Suprêmes de Volaille Maryland

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •1½-quart (1.5 litre) saucepan
• •Rimmed baking tray with wire rack
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small oval serving platter and saucière

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the suprêmes

   Use Poulet Sauté Maryland (No. 1565) as the governing preparation: seasoning, warm butter, fine crumbs, clarified-butter cooking, grilled bacon, maize galettes, fried banana, and horseradish cream passed separately. Place each suprême between two sheets of parchment and tap only the thick end until the breast is an even ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Pat dry, season with 1½ teaspoons of the salt and half the white pepper, then keep cold while you prepare the accompaniments.

   Don't pound the chicken thin like an escalope. You are evening the breast, not flattening it; a uniform thickness lets the crust bronze before the centre dries.
2. 2

   Make the cream sauce

   Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 2 minutes without letting the roux colour. Whisk in the 1 cup milk a little at a time, then add the cream and bring the sauce to the gentlest simmer. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, whisking often, until it reaches nappe, a coating consistency that leaves a clean track when you draw a finger across the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, whisk in the horseradish, ½ teaspoon salt, and the remaining white pepper. If it lumps, take it off the heat and whisk in a spoonful of cold milk; strain it if necessary. Ça se rattrape. Cover the surface directly and hold warm without boiling.

3. 3

   Mix the maize galettes

   Whisk together the cornmeal, ¼ cup flour, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Beat the egg with ⅔ cup milk and the tablespoon of melted butter, then stir the liquid into the dry ingredients. Rest the batter for 10 minutes so the cornmeal hydrates. It should fall reluctantly from a spoon; if it stands like paste, loosen it with the reserved milk, one tablespoon at a time.

   Keep the galettes small, about 2 inches (5 cm) across. Large ones crack when turned and begin competing with the chicken.
4. 4

   Grill the bacon

   Set an oven rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler. Lay the bacon on a wire rack over a rimmed tray and broil until browned and crisp at the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. This is the home salamander, direct overhead heat without another pan to tend. Drain the bacon on the rack so it stays crisp, then reduce the oven to 225°F (110°C) for holding the galettes.

5. 5

   Fry the galettes

   Heat 3 tablespoons of the clarified butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Drop in 8 rounded tablespoons of batter, working in two batches if the pan crowds, and flatten them gently into small rounds. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until the rims are crisp and both faces are deep maize-gold. If a galette breaks, make the remaining ones smaller and wait until the first face is fully set before turning. Transfer them to the wire rack and hold in the low oven.

6. 6

   Fry the bananas

   Wipe loose crumbs from the skillet and add 2 tablespoons clarified butter. When it glistens, lay in the banana slices without overlapping them. Cook for 45 to 60 seconds per side, just until butter-gold at the edges while still holding their shape. Lift them onto a warm plate. A soft, heavily spotted banana will collapse here, so use fruit that is ripe but still firm.

7. 7

   Crumb and sauté

   Pour the warm melted butter into a shallow dish and spread the breadcrumbs in another. Dip each suprême in butter, coating every surface, then press it firmly into the crumbs. Let the coating settle for 5 minutes. Heat the remaining clarified butter over medium heat until a test crumb sizzles steadily and turns golden in about 30 seconds. Cook the chicken in two uncrowded batches for 4 to 5 minutes on the first side and 3 to 5 minutes on the second, adjusting the heat so the crumbs bronze gradually. The centre must reach 165°F (74°C). If the coating darkens before the chicken is cooked, lift the pan from the heat, add a little fresh clarified butter, lower the flame, and finish the suprêmes on a rack in the 350°F (175°C) oven. The crust is saved and the breast cooks through. Ça se rattrape.

   This butter-and-crumb coating is the dish. Don't add flour or egg; those belong to a different breading system and produce a heavier shell.
8. 8

   Arrange the Maryland garnish

   Rest the suprêmes on a rack for 3 minutes, never on paper, which softens the underside. Arrange them across a warm oval platter with a crisp slice of grilled bacon between each portion, then surround them with the maize galettes and fried banana. Stir the horseradish cream over low heat, loosening it with a spoonful of milk if it has tightened, and pour it into a warm saucière, a sauce boat, to pass separately. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A chicken suprême is the breast portion, neatly trimmed. Choose four of similar weight and even only the thick ends; technique first, always, because mismatched thickness matters more here than the price of the bird.
• •Use fine white breadcrumbs, not coarse flakes. The warm butter must moisten them into a close, delicate coat that browns evenly and stays attached when the chicken is turned.
• •Prepared horseradish varies enormously. Begin with two tablespoons if yours is fierce, taste after it enters the warm sauce, then add the third. Add it off the boil so its clean heat isn't cooked away.
• •Clarified butter is essential because its milk solids have been removed, allowing the crumbs to bronze without the cooking fat burning. To make it, melt unsalted butter gently, skim the foam, and pour off the clear golden fat while leaving the milky sediment behind.
• •A dry Loire Chenin Blanc has the acidity for the butter and cream, with enough orchard fruit to meet the banana without making the plate taste sweet.

Advance Preparation

• •The horseradish cream can be made up to 1 day ahead, covered directly on its surface and chilled. Reheat it over low heat, whisking in a spoonful of milk if it has thickened.
• •The dry ingredients for the maize galettes can be combined earlier in the day. Add the egg, milk, and melted butter shortly before frying so the baking powder retains its lift.
• •Trim and even the chicken several hours ahead, then keep it covered and cold. Apply the butter and breadcrumbs no more than 30 minutes before cooking; a longer wait makes the coating damp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)