Chef Juliette
Filets
Filets de volaille sautés teach the discipline of even cutting and last-minute cooking: flour lightly, gild quickly in clarified butter, and serve before a tender chicken breast has time to harden.
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Ursulines de Nancy
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1627, Ursulines de Nancy, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
A grand little hors d’œuvre made workable at home: crisp barquettes, Port-scented foie gras, tender chicken mousseline, black truffle, asparagus, and chicken glaze brought together with exact timing and no extra hands.
Appetizers & Snacks
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
50 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr 40 min total
Yield8 barquettes (4 appetizer servings)
Ursulines de Nancy (Nancy-style filled pastry boats) teach coordination. A composed hors d’œuvre is not one fearsome technique, but several modest preparations arriving together while the pastry is crisp, the quenelle is tender, and the glaze still gleams. The one true thing to know is this: chicken mousseline must remain cold until it enters the poaching liquid. Warm it during mixing and the emulsion loosens, leaving a grainy quenelle instead of a silken one.
The source assumed a pastry station sending finished Barquettes (No. 314), a saucier with demi-glace and chicken glaze ready, white consommé never far from the fire, and several hands assembling à la minute. At home, eight prepared shells, one pan of good unsalted consommé divided between poaching and reduction, and a little plain prepared demi-glace do the same honest work. The station handoffs are scaffolding and can go. The cold mousseline, gentle poach, foie gras and Port, truffle, asparagus, and butter-mounted glaze are the dish and must stay. No salamander is needed because nothing is gratinéed; a low oven only refreshes the pastry. Eight pieces serve four. One cook, one stove, one evening.
Done properly, each Ursuline gives you crisp amber pastry, warm foie gras beneath a plump chicken quenelle, a dark slice of truffle, and two little heaps of green asparagus held together by butter. It is generous, precise food, but cooking well is not cooking fancy. Before you touch a pan, chill the chicken, cream, egg white, processor bowl, and blade; cold is the step that decides the dish.
Ursulines de Nancy belongs to Nancy in Lorraine by title, but its culinary home is the grand-kitchen repertory of composed hot hors d’œuvres rather than the city’s everyday household table. The name recalls the Ursuline community associated with Nancy, while the formula itself, foie gras, truffle, asparagus, chicken mousseline, and glaze arranged in a barquette, is a named professional composition rather than documented convent fare. Its pairing of asparagus with truffle also reflects a pantry that relied on preserved truffles when the seasons did not meet.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
boneless, skinless chicken breast
Quantity
1 packed cup (240 ml / 170 g)
very cold and cut into 1-inch pieces
large egg white
Quantity
1 large egg white (2 tablespoons / 30 ml / 30 g)
very cold
heavy cream
Quantity
Up to ⅓ cup (80 ml / 80 g)
very cold
fine sea salt
Quantity
¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 4 g)
ground white pepper
Quantity
⅛ teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.25 g)
unsalted white chicken consommé
Quantity
4 cups (960 ml / 960 g)
divided between the glaze and poaching liquid
foie gras mi-cuit or foie gras torchon
Quantity
½ packed cup (120 ml / 115 g)
softened slightly
good plain demi-glace
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g)
ruby Port
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g)
slender asparagus tips
Quantity
1½ cups (360 ml / 150 g)
trimmed to about 1½ inches
fine sea salt for the asparagus water
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g)
cold unsalted butter
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g)
divided
fresh or whole preserved black truffle
Quantity
1 small truffle (about ¾ ounce / 20 g)
cut into 8 thin, wide slices
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Barquettesfully baked and cooled | 8 Barquettes (No. 314) |
| boneless, skinless chicken breastvery cold and cut into 1-inch pieces | 1 packed cup (240 ml / 170 g) |
| large egg whitevery cold | 1 large egg white (2 tablespoons / 30 ml / 30 g) |
| heavy creamvery cold | Up to ⅓ cup (80 ml / 80 g) |
| fine sea salt | ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 4 g) |
| ground white pepper | ⅛ teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.25 g) |
| unsalted white chicken consommédivided between the glaze and poaching liquid | 4 cups (960 ml / 960 g) |
| foie gras mi-cuit or foie gras torchonsoftened slightly | ½ packed cup (120 ml / 115 g) |
| good plain demi-glace | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) |
| ruby Port | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) |
| slender asparagus tipstrimmed to about 1½ inches | 1½ cups (360 ml / 150 g) |
| fine sea salt for the asparagus water | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g) |
| cold unsalted butterdivided | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) |
| fresh or whole preserved black trufflecut into 8 thin, wide slices | 1 small truffle (about ¾ ounce / 20 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Food processor with metal blade
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Small heavy saucepan
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Two dessert spoons for shaping quenelles
- •Rimmed baking tray
- •Small sauceboat
Instructions
- 1
Chill the mousseline tools
Put the processor bowl and blade in the cold for 15 minutes. Keep the chicken, egg white, and cream chilled until the instant they are needed. Set a bowl over ice beside the processor. Mousseline is an emulsion, and warmth is its enemy; beginning cold gives the chicken enough strength to hold the cream without turning oily.
Cut the chicken before chilling it. Small, firm pieces purée quickly, which means less friction and less heat. - 2
Reduce the chicken glaze
Pour 2 cups of the consommé into a small saucepan and bring it to a lively but controlled simmer. Reduce it to ½ cup, about 20 to 25 minutes, skimming any foam, until it tastes concentrated and lightly coats a cold spoon. Transfer it to a clean cup and reserve it. If it becomes tacky or too salty, whisk in cold water a tablespoon at a time until the balance returns. Ça se rattrape. Keep the remaining 2 cups of consommé cold for poaching.
- 3
Make the chicken mousseline
Put the cold chicken, ¾ teaspoon salt, and white pepper in the chilled processor. Process in short bursts until the chicken forms a smooth, sticky paste, scraping the bowl twice. Add the egg white in two additions, processing only until each disappears. With the motor pulsing, add all but 1 tablespoon of the cream gradually. Stop when the mousseline is glossy, smooth, and soft enough to fall slowly from a spoon while still holding its shape. Scrape it into the bowl over ice, cover, and chill for 20 minutes.
If the paste looks grainy or leaves a greasy film on the bowl, stop immediately. Chill it over ice for 10 minutes, then process briefly until it comes back together. Do not keep running a warm processor and hope for mercy. - 4
Blend the foie gras
Simmer the Port in a small saucepan for about 30 seconds, then stir in the demi-glace and remove the pan from the heat. Let the mixture cool until just warm. Press the foie gras through a fine sieve into a bowl, then beat in the Port mixture a teaspoon at a time until the purée is smooth, rich, and spreadable rather than runny. Keep it covered at cool room temperature. If it turns oily, chill it for 5 minutes and beat it again with a cold spoon; ça se rattrape.
- 5
Ready shells and asparagus
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil with the 2 teaspoons of salt. Blanch the asparagus tips until bright green and barely tender, 60 to 90 seconds, then cool them in cold water and dry them thoroughly. Arrange the finished Barquettes (No. 314) on a baking tray. Do not fill them yet; warm filling left sitting in pastry turns crispness into paste.
- 6
Test and poach
Heat the remaining 2 cups of consommé to 180°F (82°C), with only a quiet movement at the surface. Poach a teaspoon of mousseline for 2 minutes and taste it. If it is firm, work in a teaspoon of the reserved cream; if it feathers apart, chill the mixture for another 15 minutes before testing again. Shape 8 short, plump quenelles between two wet dessert spoons and lower them into the consommé in two batches. Poach without boiling, turning once, for 7 to 9 minutes, until their centres reach 165°F (74°C). Drain them very well on a clean towel. A hard boil makes them coarse and swollen, so lower the heat at the first bubble.
- 7
Warm and mount
While the quenelles poach, refresh the Barquettes (No. 314) in a 325°F (165°C) oven for 4 to 5 minutes. Warm the asparagus gently with 1 tablespoon of butter, tossing until the tips are glossy and cling in small heaps. Reheat the reduced chicken glaze just below a simmer, remove it from the heat, and monter au beurre, mount it with butter, by whisking in the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold butter a piece at a time. If the glaze looks oily, whisk in 1 teaspoon of cold water off the heat. Keep it warm, but never let it boil after the butter goes in.
- 8
Assemble without delay
Spread an equal layer of foie gras purée inside each warm barquette. Set one well-drained mousseline quenelle in the centre, lay a wide slice of truffle over it, and place a small heap of buttered asparagus tips at each end. Spoon just enough chicken glaze over the quenelle to give it a clear gloss without soaking the pastry. Pour the remaining glaze into a warm sauceboat and serve it separately. Bring the Ursulines straight to the table while the shells are crisp and every filling is warm. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Use plain, gelatin-rich demi-glace without added wine, rosemary, tomato, or smoke. The Port belongs in the foie gras purée, and a strongly flavoured commercial sauce changes the book’s composition.
- •The Barquettes (No. 314) should be about 3½ to 4 inches long, large enough to hold a plump quenelle and two asparagus garnishes. Finished shells are used whole here; their separate formula remains separate.
- •Foie gras mi-cuit or torchon gives the cleanest purée. A prepared foie gras mousse contains extra cream and seasoning, so it becomes loose when the warm demi-glace is added and does not hold the quenelle properly.
- •Fresh asparagus and fresh black truffle rarely meet at their best. A whole preserved black truffle is the honest pantry answer during asparagus season; outside asparagus season, use good frozen tips and accept that their texture will be softer.
- •Serve with a dry Champagne or a pale vin gris from the Côtes de Toul. Both have enough acidity for the foie gras and butter without trampling the truffle.
- •Do not store assembled Ursulines. The individual components keep well, but pastry beneath warm purée softens quickly, and no amount of ceremony rescues a soggy barquette.
Advance Preparation
- •The Barquettes (No. 314) can be baked one day ahead and kept airtight at room temperature. Refresh them briefly in the oven immediately before filling.
- •The chicken glaze can be reduced up to two days ahead and chilled. Reheat it gently and add the cold butter only at service.
- •The raw chicken mousseline can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead, covered directly on its surface, and held below 40°F (4°C). Poach the quenelles close to serving.
- •The foie gras purée can be mixed one day ahead and chilled. Bring it to cool room temperature until spreadable, but do not heat it enough to melt.
- •The asparagus tips can be blanched up to 4 hours ahead, dried well, and chilled. Warm them in butter only after the quenelles enter their poaching liquid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
520 calories
Total Fat
39 g
Saturated Fat
19 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
19 g
Cholesterol
155 mg
Sodium
850 mg
Total Carbohydrates
19 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
23 g
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