Perdreaux Froids

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart wide heavy pot with lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Two shallow metal pans and a larger basin for ice-water cooling
• •Fine-mesh sieve and damp muslin or a clean kitchen cloth
• •Food processor
• •Wire rack set over a rimmed tray
• •Four 4-ounce ramekins
• •Chilled oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the poaching liquor

   Combine the stock, wine, carrot, onion, celery, bouquet garni, peppercorns, and half the salt in a wide heavy pot. Bring the liquor to a bare simmer and hold it there for 15 minutes so the aromatics give up their flavor. Taste before adding the birds; it should be lightly seasoned because reduction will strengthen it later.

2. 2

   Poach at a tremble

   Lower the partridges breast-side down into the liquor and cover them with a cartouche (a round of baking paper) so the exposed surfaces stay moist. Hold the liquid between 180 and 190°F (82 and 88°C), with only an occasional tremble at the edge. Turn the birds after 12 minutes and begin checking at 25 minutes; they are ready when the thickest breast and thigh register 165°F (74°C), usually after 25 to 35 minutes. If the liquor breaks into a boil, pull the pot off the heat immediately, uncover it, and lower the flame before returning it. Caught quickly, ça se rattrape.

   A boiling pot tightens the delicate breast before the legs are ready. The thermometer protects both tenderness and safety, so trust it rather than the clock.
3. 3

   Cool in the liquor

   Lift the cooked birds into a shallow metal pan. Strain enough hot liquor over them to come halfway up their sides, then strain the remaining liquor into a second shallow pan. Set both pans in ice-water baths, turn the birds every few minutes, and stir the separate liquor until everything falls below 70°F (21°C) within one hour. Cover and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or colder until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours. This keeps the promise of cooling the birds in their own liquor without leaving a deep hot stockpot to cool slowly.

4. 4

   Divide bird and liquor

   Lift the cold birds from the liquor and blot them dry. Remove the skin, then cut away the eight breasts as clean suprêmes (boneless breast pieces); cover and keep them cold. Strip all meat from the legs and wings for the mousse, aiming for about 1 1/2 cups (200 g), and discard the bones. Combine the cold liquors, remove every trace of set fat, then boil gently until reduced to 4 2/3 cups (1.1 L). Strain through a damp fine cloth. Taste a spoonful cooled over ice and correct the salt now, because cold dulls seasoning.

5. 5

   Set the clear aspic

   Measure 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of the reduced liquor. Cool 1/2 cup (120 ml) over ice and sprinkle 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 14 g) of the gelatin evenly across it; leave it for 5 minutes to bloom. Heat the remaining 2 cups (480 ml) without boiling, whisk in the bloomed gelatin, and add 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) of the lemon juice. Pour 1 3/4 cups (420 ml) into a shallow tray. Spoon 1 tablespoon (15 ml) into each of four small ramekins and turn them to coat the interiors. Pour the remaining aspic into a small bowl for glazing, then chill all three preparations until firm, about 2 hours.

6. 6

   Build sauce chaud-froid

   Measure the remaining 2 1/8 cups (500 ml) reduced liquor and cool 1/4 cup (60 ml) over ice. Sprinkle the remaining 2 1/4 teaspoons (11 ml / 7 g) gelatin over that cold portion and leave it to bloom. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook this roux blanc (white roux) for 2 minutes without letting it color. Whisk in the remaining 1 7/8 cups (440 ml) liquor by degrees, then simmer gently for 10 minutes until smooth. Add 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) cream and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the bloomed gelatin, the remaining lemon juice, and half the white pepper. Reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml) for the mousse, then stir the rest over ice until it has the consistency of thick cream. If it sets too firmly, warm the bowl over barely warm water; if it remains runny, return it to the ice. Do not pour it out. It can be brought back.

7. 7

   Fold the game mousse

   Process the reserved leg and wing meat with the 1/2 cup (120 ml) reserved sauce chaud-froid until very smooth, scraping the bowl often. Taste and adjust with salt and the remaining white pepper. Whip the remaining 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) cream to soft peaks, then fold it into the game mixture in three additions. If the mousse puddles rather than mounds, set the bowl over ice for 5 minutes and fold once more. Divide it among the aspic-lined ramekins, smooth the tops, and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

8. 8

   Mask the suprêmes

   Set the thoroughly cold, dry suprêmes on a wire rack over a tray. Spoon a thin, even layer of sauce chaud-froid over each one, letting the excess fall away, then chill for 10 minutes. Apply a second layer and chill until firm. This coating is the step that decides the presentation. If it slides off, either the bird is damp or the sauce is too warm; scrape the drips back into the bowl, dry and rechill the suprêmes, thicken the sauce briefly over ice, and begin again.

   Two thin coats set more evenly than one heavy coat. A thick first pour traps drips and softens the clean shape of the breast.
9. 9

   Glaze and assemble

   Warm the reserved bowl of aspic over lukewarm water only until it becomes liquid, then cool it until faintly syrupy. Brush one thin coat over the firm sauce chaud-froid and chill the suprêmes again for 15 minutes. If the aspic begins to soften the ivory coating, stop at once and chill both components before continuing. Turn the mousses onto a chilled oval platter, loosening each ramekin with a towel dipped in warm water. Arrange two suprêmes around each mousse. Cut the tray of aspic into rough diamonds and nestle them between the portions.

10. 10

    Serve properly cold

    Cover the platter without letting the covering touch the glazed surfaces and chill for at least 30 minutes, or hold it until the following day. Take it from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving so the mousse softens slightly while the aspic remains firm. Serve each guest two suprêmes, one mousse, and a generous spoonful of cut aspic. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Farmed partridge is the easier bird here because its size and tenderness are consistent. Frozen birds, thawed slowly in the refrigerator, are an honest choice and often better than tired game that has traveled too far.
• •If you use wild partridge, inspect every piece carefully for shot after poaching and again while removing the breasts. Wild birds are leaner, so begin checking their temperature early and never let the liquor boil.
• •Taste the reduced liquor and sauce from a spoon chilled over ice. A preparation seasoned perfectly while warm can become timid when cold, and this dish has nowhere for weak seasoning to hide.
• •Serve with dry Champagne or a firm white Burgundy. The acidity cuts cleanly through the cream and aspic without bullying the delicate game.

Advance Preparation

• •The partridges may be poached and chilled in their liquor the day before assembly. Keep them submerged or turn them once during chilling so the exposed surfaces do not dry.
• •The aspic, mousse, and coated suprêmes may be assembled up to 24 hours before serving. Protect the platter with a deep cover or an inverted roasting pan that cannot touch the glaze.
• •Keep the finished dish at 40°F (4°C) or colder and return leftovers to the refrigerator within 2 hours. Eat them within 2 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 370g)