Suprêmes de Volaille à l’Indienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10-inch (25 cm) heavy skillet
• •2-quart (2 L) saucepan
• •4-quart (4 L) pot for the rice
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Shallow ovenproof dish
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Two deep serving bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Build curry foundation

   Melt the sauce butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, apple, and a pinch of the measured salt, then sweat them for 8 to 10 minutes without browning. Stir in the curry powder for 30 seconds, only until fragrant, then add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. This blond roux gives the sauce its body; keep the heat gentle because scorched curry turns bitter.

2. 2

   Finish the sauce

   Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of the stock. Whisk the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) into the roux in four additions, smoothing each one before adding the next. Stir in the coconut milk and add the bouquet garni. Hold at a bare simmer for 15 minutes, stirring along the bottom occasionally, then pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly on the onion and apple. Return it to the saucepan and whisk in all but 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the cream, followed by the lemon juice. Season with about ½ teaspoon of the measured salt and a pinch of white pepper. The sauce should coat a spoon in a soft, glossy sheet; loosen it with a little reserved stock if it sits heavily.

   If the roux forms lumps, don't lose your nerve. Whisk while the sauce simmers and pass it through the sieve as directed. It will come out smooth.
3. 3

   Cook the rice

   Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs nearly clear. Bring the measured water and rice salt to a rolling boil, add the rice, and boil uncovered for 9 to 11 minutes, until tender but still distinct grain by grain. Drain thoroughly, spread it in a shallow ovenproof dish, and fold in the rice butter without crushing the grains. Dry it in the low oven for 8 to 10 minutes, fluffing once with a fork. Hold it loosely covered so it stays separate rather than compacting into a heavy mound.

4. 4

   Sauté the suprêmes

   Pat the suprêmes completely dry and gently press any very thick ends so each breast cooks evenly. Season with the remaining salt and white pepper. Melt 1½ tablespoons of the sautéing butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, lay in the suprêmes presentation-side down and leave them undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes, until butter-gold underneath. Turn, add the remaining butter if the pan looks dry, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the centers register about 150°F to 155°F (66°C to 68°C). They are not finished yet. If the butter solids begin turning black, lift out the chicken, wipe the pan, and continue with fresh butter rather than carrying bitterness into the sauce.

5. 5

   Finish below boiling

   Move the suprêmes to a plate. Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) of the reserved stock into the skillet, scrape up the butter-browned fond, and reduce it by half. Whisk this reduction into the curry sauce, adding more reserved stock only if the sauce needs loosening. Bring the sauce to the edge of a simmer by itself, then lower the heat until the surface is entirely quiet. Nestle in the suprêmes and hold them in the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until their thickest parts reach 165°F (74°C). Do not let the sauce boil around them. If bubbles break the surface, lift the saucepan off the heat, remove the chicken, and whisk in the reserved tablespoon of cool cream; once the sauce is quiet, return the suprêmes just long enough to finish. Ça se rattrape.

   If the sauce is thin, remove the chicken and reduce the sauce alone. Reducing with the suprêmes in the pan is how tender breast meat becomes tight and dry.
6. 6

   Serve in timbales

   Warm two deep serving bowls with hot water and dry them well. Arrange the suprêmes whole in one bowl and spoon the curry sauce generously over and around them. Fluff the rice à l’Indienne into the second bowl and send it to the table separately, exactly as the dish requires. Each guest takes rice first, then a suprême and enough sauce to pool around it. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose suprêmes of similar size, about 5 to 6 ounces (140 to 170 g) each. If one has an exceptionally thick end, press it gently to an even thickness rather than battering the whole breast flat.
• •Curry powder loses its scent while it waits in the cupboard. Use a fresh, mild blend and warm it briefly in butter before the flour goes in. The finished sauce should be aromatic and rounded, not aggressively hot.
• •Use full-fat unsweetened coconut milk, not cream of coconut. The latter is sweetened for drinks and would turn a savory sauce into pudding. Butter and real cream remain essential to the texture.
• •An off-dry Vouvray from the Loire has enough acidity for the cream and enough fruit for the curry. Serve it cool, not icy, so its aroma reaches the table.

Advance Preparation

• •The curry sauce can be prepared through straining up to 2 days ahead. Cool it promptly, cover, and chill; reheat it to a bare simmer, then add the cream and lemon shortly before sautéing the chicken.
• •The suprêmes can be trimmed and patted dry up to 4 hours ahead, then kept covered in the cold. Season them immediately before they meet the butter.
• •For the best separate grains, cook the rice near serving time. If it finishes early, hold it loosely covered in the low oven for no more than 20 minutes and fluff it once before filling its bowl.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)