Aspic de Poulet à la Gauloise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-cup (1.5 L) ornamented metal aspic or charlotte mould
• •Two small heavy saucepans
• •Shallow pan large enough to hold the mould over ice
• •8-inch (20 cm) shallow square pan for the aspic croûtons
• •Fine-mesh sieve and damp muslin or an unbleached coffee filter
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small oval cutter, about 1½ inches (4 cm)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the cold station

   Clear a level refrigerator shelf before beginning. Set the ornamented mould in a shallow pan packed with ice, and chill a parchment-lined tray for the coated garnishes. Keep the stock, combs, kidneys, tongue, and truffle cold until each is needed; aspic rewards order, and warm garnishes weaken every layer around them.

   Metal conducts cold quickly and is the easiest material to clothe evenly. A smooth metal charlotte mould is preferable to a complicated shape with corners that trap the jelly.
2. 2

   Poach and slice chicken

   Bring 2 cups (475 ml / 475 g) of the clear chicken stock to a bare tremble in a small covered saucepan and season it with about ½ teaspoon of the salt. Add the chicken breasts, cover, and poach without boiling until their thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C), about 14 to 18 minutes. Cool the chicken promptly, then slice it across the grain into neat ⅛-inch (3 mm) collops, thin oval slices about the size of the tongue pieces. Strain and save the poaching stock for another use; the untouched stock will give the aspic greater clarity.

3. 3

   Set the aspic jelly

   Measure 4 cups (950 ml / 950 g) of the remaining clear stock. Sprinkle 8 teaspoons (40 ml / 26 g) of the gelatin over ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) of that cold stock and leave it until fully swollen, about 10 minutes. Heat the remaining stock until hot but not boiling, whisk in the bloomed gelatin, and season until it tastes slightly more assertive than a hot broth; cold quiets salt. Strain through damp muslin or a coffee filter. Pour 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) into a shallow pan for the croûtons and chill until firm, keeping the rest barely fluid over a bowl of lukewarm water. Test a spoonful in the refrigerator for 5 minutes: it should cut cleanly and stand without sagging. If it remains soft, ça se rattrape. Rewarm the batch, bloom the optional teaspoon of gelatin in a tablespoon of cold stock, dissolve it into the jelly, and test again.

4. 4

   Make brown chaud-froid

   Bloom 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 3 g) gelatin in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the cold dark stock. Melt 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter in a small saucepan, stir in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 8 g) flour, and cook the roux slowly until it reaches a deep hazelnut brown without scorching. Whisk in the remaining dark stock a little at a time, then simmer gently until the sauce naps the back of a spoon. Remove it from the heat, dissolve in the bloomed gelatin, strain, and cool over ice until thick but still flowing. Dip each dry cocks' comb to coat it in a thin, even brown layer and set it on the chilled tray. If the sauce slides off, it is too warm; chill it briefly and dip again. If it sets in the pan, warm it over the lowest heat until smooth. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Make white chaud-froid

   Bloom the remaining 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 3 g) gelatin in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of cold clear stock. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter, stir in the remaining tablespoon of flour, and cook this roux for 2 minutes without letting it colour. Whisk in the remaining ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) clear stock, simmer until smooth and lightly thickened, then add the cream and a restrained pinch each of salt and white pepper. Remove the pan from the heat, dissolve in the bloomed gelatin, strain, and cool to the same flowing coating consistency as the brown chaud-froid. Coat the dry cocks' kidneys evenly, place them on the chilled tray, and refrigerate both garnishes until their coatings are firm.

6. 6

   Cut the garnishes

   Cut the salted tongue into tidy ovals about 1½ inches (4 cm) long, keeping the slices uniformly thin. Cut the truffle into small diamonds, crescents, or rounds for the bottom and sides of the mould. Lay the chicken collops, tongue ovals, brown-coated combs, white-coated kidneys, and truffle pieces on separate cold plates so the pattern can be built without hesitation.

7. 7

   Clothe the mould

   Use the clothing technique in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916). Pour about ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) of fluid aspic into the ice-cold mould, rock and turn it until the bottom and sides carry a thin, even coat, then pour the excess back into the bowl. Chill until tacky. Arrange the truffle pattern over the bottom and sides, fixing each piece with a drop of aspic, and chill again until secure. Cover the decoration with a ¼-inch (6 mm) layer of aspic and let it set completely before proceeding. This protective layer keeps the pattern in place when the heavier garnishes arrive.

8. 8

   Build the layers

   The order is the architecture: aspic, chicken collops, aspic, brown chaud-froid-coated combs, aspic, white chaud-froid-coated kidneys, aspic, salted tongue ovals, then a final seal of aspic. Arrange each solid layer neatly without pressing it into the jelly beneath, spoon over just enough fluid aspic to cover it, and return the mould to the ice or refrigerator until that layer is firm before adding the next. Keep the unused garnishes cold and the jelly cool but flowing. If a layer floats or tears, stop, chill the mould flat, remove any loose piece, and seal the surface with 2 tablespoons of jelly before continuing. Never pour warm jelly onto a half-set layer; that is how a pattern becomes soup.

9. 9

   Chill and unmould

   Finish with a level ½-inch (1 cm) cap of aspic and refrigerate the filled mould for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. To turn it out, dip the mould in warm water for 5 seconds, dry the outside, cover it with the serving platter, and invert both together. Hold firmly and give one clean downward shake. If it does not release, return only the mould to the warm water for 2 seconds and try again. Do not pry at the edge. If the outer jelly softens, return the unmoulded aspic to the refrigerator for 10 minutes and it will recover.

10. 10

    Border and serve

    Turn the shallow sheet of reserved aspic onto a cold board and cut it into diamonds, triangles, and small crescents. These are the croûtons of the glossary, ornamental pieces of jelly rather than fried bread. Arrange them generously around the unmoulded aspic just before serving. Cut the aspic with a thin knife dipped in warm water and wiped dry between slices, revealing every distinct layer. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order the cocks' combs and cocks' kidneys from a specialist poultry butcher or French provisions supplier, already cleaned and fully cooked. Cocks' kidneys is the classical market name for rooster testicles. Raw offal requires preliminary cleaning and cooking that the source entry assumes has already happened; prepared garnishes are the honest home starting point.
• •Do not replace the combs and kidneys with mushrooms while keeping the title. Those poultry garnishes explain the Gauloise name and give the mould its intended pattern. If they cannot be sourced, choose another chicken aspic from the canon.
• •Clear stock matters more than dark colour. If the stock is cloudy, strain it through damp muslin or a coffee filter before adding gelatin, and never boil it afterward. Bubbles and suspended fat turn a jewel-like aspic dull.
• •Croûtons here are cut pieces of aspic jelly, not bread. Make more shapes than you expect to need, keep them cold, and arrange them only after the mould has released cleanly.
• •Serve with a dry Champagne or a mineral white Burgundy. The wine needs enough acidity to meet the salted tongue, cream, and gelatin without overwhelming the truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •Assemble the entire mould the evening before the dinner and leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight. The long chill gives cleaner slices and removes the pressure of unmoulding during service.
• •The aspic jelly and both chaud-froid sauces may be prepared earlier the same day. Keep the jelly fluid over lukewarm water; if either sauce sets before coating, warm it very gently and strain it once more.
• •The finished mould keeps for up to 2 days under close refrigeration. Cut the croûtons and unmould it shortly before serving so the exposed jelly stays glossy and the edges remain sharp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 675g)