Blanc de Poulet Élisabeth

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10 to 12-inch (25 to 30 cm) heavy sauté pan with lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Oyster knife and cut-resistant glove or firmly folded towel
• •Two nested stainless-steel bowls for the ice bath
• •4-inch (10 cm) round cutter or a sharp knife
• •Large oval serving platter and sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the oysters

   Set a small stainless-steel bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice. Shuck the oysters into the inner bowl, keeping their clear liquor and checking carefully for shell fragments. If the fishmonger shucked them, transfer the oysters and liquor straight into the chilled bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, keeping them at 40°F (4°C) or colder. The ice chills the bowl; the oysters must never sit in melting ice water, which dilutes their flavor and can contaminate them.

   Discard any live oyster that stays open when tapped, has a broken shell, or smells unpleasant after opening. A sound oyster smells cleanly of the sea.
2. 2

   Make the cold cushion

   Cut the bread into a low, level disc about 4 inches (10 cm) across and 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, trimming away the crust. Wrap it so it doesn't dry out and chill it for at least 2 hours. This is the home equivalent of the shaped bread cushion used for formal service. It has a real job: supporting the oysters and keeping the center cold. Leave it refrigerated until the final assembly, and keep the serving platter at room temperature so it doesn't chill the chicken.

3. 3

   Set the service

   Place the finished Sauce Suprême in a small saucepan and warm it slowly, stirring often, until hot, glossy, and flowing, about 150°F (65°C). Do not boil it. If it tightens while waiting, whisk in the hot water 1 teaspoon at a time until it coats the back of a spoon again. If it seems thin, hold it at the barest simmer for a minute or two. Ça se rattrape. Warm the empty sauceboat with hot tap water, then dry it thoroughly, and set the platter and serving spoon beside the stove.

   Sauce Suprême is a finished preparation here, just as the source treats it. Make it from its own entry before beginning this recipe; this dish coats and serves the sauce but does not rebuild it.
4. 4

   Poach the suprêmes

   Pat the suprêmes very dry, tuck each thin end underneath for even thickness, and season them with the salt. Melt the butter in a wide covered sauté pan over low heat, then add the lemon juice. Lay in the chicken in one uncrowded layer and cover. Poach very gently, turning once after about 6 minutes, until the butter barely bubbles and the thickest part of each breast reaches 165°F (74°C), usually 12 to 16 minutes. The butter must stay pale. If it begins to color or spit hard, move the pan off the burner for a minute and lower the heat before continuing. If one suprême finishes early, lift it out and cover it loosely while the thicker pieces catch up.

5. 5

   Build and serve

   Move quickly now. Set the very cold bread cushion in the center of the room-temperature platter. Lift the hot suprêmes from the poaching butter, let them drain for a few seconds, and arrange them around the cushion. Spoon about half the hot Sauce Suprême over the chicken only, coating each breast in a smooth ivory veil. Lift the oysters from their liquor with a slotted spoon, drain them briefly without rinsing, and arrange all twelve closely on the bread cushion. Pour the remaining Sauce Suprême into the warmed sauceboat and send it alongside. If the table isn't ready, do not assemble; hold every component separately. Once built, Élisabeth waits for no one. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy oysters only from a reputable seller who approves them for raw service, and keep them cold from shop to table. Technique first, but raw shellfish leaves no room for careless handling.
• •Raw oysters carry a serious illness risk for pregnant guests, young children, older adults, and anyone with weakened immunity or liver disease. For those guests, choose another classical poultry dish. Cooking the oysters changes the defining hot-cold composition, and I won't pretend the substitution is invisible.
• •Choose four suprêmes close in weight and thickness. Pale poached chicken gives you no useful browning cue, so an instant-read thermometer earns its place here. Remove each breast as it reaches temperature rather than sacrificing the smaller pieces to the largest one.
• •Use real butter. Margarine cannot poach delicately or taste right beneath Sauce Suprême. We don't apologize for butter.
• •The bread cushion is structural, not a side dish. Keep it low enough that the oysters look settled rather than perched, and place it on the platter only when the chicken is ready.
• •A dry Chablis has enough mineral edge for the oysters and enough acidity for the cream sauce. Pour it cold, but not numbingly so.
• •Do not refrigerate the assembled platter for leftovers. Discard oysters that have warmed beside the chicken; chill any remaining poultry and sauce separately within 2 hours.

Advance Preparation

• •The Sauce Suprême can be finished 1 day ahead, covered directly on its surface, chilled, and reheated very gently. Never let it boil.
• •Shape and wrap the bread cushion up to 4 hours ahead, then keep it thoroughly cold until assembly.
• •The suprêmes may be trimmed and salted up to 4 hours ahead, covered and refrigerated. Cook them only when the table is ready.
• •Shuck and hold the oysters over ice for at least 2 hours before serving, as the source directs, but do not leave shucked oysters overnight. Keep them covered at 40°F (4°C) or colder.
• •The finished platter cannot be made ahead. Its hot-cold contrast lasts minutes, which is why the last assembly must wait until every guest is seated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 330g)