Poularde Princesse

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-to-8-quart narrow stockpot
• •2-quart heavy saucepan
• •Wide skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Large bowl for iced water
• •Rack set over a tray
• •Large heated oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the poaching liquor

   Reserve 3 cups (720 ml) of the chicken stock for the mushroom essence and Allemande. Combine the remaining 5 cups (1.2 L) with the onion, carrots, leek, celery, bouquet garni, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a narrow 6-to-8-quart stockpot. Add enough water to cover the poularde later, then simmer the aromatics gently for 15 minutes. The narrow pot matters because it keeps the bird submerged without demanding another stockpot's worth of liquid.

2. 2

   Poach the poularde

   Lower the poularde breast-side up into the liquor and add more water if needed to cover it by about 1 inch. Bring the liquid slowly to 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C), where the surface barely trembles, then partially cover and poach for 50 to 65 minutes. Do not let it boil: hard bubbling tightens the breast and clouds the liquor. If the pot gets away from you, pull it off the heat for two minutes, lower the burner, and continue. Ça se rattrape. The poularde is ready when the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F (74°C) and the inner thigh reaches at least 175°F (80°C). Lift it onto a rack over a tray, tent loosely, and rest for 15 minutes.

3. 3

   Prepare asparagus two ways

   While the poularde poaches, sort the asparagus tips. Choose 6 tips for the asparagus-head butter, reserve 16 handsome tips for filling the croustades, and keep the remainder for four generous bundles. Blanch the 6 butter tips in well-salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, until completely tender, then blanch all the remaining tips for 75 to 90 seconds, until vivid green and just tender. Chill both batches immediately in iced water and dry them thoroughly. Press the 6 tender tips through a fine sieve, measure 1½ tablespoons (22 ml / 22 g) of purée, and work it into 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) softened butter. This gives the 50 g of asparagus-head butter needed for the home-scaled sauce. Keep it cool but pliable.

4. 4

   Concentrate mushroom essence

   Put the sliced mushrooms and 1 cup (240 ml) of the reserved stock in a small saucepan. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes so the mushrooms surrender their liquor, then uncover and reduce until only about ⅓ cup (80 ml) remains. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the mushrooms gently, and reserve the concentrated mushroom essence. It should smell unmistakably of mushrooms without becoming dark or muddy.

5. 5

   Build the Allemande base

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes without letting the roux color; Allemande is a pale sauce, so toastiness has no business here. Gradually whisk in the remaining 2 cups (475 ml) reserved stock, adding each portion only after the last is smooth, then whisk in the mushroom essence. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, skimming as needed, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and has reduced to about 1½ cups (360 ml). If lumps appear, stop adding liquid and whisk until smooth; any stubborn ones can be removed through the fine sieve.

6. 6

   Ready the Princesse garnish

   Heat the oven to 275°F (135°C) and warm the finished Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393) for 8 to 10 minutes, just until crisp and hot without taking more color. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water in a wide skillet, add the blanched asparagus tips, and roll them gently in the butter until glossy and warmed through. Season with salt and white pepper. Fill each croustade with 4 tips cohered by the butter, then place one fine truffle slice on top. Gather the remaining tips into four neat bundles and keep everything ready on a warm tray. If the poularde has cooled noticeably, lower it into poaching liquor held at about 150°F (66°C) for 5 minutes, then drain and blot it well.

7. 7

   Finish off the heat

   Whisk the egg yolks with 7 tablespoons (105 ml) of the cream, reserving the final tablespoon for rescue. Whisk a ladleful of the hot sauce base into the liaison, then add two more ladlefuls gradually. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the Allemande reaches 160 to 165°F (71 to 74°C) and naps the spoon. Never boil it. Adjust with hot poaching liquor if necessary so you have 2 cups (475 ml) of Allemande, holding any excess separately. Take the pan completely off the heat and whisk in the full 50 g of asparagus-head butter, followed by the lemon juice. The green butter goes in off the heat, always. If the liaison freckles or the finished sauce separates, put the reserved cold cream in a clean bowl and whisk the troubled sauce into it a spoonful at a time. Ça se rattrape. Once the green butter is in, do not return the sauce to the fire.

8. 8

   Coat and surround

   Set the warm poularde on a heated oval platter and spoon the Allemande over it from breast to legs, coating it generously and letting a little sauce pool beneath. Place the four filled croustades at the quarter points of the platter, then set one bundle of butter-glazed asparagus between each pair. Serve any remaining sauce in a warm sauceboat and carve the poularde at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A true poularde is a plump young hen with generous flesh and fat. If your butcher cannot supply one, choose a broad-breasted 4-to-4½-pound chicken and shorten the poach according to temperature rather than the clock. Technique first, always.
• •This dish genuinely needs good asparagus because the tips appear three ways: in the butter, inside the croustades, and in bundles around the bird. Choose slender spears with closed heads. Frozen tips can flavor the butter in an emergency, but they are too soft to make the surrounding garnish with dignity.
• •Fresh black truffle is splendid when available, but a good preserved whole truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer outside its season. Slice it finely and use the packing liquor sparingly in the mushroom essence if it tastes clean. Truffle oil does not belong here.
• •Keep the sauce ivory with only a fresh green cast. A dark roux, browned stock, or hard reduction overwhelms the asparagus and changes the character of Allemande.
• •Serve Poularde Princesse with a mature white Burgundy or a dry white wine with enough body for the cream and butter. Keep the accompanying vegetables simple because the platter already carries its own potatoes and asparagus.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the finished Duchesse potato Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393) earlier in the day according to their own entry. Cool them on a rack and recrisp them in the low oven just before filling.
• •The asparagus-head butter can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated. Let it soften until pliable before finishing the sauce, but never melt it separately.
• •The mushrooms can be reduced to their essence and the Allemande base completed through the roux-and-stock stage up to 4 hours ahead. Chill promptly, then reheat gently before adding the yolk-and-cream liaison.
• •Blanch the asparagus tips up to 6 hours ahead. Dry them very well, wrap them in a clean towel, and refrigerate; glaze them with butter only at serving time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)