Poularde Vichy

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6 to 7-quart (5.7 to 6.6-litre) heavy cocotte or Dutch oven with lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Wide 2-quart (1.9-litre) saucepan
• •Kitchen twine and a small poultry skewer
• •Eight 3-inch (7.5-cm) tartlet molds, only if baking the shells at home

Instructions

1. 1

   Stage the preparations

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Have the finished ordinary pilaff rice cold, the finished suprême sauce ready to reheat, the carrots à la Vichy separate from their tartlet crusts, and the crusts dry and crisp. Keep these preparations intact; this entry brings them together rather than remaking them. Take the pullet from the cold about 30 minutes before cooking, but do not stuff it until the cocotte and oven are ready.

2. 2

   Stuff and truss

   Season the cavity with one-third of the salt and a little white pepper. Spoon in the ordinary pilaff rice loosely, leaving space for heat to travel through it; packing the cavity hard gives heavy rice and delays safe cooking at the centre. Close the opening with a small skewer, tie the legs together, and tuck the wing tips underneath. Season the outside with the remaining salt and pepper, then rub it with 1 tbsp (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter.

3. 3

   Braise without color

   Melt the remaining 2 tbsp (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a snug, heavy cocotte over low heat. Add the onion and sliced carrot and sweat them for 8 to 10 minutes until supple and fragrant, stirring often and allowing no browning. Set the pullet breast-side up over the vegetables, add the bouquet garni, and pour the warm chicken stock around it until the liquid reaches roughly one-third of the way up the bird. Bring the liquid only to a quiet simmer, cover with a round of parchment and the lid, then transfer to the oven. Braise for 80 to 100 minutes, basting every 25 minutes, until both the centre of the rice stuffing and the thickest part of the thigh reach 165°F (74°C).

   If the vegetables or butter begin taking colour, lower the heat immediately and add a spoonful of stock. Ça se rattrape before they brown. Cuisson à blanc should taste concentrated while remaining pale.
4. 4

   Reduce the liquor

   Lift the cooked pullet onto a warm platter and tent it loosely while it rests for 20 minutes. Strain the braising liquor through a fine sieve into a wide saucepan without pressing the vegetables, which would cloud the sauce. Skim away excess fat, then boil the liquor steadily until reduced to about ¾ cup (180 ml / 185 g) and full-flavoured enough to taste like the bird in one spoonful. If it becomes properly concentrated before reaching that volume, stop; flavour governs the reduction, not the measuring jug.

5. 5

   Finish the suprême

   Warm the finished suprême sauce over low heat. Whisk in the reduced braising liquor gradually, then hold the sauce at the barest tremble until it naps the back of a spoon in an even ivory coat. If it is thin, simmer it gently for another minute or two; if it tightens too far, loosen it with a spoonful of warm stock. If hard heat makes it grainy or separated, stop. Ça se rattrape: place 1 tbsp (15 ml / 15 g) cold heavy cream in a clean saucepan and whisk in the troubled sauce a spoonful at a time over low heat until smooth, adding the second tablespoon only if needed. Do not boil it again.

6. 6

   Fill the tartlets

   Warm the empty tartlet crusts in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes while the sauce is finished. Reheat the finished carrots à la Vichy gently, preserving their buttery glaze, and spoon them into the hot crusts only at the last moment so the pastry stays crisp. If the carrots have released extra liquid, lift them out and reduce their glaze separately before spooning it back over them.

7. 7

   Coat and serve

   Remove the trussing string and skewer, then coat the whole poularde generously with the finished suprême sauce, letting it pool beneath the bird. Arrange the eight carrot-filled tartlets around the platter and pour the remaining sauce into a warm sauceboat. Bring the poularde to the table whole, carve it there, and make certain each plate receives rice, sauce, and a tartlet. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A poularde is a plump young hen with enough fat to remain tender through braising. If your butcher cannot provide one, choose a broad-breasted roasting chicken of the same weight. Technique first, always; begin checking the temperature early because a leaner bird cooks less patiently.
• •Plain, unsweetened tartlet shells are correct. Bake small pâte brisée shells ahead if you wish, or buy good all-butter shells without sugar. The brigade's separate pastry station was scaffolding; the crisp shell holding the glazed carrots is what the dish requires.
• •Do not chase roast colour. This is cuisson à blanc, and the pale finish is deliberate. Its depth comes from good stock, concentrated braising liquor, and suprême sauce rather than a browned fond.
• •A dry Saint-Pourçain blanc is a handsome regional companion, with enough freshness for the cream and enough body for the stuffed bird. Serve the sauce generously. We don't apologize for butter.

Advance Preparation

• •The ordinary pilaff rice and suprême sauce can be prepared one day ahead and chilled separately. Cool the rice promptly in a shallow container, and reheat the sauce over gentle heat only after the braising liquor has been reduced.
• •The tartlet crusts can be baked up to two days ahead and kept airtight at room temperature. The carrots à la Vichy can be prepared earlier on the day of serving and reheated gently in their glaze.
• •Stuff the pullet only immediately before braising. For a dinner party, arrange every finished component beforehand, then use the bird's 20-minute rest to finish the sauce, warm the shells, and fill the tartlets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 540g)