While salted eggs are traditional in Asian cuisine,
where they’re soaked in brine or tightly packed with salted
charcoal, their wobbly whites and intensely flavored yellows (not
to mention their almost endless shelf life) frighten off some
diners. The joy of curing is the transformation of texture and
the gentle infusion of flavor – why not give the humble
egg the same treatment one would a pork belly? After all, curing
is no longer a seasonal necessity – even salted duck eggs
are in the grocery stores year–round – and in fine
dining it can be a veritable art form. Take Peter Rudolph’s
cured egg: a sweet and salted mousse of a yellow for which countless
yolks must break. It’s a delicate business this egg curing
– an elaborate salted meringue dance with the yolk switching
partners every 8 hours or so. With each new pillow of meringue
the salt, which gradually sucks the moisture from the yolk while
seasoning it, is cleverly contained in a firm pillow that also
keeps the yolk from breaking, hopefully. The end product has an
intensely yolk–y flavor and silky texture. It's a yolk that
isn’t cooked but isn’t runny either…it's cured.
Step 1: Make a Swiss meringue
with about twice as much salt as sugar
Step 2: Cushion a flexi–mold with the meringue
and gently put an egg yolk on top
Step 3: Cover with more meringue, forming a
nest, and set aside
Step 4: Repeat process 8 hours later
Step 5: Continue process of replacing the meringue
for 12 to 18 hours
Step 6: Rinse the egg yolk clean and air–dry
in the fridge for 24 hours
Method:
For the Cured Egg Yolks:
Bring a Swiss meringue to stiff peaks. In the dome–shaped
fleximolds make a bed with the meringue and carefully place an
egg yolk in each mold. If the yolk breaks replace it with a new
one. Carefully cover each yolk with meringue. 8 to 12 hours later
repeat the meringue process. Carefully remove each yolk from its
meringue home and when appropriate replace in the new home. Remove
again 12 to 18 hours later, rinse till clean and air dry in the
refrigerator for 24 hours.
For the Poached Asparagus:
Bring the poaching liquid to a boil and cook the asparagus
for 4 minutes. Remove and brush with olive oil. Season with salt
and pepper, being careful with the salt.
For the Maitake Mushrooms:
Clean the mushroom cluster into individual 1–inch sections.
Saute in olive oil and deglaze with stock. Remove from heat and
reduce the liquid to a glaze. Season and coat the mushrooms.
To Assemble and Serve::
Shave 1 egg yolk with a Microplane over a rectangle mold
on each plate. Place the cooked asparagus on a diagonal over the
yolk. Place 10 pieces of Maitake mushrooms abstractly on the asparagus
and little quenelles of caviar around in the same fashion. Finish
the dish by placing 4 sprigs of chervil around the dish.
Chef Peter Rudolph 
