Poularde Washington

Poularde Washington (braised pullet stuffed with sweet corn and sausage) teaches one discipline above all: glaze late. The bird must cook gently before its reduced juices touch the skin. Brush them on too soon and repeated heat toughens the surface; wait until the final minutes and the skin takes on a supple, burnished shine.

The entry assumes a saucier on staff, a stockpot never off the fire, and a salamander ready for service. At home, one covered cocotte braises the bird, good unsalted chicken stock supplies the liquor, and that same liquor reduces while the poularde rests; your broiler gives the final flash. Separate braising and holding pans were brigade scaffolding, so they go. The maize, onion, and sausage stuffing, the gentle braise, the creamed maize served apart, and the last-minute glaze are the dish, so they stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.

For four, a plump 4½-pound young chicken holds the source ratio of 10 ounces green maize to 3 ounces sausage meat. Frozen sweet corn, already blanched before freezing, is the honest equivalent of three-parts cooked green maize when excellent fresh corn is absent. Keep the stuffing loose, bring its centre safely to temperature, and do not glaze until the table is nearly ready. That last restraint decides the dish.