Poularde Diva

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Snug 7-quart stockpot with lid
• •Instant-read or probe thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •2-quart saucepan or saucier
• •12-inch skillet
• •Kitchen twine
• •Oval serving platter and separate shallow dish for the cèpes

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the stuffing

   Have the Pilaff Rice (for the Stuffing of Fowls) (No. 2256) prepared exactly through its three-quarter cook and cooled promptly. Pat the poularde dry, then season its cavity and skin with about two-thirds of the salt and half the white pepper. Spoon the rice loosely into the cavity, leaving room for it to finish swelling; packed rice turns heavy and cooks unevenly. Truss the legs without pulling them tight, and stuff the bird only when the stock is nearly ready.

   Never hold a raw stuffed bird for later cooking. Fill it immediately before poaching, then cook until both the deepest part of the thigh and the centre of the rice reach 165°F (74°C).
2. 2

   Poach without colour

   Choose the smallest stockpot that holds the poularde comfortably. Heat the stock to a bare simmer, lower in the bird breast-side up, and make certain the liquid covers it; a snug pot makes the home quantity of stock sufficient. Butter a round of parchment with 1 tablespoon of the measured butter, lay it directly over the liquid, and cover the pot. Hold the stock between 175 and 185°F (80 and 85°C), where the surface barely trembles, for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes. Begin checking early. The thigh and the centre of the stuffing must both register 165°F (74°C). If the liquid boils, pull the pot off the heat at once, uncover it for a minute, then return it over lower heat. Ça se rattrape. A prolonged boil, however, tightens the breast and clouds the stock.

3. 3

   Cream the cèpes

   During the final twenty minutes of poaching, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cèpes in one layer and cook until the moisture they release has evaporated and their edges take a light bronze colour. Work in two batches if the pan is crowded. Season with a little salt and white pepper, return all the cèpes to the pan, and add ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) of the cream. Simmer gently until the cream clings to the mushrooms without hiding them, about 4 minutes. If it tightens too far, loosen it with a spoonful of poaching liquid. Keep the cèpes warm for serving in their own dish.

4. 4

   Rest and reserve

   Lift the cooked poularde carefully, allowing the stock in its cavity to drain back into the pot without losing the rice. Set it breast-side up on a rack, cover it loosely with the buttered parchment, and rest it while you make the sauce. Strain 2 cups (480 ml / 480 g) of the poaching liquid through a fine sieve and skim away the surface fat. Keep this liquid hot. Cool the remaining stock promptly and save it; the bird has strengthened it beautifully.

5. 5

   Build the suprême

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Stir in the paprika and cook for 20 seconds, just until its colour brightens and its aroma turns round and sweet, then scrape the paprika butter into a small cup. Do not let it brown. If it develops black flecks or smells bitter, discard it and begin again with the butter reserved for finishing; ça se rattrape, and burnt paprika does not. Melt another 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pan, whisk in the flour, and cook this roux for 2 minutes without allowing it to colour. Whisk in the paprika butter, then add the 2 cups of hot poaching liquid gradually, whisking smooth after every addition. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring often, then add ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the cream and cook for another 5 minutes. The sauce suprême is ready when it nappes the back of a spoon, coating it in a smooth, glossy layer. Strain it if any flour lumps remain. Off the heat, whisk in the final tablespoon of cold butter. If the sauce looks oily, whisk in a spoonful of the measured cold cream; if it is too thick, loosen it with hot poaching liquid.

6. 6

   Coat and serve

   Warm an oval platter and a separate shallow serving dish. Remove the trussing string, place the poularde on the platter, and spoon the paprika sauce suprême over it until the pale skin wears a complete, clinging coat. Send any remaining sauce in a warm sauceboat. Transfer the cèpes and their cream to the separate dish, exactly as the original service requires. Carve the poularde at the table and give each serving some breast or leg, a generous spoonful of rice, sauce, and cèpes alongside. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use a pale, unsalted chicken stock. A roasted brown stock would muddy the sauce and defeat the deliberate colorless poach; a clean homemade stock is splendid, but a good low-sodium prepared stock is an honest home equivalent.
• •Choose mild sweet paprika, not smoked paprika. Blooming it briefly in butter dissolves its fat-soluble flavour and removes the dusty raw edge, but it burns quickly, so have the flour and stock measured before you begin.
• •Cèpes are Boletus edulis, commonly sold as porcini. Fresh are wonderful when the season gives them, but good frozen cèpes preserve the fleshy texture this separate garnish needs. Dried cèpes provide perfume but not enough body on their own.
• •The pot matters more than the quantity of stock. In a wide vessel the poularde demands a lake; in a snug 7-quart pot, the scaled amount covers it and keeps one cook from preparing a brigade stockpot.
• •Pour a broad, dry white Burgundy or a mature Champagne. The wine needs enough body for the foie gras and cream, but enough freshness to clear the sauce from the palate.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Pilaff Rice (for the Stuffing of Fowls) (No. 2256) through its specified three-quarter cook earlier the same day. Cool it promptly and refrigerate it, but do not put it inside the raw poularde until the stock is hot and you are ready to poach.
• •The white chicken stock can be made up to 3 days ahead or frozen for several weeks. Keep it unsalted so reduction does not make the sauce harsh.
• •Clean and slice fresh cèpes, or thaw and dry frozen cèpes, several hours ahead. Cook them in cream during the poach so their texture remains distinct.
• •The finished dish is best served at once. If service pauses, keep the poularde under buttered parchment and hold the sauce and cèpes separately over the gentlest heat, loosening either with a spoonful of poaching liquid before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 600g)