Suprêmes de Volaille Chimay

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch / 30 cm heavy skillet
• •10-inch / 25 cm sauté pan
• •2-quart / 2-litre saucepan
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Wooden spoon and small whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Shape the suprêmes

   Trim away any loose tissue and tuck the narrow tenderloin flap beneath each suprême. Place the breasts between sheets of parchment and tap only the thick ends until every piece is about 3/4 inch / 2 cm thick. You are evening them, not making escalopes. Dry them thoroughly, then season with the remaining 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) salt and the white pepper.

   Choose breasts close to the same weight. If one is much larger, split it horizontally or cook it separately; the pan cannot make uneven pieces finish together.
2. 2

   Clarify the butter

   Melt 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) of the butter very gently in a small saucepan. Let the white milk solids settle and the foam rise, then skim the foam and pour the clear golden fat through a fine strainer, leaving the pale sediment behind. This clarified butter can gild the chicken without scorching. If a few solids begin to colour, take the pan off the heat and strain immediately; pale gold is usable, dark brown belongs to another dish.

3. 3

   Build the gravy base

   Bring the chicken stock to a lively simmer in the same clean saucepan and reduce it to about 3/4 cup (180 ml / 180 g), which should take 15 to 20 minutes. It must taste distinctly of chicken before it meets the pan fond. Meanwhile, knead 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the remaining soft butter with the flour to make a beurre manié, a kneaded butter thickener, and reserve it for the finish.

4. 4

   Prepare the garnish

   Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and season it with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g) of the salt. Blanch the asparagus tips for 2 minutes, just until vivid green and barely tender, then chill them in cold water and drain them very thoroughly. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a separate sauté pan, add the cleaned morels, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. They will first release liquid, then begin to sizzle again as it evaporates. Cook them fully, because morels must never be eaten raw or undercooked, then take the pan off the heat and keep the asparagus separate until the final binding.

5. 5

   Gild the suprêmes

   Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons (45 ml / about 40 g) of the clarified butter. When it moves freely across the pan, lay in the suprêmes smooth-side down. They should answer with a steady, gentle sizzle. Cook without nudging for 5 to 6 minutes, until evenly golden, then turn and lower the heat slightly. Cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, until the thickest part reaches 160 to 162°F / 71 to 72°C. If the surface colours before the centre is ready, lift the pan off the heat for 30 seconds, lower the flame, and continue gently. Transfer the suprêmes to a warm platter and rest them loosely covered until they reach 165°F / 74°C.

   The colour should be butter gold, not a hard dark crust. This is a gilding in clarified butter, and restraint is part of the technique.
6. 6

   Finish the jus lié

   Pour off excess butter from the chicken skillet, leaving the browned fond. Add the reduced stock and scrape the pan clean with a wooden spoon, then simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk in the beurre manié a pea-sized piece at a time and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping when the jus lié lightly coats a spoon but still pours in a narrow thread. Add the chicken's resting juices and taste. If the gravy becomes too thick, whisk in hot water 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) at a time; if it remains thin, simmer it a little longer. If it lumps, strain it and return it to the heat. Ça se rattrape. If the original fond burned black, leave it behind and finish the reduced stock in a clean saucepan rather than carrying bitterness to the plate.

7. 7

   Bind and serve

   Return the morels to gentle heat, add the drained asparagus tips and the final 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter, then toss until the butter and mushroom juices form a thin glaze around the vegetables. This is lier au beurre, binding with butter. If the butter sits in a greasy puddle, add 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) hot water and toss again until it coheres. Set one suprême on each warm plate, arrange the morels and asparagus around it, and surround everything with a narrow thread of jus lié. Do not cover the golden chicken. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh morels make Chimay a true spring plate. Out of season, use 1 loosely packed cup (240 ml / 28 g) dried morels, soak them in warm water for 20 minutes, rinse them carefully, and cook them fully in butter. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter and replace up to 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the chicken stock with it.
• •Morels hide grit inside their hollow caps. Split them lengthwise, rinse each one under cold water, and dry them well; no amount of butter can make sand pleasant under the teeth.
• •Use unsalted stock with enough natural body to become glossy when reduced. If a chilled spoonful sets softly in the cold, you have an excellent foundation; a thin carton stock simply needs further reduction.
• •A modest chicken cooked attentively is better than a costly bird left dry. Match the breast sizes, use a thermometer, and let the clarified butter do its quiet work.
• •Pour a fresh white Burgundy with restrained oak, or a dry Champagne for the dinner-party table. Both have enough breadth for the morels without flattening the asparagus.

Advance Preparation

• •Clarify the butter and reduce the chicken stock up to 2 days ahead. Chill them separately, then warm the stock before finishing the gravy.
• •Clean the morels and blanch the asparagus tips up to 4 hours ahead. Keep both covered and cold, with the asparagus dried thoroughly before storage.
• •Shape the suprêmes up to 6 hours ahead and keep them covered in the cold. Dry and season them only shortly before cooking.
• •The finished dish should not be held. Cook the chicken and bind the garnish just before serving so the suprêmes remain succulent and the asparagus keeps its shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 325g)