Consommé Deslignac

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor with chilled bowl and blade
• •Wide saucepan for blanching and poaching
• •Four 4-ounce (120 ml) straight-sided ramekins in place of Baba-moulds
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Fine-mesh sieve lined with clean linen or tightly woven muslin
• •Four cheesecloth squares and kitchen twine
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Soup tureen

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the mousseline

   Chill the food processor bowl and blade for 10 minutes. Add the cold chicken, salt, and white pepper, then process until the meat becomes smooth and tacky. Add the egg white and process again. With the machine pulsing, add the cold cream by spoonfuls until the farce mousseline is smooth, glossy, and firm enough to hold a soft mound. Keep everything cold. If liquid begins to bead around the paste, stop before adding more cream, set the bowl over ice for 10 minutes, and continue slowly once chilled. Ça se rattrape.

   Poach a teaspoon of mousseline in barely simmering water for 3 minutes and taste it. Correct the seasoning now, because the filling cannot be adjusted once it is inside the lettuce.
2. 2

   Blanch the lettuces

   Bring a wide pot of water to a boil and add the blanching salt. Remove damaged outer leaves and cut out each lettuce core without tearing the leaves apart more than necessary. Lower the lettuces into the water one at a time for 20 to 30 seconds, just until the leaves become flexible and brilliantly green, then move them directly into ice water. Drain, separate the leaves carefully, and dry them between clean towels. Wet leaves slide instead of rolling.

3. 3

   Roll and poach

   On four squares of damp cheesecloth, overlap the blanched leaves into rectangles about 8 by 6 inches (20 by 15 cm), patching any gaps with spare leaves. Divide the mousseline into four equal portions and shape each into a compact log. Roll the lettuce snugly around the filling, then roll the cheesecloth around the lettuce and tie both ends like a sausage. If a leaf splits, cover the opening with another leaf and roll again; nothing is lost. Heat the poaching stock to 170 to 175°F (77 to 80°C), lower in the bundles, and poach without boiling for 18 to 22 minutes, until the centres reach 165°F (74°C). Cool them in the stock for 10 minutes, then drain and chill while still wrapped.

4. 4

   Set the royale

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and butter four 4-ounce (120 ml) straight-sided ramekins, the honest home equivalent of Baba-moulds. Stir the eggs, yolks, cream, salt, and white pepper together without beating in bubbles, then pass the mixture through a fine sieve and divide it among the ramekins. Set them in a roasting pan and add hot water to reach halfway up their sides. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the royale is set at the edges and barely trembles in the centre. If the water begins bubbling hard, remove the pan and add a little cold water; harsh heat makes holes in the custard. Chill the ramekins until the royale is firm enough to dice.

5. 5

   Poach the tapioca

   Bring the measured water to a boil, rain in the tapioca, and reduce the heat immediately. Poach at a gentle simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pearls are entirely translucent with no white point at their centres. Drain through a fine sieve and rinse briefly with hot water. Measure exactly 6 tablespoons (90 ml / about 90 g) of poached tapioca, preserving the source ratio of 3 tablespoons for each quart of consommé.

6. 6

   Bind and strain

   Bring the chicken consommé to a bare simmer and stir in the measured poached tapioca. Hold it there for 10 minutes, stirring gently, until the broth gains a barely perceptible body. Dampen a clean linen cloth or tightly woven muslin with hot water, wring it out, and use it to line a fine sieve over a clean pot. Let the consommé pass through under its own weight. Never press or twist the cloth, because starch forced through the weave clouds the broth. If a haze appears, stop pouring, let the remaining consommé settle for 10 minutes, then ladle the clear upper portion through fresh damp linen.

7. 7

   Cut the garnishes

   Unwrap the cold stuffed lettuces, trim the uneven ends, and cut the cylinders crosswise into neat slices about ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick. Dip the bases of the ramekins in warm water for 2 seconds, turn out the cream royale, trim away any porous outer edge, and cut the tender centres into regular ¼-inch (6 mm) dice. Work with a thin, sharp knife and wipe it between cuts so the ivory dice remain clean.

8. 8

   Fill the tureen

   Warm a soup tureen with hot water, then empty and dry it. Arrange the sliced stuffed lettuces and cream royale dice in the tureen. Taste the consommé, correct the salt if needed, and bring it to one clean boil. Pour it immediately over the garnish, then add the chervil pluches without chopping them. Serve at once, while the broth gleams and the garnishes remain distinct. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The finished chicken consommé is the foundation, not an interchangeable carton of cloudy broth. Use a properly clarified homemade consommé or a clear prepared one with a clean chicken flavour; the elaborate garnish cannot rescue a weak base.
• •Baba-moulds are small, deep cylinders, but their shape disappears when the royale is diced. Four straight-sided ramekins preserve the quantity and gentle setting method without buying a mould that will otherwise gather dust.
• •Use tightly woven linen or muslin for the final straining. Loose cheesecloth allows softened tapioca through, while a paper filter works so slowly that the consommé cools before it clears.
• •Chervil pluches are the tender leaflets, not chopped stems. Chervil tastes softly of anise and fades quickly, so buy it close to serving and keep it wrapped in a barely damp towel.
• •Serve modest first-course portions in warmed bowls. A dry white wine with gentle acidity suits the clear chicken broth, but the consommé itself should remain the first voice at the table.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken consommé may be prepared up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 2 months. Chill it quickly and remove any set fat before using.
• •The stuffed lettuce rolls and cream royale may be cooked 1 day ahead. Keep them covered and cold, then slice and dice them shortly before service.
• •The tapioca-bound consommé may be strained earlier on the serving day. Reheat it separately and bring it to its final boil only after the cold garnishes are arranged in the warmed tureen.
• •Do not store the assembled soup. The royale softens at its edges, the lettuce loses its clear green border, and the chervil gives up its freshness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 405g)