Consommé Nesselrode

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 4-ounce (120 ml) straight-sided ramekins or baba-moulds
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Fine-mesh sieve and damp muslin
• •1 1/4-inch (3 cm) fluted round cutter
• •Thin slicing knife
• •3-quart heavy saucepan
• •2-quart heatproof soupière

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the moulds

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter four 4-ounce (120 ml) straight-sided ramekins or baba-moulds very lightly, leaving no visible ridges of butter. Set them in a deep roasting pan and bring a kettle of water just below the boil. The ramekins replace the original tapered moulds; only the outer shape changes, while the depth needed for half-inch roundels remains.

   Choose narrow ramekins if you have them. Wide custard cups produce fewer usable roundels and leave more trimming for the cook, who already receives enough privileges.
2. 2

   Mix the royale

   Work the chestnut purée and finished game salmis sauce together until completely smooth. Beat the eggs only until the whites and yolks unite, then stir them gently into the chestnut mixture without raising bubbles. Pass the royale through a fine sieve, pressing with a flexible spatula, and taste a pinhead-sized dab from the spoon. Add the measured salt only if the finished sauce has not seasoned it sufficiently. Divide among the prepared moulds and tap each once against a folded towel to release hidden air.

3. 3

   Poach the royale

   Pour the hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the moulds, then cover the pan loosely with parchment and foil. Poach for 25 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set and the centres give a small, unified tremble when nudged. The water must remain quiet. If it begins bubbling or the royales start to puff, lift the pan out at once, replace one-third of the hot water with cold water, lower the oven to 275°F (135°C), and continue gently. Ça se rattrape. A slightly coarse outer edge can be trimmed away later, but a hard boil makes the whole custard porous.

4. 4

   Cool and cut

   Lift the moulds from the bain-marie and cool for 15 minutes, then chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around each edge and turn the royales onto a clean board. Cut them crosswise into slices exactly 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick, then trim each slice with a 1 1/4-inch (3 cm) fluted round cutter, the home equivalent of the book's grooved fancy-cutter. Wipe the blade between cuts and brush away every crumb. Keep only smooth, intact roundels for the soup.

5. 5

   Cut the juliennes

   Cut the cold roast hazel-hen fillets and mushroom caps julienne-fashion, meaning fine match-shaped rods about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) long. Work with a sharp knife and keep the two garnishes separate. The roast fillet should remain distinct, not shredded, while the mushroom must be fine enough to turn tender when the boiling consommé reaches it.

6. 6

   Heat the consommé

   Rinse the soupière with very hot water, then drain and dry it. Heat the finished game consommé prepared with hazel-hen fumet slowly in a clean saucepan, skimming away any trace of fat or foam without stirring. When the first full bubbling boil reaches the surface, stop the heat. If loose flecks have appeared, pass the broth once through dampened muslin into another hot pan. Ça se rattrape, but do not whisk it or boil it hard in hopes of forcing clarity back.

7. 7

   Fill the soupière

   Arrange the chestnut-and-game-salmis royale roundels across the bottom of the hot soupière, then add the julienne of roast hazel-hen and the equal quantity of mushroom julienne. Pour the boiling game consommé over them in one steady stream, cover for 30 seconds so the mushrooms soften, and serve immediately. The broth should be amber-clear, the roundels whole, and every garnish visible beneath the surface. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use plain unsweetened chestnut purée, not sweetened chestnut spread or crème de marrons. Sugar would turn the savory royale muddy and make the game consommé taste oddly flat.
• •Hazel-hen is unavailable or protected in many markets. Buy only legally sourced birds from a licensed game dealer; when that isn't possible, use grouse for both the fumet and roast fillet. The species changes, and it is worth saying so plainly, but grouse preserves the woodland-game character better than chicken ever could.
• •The consommé and game salmis sauce are finished preparations in the source entry, not small sub-recipes hidden inside it. Have both strained, chilled, and thoroughly defatted before beginning. Rederiving them here would discard the book's system and turn one evening into several.
• •Cut the mushroom at the last reasonable moment. Once salted or left standing, it releases water and darkens, neither of which belongs in a clear consommé.
• •Store broth, royale, and juliennes separately. Once assembled, the royale absorbs broth and the raw mushroom continues softening, so leftovers remain pleasant but lose the precision that defines the dish.
• •Pour a mature white Burgundy or a dry Madeira in modest glasses. The wine should meet the chestnut and game without shouting over a broth this carefully clarified.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the game consommé with hazel-hen fumet and the game salmis sauce up to 2 days ahead. Chill them separately, remove every trace of set fat, and strain again before use.
• •Roast and chill the hazel-hen fillets a day ahead, keeping them whole and tightly covered so they remain moist enough to cut cleanly.
• •The chestnut royale may be poached and chilled a day ahead. Leave it in the moulds, cover once cold, and cut the fluted roundels shortly before service so their edges remain neat.
• •The finished roundels and roast-game julienne can be arranged in the warmed soupière just before guests sit. Cut the mushrooms last and heat the consommé only when the table is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)