Poularde Édouard VII

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •7 to 8 quart (6.5 to 7.5 L) snug stockpot with lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine
• •2 quart (2 L) heavy saucepan
• •Wide sauté pan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Heatproof 1 pint (600 ml) measuring jug
• •Warmed oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the pilaff

   Have the Pilaff Rice (for the Stuffing of Fowls) (No. 2256) prepared through the three-quarters-cooked stage specified in its own entry and thoroughly chilled. Keep it cold until the moment of stuffing. This preparation remains a finished component, just as it did in the brigade kitchen, so do not rework or fully cook it here; it completes its cooking inside the poularde.

2. 2

   Stuff and truss

   Dry the poularde inside and out, then season the cavity and skin with about 1 teaspoon of the salt and half the white pepper. Spoon in the Pilaff Rice (for the Stuffing of Fowls) (No. 2256) loosely, leaving room for the grains to swell. Never ram the cavity full. Fold the neck skin underneath, tie the legs together, and secure the wings close to the body with kitchen twine. Stuff immediately before cooking, never hours ahead, because warm poultry and rice must move directly to the pot.

3. 3

   Poach without colour

   Combine the chicken stock, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and thyme in a snug stockpot. Bring them to a bare simmer for 10 minutes, then lower in the stuffed poularde, breast upward. The liquid should just cover it; add only as much of the measured water as necessary. Return the liquid slowly to 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C), where the surface barely quivers, then cover partially and poach for 65 to 80 minutes. The centre of the rice must reach at least 165°F (74°C), and the deepest part of the thigh should reach 170°F (77°C) without the thermometer touching bone. If the liquid breaks into a boil, lift the pot off the heat and add a few spoonfuls of the water. Ça se rattrape. Let the temperature settle before returning the pot to low heat.

   A hard boil tightens the breast, tears the skin, and clouds the liquor needed for the sauce. Pale poaching is gentle by design, not timid cooking.
4. 4

   Cream the cucumbers

   During the final 25 minutes of poaching, toss the cucumbers with 1 teaspoon of the salt and leave them in a colander for 15 minutes. Blot them thoroughly. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a wide sauté pan, add the cucumbers, and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes without browning. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the ¾ cup cream allocated to the cucumbers, season lightly with white pepper, and simmer gently until the cucumber is tender but still holds its shape and the cream clings to it, 6 to 8 minutes. If the cucumber releases enough water to thin the cream, lift out the pieces and reduce the liquid before returning them. If the cream looks greasy, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the reserved cold cream. Hold the garnish warm, separately.

5. 5

   Rest and strain

   Lift the cooked poularde onto a rack set over a warm platter and tent it loosely for 20 minutes. Strain the poaching liquor through a fine sieve and skim away surface fat. Measure 2¾ cups (650 ml / 650 g) of the liquor for the sauce, keeping another cup nearby for adjustments. The rest makes excellent soup, but it is no longer needed for this dish.

6. 6

   Build the curry velouté

   Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft but completely pale, about 3 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 45 to 60 seconds, just until the butter smells rounded and fragrant. Do not let it darken. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes to make a pale roux, then whisk in the measured poaching liquor a little at a time. Bring the velouté to a gentle simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, whisking often, until the raw flour taste is gone. If it knots, take it off the heat, whisk vigorously, and pass it through the sieve. Do not pour it away. Ça se rattrape.

   The curry blooming in butter is the step that cannot be omitted. Raw powder added after the stock remains chalky and separate from the sauce, however long it simmers.
7. 7

   Set the exact ratio

   Pass the velouté through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, then stir in the remaining ½ cup cream and the lemon juice. Simmer gently until the sauce is nappant, thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour it into a heatproof measuring jug and check the volume. The finished sauce must measure 2⅜ cups (1 imperial pint / 570 ml); if there is more, reduce it further, and if there is less, loosen it with reserved poaching liquor. Fold in exactly ⅓ cup (80 ml / 57 g) of diced red capsicum, preserving the source ratio of two ounces per pint. Warm it for 1 minute without boiling, then correct the salt and white pepper.

8. 8

   Coat and serve

   Remove the twine and set the whole poularde on a warmed oval platter, breast upward. Spoon enough curry sauce over it to coat the bird generously, letting a little pool around the base, and send the remainder in a warm sauce boat. Bring the creamed cucumbers in their own serving dish, exactly as the original directs. Present the poularde whole, then carve it at the table and give each guest breast or leg meat, a spoonful of the rice stuffing, more sauce, and cucumbers alongside. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A poularde is a young hen raised for plumpness and tenderness. If your butcher cannot supply one, use a compact 4-pound roasting chicken with a good layer of fat beneath the skin. Technique first: the gentle poach matters more than a grand label.
• •The Pilaff Rice (for the Stuffing of Fowls) (No. 2256) must stop at its three-quarters-cooked stage. Fully cooked rice turns heavy inside the bird, while dry raw rice steals liquid from the meat.
• •Use unsalted or genuinely low-sodium stock. The poaching liquor is reduced into a sauce, and an already salty carton becomes brine by the time the velouté reaches the right consistency.
• •A plain jarred roasted red capsicum is often better than a tired fresh one. Choose one without vinegar, garlic, or herbs, drain it thoroughly, and weigh the required 57 grams after draining.
• •Choose a fresh, mild curry powder whose fragrance reaches you as soon as the tin opens. This is a cream-bound French curry sauce, warm and aromatic rather than fiercely hot.
• •For the table, pour brut Champagne or a dry Chenin Blanc with enough acidity to meet the cream and enough breadth for the curry. The dish already carries its ceremony; the plate needs no extra decoration.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Pilaff Rice (for the Stuffing of Fowls) (No. 2256) up to one day ahead. Cool it promptly in a shallow container, cover, and refrigerate. The listed preparation time assumes this referenced component is ready.
• •The red capsicum may be roasted, peeled, diced, and drained one day ahead. Keep it covered in the refrigerator, then blot it once more before weighing.
• •The cucumbers may be peeled, seeded, and sliced up to 4 hours ahead, but do not salt them until the poularde is nearly cooked or they will soften too far.
• •Do not stuff the raw poularde in advance. Fill and truss it immediately before poaching, then verify the temperature in both the rice and the thigh.
• •The completed dish wants immediate service. If timing slips, hold the bird loosely covered for no more than 30 minutes and keep both sauces warm over the gentlest heat, loosening either with a spoonful of reserved poaching liquor if it tightens.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 610g)