Turban de Filets de Poulet

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-inch (20 cm), 5-cup (1.2 litre) even-sided savarin-mould
• •Food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small offset spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the salpicon

   Put ¾ cup (180 ml) of the Allemande sauce in a small saucepan and reduce it gently to ½ cup (120 ml), stirring often so the liaison does not catch. Cool it promptly over ice, then fold in the diced tongue, mushrooms, and diced half of the truffle. The sauce should cohere the salpicon without pooling beneath it. If it remains loose, reduce it a little further before cooling; if it tightens into paste, loosen it with a spoonful of the reserved Allemande sauce. Chill until assembly.

2. 2

   Shape the fillets

   Lay the three butterflied breasts between sheets of baking paper and pound them evenly to ⅛ inch (3 mm), working from the centre outward so the flesh stretches without tearing. Trim them into neat panels long enough to cross the channel of the savarin-mould and hang over both rims; reserve every sound trimming for the mousseline. Season the panels lightly with half the salt and half the white pepper, then return them to the cold.

3. 3

   Build the mousseline

   Put the cubed chicken and reserved trimmings in a chilled food processor with the remaining salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Process until smooth and sticky, add the egg white, then pour in ½ cup (120 ml) of the cold cream in a thin stream, stopping as soon as the mousseline is pale and glossy. Press it through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl set over ice. If it turns greasy or grainy, stop and chill it for ten minutes, then process it briefly with 1 tablespoon of the reserved cold cream. Ça se rattrape before it cooks.

   Poach a teaspoon of mousseline in barely simmering water until cooked through, then taste it. If the texture is too firm, fold the final tablespoon of cream into the cold mixture; if it slumps, chill it for twenty minutes rather than adding flour.
4. 4

   Line the mould

   Butter an 8-inch (20 cm), 5-cup (1.2 litre) savarin-mould generously. Lay the chicken panels crosswise around its channel, overlapping their sides slightly and leaving their ends hanging over the inner and outer rims. Set a narrow row of thin truffle slices between each panel so the black seams will show when the turban is turned out. Press the lining gently against the buttered metal, repairing any tear with a chicken trimming.

5. 5

   Layer the filling

   Spread cold mousseline over the lined mould in an even layer about ⅔ inch (1.7 cm) thick, coating the base and both sides of the channel. A spoon dipped in cold water smooths it without dragging. Fill roughly three-quarters of the remaining depth with the chilled salpicon, packing it evenly but without crushing the dice. Keep enough room above it for the sealing layer of mousseline.

6. 6

   Seal the turban

   Cover the salpicon completely with the remaining mousseline, filling the mould level without mounding it. Fold the overhanging ends of the chicken panels across the mousseline, alternating inner and outer ends so the base closes neatly. Press lightly to remove air pockets. If the mousseline softens or begins sliding, put the whole mould in the cold for ten minutes; patience, not starch.

7. 7

   Poach in bain-marie

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Cover the mould with buttered baking paper and foil, set it in a deep roasting pan, and pour in very hot water to reach two-thirds of the way up its sides. Poach in the bain-marie for about 40 minutes, keeping the water below a boil, until the mousseline feels resilient and the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C). If the centre remains cooler, return it for five-minute intervals; hard boiling will make the fillets tough and the mousseline porous.

8. 8

   Settle and unmould

   Lift the mould from the bain-marie, uncover it, and let it stand for five minutes so its contents settle and grip one another. Run a thin knife only around the two rims, place a warmed round platter over the mould, and invert decisively. If the turban clings, wrap the mould for thirty seconds in a towel wrung from hot water, then lift again. Do not pry at the chicken panels.

9. 9

   Finish the crown

   Rewarm the remaining Allemande sauce over gentle heat, stirring until it runs in a glossy ribbon; never boil a liaison sauce. Spoon the hot Toulousaine garnish from Poularde Toulousaine (No. 1524) generously into the centre of the turban. Draw a narrow thread of Allemande sauce around its base and serve the rest separately. Carry the platter to the table whole, then cut between the truffle-marked panels. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The mould determines the number and width of the fillets. An even-sided 8-inch (20 cm) savarin-mould gives four generous servings; a plain tube pan of the same capacity is the honest substitute. Avoid a deeply fluted Bundt mould, whose decoration traps the chicken and muddles the clean turban shape.
• •Fresh black truffle is splendid when available, but a whole preserved black truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer. Drain it well and cut it yourself. Truffle oil cannot form the dark seams or the firm dice this dish requires.
• •Buy cooked tongue from a good butcher and ask for a piece thick enough to dice neatly. Ham changes both the texture and the flavour of the salpicon, so it is not an invisible substitution.
• •Serve a white Burgundy with enough body for the cream, chicken, and truffle, or Champagne for the celebration. Keep the rest of the plate quiet; the turban already brings its sauce and garnish.

Advance Preparation

• •The Allemande sauce and Toulousaine garnish from Poularde Toulousaine (No. 1524) can be prepared one day ahead and refrigerated separately. Reheat both gently, without boiling the sauce.
• •The salpicon can be mixed one day ahead and kept tightly covered in the cold. Bring none of it to room temperature before filling the mould.
• •The turban can be assembled up to four hours before poaching. Cover and refrigerate it in its mould, then transfer it directly to the prepared bain-marie.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 420g)