Sylphides de Volaille

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor with a chilled bowl and blade
• •Fine-mesh sieve and flexible scraper
• •10-inch (25 cm) wide sauté pan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large piping bag with a ½-inch (12 mm) plain tube
• •Rimmed sheet pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill and emulsify

   Chill the food-processor bowl and blade for 15 minutes. Add the cold chicken, salt, and white pepper, then pulse until the meat becomes a smooth, tacky paste. Add the egg white and process only until absorbed. With the machine running, pour in the required ½ cup (120 ml) of cream in four additions, stopping to scrape the bowl between them. Keep the forcemeat below 50°F (10°C), then press it through a fine-mesh sieve, cover its surface, and chill for 20 minutes. If it turns grainy, shiny, or oily, stop immediately: the emulsion has become warm. Set the bowl over ice for 10 minutes, then pulse in the reserved cold cream a teaspoon at a time until the paste returns to a satin finish. Ça se rattrape.

   Temperature matters more than speed. A cold forcemeat accepts cream and stays delicate; a warm one sheds its fat and poaches grainy.
2. 2

   Test the mousseline

   Pour all but the reserved cold stock into a wide sauté pan and bring it to 170 to 175°F (77 to 80°C), where the surface barely quivers. Poach a teaspoon of forcemeat for 2 minutes and taste it. It should be tender, cohesive, and properly seasoned. If it feels tight or bouncy, work in the reserved cold cream one teaspoon at a time and test again; if it frays, chill the paste for another 10 minutes before shaping.

3. 3

   Poach the poultry

   Slip the chicken collops into the barely trembling stock and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, until opaque and at least 165°F (74°C) at the centre. Lift them out and drain well. Using two spoons dipped in cold water, shape the chilled forcemeat into 8 slim oval mousselines small enough to sit inside the barquettes. Lower them into the stock and poach gently for 7 to 9 minutes, turning once, until lightly springy and 165°F (74°C) inside. Never let the stock boil. If it does, pull the pan off the heat and add a little reserved cold stock; once the surface settles, continue over lower heat. Drain the mousselines on a clean towel and blot them carefully so they cannot water the Mornay.

4. 4

   Ready the barquettes

   Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat it to 425°F (220°C). Arrange the Barquettes (No. 314) on a parchment-lined sheet pan. If the shells have softened in storage, bake them empty for 4 minutes and let them settle for 2 minutes before filling. Warm the Mornay gently until it falls from a spoon in a thick ribbon. If it has tightened, loosen it with a teaspoon of poaching stock; if it runs freely, reduce it briefly until it stays where it is spooned.

5. 5

   Build the sylphides

   Spoon about 1 tablespoon of Mornay into the bottom of each barquette. Set one poached mousseline over the sauce, then place one drained chicken collop on top. Fit a piping bag with a ½-inch (12 mm) plain tube and fill it with the somewhat stiff Soufflé au Parmesan (No. 2295a). Pipe from the base upward in close, even coils, covering each stack completely and finishing with a modest peak. If the piping slumps, set the filled bag in the cold for 3 minutes, then continue without stirring the mixture; stirring would knock out the air the crown needs.

6. 6

   Bake and serve

   Bake the sylphides for 9 to 11 minutes without opening the oven during the first 7. They are ready when the Parmesan crowns have risen, their ridges are butter-gold, and the tips have taken a deeper bronze. Rotate the pan only after the crowns are set if the colour is uneven. Transfer them immediately to a warm platter and carry them straight to the table. A soufflé waits for nobody. À table!

   Have the platter, plates, and guests ready before baking. The final journey should be oven, platter, table, with no pause between them.

Chef Tips

• •Use chicken breast for the mousselines because its mild flavour and fine grain make the cleanest emulsion. Thigh meat carries too much connective tissue for the silky texture this preparation promises.
• •The finished Barquettes (No. 314) should be just large enough to cradle the mousselines. Oversized shells make the filling look mean; tiny ones force the Mornay over the rim and soften the pastry.
• •The Mornay must be warm enough to spread but never hot when it enters the shells. A boiling sauce starts cooking the mousselines again and softens the pastry before the soufflé has risen.
• •Pour Champagne or a firm, dry white Burgundy. Both have enough freshness for the Mornay and Parmesan without bullying the delicate chicken.

Advance Preparation

• •The Barquettes (No. 314) can be baked up to 2 days ahead and kept airtight. Refresh them for 4 minutes in a 325°F (165°C) oven if they lose their crispness.
• •The Mornay sauce can be made 1 day ahead, covered directly on its surface, and chilled. Reheat it very gently, loosening it with a teaspoon of stock only if necessary.
• •The mousselines and collops can be poached up to 6 hours ahead. Cool them promptly, cover, and keep them chilled, then blot them dry before assembly.
• •Prepare the Soufflé au Parmesan (No. 2295a) only when the barquettes, sauce, and poultry are ready. Once its whites are folded, the final assembly and baking must follow without delay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 205g)