Mousse De Tomates

A lovely French recipe for the Zaar World Tour... Tomato Mousse with hard boiled eggs

• Ready In: 3 hrs 15 mins
• Yields: 4-5 cups

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 2 1⁄2 lbs  ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded (reserve the juice by squeezing out the seeds over a colander that has been set in another bowl to ca)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons thyme leaves
• 1  bay leaf
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh basil
• 1  teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
• 3  hard-boiled eggs, cut in half
• 3⁄4 cup heavy cream
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

• For serving

•  baguette, sliced

Directions

1. Lightly oil a 4-5 cup ring mold.
2. Heat oil over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper, cook 20 minutes, stirring often.
3. Discard bay leaf and stir in the basil and the tomato paste.
4. Put 1 cup of the mixture in a medium bowl and the rest of the mixture in a larger mixing bowl.
5. Pour 1/3 cup of the tomato juice into a small heatproof bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Allow to soften 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, set it in a saucepan of hot water and stir about 5 minutes to dissolve.
6. Stir 2 tablespoons of the gelatin into the 1 cup of tomatoes (in medium bowl). Combine thoroughly, taste and season highly.
7. Stir remaining the gelatin into second bowl tomato and combine thoroughly.
8. Refrigerate the tomato mixture that is in the medium bowl 5 minutes.
9. After 5 minutes, spoon this mixture into the oiled ring mold.
10. Arrange the egg halves, cut side up, on top of the tomatoes at regular intervals. Chill mold 10 minutes.
11. Whip cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until soft peaks form. Fold into remaining tomato mixture. Taste for seasoning, overseason slightly.
12. Carefully spoon it into mold, without moving the eggs. Smooth with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
13. To unmold: run a thin bladed flexible knife around the edge, gently pushing the mixture from the edge to let in air. Dip in warm water, nearly to the top, for 10 seconds. Dry mold. Set round platter on top and flip quickly to unmold. If it doesn't work the first time, repeat procedure.
14. To serve: Cut into slices and serve with the baguette slices.