Suprême Sauce

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Broad 5-quart stainless-steel or lined copper saucepan
• •Flat-edged wooden spatula
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Heatproof bowl or measuring jug
• •Ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Arrange the components

   Measure everything before the heat begins. Keep the final 1 cup of cream and the butter cool, and set a fine-mesh sieve over a clean heatproof bowl. The Poultry Velouté is a finished component in this formula, so reach for it whole rather than rebuilding it inside this sauce. Use a broad, pale-lined saucepan in which you can see the colour clearly.

2. 2

   Reduce the clear liquids

   Combine the clear poultry stock and mushroom cooking liquor in the uncovered saucepan. Bring them to a steady simmer over medium heat and reduce the combined 7 cups to 4 2/3 cups (about 1.1 L), skimming away any foam or cloudy residue. Keep the liquid pale. If the bottom begins to catch or colour, pour the clear upper liquid into a clean pan without scraping the stained film, lower the heat, and continue. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Add the velouté

   Stir in the Poultry Velouté and bring the sauce back to a controlled simmer. Work a flat-edged spatula across the bottom and into every corner as it reduces, because the flour-bound velouté settles where the heat is strongest. Keep the pan uncovered. This is the home equivalent of the source's open fire: direct evaporation under your eye, not violent heat.

4. 4

   Incorporate cream gradually

   Add the first 2 cups of cream little by little, about 1/4 cup at a time, letting the sauce return to its simmer and regain body between additions. Stir steadily and reduce until the sauce is heavily nappé, coating the back of a spoon, and measures about 6 1/2 cups (1.54 L). This gradual addition is the dish. If the sauce is thin, keep reducing before the finish; if it tightens too far, loosen it with a spoonful of clear poultry stock. If the cream looks grainy or oily, remove the pan from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons taken from the cool finishing cream, then continue over gentler heat.

5. 5

   Strain until silken

   Pass the sauce through the fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing gently with the back of a ladle but never forcing any browned residue through. The sieve removes the small traces left by reduction and gives Suprême its consummate smoothness. Return the strained sauce to the lowest heat only long enough to bring it back to serving warmth.

6. 6

   Finish with cream

   Take the pan off the heat. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining cream, then add the butter one piece at a time, stirring until each piece disappears before adding the next. This is monter au beurre, enriching the sauce with butter at the finish, and it gives Suprême its quiet gloss. Stir in the reserved cream last. Never boil the sauce again. If butter beads on the surface, stop adding it, set the pan on a cool damp towel, and stir in the reserved cold cream before continuing. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Hold without a skin

   Serve Suprême at once, or hold it for no more than 30 minutes over a barely warm bain-marie. Stir it from time to time, or keep the pan closely covered as the source directs. If a skin forms, lift it away rather than beating it back into the sauce, then strain once more if necessary. Spoon it generously over gently cooked chicken while its colour is ivory and its gloss is fresh. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Perfect whiteness begins before the saucepan. Use clear poultry stock and pale, finely strained mushroom liquor; a dark stock or deeply browned mushroom liquid cannot be corrected with extra cream.
• •A broad stainless-steel or lined copper saucepan is ideal. Its surface encourages reduction, and its pale interior lets you catch the first trace of colouring before it reaches the sauce.
• •Don't season automatically. The stock, mushroom liquor, and Poultry Velouté carry their own seasoning, and reduction concentrates all three. Taste only after the final cream and butter have gone in.
• •Suprême belongs with delicate poultry: poached chicken, a gently roasted suprême, or a pale poultry preparation whose flavour the sauce can crown without burying. Serve a restrained white Burgundy or another dry Chardonnay alongside.
• •The finished sauce is at its best immediately. If refrigerated, keep it closely covered for up to 2 days and reheat over a gentle bain-marie, stirring often and never allowing it to boil.

Advance Preparation

• •The clear poultry stock, mushroom cooking liquor, and Poultry Velouté can all be prepared ahead and kept chilled. Have them measured before beginning, because the sauce asks for attention once reduction starts.
• •The sauce can be reduced and strained several hours ahead, stopping before the final cream and butter. Cover its surface closely, chill it promptly, then reheat gently and finish just before serving.
• •For a short dinner-party hold, keep the finished Suprême covered over a barely warm bain-marie for no more than 30 minutes. Direct burner heat will make it reduce further and risks splitting the finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 60g)