Suprêmes de Faisan Gastronome

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy lidded casserole just large enough to hold the pheasant
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •5-inch (13 cm) springform ring or 2-cup parfait mould, at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep
• •8-inch (20 cm) shallow metal pan for setting aspic
• •Wire rack set over a rimmed tray
• •Fine-mesh sieve and small offset spatula
• •Small geometric aspic cutters, about ¾ inch (2 cm)
• •Short wooden cocktail pick to replace the hatelet

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the aspic

   Sprinkle the aspic gelatin over the cold water and leave it for 5 minutes, until every granule is swollen. Heat half the poultry stock to a bare simmer, remove it from the heat, and stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Add the remaining stock, season carefully, and strain into an 8-inch (20 cm) shallow metal pan to a depth of about ¼ inch (6 mm). Chill for at least 3 hours, until firm enough to cut into clean shapes without tearing.

2. 2

   Poële and chill pheasant

   Prepare the pheasant according to Poëlings (No. 250), using the measured Madeira during the final game-bird stage rather than flooding the pot at the beginning. The butter-basted bird must brown without becoming a braise. Cook until the thickest parts of the breast and thigh reach 165°F (74°C), then lift the bird onto a rack. Strain and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid from Poëlings (No. 250); chill it and remove every trace of set fat. Cool the pheasant promptly and refrigerate it within 2 hours, loosely covered at first, until completely cold.

3. 3

   Poach the truffles

   Choose the finest truffle for the top and keep all seven whole after peeling. Reserve the clean peelings for decorating the pheasant slices. Place the truffles snugly in the smallest saucepan that holds them, add the Champagne, and cover with a round of parchment. Hold the liquid at the barest tremble for 10 minutes, never a hard boil, then let the truffles cool in the Champagne. Drain, cover, and chill them; reserve the scented Champagne for another sauce or stock.

4. 4

   Carve regular slices

   Remove the legs and pull all their meat cleanly from the bones. Lift off the breast fillets, remove their skin, and save the leg meat and every clean breast trimming for the mousse. Slice each breast on a long diagonal into regular pieces about 3/16 inch (5 mm) thick, trimming their lower edges straight so they can stand. Aim for 14 to 16 slices. Keep them cold and covered while you make the coating.

5. 5

   Build brown chaud-froid

   Bloom the chaud-froid gelatin in its cold water for 5 minutes. Combine the demi-glace, the reserved cooking liquid from Poëlings (No. 250), and the Madeira in a small saucepan; simmer gently until reduced to 1½ cups (360 ml), skimming away any fat or froth. Remove from the heat, dissolve in the bloomed gelatin, season with salt and finely ground pepper, and pass the sauce through a fine sieve. Cool it over a bowl of ice, stirring often, until it reaches about 84°F (29°C) and becomes nappant, meaning it coats the back of a spoon in one smooth layer. If it sets in lumps, don't force it onto the meat. Ça se rattrape: warm the bowl briefly over barely warm water and stir until smooth; if it runs like broth, return it to the ice for another minute.

6. 6

   Coat and measure

   Set the chilled breast slices on a wire rack over a tray and spoon the brown chaud-froid over them, turning each slice so every surface receives a thin, even coat. Let the first layer set, then patch only the bare places; a heavy shell is clumsy under the teeth. Press one small diamond of reserved truffle peeling onto each slice while the coating is still tacky. If the first coat slides off, the sauce or meat is too warm: collect the sauce from the tray, chill both for 5 minutes, and begin again. Once set, stand up one coated slice and measure its exact height from the flat base to its crown.

7. 7

   Mould the mousse

   Use the leg meat and breast trimmings to prepare the Mousse de Volaille Froide (No. 1711), keeping that referenced preparation whole rather than rebuilding it here. Line the base and sides of a 5-inch (13 cm) springform ring or parfait mould, then mark the measured height of the coated slices inside it. Pack in the mousse without leaving air pockets and level it precisely at that line. Cold Mousses are light set preparations, not pâtés, so press firmly enough to remove voids but don't crush the texture. If the mousse cannot fill the ring to the mark, use a smaller-diameter mould; the width may change, but the height must not. Chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until fully set.

8. 8

   Unmould and crown

   Chill the serving platter, then turn the mousse out in its center. If the mould clings, wrap its outside with a warm towel for 5 seconds and lift straight up; don't tug at the mousse. Stand the coated pheasant slices upright around it, glazed faces outward, each leaning against the next in the same direction. Arrange six Champagne-poached truffles in a close crown around the slices. Set the finest truffle on top of the mousse with a short wooden cocktail pick in place of the old hatelet, an ornamental skewer. Keep the pick visible to the server and remove it before cutting.

9. 9

   Cut croûtons and serve

   Turn out the set aspic and cut it into 18 to 24 small diamonds, crescents, or triangles. These are aspic croûtons, shaped pieces of jelly rather than fried bread. Arrange them in a neat outer border around the platter and chill the completed dish for 20 minutes so every part settles together. Bring it out of the cold 15 minutes before serving, then cut through the mousse with a thin, sharp knife and give each guest pheasant, mousse, truffle, and aspic. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a young pheasant sold for roasting. An older wild bird may have magnificent flavor, but its breast can become too firm for this cold sliced presentation; save that bird for a braise.
• •Prepared veal demi-glace is the honest home equivalent of the brown stockpot that never left the old stove. Buy it frozen or refrigerated and unsalted if possible. A salty gravy concentrate will become harsher as it reduces.
• •Fresh black truffles give the dish its full character. Outside their season, use good whole preserved black truffles, drain them well, and warm them in the Champagne for only 2 minutes before cooling. Truffle oil cannot make this crown.
• •Measure the coated slice, not the bare meat. Even a thin chaud-froid layer changes the height, and the entire construction depends on the mousse meeting that finished measurement exactly.
• •Serve the same style of dry brut Champagne used for the truffles. The bubbles and acidity cut through the mousse and gelatin without arguing with the pheasant.
• •Keep the finished platter refrigerated and return leftovers to the cold within 2 hours. Well covered, they keep for 2 days, though the aspic is at its clearest on the first serving.

Advance Preparation

• •Set the aspic and cook the pheasant the evening before assembly. Keep the bird whole while it chills so the breast remains moist, and reserve its strained, degreased cooking liquid separately.
• •The moulded mousse needs at least 6 hours in the cold and is happiest left overnight. The truffles may cool in their Champagne alongside it, then be drained shortly before assembly.
• •The breast slices can be coated and decorated up to 8 hours ahead. Once the chaud-froid is firm, cover them without letting the wrapping touch their glossy surfaces.
• •Assemble the full platter 2 to 4 hours before serving. Add the aspic croûtons last so their cut edges remain clear and sharp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 470g)