼ cup Cognac
½ cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
1 envelope (2½ teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
½ cup cold water
½ cup Chicken Stock or homemade ham broth (see Editor’s Note), heated to boiling
2 cups very finely ground cooked ham
For the Cucumber Garnish
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, and very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
    To make the mousse: Prepare a 4-cup ring mold by generously brushing it with vegetable oil, then turning it upside down on paper towels to drain off any excess oil.
    Melt the butter in a saucepan, blend in the flour, and cook over medium heat, whisking, until golden and bubbling. Slowly mix the milk into this roux, and continue to whisk over low heat, until very thick and smooth. Season to taste with salt (be sparing if the ham is salty), nutmeg, and cayenne. Stir in the Cognac. Mix the egg yolks and cream in a small bowl with a fork, then stir in a little of the hot sauce into them to warm up the yolks. Stir into the sauce in the pan and cook over low heat, whisking, until blended and thickened a bit more. Do not let the sauce get too hot or boil, or the yolks will curdle. Strain into a medium bowl.
    Sprinkle the gelatin on the cold water in a small bowl. When softened, stir into the hot broth until thoroughly dissolved. Blend this into the sauce, then thoroughly mix in the ground ham. Fill the prepared mold with the ham mousse, smoothing it evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover the mold with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until firm and set, at least 3 hours.
    To make the cucumber