Tournedos Gabrielle

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Potato ricer or food mill
• •Wide sauté pan with lid or parchment cartouche
• •2-quart heavy saucepan for frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •12-inch heavy skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Slotted spoon or small spider
• •13-inch round serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Make light pommes duchesse

   Put the potatoes in cold water seasoned with part of the salt, bring them to a gentle boil, and cook until a knife enters without resistance, about 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly, return them to the dry pan for 1 minute over low heat, then pass them through a ricer while hot. Fold in the softened butter, egg yolk, a pinch of salt, and a little pepper. Work only until smooth; overworking makes the starch gluey. Spread the pommes duchesse on a plate to cool. If the paste slumps, spread it thinner and chill it for 15 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Don't stiffen it with flour, because the original calls for a light paste.

2. 2

   Form the croquettes

   Fold the diced chicken and ¾ ounce (20 g) of diced truffle into about ¾ cup (170 g) of the cooled pommes duchesse. Add the remaining paste by the spoonful only until the dice hold together; the potato coheres the chicken and truffle, but must not bury them. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape each into a low quoit-like disc about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide and ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Keep the edges smooth so they won't break in the fryer.

3. 3

   Bread and chill

   Set out the flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes. Coat each croquette lightly in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing just enough to make an even shell. Set them on a rack or parchment-lined plate and chill for at least 30 minutes. Cold croquettes keep their shape when the crust meets the oil.

4. 4

   Braise the lettuces

   Melt the braising butter in a wide sauté pan over medium heat. Lay in the trimmed lettuce hearts, season lightly, and turn them in the butter without browning. Add the light chicken stock, cover with a lid or parchment cartouche, and hold at a quiet simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until a knife slips through the cores. Lift the lettuces out, reduce the liquid to about 2 tablespoons, then roll them in this glaze. If a heart loosens, fold the leaves back into a compact parcel while warm and rest it seam-side down. Hold the lettuces covered for reheating.

5. 5

   Ready the marrow

   Soak the chilled marrow roundels in cold water with a pinch of salt for 20 minutes, then drain them carefully and return them to the refrigerator on parchment. They must remain cold and firm until poaching; warm marrow becomes difficult to handle and can dissolve before it reaches the beef.

6. 6

   Fry the croquettes

   Heat the frying oil to 350°F (175°C) in a small heavy saucepan filled no more than halfway. Fry the croquettes 2 at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until evenly deep gold and crisp. Drain on a rack, not paper, and hold in a 200°F (95°C) oven for no more than 10 minutes. This short hold replaces the brigade's simultaneous fryer station. If the first croquette splits, the oil is too cool or the croquette too warm; lift it out, return the oil to temperature, and chill the remaining croquettes before continuing.

7. 7

   Sear tournedos fast

   Pat the tournedos completely dry and season them with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, then add 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter. When the butter foams and begins to smell nutty, set in the beef with space between the pieces. Sear without moving for about 3 minutes, turn, add the remaining oil and butter in equal quantities, and cook another 2 to 3 minutes while spooning the foaming fat over the tops. Roll the edges briefly against the pan. For medium-rare, pull the beef at 125°F (52°C) and rest it for 5 minutes, when it should rise toward 130 to 135°F (54 to 57°C). If the butter turns black and smells sharp before the crust forms, lift out the beef, wipe the pan, and resume with fresh oil and butter in equal quantities. Burnt butter is bitterness, not browning.

8. 8

   Poach and rewarm

   While the beef rests, bring a shallow pan of lightly salted water just below a simmer. Slide in the marrow roundels and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, until their surfaces turn opaque but the centers remain soft. The water must barely tremble. If it begins boiling, pull the pan from the heat and add a spoonful of cold water before the marrow starts to fray. At the same time, rewarm the lettuces gently in their reduced braising glaze.

9. 9

   Build the crown

   Arrange the 4 hot croquettes in a crown on a warmed round platter. Set one rested tournedos squarely on each croquette, then crown every piece of beef with a drained poached marrow roundel and one fine slice of truffle. Arrange the glazed lettuces neatly around the outside. Serve at once, while the croquettes remain crisp and the marrow is soft. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for center-cut tenderloin medallions of equal thickness, then tie each around its circumference. The string keeps a true tournedos shape and gives all four pieces the same cooking time.
• •A whole preserved black winter truffle is the honest classical pantry answer when fresh truffles are out of season. Drain it well and slice it thinly. Truffle-flavoured oil cannot replace the texture or quiet depth required here.
• •Ask the butcher for intact marrow cylinders or chilled roundels cut across the grain. Split marrow bones are excellent for roasting, but they cannot give the fine circular slice the dish requires.
• •For the chicken, gently poach a small breast until its center reaches 165°F (74°C), then cool it before dicing. Warm chicken softens the pommes duchesse and makes the croquettes troublesome to shape.
• •Pour a structured red with freshness rather than sheer weight. A cabernet-led Médoc has enough backbone for the beef and marrow without trampling the truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •The croquettes can be shaped, breaded, and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead. Keep them in a single layer and bring them directly from the refrigerator to the hot oil.
• •The lettuces can be braised up to 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill them in their reduced braising glaze, then rewarm very gently while the beef rests.
• •The chicken can be poached up to 2 days ahead. Prepare and soak the marrow earlier on the day of serving, but cut the truffle slices shortly before plating so their fragrance remains vivid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 410g)