Suprêmes de Volaille Georgette

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •2-quart (2-liter) saucepan
• •12-inch (30 cm) straight-sided sauté pan with lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •13-inch (33 cm) round serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Match the foundations

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Set each raw suprême beside an oblong potato and compare their outlines without letting the chicken touch the potato. Choose a potato just slightly larger than its breast, with a broad, level underside and no more than ¼ inch (6 mm) projecting along either side. Season the suprêmes with 1 teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the white pepper, cover, and keep them cold. Matching now is the step that keeps the finished crown standing.

2. 2

   Bake the pommes

   Prick each potato once and bake it directly on a rimmed sheet for 50 to 60 minutes, until a skewer passes through without resistance. Let the potatoes stand for 10 minutes, then cut a long, shallow lid from each one. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a sturdy ¼-inch (6 mm) wall and an unbroken base. Reserve the flesh for another meal. Brush the cavities with 1 tablespoon of the butter and season lightly with salt. If a shell splits, don't discard it. Ça se rattrape: wrap a snug collar of folded foil around its sides, leaving the cavity exposed, and keep the collar in place through gratiner.

3. 3

   Build the white roux

   Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook this white roux, butter and flour cooked without browning, for 2 minutes. Add the milk, except for the reserved cold portion, a little at a time while whisking, then add the cream. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the sauce is thick enough to leave a clean trail across the pan. Remove it from the heat and stir in slightly more than half the Gruyère, the nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of the white pepper, and enough salt to sharpen the flavor. Fold in the dry shrimp. If the sauce seizes or turns lumpy, stop adding ingredients. Ça se rattrape: whisk in the reserved cold milk one spoonful at a time, pass the sauce through a sieve, then fold in the shrimp.

4. 4

   Fill and gratiner

   Heat the broiler and place a rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below it. Spoon the shrimp filling into the potato shells and level it exactly with the rims rather than mounding it, because each suprême needs a flat seat. Scatter the remaining Gruyère over the filling and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over the tops. Gratiner, brown under fierce top heat, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is spotted deep gold and the filling bubbles at the edges. If the cheese colors before the center is hot, lower the rack and finish for another minute. Turn the oven down to 200°F (95°C) and hold the pommes there only while the chicken poaches.

5. 5

   Poach the suprêmes

   Warm 1¾ cups (420 ml) of the chicken stock until barely simmering, keeping the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) cold. Coat a wide sauté pan and a round of parchment with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Arrange the suprêmes smooth side up in one layer, pour in enough warm stock to reach halfway up their sides, and lay the buttered parchment directly over them. Cover and hold the liquid at the faintest quiver for 10 to 14 minutes, without browning or a hard boil, until the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C). If the liquid begins boiling, lift the pan off the heat and add some reserved cold stock. Ça se rattrape if you cool the poach before the fibers tighten. Rest the chicken for 3 minutes, then blot only the undersides so they will sit securely.

6. 6

   Build the crown

   Warm a round serving platter. Set one suprême squarely on each pomme Georgette, then place a fine slice of truffle at the exact center of every breast. Arrange the four portions radially, with their narrow ends pointing inward to form a crown. If one rocks, lift it and shave a paper-thin slice from the underside of its potato rather than wedging it with garnish. Bring the crown to the table at once, while the potato edges remain bronzed and the poached chicken still gleams. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Take the chicken package to the potato bin if you can, or note the length and width before shopping. The potato must support the whole suprême without becoming a great barge beneath it. Proportion is not decoration here; it is structure.
• •Use small cooked shrimp tails and dry them thoroughly. Large prawns make the filling coarse, while wet shrimp loosen the roux and can turn the potato shell soggy.
• •Fresh black truffle is splendid when the season gives it. A good whole preserved truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer at other times. Truffle oil cannot supply the fine central slice the entry requires, so it doesn't belong here.
• •Serve a restrained white Burgundy or a dry Champagne. Both have enough freshness for the cream and Gruyère without trampling the quiet chicken and truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •The potatoes can be baked, hollowed, filled, and chilled for up to 6 hours. Bring them out 30 minutes before dinner, warm them at 375°F (190°C) for about 15 minutes, then gratiner just before poaching the chicken.
• •The shrimp filling can be prepared one day ahead, cooled promptly, covered directly at the surface, and refrigerated. Reheat it gently with a spoonful of milk before filling the potatoes.
• •Trim and season the suprêmes up to 45 minutes ahead, but poach them only when the pommes are ready. Reheated breast meat loses the tenderness this construction depends upon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)