Suprêmes de Volaille Judic

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp boning or petty knife
• •10- to 12-inch (25- to 30-cm) ovenproof sauté pan with tight-fitting lid
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Parchment paper
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warmed oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Shape the suprêmes

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pat the chicken dry and lay each breast smooth-side up. Cut a shallow V from the broad end, round the two shoulders, and trim the tapered end so the breast reads as a heart without becoming thin. Keep the tenderloin attached wherever it lies flat, and save every edge trimming for the gravy. Press the thickest part gently beneath parchment until each heart is an even ¾ inch (2 cm) thick, then season both sides with most of the salt and a little white pepper.

   Trim with restraint. The shape should be clear from the platter, but a breast carved down to geometric perfection becomes a very expensive scrap pile.
2. 2

   Braise the lettuces

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a wide ovenproof sauté pan over low heat. Roll the lettuces through the butter without coloring them, season lightly, and add 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g) stock. Cover with a parchment round and a close-fitting lid, then braise in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until a knife passes through each core without resistance. Lift the lettuces out, reduce their liquid over medium heat until glossy, then return them and roll them in the glaze. If the leaves loosen, gather them around the core and tuck the ends underneath. Ça se rattrape, and the folded lettuces will sit more steadily beneath the chicken.

3. 3

   Build the gravy

   While the lettuces braise, melt 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the chicken trimmings and brown them until the pan floor carries a deep bronze fond. Add the shallot and cook until softened, then stir in the flour for 1 minute. Pour in the remaining 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) stock gradually, whisking and scraping up every browned speck. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, strain through a fine sieve, and reduce to about ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g). It should taste concentrated but remain a little loose because the poaching juices are still to come.

4. 4

   Poach them dry

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter over the lowest heat in a clean ovenproof sauté pan, keeping it pale. Lay in the chicken hearts presentation-side up and spoon butter over them. Press a buttered parchment round directly onto the meat, cover the pan tightly, and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 14 to 18 minutes, checking each breast separately, until the thickest part reaches 160°F (71°C). Lift out any suprême that finishes early and rest them all, covered loosely, for 5 minutes; carryover heat will bring them to 165°F (74°C). Dry-poaching depends on trapped moisture and gentle heat, so don't keep a finished breast in the pan merely for the sake of matching clocks.

   The suprêmes should remain pale, plump, and lightly glazed with butter. If the butter begins coloring, reduce the heat at once; this dish wants tenderness, not a crust.
5. 5

   Cook the dark garnish

   Pour every drop of buttery chicken juice from the poaching pan into the gravy, then wipe the pan. Melt 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter over gentle heat. Season the cock’s kidneys or liver pieces lightly and cook them without a hard sear, turning until just firm and cooked through to 165°F (74°C). Slip the truffle slices into the hot gravy for 20 seconds to warm them and release their perfume, then lift them out intact.

6. 6

   Finish the gravy

   Bring the gravy to a lively simmer and reduce it until it coats the back of a spoon in a thin, glossy film. Take it off the heat and swirl in the final 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) cold butter, then correct the salt and white pepper. If it is too thick, loosen it with stock a teaspoon at a time; if it is thin, return it to the heat before adding the butter. If the butter separates, whisk in a teaspoon of cold stock off the heat. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Build the crown

   Arrange the four braised lettuces in a ring on a warmed oval platter. Rest one suprême on each lettuce with the pointed ends directed toward the center, forming a crown. Set one cock’s kidney or liver piece on each heart and lay a truffle slice over it. Spoon just enough thickened gravy across the chicken to make it gleam without hiding its shape, and send the remaining gravy to the table separately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose compact Little Gem lettuces with tight pale hearts. Large romaine hearts contain too much loose leaf and never form the small, silken supports this crown requires. Braised lettuce is the point here, not padding beneath the chicken.
• •A whole preserved black truffle is the honest classical-pantry answer when fresh truffles are unavailable. Buy one packed in its own juice, not flavored oil; the dish requires an actual slice with texture and perfume.
• •The source calls for one cock’s kidney on every suprême. Poultry kidneys are seldom sold separately, so chicken liver is the practical home equivalent, keeping the dark poultry-offal note while changing the texture honestly. If a poultry butcher supplies the kidneys, use them whole and cook them gently in butter.
• •Use unsalted stock with enough natural gelatin to set softly when cold. The sauce is reduced twice, and a salty carton only becomes saltier; technique can deepen modest stock, but it cannot remove excess seasoning.
• •Pour a white Burgundy with some breadth or a dry Champagne. Both have enough body for butter and truffle while leaving the braised lettuce clear and savory.

Advance Preparation

• •Shape and season the suprêmes up to 6 hours ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator, then let them stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before dry-poaching.
• •The gravy can be made through the first reduction a day ahead. Chill it promptly, reheat it gently, and add the chicken juices and final butter only before serving.
• •Braise the lettuces up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerate them in their reduced braising liquid. Rewarm them covered over low heat, turning carefully so the leaves remain gathered around the cores.
• •Cook the suprêmes, poultry-offal garnish, and truffle close to serving. Their textures lose more than the cook gains by holding them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)