Consommé Richelieu

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor with metal blade
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Small saucepan
• •10 to 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan with lid
• •Two coffee-spoons or demitasse spoons
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine cloth or unbleached coffee filter
• •2-quart soup tureen

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the aspic

   Put the chicken stock in a small saucepan and reduce it gently to 1/4 cup (60 ml), skimming any froth. While it reduces, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and leave it to bloom for 5 minutes. Remove the reduced stock from the heat, dissolve in the gelatin, and strain it into a shallow dish. Chill for 45 to 60 minutes, until firm enough to chop into tiny pieces. If it remains soft, ça se rattrape: melt it gently, add another small pinch of gelatin, and chill it again.

2. 2

   Make the forcemeat

   Chill the food-processor bowl and blade, then process the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the white pepper until the meat becomes smooth and sticky. Add the egg white and process again. With the machine running, pour in three-quarters of the cold cream in a thin stream; reserve the rest for adjustment. Press the farce de volaille, the smooth chicken forcemeat, through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl set over ice. Poach a teaspoonful in barely simmering water until cooked through, then taste it. If it is rubbery, work in a spoonful of the reserved cream. If it looks loose or greasy, stop and chill it over ice for 10 minutes before mixing again. Warm forcemeat separates, but ça se rattrape while it is still in the bowl.

3. 3

   Cut the garnishes

   Trim the lettuce into 12 neat rectangles, removing any thick central rib without tearing the leaf. Cut the carrots and turnips julienne-fashion, meaning coarse match-shaped rods, and measure 2 tablespoons of each after cutting. Keep the lettuce under a barely damp towel and the vegetables covered separately.

4. 4

   Mould stuffed quenelles

   Butter a wide sauté pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter. Dip a small coffee-spoon or demitasse spoon into hot water, then line its bowl with a thin coating of cold forcemeat. Place about 1/4 teaspoon of finely chopped aspic in the center, keeping it away from every edge, and cover it completely with more forcemeat to make a small dome. Slide a second hot-water-dipped spoon underneath and release the quenelle into the buttered pan. Form 24 in all, keeping the bowl of forcemeat over ice. Inspect every seam before poaching; if any aspic shows, patch it with cold forcemeat now.

5. 5

   Roll lettuce paupiettes

   Spread each lettuce rectangle with a thin, even layer of forcemeat, leaving a narrow bare edge. Roll it snugly into a paupiette, a small scroll with the forcemeat enclosed, and set it seam-side down on a chilled plate. Make 12. The rolls should be compact but not squeezed, since forcemeat expands slightly as it cooks.

6. 6

   Stew the julienne

   Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the carrot and turnip julienne and stew them for 3 minutes without browning; they should glisten but keep their color. Add 1 cup (240 ml) of the consommé, cover, and cook at a bare simmer until just tender, about 5 minutes. Lift out the vegetables with a slotted spoon. Skim the liquid carefully and strain it back into the remaining consommé only if it is still brilliant. If butter droplets remain, draw one edge of a folded paper towel lightly across the surface to collect them.

7. 7

   Poach the paupiettes

   Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of the consommé into a small straight-sided pan and bring it just below a simmer. Add the lettuce paupiettes seam-side down, cover, and poach gently for 6 to 8 minutes, until the chicken layer is opaque and reaches 165°F (74°C). Do not let the liquid boil, or the rolls may open and cloud it. Lift them out and keep them covered. Strain the poaching consommé through a damp fine cloth or coffee filter before returning it to the main pot.

8. 8

   Poach the quenelles

   Five minutes before serving, add the water and remaining teaspoon of salt to the sauté pan holding the quenelles, pouring down the side so the water reaches halfway up their domes. Bring it to the barest tremble, cover, and poach for 5 minutes, working in two pans or batches if they are crowded. The quenelles are ready when swollen slightly, firm outside, and opaque through the chicken shell. Cut open one tester to confirm the shell has reached 165°F (74°C); its aspic center should have melted. If a quenelle leaks, remove it promptly and strain the water before continuing. The others are not lost.

9. 9

   Assemble the consommé

   Warm a two-quart soup tureen with hot water, then dry it. Bring the beef consommé to a full boil and make one final check for grease; its surface should shimmer without oily beads. Arrange the julienne, lettuce paupiettes, and drained stuffed quenelles in the tureen. Pour in the boiling consommé and scatter over the chervil pluches, the small picked shreds and leaves. Serve immediately, before the quenelles cool and their liquid hearts begin to set. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ordinary beef stock is not consommé. This dish requires a broth clarified enough to read the garnishes through it; make the consommé ahead or buy a properly clarified one from a good butcher, then season it assertively because the garnishes soften its salt.
• •Cold is part of the recipe. Chill the chicken, cream, processor bowl, spoons, and finished forcemeat, especially if the kitchen is warm. The emulsion stays smooth and the aspic remains where you put it.
• •Keep the quenelles coffee-spoon small. Larger quenelles need longer poaching, and that extra time firms the chicken before the center is properly hot. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.
• •The aspic piece should be no larger than a small pea. Too much weakens the shell and encourages leaking; the pleasure comes from a spoonful of warm liquid, not a flood.
• •Serve with a dry Champagne or a restrained white Burgundy. The wine should refresh the palate without bullying a broth this clear and precise.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the beef consommé up to 3 days ahead, chill it rapidly, and lift away the set fat before reheating. It may also be frozen for up to 3 months.
• •Make the chicken aspic up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Chop it only when the forcemeat is ready.
• •The forcemeat, moulded quenelles, and lettuce paupiettes may be prepared up to 6 hours ahead. Keep them tightly covered and thoroughly chilled, then poach only near serving time.
• •Cut the carrot and turnip julienne earlier the same day and refrigerate it under a barely damp towel. Stew it in butter and consommé shortly before assembling the soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 315g)