Poularde Andalouse

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6-quart (4.7 to 5.7-liter) covered casserole for the poêling
• •2-quart (1.9-liter) saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Small baking dish that holds four peppers upright
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warm oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Poêle the poularde

   Prepare the poularde according to Poëlings (No. 250), scaled to the listed bird, and reserve both the cooked poultry and its finished poëling liquor. Add no stock, wine, or water while the covered bird cooks; that absence of added moisture is what separates poêling from braising. Begin checking the temperature after 55 minutes and continue until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F (74°C) and the thigh reaches at least 170°F (77°C). If a splash of liquid goes in by mistake, uncover the casserole and let it evaporate before covering again. Ça se rattrape, though the flavour will lean a little toward a braise. Rest the finished bird under a loose cover while you complete the garnish.

2. 2

   Cook the rice

   Rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear, then drain it well. Bring the measured water to a boil with ½ teaspoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Stir in the rice once, cover tightly, and cook over the lowest heat for 14 minutes. Remove it from the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and season with a little pepper. The grains should be tender and separate, not wet; if water remains at the bottom, spread the rice on a tray for five minutes before filling the peppers.

3. 3

   Stuff the capsicums

   Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and season it with 2 teaspoons of the salt. Lower in the hollowed peppers and their tops, blanch for 4 minutes, then drain them upside down until no water remains inside. Brush the peppers with the remaining tablespoon of butter, fill them generously with the rice without packing it hard, and replace the tops slightly askew. Set them upright in a small baking dish and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, alongside the poularde if convenient, until tender but still able to hold their shape.

4. 4

   Sauté the eggplant

   Season the eggplant roundels with the remaining salt and pepper immediately before cooking, then dredge them lightly in flour and shake off every loose trace. Melt half the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat and sauté the roundels in two uncrowded batches, adding the remaining butter for the second batch. Give them 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the edges are deep gold and the centers yield under a fork. Flour darkens quickly in butter; if black specks appear, wipe the pan clean before the next batch rather than carrying bitterness forward.

5. 5

   Tomater the demi-glace

   Whisk the tomato paste into the prepared demi-glace while both are still cool, then bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring along the bottom, until the sauce is brick-red, glossy, and distinctly tomatoed in both colour and flavour. This is tomatéd half-glaze, not a loose tomato sauce; the demi-glace must remain its backbone.

6. 6

   Finish the sauce

   Whisk the reserved poëling liquor gradually into the tomatéd demi-glace and simmer until the sauce nappes, coating the back of a spoon in a smooth, glossy layer. Taste before adding salt, since prepared demi-glace can be assertive. If the sauce is thin, reduce it a little longer; if it tightens into a glaze, loosen it a tablespoon at a time with hot water. If a fatty sheen separates, whisk in a tablespoon of hot water, let the sauce settle briefly, and skim the excess butter from the surface.

7. 7

   Dress the platter

   Set the whole poularde in the center of a warm oval platter and spoon the sauce over it until the skin is evenly coated, leaving its bronze colour visible beneath the gloss. Arrange the stuffed capsicums and eggplant roundels in alternation along both sides, exactly as the garnish is meant to read. Spoon a little more sauce around the bird, never over the eggplant, and bring the remaining sauce separately. Carve at the table while the eggplant still has its browned edge. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A true poularde can require a good poultry butcher. A plump young roasting chicken of the same weight is the honest home equivalent; choose one with intact skin and give the technique your attention. Technique first, always.
• •Prepared demi-glace should be pourable and taste of roasted veal, not salt or caramel colouring. If yours is sold as a concentrated paste, dilute it according to its directions before measuring the 1¼ cups needed here.
• •Use small red capsicums of similar height so they stand upright and cook together. Green ones bring a sharper bitterness that fights the tomatéd sauce; the sweet red flesh belongs here.
• •Sauté the eggplant as close to serving as you can. It can wait for ten minutes in a single layer in a warm oven, but stacking the roundels traps moisture and softens their flour-browned surface.
• •Pour a supple southern Rhône red or a dry rosé with enough body for the demi-glace. The sauce is rich, but the tomato and capsicum want freshness rather than a heavily tannic bottle.
• •Refrigerate leftover poultry and sauce within two hours and use them within three days. Reheat the carved chicken gently in the sauce, adding a spoonful of water if the demi-glace has set too firmly.

Advance Preparation

• •The tomatéd demi-glace can be prepared up to two days ahead, cooled promptly, and refrigerated in a covered container. Reheat it gently before adding the fresh poëling liquor.
• •The rice can be cooked and the blanched peppers filled up to four hours ahead. Cool both before assembly, refrigerate the filled peppers, then bake them while the poularde cooks.
• •Cut the eggplant earlier in the day if needed, but don't season or flour it until the skillet is ready. Salt draws moisture to the surface, and damp flour gives a heavy coating instead of a fine browned one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 650g)