Poulet de Grains à la Belle-Meunière

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6 quart heavy oval cocotte with a tight lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine
• •Sturdy tongs and wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the truffle

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Dry the chicken thoroughly, including inside the cavity. Starting at the neck, ease your fingers between the breast meat and skin without tearing it, then distribute the truffle slices in a single layer over both breasts. Smooth the skin back into place. Season the cavity and exterior with 1½ teaspoons of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper.

   Work with your fingertips rather than a spoon. If the skin makes a small tear, move the nearest truffle slice away from it and continue; the skin need not look perfect to hold the perfume.
2. 2

   Toss the filling

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the cocotte over medium-high heat. Add half the quartered mushrooms and the sliced chicken livers, then toss them for 60 to 90 seconds, just until everything is butter-glazed and the liver surfaces lose their raw shine. Season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread the mixture on a plate to cool for about 10 minutes; it should remain undercooked because its cooking finishes inside the bird.

3. 3

   Prepare the garnish

   Add another tablespoon of butter to the cocotte and raise the heat. Toss the remaining mushrooms for about 2 minutes, until their edges take a little gold but their centres remain firm. Transfer them to a separate plate. If they shed liquid, spread them into one layer and let that moisture cook away before removing them; crowded, grey mushrooms will only dilute the cocotte juices.

4. 4

   Stuff and truss

   Spoon the cooled liver and mushroom mixture loosely into the cavity. Do not pack it down, because a tight filling heats slowly and presses out its juices. Tie the ankles together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips beneath the bird. The original entrée truss was useful brigade scaffolding; this simple tie keeps the chicken compact without turning dinner into needlework.

5. 5

   Brown the bird hard

   Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the cocotte over medium heat. Lay in the chicken and brown it patiently on the breast, back, and both sides, turning with tongs and a wooden spoon, until the skin is deep bronze all over, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let the skin release by itself before turning; pulling early tears it and leaves the colour stuck to the pot. If the butter turns black or smells acrid, lift out the bird, pour off the burned fat, wipe away loose black specks without scrubbing off the bronze fond, and continue over lower heat with the reserved tablespoon of butter. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Roast under cover

   Set the chicken breast-side up. Add the 4 pork rectangles prepared using Blanchings (No. 273), the sautéed exterior mushrooms, and 4 tablespoons of butter, placing the butter in pieces over and around the bird. Cover the cocotte tightly and roast for 50 minutes, then check every 10 minutes until the thickest part of the thigh and the centre of the liver filling both reach 165°F (74°C), usually 60 to 75 minutes in total. Keep the lid on; this is covered cocotte cooking, not a salamander finish.

7. 7

   Finish the veal jus

   Lift the chicken, pork, and exterior mushrooms onto a warm platter, then rest the bird loosely covered for 15 minutes. Spoon away only any large pool of clear fat from the cocotte, leaving the butter-rich cooking juices and every brown trace of fond. Set the cocotte over medium heat, add the veal gravy, and scrape the floor while it simmers for 1 to 2 minutes, until the jus is glossy and lightly coats a spoon. If it looks greasy, remove it from the heat and whisk in a teaspoon of hot water; if it is too loose, simmer it for another 30 seconds.

8. 8

   Carve and serve

   Remove the twine and spoon the liver and mushroom filling from the cavity onto the platter. Carve the chicken, arrange the pork rectangles and exterior mushrooms around it, and pour over the cocotte jus, including any juices released while the bird rested. The sauce should be scant, concentrated, and glossy rather than abundant. Bring the platter straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a compact, plump bird rather than the largest chicken in the case. A careful browning matters more than a grand pedigree, and a bird near four pounds fits the cocotte, cooks evenly, and feeds four generously.
• •Ask the poultry counter for four livers when you order the chicken. They are the heart of the filling, not an optional garnish, and one liver found in a giblet packet will not reproduce the source proportions.
• •A good whole preserved black truffle is the honest classical pantry answer when fresh truffle is unavailable. Drain and slice it thinly. Truffle oil does not behave or taste the same beneath the skin, so leave it on the shelf.
• •For the veal gravy, dilute a good low-salt prepared veal demi-glace until it flows like a light gravy, then measure 2 tablespoons of the finished mixture. It replaces the stockpot and saucier, not the flavour foundation.
• •Pour a broad white Burgundy or a light red Burgundy. Either has enough shape for the liver and truffle without trampling the buttered chicken.

Advance Preparation

• •Complete Blanchings (No. 273) for the pork up to one day ahead, then cover and refrigerate the rectangles. Bring them from the cold while the chicken is browning.
• •Trim the livers, wipe the mushrooms, measure the butter, and prepare the veal gravy earlier the same day. Do not fill the chicken cavity until the oven is hot and you are ready to cook it; poultry liver stuffing should go directly from assembly to roasting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 315g)