Poularde à la Beaufort

Poularde à la Beaufort (foie gras and truffle-stuffed hen) teaches braiser à court mouillement (braising with a short moistening), the discipline of cooking a bird with very little liquid. The one true thing to know before touching the pan is this: the stock must rise no higher than the lower third of the poularde. More liquid gives you poultry broth; short liquor gathers the bird's savour and returns it as sauce.

The original formula assumed a saucier on staff to clear the liquor, a stock never off the fire, and an entremettier to tend lambs' tongues, artichokes, and purée Soubise (silky onion-and-rice purée). Its low cushion was service scaffolding for height, so it goes; the alternating garnish and its Soubise rosettes are part of the dish, so they stay. A salamander has no task here, and your broiler remains cold. One compact cocotte, prepared unsalted stock, a fine sieve, and a pastry bag give one cook the honest equivalents. One cook, one stove, one evening.

The finished poularde comes out burnished and abundant, with foie gras and sausage at its heart, truffle scenting each slice, ivory Soubise rising from the artichoke bottoms, and a clear liquor glossy with the bird's own gelatin. Measure the moistening by the bird, not by habit: no higher than one-third of its depth. That restraint decides the dish.