Suprêmes de Volaille Dreux

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) lidded ovenproof sauté pan
• •2-quart (2-liter) heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •½-inch (1.25 cm) round cutter
• •Parchment paper
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the cocks' combs

   Put the prepared cocks' combs in a small saucepan with ½ cup (120 ml) of the stock and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cover and hold at a bare simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until thoroughly hot and supple but still intact. Lift them out carefully and cover them. Measure the cooking liquor, then add enough unused stock to make 1½ cups (360 ml) for the sauce; this carries the poultry flavor forward instead of sending it down the sink.

2. 2

   Build the velouté base

   Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook this roux blond (pale roux) for 2 minutes without letting it color. Add the measured stock gradually, whisking until smooth after each addition, then simmer gently for 12 to 15 minutes. Skim if necessary. The base is ready when it lightly nappes the back of a spoon and tastes of chicken rather than flour. If it lumps, whisk firmly and pass it through a fine sieve; the sauce is not lost.

3. 3

   Inlay the suprêmes

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pat the suprêmes dry and season them lightly with half the salt and white pepper; the tongue will bring more salt later. Across the rounded face of each breast, cut 6 short, parallel incisions at intervals of about ½ inch (1.25 cm). Angle the knife slightly and stop halfway through the flesh. Half-insert alternating roundels of truffle and tongue, leaving the upper half of each visible like a row of small coins. If one incision passes through, close the underside with a short wooden pick and remove it before serving. Ça se rattrape.

   Shallow, evenly spaced cuts are the structure of Dreux. Deep cuts open during cooking and let the breast lose its juices, while crowded inlays turn the surface into patchwork.
4. 4

   Pocher à sec

   Coat a lidded ovenproof sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter and arrange the suprêmes in one layer, inlaid sides up. Lay a buttered round of parchment directly over them, cover the pan, and warm it over low heat just until the butter melts without coloring. Transfer the covered pan to the oven and pocher à sec for 16 to 22 minutes, checking early and lifting each breast as soon as its thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C). The surface should remain pale and moist, with the inlays held neatly in place. Set the suprêmes on a warm plate, cover loosely, and pour their clear cooking juices into the velouté base.

5. 5

   Cook the kidneys

   Return the sauté pan to medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the dried chicken kidneys and sauté them for 3 to 5 minutes, turning frequently, until lightly bronzed, firm, and cooked to 165°F (74°C). Add the warmed cocks' combs and 2 tablespoons of the remaining stock, cover for 1 minute, then take the pan from the heat. Keep the garnish warm. Do not leave the kidneys over heat while the sauce is finished; these small pieces turn firm quickly.

6. 6

   Finish Sauce Allemande

   Bring the velouté base and chicken cooking juices just to a simmer, then remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks with all but the reserved tablespoon of cream. Whisk in a ladleful of hot velouté, then another, before returning this liaison (egg-yolk-and-cream thickening) to the saucepan. Stir over very low heat until Sauce Allemande becomes glossy, lightly coats a spoon, and reaches about 170°F (77°C); never let it boil. Add the lemon juice and taste before adding the remaining salt. If grains appear, take the pan off the heat immediately, whisk in the reserved cold cream, and strain into a clean warm pan. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with stock one spoonful at a time.

7. 7

   Dish à la Dreux

   Arrange the suprêmes on a warmed oval platter with their alternating truffle and tongue roundels fully visible. Surround them with the cocks' combs and chicken kidneys, then place the remaining truffle slices among the garnish. Spoon a moderate quantity of Sauce Allemande over the garnish and around the lower edges of the chicken, leaving the decorated faces uncovered. Serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A whole preserved black truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer when fresh black truffle is unavailable. If it comes packed in natural truffle liquor, strain that liquor and use it to replace the same amount of chicken stock in Sauce Allemande. Truffle oil cannot supply the roundels or the earthy depth this dish requires.
• •Ask for langue écarlate, or a simply cooked salted beef tongue. Avoid pastrami and heavily smoked tongue; their spice and smoke overwhelm the truffle and change the dish's flavor.
• •Buy cocks' combs already peeled and fully cooked. Peeling raw combs is brigade labor, not the heart of Dreux, and prepared jarred or frozen combs preserve both their shape and purpose. Chicken kidneys are tiny dark lobes that must usually be ordered from a poultry butcher; calf kidney is too large and too forceful a substitute.
• •Serve with a full-bodied white Burgundy that has freshness beneath its richness, or a light red Burgundy with restrained tannin. The sauce wants enough acidity to clear the palate, not a wine that wrestles with the truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •The cocks' combs and velouté base can be prepared one day ahead and chilled separately. Reheat the base gently, then add the egg-yolk-and-cream liaison only when the chicken is resting.
• •Cut the truffle and tongue roundels up to 6 hours ahead and keep them covered in the cold. The suprêmes may be incised and inlaid up to 2 hours before cooking, then covered and refrigerated.
• •Trim the kidneys earlier in the day, but cook them during the final minutes. Finished Sauce Allemande must be held gently and never boiled during reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)