Poularde en Demi-Deuil

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp truffle slicer or narrow chef's knife
• •Narrow paring knife
• •Kitchen twine
• •6 to 8-quart narrow heavy pot
• •Parchment paper
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth
• •Wide 2-quart saucepan
• •Whisk
• •Warm oval serving platter
• •Sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Veil the breasts

   Slice the raw truffle as thinly as you can, using a truffle slicer or very sharp knife. Reserve one-third of the slices for the sauce. Working from the neck and cavity openings, ease your fingers between the skin and each breast fillet without detaching the skin along the centre. Lay the remaining slices flat over both fillets, with their edges barely overlapping, then smooth the skin back into place. Season the cavity and exterior with two-thirds of the salt and half the white pepper. If the skin tears, overlap the edges rather than stitching or pinning them; trussing will hold the truffle in place, and the sauce will cover the small scar.

   The truffle must be raw when it goes beneath the skin. Heat opens its perfume inside the bird; a cooked or preserved slice cannot perfume the flesh in the same way.
2. 2

   Lard and truss

   From the cavity side, push a narrow paring knife lengthwise into the thickest meat of each thigh to make four slim channels per side, taking care not to pierce the outer skin. Follow each channel with a chilled fatback baton. The old kitchen used a larding needle; the knife makes the same passage at home, and keeping the channels in the thighs protects the truffled breast from punctures. Fold the wing tips beneath the bird, draw the legs together, and truss firmly with kitchen twine.

3. 3

   Poach without boiling

   Set the poularde breast-side up in a narrow, heavy pot and pour in the unsalted chicken stock. Add only enough cold water to cover the bird by about 1 inch. Bring the liquid slowly to its first quiver over medium heat, skimming away any grey foam, then lower the heat and cover the surface with a cartouche, a round of parchment. Hold the liquid between 180 and 185°F (82 and 85°C), with an occasional lazy bubble but never a boil, for 55 to 75 minutes. The bird is ready when the thickest breast reaches 165°F (74°C) and the inner thigh reaches 170 to 175°F (77 to 79°C). If the pot boils, lift it off the heat for several minutes, add a little cold water, and return it over the lowest flame. A brief boil has not ruined the bird, but continued boiling will tighten the flesh and disturb the truffle.

   Use the smallest pot that holds the bird comfortably. A broad stockpot demands unnecessary liquid and leaves you reducing a lake while your guests grow hungry.
4. 4

   Strain and reduce

   Lift the poularde carefully, tip the cavity over the pot to drain it, and transfer the bird to a warm platter. Cover it loosely and let it rest while you make the sauce. Pass the cooking liquor through a fine sieve lined with damp cheesecloth; this replaces the original napkin without sacrificing clarity. Skim off the surface fat, measure 4 cups (950 ml / about 950 g) of liquor into a wide saucepan, and boil it steadily until reduced to 2½ cups (600 ml / about 600 g). Keep the remaining liquor unsalted and unreduced for adjusting the sauce, then cool it promptly for another use.

5. 5

   Build sauce suprême

   Melt 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) of the butter over gentle heat in a clean saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook this roux blanc, a white roux, for 2 minutes without allowing it to color. Whisk in the hot reduced cooking liquor a ladleful at a time, smoothing each addition before the next. Simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce is nappant, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the cream and simmer for another 5 minutes, then add the reserved truffle slices and warm them for 2 minutes without boiling hard. Taste before adding the remaining salt and white pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of cold butter, a piece at a time. If the sauce is lumpy, pass it through the fine sieve; if too thick, loosen it with unreduced cooking liquor. If the butter leaves greasy streaks, stop heating and whisk in a tablespoon of cold cream. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Coat and serve

   Remove the twine and settle the whole poularde on the warmed platter, breast-side up. Spoon enough sauce suprême over the bird to coat it generously, allowing a few dark truffle shadows to remain visible through the pale skin and sauce. Pour the rest, including its truffle slices, into a warmed sauceboat. Do not brown the bird under a broiler; its ivory surface is intentional, and browning would toughen the breast while confusing the half-mourning effect. Bring it whole to the table, carve the legs first and the breast across the grain, then pass the sauceboat without stinginess. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A poularde is a well-fattened young hen with more flesh and softness than an ordinary roasting chicken. Ask a good butcher; if none is available, choose a plump 4½ to 5 lb young hen and keep the poach exceptionally gentle. Technique first, always.
• •Fresh, ripe black truffle is the heart of demi-deuil, not an optional garnish. A preserved truffle can flavor a sauce, but it cannot perfume the breast from beneath the skin. If fresh truffle isn't available, make a plain poularde sauce suprême and save demi-deuil for the proper ingredient.
• •Use unsalted stock. A seasoned stock may taste pleasant before poaching and turn punishing after reduction. If only low-sodium stock is available, dilute it with water and add salt after the sauce reaches its final consistency.
• •Plain buttered rice or pommes vapeur will receive the sauce without competing with the truffle. Add no reflex shower of herbs; black truffle against ivory sauce is the dish's own finish.
• •Serve a full-bodied white Burgundy or a restrained red Burgundy. Either has enough breadth for the cream and enough composure to leave the truffle audible.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and use them within three days. Reheat the sauce over very gentle heat without boiling; loosen it with a spoonful of stock if it has tightened in the cold.

Advance Preparation

• •The poularde may be truffled, larded, and trussed 4 to 8 hours ahead. Cover it well and refrigerate; the rest gives the raw truffle time to perfume the breast before poaching.
• •The roux blanc can be cooked one day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Warm it gently before whisking in the reduced cooking liquor.
• •Measure the stock, cut the parchment cartouche, warm the platter and sauceboat, and set out the sauce ingredients before poaching. Once the bird leaves the pot, the reduction and sauce move quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)