Poularde aux Œufs d’Or

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6 quart (4.7 to 5.7 L) heavy lidded casserole
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Small tray and parchment paper
• •2 quart (1.9 L) saucepan for the sauce
• •3 quart (2.8 L) heavy saucepan and frying thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Wire draining rack
• •Warmed oval platter and sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the poëling

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Prepare the poularde through the covered-oven stage of Poëlings (No. 250), scaled for this bird. Do not add liquid during the cooking, and keep the vessel covered except when the referenced method requires attention. This is the principle inside the procedure: poêlé concentrates poultry and aromatic vegetables through butter, while added stock would turn the bird into a braise.

   Use a heavy lidded vessel only slightly larger than the poularde. Too much empty space lets the butter and vegetables scorch before the bird is cooked.
2. 2

   Cook and chop eggs

   While the poularde cooks, lower the four eggs into gently boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Cool them promptly in cold water, peel, and dry them well. Chop the whites and yolks together into pieces about ¼ inch (6 mm) across. Keep the texture visible; a paste would make the croquettes heavy.

3. 3

   Build the croquette base

   Melt the 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat without coloring it. Stir in the ¼ cup flour and cook for 90 seconds, then whisk in the milk by degrees. Cook, stirring firmly, until the mixture becomes a very thick béchamel that pulls from the pan and leaves a clean trail behind the spoon, about 4 minutes. Remove it from the heat and fold in the chopped eggs, truffle, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the white pepper. Spread the mixture ¾ inch (2 cm) deep on a small tray, press parchment against its surface, and chill until firm, about 35 minutes.

4. 4

   Shape and bread

   Divide the cold mixture into 12 equal portions and shape each between lightly floured palms into a small egg about 2 inches (5 cm) long. If the mixture slumps instead of holding, stop and chill it for another 20 minutes. If it remains loose, return it to gentle heat and stir until the spoon once again leaves a clean trail, then rechill it. Ça se rattrape. Whisk the two raw eggs with the tablespoon of water. Roll each croquette first in flour, then egg wash, then fine breadcrumbs, keeping the outline smooth. Chill the breaded croquettes for at least 20 minutes.

   Brush excess flour away before the egg wash. Heavy patches of flour separate from the filling and encourage the crust to split in the oil.
5. 5

   Finish the pale bird

   Begin checking the poularde after about 55 minutes. As the breast approaches 160°F (71°C), uncover it only briefly to finish, following Poëlings (No. 250) but refusing any color beyond pale butter-gold. If the breast is already the right color, cover it with buttered parchment rather than chasing a darker roast. Remove the bird when the breast registers 160 to 162°F (71 to 72°C) and the thigh about 170°F (77°C); rest it loosely covered for 20 minutes, during which the breast should reach 165°F (74°C). Complete the referenced poëling liquor as directed, then reserve 1½ cups strained and thoroughly degreased.

6. 6

   Thicken the liquor

   Pour the reserved poëling liquor from Poëlings (No. 250) into a small saucepan and whisk in the tomato purée. Bring it just to a simmer. Mix the arrowroot with its tablespoon of cold water until perfectly smooth, then whisk in three-quarters of the slurry. Let the sauce reach one lazy bubble and assess it before adding more. It should be nappant, lightly coating the back of a spoon while remaining pourable. Arrowroot turns ropy when overused and loses strength under a hard boil. If the sauce becomes gummy, loosen it gradually with hot water; if it remains thin, bring it once more to the first bubble before adding the remaining slurry.

7. 7

   Mount the sauce

   Take the saucepan off the heat. Make the monté au beurre, the cold-butter finish, by whisking in the 6 tablespoons of butter a few cubes at a time, adding each portion only after the last has disappeared. Whisk in the lemon juice, cayenne, and enough of the remaining salt to sharpen the sauce without making it salty. It should be glossy, faintly coral, and taste of poultry first, butter second, with lemon arriving at the end. If butter gathers in an oily ring, the pan became too hot; whisk in a teaspoon of cold water away from the heat until the sauce comes together. Keep it warm, never boiling, and transfer it to a heated sauceboat.

8. 8

   Fry the golden eggs

   Heat the oil in a deep three-quart saucepan to 350°F (175°C). Fry one test croquette until evenly golden, about 2½ minutes, then check that its shell remains intact. Fry the rest in batches of three or four, allowing the oil to return to temperature between batches. If one splits, remove it at once, patch any visible cracks in the remaining croquettes with egg wash and breadcrumbs, chill them for 15 minutes, and restore the oil to 350°F (175°C) before continuing. Drain the croquettes on a rack rather than paper so their undersides stay crisp.

9. 9

   Dish and serve

   Set the whole rested poularde on a warmed oval platter. Arrange the 12 croquettes closely around it as a border of small golden eggs, with their pointed ends alternating for a generous, orderly ring. Send the sauce separately, as the dish requires, so the croquettes remain crisp and each guest can spoon the glossy liquor over the carved poultry. Carve at the table and serve three croquettes to each person. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A true poularde is a plump young hen with fine-grained meat and enough fat to remain succulent under butter. If your butcher cannot find one, choose a compact, well-fleshed roasting hen of the same weight. The flavor will be a little leaner, but careful poëling matters more than pedigree.
• •Fresh black truffle is splendid in season, but a good whole truffle preserved in its own juice is the honest classical pantry answer at any other time. Drain and dry it before chopping. Truffle-flavored oil has no place in these croquettes; it overwhelms the eggs and leaves the sauce nowhere to go.
• •Arrowroot gives the liquor its clear gleam and delicate body. Mix it only with cold water, add it cautiously, and stop cooking after the sauce reaches its first bubble. Flour or cornstarch would make a cloudier, heavier sauce.
• •Serve a full-bodied dry white, such as a white Burgundy, or a dry Champagne. Both have enough freshness for the butter and enough breadth for the poultry and truffle.
• •Refrigerate leftover poultry and sauce separately within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Reheat the sauce over very gentle heat with a teaspoon of water, whisking constantly. Warm leftover croquettes in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes rather than returning them to oil.

Advance Preparation

• •The eggs may be hard-cooked and peeled 1 day ahead. Keep them covered and cold, then chop them only when making the croquette mixture.
• •The croquette mixture can be made, shaped, and breaded up to 8 hours ahead. Refrigerate the croquettes in a single layer, covered only after the crumb coating has dried for 20 minutes.
• •The poularde may finish 30 minutes before serving and rest loosely covered while the sauce and croquettes are completed. Do not hold it in a hot oven, which continues cooking the breast.
• •The poëling liquor can be strained and degreased up to 2 hours ahead. Add the arrowroot and make the monté au beurre only during the final 10 minutes, because the finished sauce dislikes hard reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)