Consommé Rothschild

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 3-ounce (90 ml) fluted dariole moulds, or four small ramekins and a 1¼-inch (3 cm) fluted cutter
• •Deep lidded sauté pan for poaching
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •2½-quart or larger soup tureen

Instructions

1. 1

   Reduce the Sauterne

   Pour the Sauterne into a small straight-sided saucepan and hold it at a quiet simmer until exactly 1 cup (240 ml) remains, about 15 minutes. It should smell concentrated and floral but remain fluid, never sticky like syrup. Strain it and reserve. If it slips below the mark, add enough fresh Sauterne to restore the cup and give it one brief simmer. Ça se rattrape.

   Measure the reduction rather than trusting the clock. Pan width and heat alter the timing, but the finished volume preserves the source's proportion.
2. 2

   Mix the royale

   Butter four 3-ounce (90 ml) fluted dariole moulds, the small baba-shaped moulds of the classical kitchen. Keep every royale ingredient cold. Combine equal volumes of purée of pheasant, chestnut purée, and pheasant salmis sauce, stirring only until the mixture is uniform. Press it through a fine-mesh sieve, then divide it among the moulds and tap each gently against a folded towel to release hidden air pockets. The three flavoring components remain equal thirds, exactly as the source requires.

3. 3

   Poach it gently

   Stand the moulds in a deep lidded sauté pan and add hot water to reach two-thirds of the way up their sides. Cover and keep the water at the faintest tremble for 20 to 25 minutes, never a boil, until the royale feels just firm and its centre reaches 165°F (74°C). Lift out the moulds and let them settle for 10 minutes. If the water boils and the tops puff or crack, pull the pan from the heat immediately. Chill the royale in its moulds, then trim away the rough cap and cut roundels from the smooth interior; the garnish is still yours.

4. 4

   Cut the garnishes

   Unmould the royale and cut it crosswise into rounds about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Fluted dariole moulds give the source's grooved roundels automatically; if you used plain ramekins, stamp the slices with a 1¼-inch (3 cm) fluted cutter. Cut the roast pheasant fillet julienne-fashion, meaning fine match-shaped rods, and arrange the roundels and precisely 2 tablespoons of julienne in a warmed soup tureen. Handle the royale lightly and do not stir it once arranged.

5. 5

   Finish the consommé

   Bring the game consommé prepared with pheasant fumet to a clean boil. Stir in the measured reduced Sauterne only when the tureen is ready, return the broth to the boil once, and take it straight from the heat so the wine keeps its perfume. If a few fat eyes rise, do not churn them into the broth by boiling harder; draw a clean strip of paper towel lightly across the surface and lift it away.

6. 6

   Assemble and serve

   Pour the boiling consommé gently over the royale roundels and pheasant julienne in the tureen. Bring it directly to the table and ladle without stirring, giving each bowl several roundels and a little julienne. The broth should remain brilliant enough to show every cut beneath its amber surface. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This formula begins where its source begins, with finished game consommé prepared with pheasant fumet and finished pheasant salmis sauce. Make those foundations separately and strain them impeccably; their preparation time is not included here.
• •Purée the raw pheasant breast while it is very cold. Its proteins give the royale its delicate set during poaching; cooked leftover pheasant cannot bind the mixture in the same way.
• •Sauterne is the source's kitchen term; the bottle will generally say Sauternes. Use the real sweet Bordeaux wine and reduce it gently. A dry white wine changes the balance and does not belong in this consommé.
• •The roast pheasant julienne is deliberately restrained. It is an accent within the broth, not a heap of meat, and the source allows only one tablespoon per quart.
• •A small glass of the same Sauternes can accompany the course, but pour modestly. The consommé should lead.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the game consommé with pheasant fumet and the pheasant salmis sauce up to 2 days ahead. Chill them separately, then remove every trace of set fat before beginning.
• •The royale may be poached earlier the same day and kept covered in its moulds in the refrigerator. Unmould and cut it shortly before service so the roundels remain neat.
• •Roast and chill the pheasant fillet up to 1 day ahead. Cut the julienne no more than a few hours before serving and keep it covered so the fine rods do not dry out.
• •Reduce the Sauterne earlier in the day, strain it, and refrigerate it in a covered container. Bring it to room temperature before adding it to the boiling consommé.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)