Poularde En Terrine à la Gelée

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Flexible poultry-boning knife
• •Butcher's needle and cotton kitchen thread
• •Heavy lidded casserole just large enough for the bird
• •2½ to 3-quart oval terrine with lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh strainer and lint-free kitchen cloth
• •Medium saucepan
• •Deep tray for an ice-water bath

Instructions

1. 1

   Bone and chill

   If the butcher has not boned the poularde, set it breast-side down and cut through the skin along the backbone from neck to tail. Keeping the knife against bone, scrape the flesh and skin away from the carcass, disjoint the shoulders and hips, and lift out the rib cage, backbone, wishbone, and wing bones without piercing the breast skin. Leave the leg bones in place. Reserve every removed bone for the jelly, refrigerate the opened bird, and keep it cold while you work. If the skin tears, close the nick with cotton kitchen thread or cover it with a bacon slice before trussing. Ça se rattrape.

   A butcher may perform this exact boning without changing the dish. Ask for the bird opened along the back, the skin left whole, the leg bones retained, and all removed bones packed for you.
2. 2

   Fortify the stock

   Put the reserved carcass and wing bones in a saucepan with the chicken stock. Bring it slowly to a bare simmer, skim only the grey surface froth, and cook uncovered for about 45 minutes, until reduced to roughly 3 cups (710 ml). Strain without pressing the bones. Cool ¾ cup (180 ml) quickly over ice and keep the rest warm. This concentrated stock and measured gelatin replace the classical stockpot that never went cold; the flavor still comes from the bird itself.

3. 3

   Bind the forcemeat

   Combine the chilled veal, pork fat, and prepared fowls' liver Gratins (No. 268) in a cold bowl. Add the brandy, truffle essence, egg yolk, 1 teaspoon (6 g) of the salt, and half the white pepper. Mix firmly until the forcemeat turns cohesive and slightly tacky, but stop before the fat warms and smears. Fry a teaspoonful until completely cooked and taste it cold for a minute; adjust the salt and pepper now. If the mixture becomes soft or greasy, spread the bowl over ice and chill it until firm before continuing.

4. 4

   Reconstruct the poularde

   Lay the cold poularde skin-side down and season its flesh with the remaining salt and pepper. Spread half the forcemeat evenly through the boned cavity, filling the hollows beside the breast without stretching the skin. Place the half lobe of foie gras lengthwise through the center. Arrange the four quarters of one truffle along one side of the foie gras and the four quarters of the second truffle along the other, then cover with the remaining forcemeat. Press gently to remove air pockets. Draw the back edges of skin together, sew them with cotton kitchen thread, and truss the bird into its natural shape with the legs held close. A little forcemeat showing at the seam is harmless; patch it with bacon rather than over-tightening the skin.

5. 5

   Begin the poëling

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Spread the onion, carrot, celery, thyme, and bay leaf in a heavy lidded casserole just large enough to hold the reconstructed poularde. Set the bird seam-side down on this raw matignon, cover its breast and sides completely with the bacon, and pour over the melted butter. Use the method in Poëlings (No. 250): cover the casserole and cook gently for 60 minutes, spooning the butter over the bacon every 20 minutes. The vegetables should soften and color lightly, never scorch. If their edges begin going black, lower the oven and transfer the bird with the unburned vegetables and butter to a clean casserole.

6. 6

   Finish with Madeira

   Uncover the casserole and cook for 10 minutes so the bacon takes a little color. Pour the Madeira down the side of the pan, not directly over the bird, and continue cooking uncovered for about 20 minutes, basting twice, until both the thickest part of the forcemeat and the inner leg register 165°F (74°C). If the bacon colors before the center is ready, cover the bird loosely and continue in 10-minute intervals. Remove the casserole from the oven, cover it, and leave the poularde to half-cool in its Madeira cooking liquor for 25 to 30 minutes, turning it once so the liquor reaches both sides.

7. 7

   Build the gelée

   Lift the poularde from the casserole, remove every bacon slice, and settle the bird seam-side down in a chilled terrine that holds it closely. Leave the trussing in place. Pour 2¼ cups (530 ml) of the fortified stock into the casserole with the Madeira liquor, vegetables, butter, and poultry juices. Do not skim away the butter. Simmer gently for 10 minutes so the stock recovers the aromas held by the fat, then strain through a damp lint-free kitchen cloth without pressing. Bloom the gelatin in ½ cup (120 ml) of the cold reserved stock for 5 minutes, then dissolve it off the heat in the warm strained liquor. Keep the last ¼ cup (60 ml) of stock for adjustment.

8. 8

   Test and cover

   Spoon a teaspoon of the gelée onto a cold saucer and set it over ice for 8 to 10 minutes. It should hold a clean line when pushed but soften readily on the tongue. Taste it cold, since cold mutes seasoning. If it still runs, bloom up to the extra teaspoon of gelatin in a tablespoon of reserved stock and dissolve it into the warm batch. If it sets too firmly, loosen the batch with the remaining warm stock. Ça se rattrape. Pour the gelée over the poularde until completely covered. If the bird rises, hold it down with a small chilled plate laid over parchment until the jelly begins to catch, then remove the plate and top up the surface.

9. 9

   Set for a day

   Place the uncovered terrine in a deep tray of ice water, keeping the water below its rim, and cool until the gelée begins to thicken. Cover and refrigerate at or below 40°F (4°C) for a full 24 hours. The wait is not storage added after the cooking; it is the final cooking step. The jelly must firm around the reconstructed bird, and the forcemeat, foie gras, truffle, Madeira, and poultry juices need that cold rest to become one flavor.

10. 10

    Degrease and serve

    After the full day, lift off the solid cap of fat with a cold spoon. Finish the surface as directed for Poularde au Champagne (No. 1688): pass a small ladleful of boiling water briefly over the exposed gelée and drain it away immediately, repeating two or three times only if traces of grease remain. Hold the bird in place while draining. If the surface softens, return it to the refrigerator until firm. Remove the trussing thread, nest the terrine on a rimmed platter with crushed ice around its base, and slice across the breast so each serving shows forcemeat, foie gras, and black truffle; divide the legs separately. The crushed ice is the honest home equivalent of the carved ice block. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A poularde is a plump young hen with more fat and tenderness than an everyday roasting chicken. If none is sold near you, choose a broad-breasted, air-chilled chicken in the stated weight range. Technique first, always; the bacon, butter, and forcemeat supply the richness a leaner bird lacks.
• •Fresh black truffles give the firmest pieces and deepest perfume. Outside their season, use whole preserved black truffles in their own juice and use that juice as the truffle essence. The texture will be softer and the perfume gentler, but the substitution belongs to the classical pantry. Flavored truffle oil does not.
• •The terrine must be only slightly larger than the reconstructed bird. Too much empty space demands a great volume of jelly, dilutes the cooking liquor, and lets the poularde float.
• •Do not skim the warm poëling liquor. The source method deliberately keeps the butter in contact with the stock while the aromas transfer, then removes it after the cold set. Early skimming is tidier and tastes poorer.
• •Serve with dry Champagne or a structured white Burgundy, plus plain toasted brioche if you want bread. The poularde already carries foie gras, truffle, Madeira, and gelée; it needs contrast, not decoration.

Advance Preparation

• •Arrange for the poularde to be boned before cooking day, or bone it yourself earlier that morning. Keep the opened bird and reserved bones well chilled and use them within a day.
• •The prepared Gratins (No. 268) and fortified chicken stock may be ready and chilled before you begin assembling the bird. Keep the veal, pork fat, liver forcemeat, and mixing bowl thoroughly cold.
• •The completed terrine requires at least 24 hours in the refrigerator and may be made two days before service. Keep it covered and cold, then degrease the surface shortly before bringing it to the table.
• •Leftovers keep for up to three days under refrigeration. Cover the cut surface directly so the foie gras and forcemeat do not dry; freezing damages both the gelée and the foie gras.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 590g)