Poularde Reine Marguerite

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-quart heavy pot with lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Boning knife and poultry shears
• •2-quart heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Electric hand mixer or balloon whisk
• •Shallow oval ovenproof platter or 2-quart gratin dish
• •Baking parchment and oven-safe cotton kitchen string
• •Two small wooden skewers, if needed

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach the poularde

   Set the chicken breast-side up in a snug 6-quart pot. Add the water, onion, carrot, celery, bouquet garni, and poaching salt. Bring the liquid slowly to 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C), skimming away any grey foam, then hold it at the barest tremble. Partially cover and poach for 50 to 60 minutes, turning the bird once, until the deepest part of the thigh reaches 165°F (74°C). Never let the liquor boil hard; boiling tightens the breast before it can be protected by the soufflé. If it does boil, pull the pot off the heat, uncover it, and let the temperature fall before continuing. Ça se rattrape. Lift the chicken carefully and rest it for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of the poaching liquor.

   Use a pot that holds the bird closely. A vast pot demands unnecessary water and leaves you with a weak poaching liquor instead of one that tastes properly of chicken.
2. 2

   Prepare the support

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter the ovenproof platter and one face of a long sheet of parchment with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter. Trim the bread into a low oval cushion about 8 by 5 inches (20 by 13 cm), broad enough to support the chicken's body, and set it on the platter. Fold the parchment lengthwise to make a strong double band about 4 inches (10 cm) high, long enough to encircle the bread and reconstructed body with a 2-inch (5 cm) overlap.

3. 3

   Remove the suprêmes

   Set the rested chicken breast-side up. Cut down each side of the keel bone, follow the ribs with the knife, and lift away both suprêmes whole, leaving the wing joints untouched. Use poultry shears to cut through the fine ribs on either side of the breastbone, then lift the breastbone and keel away without disturbing the back, wings, thighs, or legs. Set the hollowed carcass on the bread cushion. If the skin tears, don't fuss; the soufflé will cover it. If a joint loosens, secure it discreetly with a small wooden skewer. Cut the suprêmes across the grain into 12 thin collops, then place one truffle slice against each collop.

4. 4

   Build the Parmesan base

   Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 56 g) butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook this pale roux, butter and flour cooked together, for 2 minutes without letting it color. Add the milk in three additions, whisking each one smooth before the next, then cook for 4 to 6 minutes until the base pulls cleanly from the pan and falls from the spoon in a heavy mound. This firmness is the dish. If the base pours, keep cooking it before adding the eggs; if it has lumps, take it off the heat and press it through a fine sieve. Ça se rattrape. Cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the yolks one at a time, followed by the Parmesan, soufflé salt, and white pepper.

5. 5

   Fold the soufflé

   Let the Parmesan base cool until warm rather than hot. Fold in the paired collops of suprême and truffle gently enough to keep the slices recognizable. Reserve a spoonful of unbeaten egg white, then whisk the remaining whites to flexible medium peaks that bend at their tips. The source asks for a soufflé that is not too light, so do not drive the whites to stiff, dry points. If they become clumpy, whisk in the reserved raw white until they are supple again. Fold one-third briskly into the Parmesan base to loosen it, then fold in the remainder with broad turns until no large white streaks remain. If the base became too stiff while waiting, loosen it with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) warm poaching liquor before the whites go in, never afterward.

   A warm base accepts the whites. A hot base cooks them, while a cold, rigid base forces you to crush them during folding.
6. 6

   Rebuild the poularde

   Stand the doubled parchment around the central body and bread cushion, buttered face inward, leaving the wings and legs visibly attached outside it. Pull the band snug and tie it at two levels with oven-safe kitchen string. Spoon the chicken, truffle, and soufflé mixture into the hollow carcass, filling from the bottom and mounding it to restore the rounded line of the breast. Smooth the surface lightly with a buttered spatula. The bread and collar are not discarded presentation tricks; they are the scaffolding that makes the mixture climb instead of spreading. If the collar loosens and the filling slumps, lift the mixture back with the spatula, add a second parchment band outside the first, and retie it before baking.

7. 7

   Crown with Gruyère

   Lay the thin Gruyère slices over the rounded surface, overlapping them just enough to cover the soufflé without weighing it down. Keep the cheese inside the paper collar so its melted edges cling to the rise rather than running onto the platter. Slide the dish immediately onto the centre rack of the moderately hot oven.

8. 8

   Bake and serve

   Bake without opening the oven for the first 20 minutes, then check the poularde. It is ready after 25 to 35 minutes, when the soufflé has risen against the collar, the Gruyère is butter-gold with bronzed patches, the edge bubbles, and the centre reaches 160°F (71°C). If the cheese colors before the centre is set, lay foil loosely over the top without pressing on it. Rest for 5 minutes, cut the strings, and peel the parchment away slowly. A little settling is not failure; it is dinner. Carry the whole platter to the table, then spoon the soufflé and divide the attached wings and legs among the four plates. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A true poularde is a plump young hen with generous breast meat. If your butcher can't supply one, choose a small whole chicken rather than a vast roasting bird; the modest bird poaches evenly and leaves proportions the soufflé can carry.
• •Use fresh black truffle when the season offers a fragrant one. At other times, a whole preserved truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer. Drain it well and slice it yourself. Truffle oil cannot provide the equal dark slices the source requires.
• •Gruyère goes on in thin slices, not a thick grated blanket. The slices melt into a flexible cap that follows the rise; too much grated cheese weighs down the soufflé and hides its shape.
• •The parchment must be buttered on the food-facing side and tied firmly before filling. Paper that merely circles the platter cannot guide the rise; it must stand snugly against the reconstructed body.
• •Serve with glazed carrots or fine green beans and a full white Burgundy. Keep the accompaniment quiet. The reconstructed poularde has already done all the talking required.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken may be poached, dismantled, and sliced up to one day ahead. Cool it promptly, cover the carcass and suprêmes separately, and refrigerate. Bring them out 20 minutes before assembly so the cold meat does not delay the soufflé's centre.
• •The roux-and-milk base can be made earlier in the day without the yolks or Parmesan. Press buttered parchment directly against its surface and refrigerate it, then warm it gently until pliable before adding the yolks and cheese.
• •Cut the bread cushion and prepare the buttered parchment band in advance. Beat the whites, rebuild the bird, and add the Gruyère only when the oven is ready; once assembled, the poularde should be baked immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 460g)