Consommé Gauloise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor or small blender
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •6-inch shallow round pan, the home equivalent of the Charlotte mould
• •Small roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Clean lint-free linen or doubled muslin
• •Soup tureen

Instructions

1. 1

   Blend the royale

   Set aside 2 tablespoons of the chicken consommé for the royale. Process the ham with the cream and reserved consommé until very smooth, then add the whole egg and yolk and pulse only until combined. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, pressing firmly, and skim away any surface bubbles. Air becomes holes in the finished royale, so mix gently once the eggs enter.

2. 2

   Poach the royale

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter a shallow 6-inch round pan and pour in the ham mixture, aiming for an even layer about 3/8 inch thick. Set the pan in a small roasting pan, add very hot water to come halfway up its side, and cover loosely with foil. Poach in this bain-marie for 20 to 30 minutes, until the centre is just firm and reaches 160°F (71°C). The water should barely quiver. If the royale begins to puff or curl, remove it at once. Ça se rattrape: once cold, the smooth centre will still cut into handsome lozenges even if the edges have tiny holes.

   The shallow pan replaces both the dariole-moulds used as a volume measure and the small Charlotte mould used for poaching. The gentle water bath, not the shape of the metal, is the technique that matters.
3. 3

   Chill and cut

   Let the royale cool in its pan for 15 minutes, then refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, until quite cold and firm. Loosen the edge with a thin knife, invert it onto a board, and cut it into large lozenges about 1 1/4 inches long. Keep them cold and covered so their edges remain clean.

4. 4

   Poach the garnish

   Put the prepared cocks' combs in a small saucepan and cover them with cold water by 1 inch. Bring the water slowly to a bare simmer and poach for 35 to 50 minutes, until a knife enters the thick base without resistance. Add the cocks' kidneys for the final 8 to 12 minutes and cook them to at least 165°F (74°C). If the kidneys finish before the combs soften, lift them out and keep them covered while the combs continue. Never raise the boil to hurry them; hard boiling toughens the kidneys and damages the delicate combs.

5. 5

   Bind the consommé

   Reserve 1 cup of the clear chicken consommé. Put the remainder in a clean saucepan with the 4 tablespoons of poached tapioca and bring it only to a bare simmer. Hold it there for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice without crushing the pearls. The tapioca is doing quiet work here, lending the broth a trace of body before it is removed.

6. 6

   Strain through linen

   Line a fine sieve with clean, damp, lint-free linen or doubled muslin and strain the tapioca-bound consommé into a clean pot without pressing on the cloth. Stir in the reserved cup of clear consommé. The broth should remain brilliant and should cling to the spoon only a shade more than before. If it looks hazy, stop the heat and pass it through fresh damp linen once more, then add the reserved clear consommé gradually. Ça se rattrape. Boiling it harder will only burst more tapioca and deepen the cloudiness.

7. 7

   Warm the garnish

   Return the strained consommé to a bare simmer. Lower in the drained cocks' combs and kidneys for 2 to 3 minutes, just long enough to heat them through, then lift them out with a slotted spoon. Taste the broth without adding pepper, which would mark its clarity. If the seasoning needs adjustment, use only a small pinch of fine salt.

8. 8

   Fill the tureen

   Warm a soup tureen with hot water, empty it, and dry it well. Arrange the large ham royale lozenges, cocks' combs, and cocks' kidneys in the tureen, then pour the hot consommé gently over them so the royale remains intact. Ladle at the table, making certain each bowl receives all three elements of the garnish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order the cocks' combs and cocks' kidneys from a specialist poultry butcher well ahead, asking for the combs cleaned, blanched, and peeled. These garnishes give Gauloise its identity. If they cannot be found, choose a consommé royale for that dinner rather than hiding a different garnish under this name.
• •Use small-pearl tapioca, never instant tapioca or large dessert pearls. Poach it separately according to its needs, drain it, and measure exactly 4 tablespoons after cooking. The book's ratio is 2 tablespoons of poached tapioca per quart of consommé, and that restraint keeps the broth clear.
• •The chicken consommé must already be clear, concentrated, and properly seasoned before this recipe begins. Carton broth is useful elsewhere, but here the broth is the dish. Make and clarify it ahead, or buy a true prepared consommé from a butcher who makes one.
• •Serve Consommé Gauloise in warmed bowls as a first course. A dry Champagne suits its formality and cleans the palate after the ham royale without overwhelming the clear chicken broth.

Advance Preparation

• •The ham royale can be poached, chilled, and cut a day ahead. Store the lozenges covered in a single layer so their edges remain clean.
• •The cocks' combs and kidneys can be poached a day ahead, cooled promptly, and refrigerated separately. Reheat them only once, gently, in the finished consommé.
• •Prepare and clarify the chicken consommé up to three days ahead. Add the tapioca and perform the linen straining close to service, when its slight binding will be at its finest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)