Adventures in Eating: Ham Mousse Hors d’Oeuvre Mold

Being a part of a family-owned busi­ness may have its mushy side, but then something like Weezie Mott happens to you.

Ms. Mott is a teacher by profession and a coveted member of the Wine of the Month Club. Her background is in the biological sciences, but her love and ex­pertise extends into running a Cooking School in Alameda, CA. She lived in Italy many years and in Turkey where she delved into the ethnicity and culture of food preparation in those countries as well as others.

Weezie started her cooking school in Alameda in 1977. She has studied with Marcella Hazan in Bologna and has attended cooking seminars with Biuliano Bugialli, Madeleine Kamman in Annecy and with Chef Didier Clement in France.

She has been a guest instructor at Macy’s and is an expert on Food Proces­sor Cooking. Today’s recipe, courtesy of Weezie Mott, uses that technique to speed up the time it takes to produce a delectable item when you are being torn in many directions.

Weezie’s motto is: “Let’s expand our cooking horizon!” You can only do that if you have the courage to try something new.

HAM MOUSSE HORS D’OEUVRE MOLD

Lightly oil a 3-4 cup mold. Any shape square, round, oval, or ring type moldmay be used.

Finely grind in food processor with steel cutting blade:

3/4 pound of cooked ham (home baked)

Add to processor bowl:

1/3 cup seedless golden raisins

1 tbs Madeira wine

1 tsp prepared horseradish

1 tsp Dijon or other good mustard

Process until a homogeneous mixture re­sults.

Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Soften 1 pkg of Knox gelatin in 2 TBS cold water. Heat just to boiling: 1/2 cup chicken stock or chicken bouillon. Dissolve the softened gelatin in the hot chicken stock. Pour the liquid over the ground ham mixture and mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Set aside to cool.

When mixture has cooled, beat 1/2 cup of whipping cream and fold it into the ham mixture. Pour the ham mousse into the prepared mold and place in refrigerator overnight or for at least 6-8 hours before unmolding.

Serve with thin slices of baguette or cocktail size rye bread.

To get more information about what’s cooking in Weezie Mott’s kitchen, write to her at 1630 Dayton Ave, Alameda, CA 94501 or call (415) 521-4069. Her classes sound great!

Fun Times!

– Rosemarie