Aiguillettes de Canetons à l’Écarlate

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy lidded Dutch oven sized closely to the duckling
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Food processor or strong blender
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Two small racks set over trays
• •Pastry brush
• •Shallow 1½-quart oval or square metal serving dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Poêle and chill

   Prepare the duckling by Poëlings (No. 250), keeping that linked preparation whole rather than rebuilding it here. Cook the bird only until done, with the thickest part of the thigh just reaching 165°F / 74°C. Strain the poêling liquor, set the duckling in a close-fitting vessel, and pour the liquor around it. Cool the vessel promptly over ice, then cover and refrigerate until the bird is cold throughout, about 2 hours. Lift off the set fat and reserve 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of the clear liquor; if the bird yielded less, make up the difference with brown veal stock.

   Cooling in the liquor keeps a fully cooked duckling succulent, but cool it promptly. The bird should enter the refrigerator within 2 hours and remain below 40°F / 4°C.
2. 2

   Carve matching slices

   Raise the two breasts whole and remove their skin. Aiguillettes de Rouennais à la Bigarrade (No. 1755) supplies the canonical lengthwise handling of the breast; follow that linked carving reference, then cut each breast into 8 long, thin aiguillettes of even size. Remove all usable meat from the legs and carcass and weigh out 10½ ounces (300 g) for the mousse. Trim the cured tongue into 16 slices matching the duck in length, width, and thickness. This equality is not decoration for its own sake: it makes every serving carry the intended alternation of duck and tongue.

3. 3

   Prepare clear aspic

   Sprinkle 4½ teaspoons (22 ml / 14 g) of the gelatin over ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (70 ml / 70 g) of the cold water and leave it to bloom for 5 minutes. Bring the clear consommé and 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (35 ml / 35 g) of the Madeira just below a simmer, remove from the heat, and stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Strain without pressing, then spoon a teaspoon onto a cold saucer. It should set into a clear, tender gel within several minutes. If it remains weak, rewarm it and add a little of the reserved gelatin bloomed in an equal weight of cold water; if it sets rubbery, thin it with clear stock. Reserve ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) of liquid aspic for the mousse and keep the remainder cool but fluid.

4. 4

   Make brown chaud-froid

   Melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan, add the flour, and cook the roux over medium-low heat until it reaches the brown of a hazelnut and smells toasted, stirring steadily. Whisk in the reserved poêling liquor a little at a time, followed by 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of the brown veal stock and the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 45 g) Madeira. Simmer gently, skimming as needed, until reduced to about 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g) and glossy enough to coat a spoon. Bloom 2¼ teaspoons (11 ml / 7 g) gelatin in 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (35 ml / 35 g) cold water, dissolve it in the hot sauce off the heat, then strain. Cool the chaud-froid over ice, stirring, until it reaches nappant, a coating consistency that clings without running. If it sets too quickly, warm it for a few seconds; if it slides off the cold duck, return it to the ice and stir until thicker. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Coat duck and tongue

   Lay the chilled aiguillettes on a rack over a tray. Spoon or brush each with an even layer of brown chaud-froid, carrying the coating neatly to the edges, then chill until set. Place one small truffle lozenge on each piece and fix it with a dab of fluid aspic. On a second tray, brush the matching tongue slices with clear aspic and chill them until glossy and set. Keep the two sets separate and cold so their colours remain distinct.

6. 6

   Build leg mousse

   Purée the 10½ ounces (300 g) cooked leg and trimming meat with the reserved ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) liquid aspic until completely smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, season cautiously with salt and white pepper, and chill it until cool but still fluid. Whip the cold cream to soft folds, not stiff peaks, then fold it through the duck base in three additions. The base must be cold before the cream enters; warmth melts the whipped structure and leaves the mousse loose. If that happens, set the bowl over ice and fold gently until it thickens again. Do not beat it harder.

7. 7

   Set mousse firm

   Spread the mousse evenly in a shallow 1½-quart oval or square serving dish, making a level layer about 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep. Tap the dish lightly to settle hidden air pockets, smooth the surface, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. It is ready only when a light fingertip leaves no dent. This setting is the step the dish cannot surrender; if the centre still yields, give it more time rather than trying to freeze the surface around a soft middle.

   Set the serving dish level in the refrigerator. A folded kitchen towel beneath one edge can correct a shelf that tilts.
8. 8

   Lay scarlet pattern

   Arrange the coated duck aiguillettes and aspic-glazed tongue over the firm mousse, alternating one brown duck slice with one scarlet tongue slice. Work in two close rows or a single overlapping fan, depending on the shape of the dish, but preserve the sequence. Spoon a very thin veil of syrupy aspic over the exposed mousse and the arranged slices, then chill for 10 minutes before adding a second thin coat. If a piece shifts or floats, the aspic was too warm: lift the piece, blot the spot, rechill the mousse, and set it back in place.

9. 9

   Chill and serve

   Cover the finished dish without touching its surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until the aspic is clear and firmly set. Remove it from the cold 15 minutes before serving so the duck and mousse lose their refrigerator hardness while remaining properly chilled. Use a broad serving spoon to cut through both aiguillettes and mousse, preserving the brown-and-scarlet alternation in each portion. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Rouen duckling is the bird named by the dish. If it is unavailable, use a small young Pekin duckling of similar weight; the breed changes the richness slightly, but youth, careful poêling, and prompt cooling preserve the dish’s intent.
• •Buy cooked cured beef tongue from a trusted butcher or delicatessen and ask for a thick piece you can cut yourself. Paper-thin sandwich slices cannot match the aiguillettes and disappear beneath the aspic.
• •Clear aspic begins with clear stock. Use a good consommé if your stock is cloudy, strain gently, and never boil after adding gelatin, since hard boiling dulls both flavour and clarity.
• •The mousse should taste slightly more seasoned before chilling than you want at the table, because cold quiets salt and pepper. Taste the duck base before the whipped cream goes in, while adjustment is still easy.
• •Serve with toasted brioche and a sharply dressed bitter-leaf salad on separate plates. A red Burgundy or mature cru Beaujolais, poured cool rather than cold, has enough perfume for the truffle and enough freshness for the aspic.

Advance Preparation

• •Poêle the duckling and chill it in its liquor the evening before assembly. Once cold, remove the set fat and keep the bird covered in the strained liquor until carving.
• •The aspic and brown chaud-froid may be prepared a day ahead. Rewarm each very gently over water until fluid, then cool it back to the required coating consistency before use.
• •Assemble the entire dish the day before serving. The mousse sets more securely, the aspic clears, and the pattern cuts more neatly after an overnight rest.
• •Keep the finished dish covered below 40°F / 4°C and serve within 2 days. Do not freeze it; freezing breaks the aspic and turns the mousse grainy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 530g)