Poularde Louise d’Orléans

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (2-liter) narrow saucepan
• •Large slotted spoon or spider
• •Rimmed roasting tray with rack
• •Large rolling pin
• •Pastry brush
• •Baking parchment
• •Kitchen twine and small skewers
• •Instant-read probe thermometer
• •Serrated knife
• •Large oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Stud and poach foie

   Cut the 1¼ oz (35 g) portion of truffle into short, slim batons. Pierce narrow channels through the cold foie gras with a skewer or the tip of a small knife, then tuck a truffle baton into each channel without tearing the lobes apart. Heat the veal stock and Madeira in a narrow 2-quart (2-liter) saucepan to 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C), where the surface barely moves. Lower in the foie gras and poach for exactly 15 minutes, turning it carefully every 5 minutes if the liquid does not cover it. Never boil it, or the fat renders before the bird can receive it. If a lobe loosens, stop handling it, press it gently back against its natural seam, and chill it in that shape. Ça se rattrape. Lift the foie onto a shallow tray, cool for 20 minutes, then refrigerate for 45 to 60 minutes, until firm enough to insert whole.

   This first poach perfumes and firms the foie gras; it does not complete the cooking. The final bake brings the center to a safe temperature.
2. 2

   Mix the plain dough

   While the foie gras chills, mix 7¾ cups (1.86 L / 930 g) of the flour with the dough salt. Add 1⅞ cups (450 ml / 450 g) of the water and work the mixture into a stiff, smooth paste, kneading for 6 to 8 minutes. This is a cooking enclosure, so strength matters more than delicacy. If it breaks into dry crumbs, wet your hands and continue kneading; add water only a teaspoon at a time. If it clings heavily, dust with a little of the reserved flour. Cover tightly and rest for at least 30 minutes so it rolls without springing back.

3. 3

   Fill and colour poularde

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Season the poularde inside and out with the bird salt and pepper. Insert the chilled foie gras lengthwise into the cavity, fitting the smaller lobe beside the larger at its natural seam if necessary; do not chop it into stuffing, because the whole foie gras is part of the construction. Close the cavity with small skewers and kitchen twine, then truss the legs close to the body. Set the bird breast up on a rack in a roasting tray, brush generously with melted butter, and roast for 20 minutes, basting twice, until the skin stiffens and takes a deep butter-gold colour. If the butter darkens too quickly, move the tray down one rack. Remove the bird and let it stand for 15 minutes, only long enough to handle, while lowering the oven to 325°F (165°C). Proceed directly to the wrapping; do not refrigerate partially roasted stuffed poultry.

   The twenty-minute colouring is not an abbreviated roast. It sets the skin and builds the browned flavour that the sealed case cannot create later.
4. 4

   Cloak with truffle

   Reserve an orange-sized piece of dough for repairs, then divide the remainder into a slightly larger lower sheet and a smaller top sheet. Roll the lower piece about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick on the lightly floured counter and transfer it to a parchment-lined rimmed baking tray. Arrange 5 or 6 bacon slices in the footprint of the bird, cover them with overlapping truffle slices, and set the coloured poularde on top. Tile every exposed part of the bird with the remaining thick truffle slices, including the legs and sides, then cover the truffles completely with overlapping bacon. Keep the order exact: poultry, truffle, bacon, dough. The truffle perfumes the flesh, the bacon protects it, and the paste contains them both.

5. 5

   Seal the pastry case

   Roll the second piece of dough ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick and large enough to drape over the whole bird with a broad margin at the base. Brush the edge of the lower sheet with some of the reserved water, lower the top sheet over the bird, and press out the large air pockets without disturbing the bacon. Trim the edges, fold the lower edge over the upper, and pinch firmly into one continuous seal. Inspect the legs and tail carefully, where leaks begin. Patch any thin place with dampened reserved dough. Cut a proper 1-inch (2.5 cm) slit through the crown and prop it open with a loose little collar of baking parchment. A pinprick is not enough; the slit must release steam without opening the seams.

6. 6

   Vent and bake

   Bake the sealed poularde at 325°F (165°C) for the full 1 hour 45 minutes. Check the slit twice during baking and reopen it with the tip of a knife if dough begins to close over it. If the case splits elsewhere, press a damp patch of reserved dough over the break and restore the top vent at once. Ça se rattrape. At the end of the baking time, pass a clean probe thermometer through the vent into the center of the foie gras, then check the innermost thigh without touching bone. Both must reach 165°F (74°C). If either is cooler, continue baking in 10-minute intervals; if the crust is already dark enough, cover it loosely with foil while leaving the vent exposed.

7. 7

   Rest and serve hot

   For hot service, transfer the whole case to an oval platter and rest it for 25 to 30 minutes. Carry it to the table as it stands, then enlarge the vent into an oval lid with a serrated knife and lift the lid away. The paste is firm by design and need not be eaten. Remove the trussing, carve the poularde, and cut through the foie gras so each serving receives poultry, truffle, bacon, and a generous piece of the center. Spoon over the butter-rich juices held inside the case. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

8. 8

   Chill for cold service

   For cold service instead, rest the unopened case for 20 minutes, then place it uncovered on a wire rack in the coldest part of the refrigerator within 1 hour of leaving the oven. Keep the vent open and check the center through it with a probe: it should cool to 70°F (21°C) within 2 hours and to 40°F (4°C) within 6 hours total. If it cools too slowly, open the case, transfer the poularde and foie gras to a shallow chilled tray, and refrigerate them separately; the intact presentation is lost, but the food is protected. Once fully cold, cover the case and keep it refrigerated for up to 2 days. If the case remained intact, serve it as it stands and open it at the table before slicing.

Chef Tips

• •A poularde is a young hen fattened for tenderness and a generous layer of protective fat. If the butcher cannot supply one, choose a plump air-chilled roasting chicken of the same weight; a larger capon will throw off the book's cooking time.
• •Buy raw whole foie gras, not mi-cuit foie gras, mousse, or a prepared terrine. Those are already finished preparations and will dissolve under the poach and long bake.
• •Black truffles are structural here, not a token perfume. Outside the fresh season, preserved whole black truffles are the classical pantry's honest answer; drain them and pat them thoroughly dry. Truffle oil cannot make the overlapping cloak the dish requires.
• •The veal stock should taste full and become softly jellied when cold. A good frozen butcher's stock is entirely respectable. A thin salted carton gives the foie gras nowhere to go and can become harsh during poaching.
• •Use thin unsmoked streaky bacon. Smoke would dominate the truffle and Madeira, while thick slices leave gaps that expose the truffle directly to the dry paste.
• •The plain flour-and-water case is cooking equipment you make yourself. Do not enrich it into puff pastry or shortcrust; either would soften under the enclosed fat and change the source preparation.
• •Serve the hot poularde with a full white Burgundy or dry Champagne. For cold service, Champagne has the acidity to meet the set foie gras without bullying the truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •The foie gras can be studded, poached, cooled, and refrigerated one day ahead. Keep it tightly covered and at or below 40°F (4°C), then insert it while still firm.
• •The plain dough can be mixed one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it out 30 minutes before rolling so it bends without cracking.
• •Slice the truffles and separate the bacon one day ahead, keeping both covered and refrigerated. Pat preserved truffles dry again before they touch the bird.
• •Do not brown the stuffed poularde in advance and refrigerate it for later baking. Once the twenty-minute colouring begins, wrapping and final baking must follow without delay.
• •For cold service, bake the poularde the day before, cool it according to the temperature guidance, and refrigerate it overnight. Bring it to the table directly from the cold and return leftovers to the refrigerator within 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 880g)