Médaillons de Volaille Rachel

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor with metal blade
• •Shallow 9 by 13-inch / 23 by 33 cm metal baking pan
• •Large roasting pan for the water bath
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •2-inch / 5 cm and 2 1/2-inch / 6.5 cm round cutters
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Square chilled serving platter and shallow rimmed ice tray

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the suprême

   Bring the stuffed suprême prepared within Chaud-froid Felix Faure (No. 1691) to this recipe after it has been poached, cooled in its liquor under light pressure, and unwrapped. Do not apply that entry's chicken-mousse envelope, white chaud-froid sauce, or dome aspic. Rachel borrows its foie-gras-and-truffle-layered suprême, then takes a different road. Keep it covered and refrigerated while you prepare the base.

2. 2

   Emulsify the leg mousse

   Chill the food-processor bowl and blade for 15 minutes. Put the very cold thigh meat in the processor with 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) of the salt and half the white pepper. Process until smooth and tacky, scrape down the bowl, then add the egg white and process again. Hold back 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the mousse cream and pour the remainder through the feed tube in a thin stream while the machine runs. Stop as soon as the mixture is smooth and glossy. If it becomes grainy or leaves grease on the bowl, stop immediately. Ça se rattrape. Nest the bowl in ice until thoroughly cold, then pulse in the reserved cream a teaspoon at a time until the emulsion closes again.

   Poach a teaspoon of the mixture in barely simmering water and taste it before setting the whole sheet. Adjust the salt or white pepper while correction is still possible.
3. 3

   Set the mousse sheet

   Heat the oven to 300°F / 150°C. Butter an 8 by 10-inch / 20 by 25 cm rectangle inside a shallow metal baking pan and spread the mousse within it in an even layer about 1/3 inch / 8 mm thick. Cover its surface with buttered parchment and place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Add hot water to come halfway up the sides, then bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until the mousse feels softly springy, shows no browning, and reaches 165°F / 74°C at the center. Lift it from the water bath, cool promptly, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until quite firm.

4. 4

   Prepare the aspic

   Pour 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the cold stock into a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Leave it to bloom for 5 minutes. Reduce the remaining 1 1/2 cups (360 ml / 360 g) stock in a small saucepan to 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g), then take it off the heat and whisk in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Taste and season lightly with salt, remembering that cold quiets seasoning. Strain into a shallow bowl and cool over ice, stirring, until the aspic is fluid but slightly syrupy. If it sets solid, warm it gently until fluid; if it runs straight off a cold spoon, return it to the ice for several minutes. Do not boil it after adding the gelatin.

   A nearly set aspic gives a thin, brilliant coat. Warm aspic melts the surface beneath it, while watery aspic abandons the medallion entirely.
5. 5

   Blanch the asparagus

   Bring a wide saucepan of water to a boil and season it with most of the remaining salt. Prepare a separate bowl of ice water. From one reserved stalk, shave a long thin ribbon with a vegetable peeler. Blanch the ribbon for 20 seconds and the asparagus heads for 2 to 3 minutes, until vivid green and tender without becoming limp. Chill them immediately, drain, and dry them very thoroughly. Reserve 10 of the straightest heads and the ribbon for the central fagot d'asperges (a close bundle of asparagus heads). Keep everything cold.

6. 6

   Cut and glaze

   Set the cold suprême on a chilled board. With a long, very sharp knife, cut it crosswise into 8 even collops about 3/8 inch / 1 cm thick, warming and wiping the blade between cuts if the foie gras drags. Trim each collop with the 2-inch / 5 cm round cutter. Set the rounds on a rack over a cold tray and spoon a thin coat of syrupy aspic across the top and sides. Chill for 5 minutes, then apply a second thin coat. If the surface turns ridged, the aspic is too cold; warm it only until fluid and coat once more. If it slides away, chill it briefly before trying again.

7. 7

   Stamp and mount

   Dip the 2 1/2-inch / 6.5 cm cutter in hot water, wipe it dry, and stamp 8 roundels from the firm chicken mousse. The hot, dry cutter makes clean edges without tearing. Arrange the roundels evenly around a chilled square platter, leaving the center open. Brush each with a small dab of half-set aspic and place one glazed medallion on top. If a medallion slides, lift it off, chill the aspic for 2 or 3 minutes, and mount it again.

8. 8

   Cream and arrange

   Whip the asparagus cream in a cold bowl only until it holds soft folds. Season with 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g) salt and the remaining white pepper, then fold in the remaining asparagus heads. If the cream loosens, lift out the asparagus, blot it dry again, and rewhip the cream gently before folding the heads back through. Spoon this salad into the gaps between the medallions. Gather the 10 reserved heads into a neat fagot, tie it with the blanched asparagus ribbon, and set it in the center. Place the platter over a shallow tray of crushed ice and serve within 20 minutes. The sculpted ice block was brigade scaffolding; the cold medallions, mousse, aspic, and creamed asparagus are the dish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This recipe begins at the poached-and-chilled suprême stage of the linked preparation. Make that component first and let it become completely firm under light pressure; a lukewarm stuffed breast cannot be cut into clean collops.
• •Use medium or thick asparagus with tight, dry heads. Pencil-thin spears wilt in the cream, and frozen tips lack the structure this arrangement requires. When the market's asparagus is tired, change the plan rather than the standard.
• •Powdered gelatin near 225 bloom gives the cleanest home result. If using leaf gelatin, weigh out the same 10 g and soften it in cold water before squeezing it dry and dissolving it in the reduced stock.
• •Serve with brut Champagne or a taut Chablis. Both have enough freshness for foie gras and cream without bullying the cold chicken or asparagus.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and chill the stuffed suprême from Chaud-froid Felix Faure (No. 1691) up to 24 hours ahead, stopping after it has cooled under light pressure and been unwrapped.
• •The chicken-mousse sheet and aspic can be prepared one day ahead. Cover both closely and refrigerate; warm the aspic gently until it returns to a syrupy consistency before glazing.
• •Blanch and dry the asparagus up to 6 hours ahead. Keep it wrapped in a dry towel in the refrigerator, but fold it through the whipped cream only shortly before assembly.
• •The glazed medallions may be mounted on their mousse roundels up to 2 hours before serving. Add the creamed asparagus and place the platter over ice at the last moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 385g)