Poulet de Grains Mascotte

Poulet de Grains Mascotte (grain-fed chicken Mascotte) teaches poëling, the discipline of browning a young bird in butter, cooking it gently under cover, then sealing truffle against it for the final ten minutes. The one true thing is simple: truffle goes on late and the lid stays shut. Add it early and its fragrance thins; lift the lid and you've perfumed the room instead of the chicken.

The entry assumed a saucier beside a stockpot never off the fire, two spoonfuls of concentrated veal gravy ready on command, and a separate warm cocotte for service. At home, use a good prepared brown veal gravy and one heavy lidded cocotte for browning, cooking, and serving; the second vessel is brigade scaffolding and can go. The butter cooking of Poëlings (No. 250), the exact four ounces of olive-cut potatoes, the two ounces of truffle, and the covered finish are the dish and stay. This is scaled to one small chicken for four: one cook, one stove, one evening.

Have the truffle sliced and the gravy measured before the chicken is nearly done. Once those slices meet the bird, cover the cocotte immediately and leave it closed for the full ten minutes. That final seal decides the dish.