Suprêmes de Volaille à la Valois

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 12-inch (30 cm) skillet
• •Small piping bag with a plain tip
• •Two 1-quart (1-liter) saucepans
• •Heatproof mixing bowl
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Wire rack and rimmed tray
• •Warm sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Stuff the olives

   Make a tiny mousseline, a smooth chicken forcemeat. Sprinkle the cold diced tenderloin with a pinch each of salt and white pepper, then chop and smear it against the board with the flat of a knife until smooth and tacky. Beat in the egg white, followed by the cold cream a few drops at a time. Keep everything cold so the mixture stays bound. Transfer it to a small piping bag and fill the cavity of each olive without mounding the ends. Chill the stuffed olives while you prepare the chicken.

2. 2

   Bread the suprêmes

   Place each suprême between sheets of parchment and tap the thicker end until the breast is an even ⅝ inch (1.5 cm) thick, keeping its natural shape. Dry well, then season both sides with most of the remaining salt and white pepper. Set the flour, the Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), and the breadcrumbs in three wide dishes. Coat each breast lightly with flour and shake off every loose patch, immerse it thoroughly in the Anglaise, then press it into the crumbs until evenly covered. If a bare patch appears, touch only that spot back into the Anglaise and crumbs. Rest the breaded suprêmes uncovered in the cold for 15 minutes so the coat adheres. Discard the flour, Anglaise, and crumbs that contacted raw chicken.

   Press the crumbs on gently. Crushing them into the chicken makes a heavy shell; even contact and a short cold rest give you a close crust without turning it into armor.
3. 3

   Reduce for Valois

   Combine the wine, vinegar, shallot, peppercorns, and reserved tarragon stems in a small saucepan. Boil steadily until only about 1½ tablespoons (22 ml) of sharp, fragrant liquid remains. Strain it into a heatproof bowl, pressing the shallot lightly, then let it cool until warm rather than hot. This concentrated reduction supplies the acidity that keeps the butter in balance.

4. 4

   Emulsify Sauce Valois

   Bring 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water to the barest simmer in a saucepan and set the bowl of reduction over it without letting the bowl touch the water. Add the yolks and cool water, then whisk constantly until pale, thick, and ribboning, reaching about 150°F (66°C). Remove the bowl from the pan. Whisk in ⅔ cup (160 ml / 145 g) of the warm clarified butter first by drops, then in a thin stream once the emulsion has body. Whisk in the warm meat glaze or demi-glace, lemon juice, chopped tarragon, and chervil, then correct the salt and pepper. If the sauce turns oily, stop adding butter and whisk in a teaspoon of cool water. If it separates completely, ça se rattrape: put a teaspoon of cool water in a clean warm bowl and whisk the broken sauce into it one spoonful at a time. Hold the finished Sauce Valois over warm water at 120 to 130°F (49 to 54°C), never over direct heat.

   The butter and yolk base should both feel warm, not hot. A great temperature difference makes the sauce struggle before it has a chance to form.
5. 5

   Cook in clarified butter

   Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and set a wire rack over a small tray. Heat the remaining 1 cup (240 ml / 215 g) clarified butter in a heavy 12-inch (30 cm) skillet until it reaches 350°F (175°C); a loose crumb should hiss immediately and turn gold without blackening. Cook the suprêmes two at a time, lowering them away from you, for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Turn only once. The crust should become evenly butter-gold while the center reaches 160 to 162°F (71 to 72°C), then carry to 165°F (74°C) during its brief rest. Hold the first batch on the rack in the low oven while the second cooks. Skim loose burnt crumbs between batches and let the butter return to temperature. If the coating colors before the chicken is ready, lower the heat at once and finish that breast on the rack in the oven. Never press it with the spatula; that only drives out its juices.

6. 6

   Poach olives last

   While the final suprêmes cook, bring the chicken stock to a bare simmer in the smallest saucepan that will hold the olives. Add the stuffed olives at the last moment and poach gently for 3 to 4 minutes, rolling them once, until the chicken filling is opaque and reaches 165°F (74°C). Do not boil them. If the filling begins to push out, pull the pan from the heat and let the olives finish in the hot stock. Drain them carefully and blot only their undersides.

7. 7

   Serve sauce apart

   Arrange one suprême on each warmed plate or overlap all four on a warm oval platter. Set five stuffed olives around each portion. Stir the Sauce Valois gently, loosening it with a teaspoon of warm water if it has tightened, then pour it into a warmed sauceboat and serve it separately. Do not blanket the crust before it reaches the table; each guest spoons the sauce beside the chicken so crisp crumb and warm emulsion remain distinct. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A suprême is the fine breast fillet, and equal size matters more than pedigree here. Choose four breasts of similar weight and make their thickness even; careful cooking will do more for a modest chicken than an expensive label ever can.
• •Clarified butter is essential because whole butter burns before the à l'anglaise crust has cooked. Clarify about 1 pound (454 g) unsalted butter to obtain the amount required. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Use a low-sodium demi-glace with a clean beef or veal flavor. Sauce Valois concentrates it further, so a salty commercial glaze will dominate both tarragon and chicken.
• •Fine white breadcrumbs give the close, even coat intended here. Coarse crumbs leave gaps and pull away from the breast when turned.
• •Chervil brings a soft anise note beside the tarragon. If it cannot be found, flat-leaf parsley will give freshness but not the same perfume; the substitution is sound, not invisible.
• •Pour a restrained white Burgundy or a dry Loire Chenin Blanc. Both have enough acidity for the emulsion and enough body for chicken cooked generously in butter.

Advance Preparation

• •The vinegar and wine reduction for Sauce Valois can be made up to two days ahead, strained, covered, and chilled. Bring it back to warm room temperature before adding the yolks.
• •Clarified butter can be prepared several days ahead and kept covered in the cold. Warm it gently until fluid before dividing it between the sauce and skillet.
• •The olives may be stuffed up to 8 hours ahead and kept covered in the cold. Poach them only at the last moment, as the source directs.
• •The suprêmes may be breaded up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated uncovered on a rack. The short dry rest helps the coating cling, but they must be cooked directly from the cold.
• •Do not make the finished Sauce Valois far ahead. It will hold over warm water for about 20 minutes, which is enough time to cook the chicken and poach the olives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)