Consommé Villeneuve

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Food processor with metal blade
• •Four ⅓-cup dariole moulds or small heatproof cups
• •Small covered baking dish
• •Deep pan for the bain-marie
• •6-inch (15 cm) crêpe skillet
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Soup tureen and ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Divide the consommé

   Measure 8 cups (1.9 L / 1.9 kg) of consommé into the saucepan for final service. Set aside 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) for braising the lettuces, ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) for the royale, and ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) as a reserve. Reach for the lettuces already prepared by Blanchings (No. 273). Press them gently between clean towels until no water remains between the leaves; trapped water weakens the stuffing and later clouds the soup.

2. 2

   Make the forcemeat

   Chill the food-processor bowl and blade. Process the cold chicken with the forcemeat salt, white pepper, and nutmeg until it forms a smooth, sticky paste. Add the egg whites and process just until absorbed, then add the cold cream in four additions, pulsing briefly after each. Stop as soon as the mixture is smooth and glossy. Warm forcemeat separates and turns grainy; if you see fat at the edge, stop immediately, set the bowl over ice for ten minutes, and pulse once or twice to bring it back together. Ça se rattrape, but do not add more cream.

   Poach a teaspoon of forcemeat in barely simmering water for three minutes. It should be tender, cohesive, and seasoned enough to taste lively beneath the consommé. Correct the seasoning before dividing the batch.
3. 3

   Stuff the lettuces

   Weigh or judge the forcemeat into two equal portions. Fold the chopped salted tongue into one half without overworking it. Open each drained lettuce gently, remove only the small core, and place one quarter of the tongue forcemeat in the centre. Fold the leaves back over the filling to reconstruct a compact head, then tie it loosely with kitchen string. The second half of the plain forcemeat belongs to the crêpes; keep it over ice.

4. 4

   Braise the lettuces

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Butter a small covered baking dish with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter and arrange the lettuces snugly inside. Add the reserved 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) consommé, dot with another 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) butter, cover with parchment and the lid, and braise for 25 to 30 minutes. The filling must reach 165°F (74°C), while the leaves remain intact. Cool the lettuces in their liquid, then lift them out and chill. Do not add the braising liquid to the service consommé; it has done its work and will no longer be perfectly clear.

5. 5

   Poach the royale

   Lower the oven to 300°F (150°C). Royale is a plain savory egg custard, and here it must remain pale and close-textured. Butter four dariole moulds, small baba-shaped moulds, or four ⅓-cup heatproof cups. Whisk the two eggs and two yolks just enough to combine, stir in the reserved ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g) consommé, then pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Skim away every bubble and divide it among the moulds. Set them in a small bain-marie with hot water reaching halfway up their sides and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until barely firm at the centre. If the water begins to boil, add a little cold water and lower the oven. Ça se rattrape before the custard curdles. If an edge becomes porous, trim it away later and cut the smooth centre into pastilles.

6. 6

   Cook thin crêpes

   Whisk the flour and crêpe salt with the milk and egg until smooth, then whisk in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) melted butter. Rest the batter for fifteen minutes. Brush a 6-inch (15 cm) skillet sparingly with butter and cook four thin crêpes, colouring them only lightly. Stack them beneath a clean towel as they come from the pan. If the first one tears, whisk a teaspoon of flour into the batter and let it stand five minutes; the first crêpe is often tuition.

7. 7

   Poach the crêpe topping

   Lay the crêpes smooth-side down on a buttered baking sheet. Spread the reserved plain chicken forcemeat over each in an even layer about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick, taking it nearly to the edges. The book’s cooler oven front becomes a 300°F (150°C) home oven, gentle enough to poach without the browning a salamander would give. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the forcemeat is matte, springy, and 165°F (74°C) at the centre. If the paste slides or smears before baking, it has warmed too far; chill the coated crêpes for ten minutes, then continue.

8. 8

   Cut three garnishes

   Unmould the cold royale and slice it crosswise into neat pastilles about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Remove the strings from the lettuces and cut each head crosswise into four compact rounds, wiping the knife between cuts. Trim the crêpes into rectangles, then cut them on opposing diagonals into small, narrow lozenges about 1¼ inches by ½ inch (3 cm by 1 cm). Keep the three garnishes separate and covered until service so their edges remain clean.

9. 9

   Compose the tureen

   Warm a soup tureen with hot water, empty it, and dry it thoroughly. Arrange the lettuce rounds, crêpe lozenges, and royale pastilles across its base without packing them tightly. Bring the 8 cups (1.9 L / 1.9 kg) service consommé to a full, clean boil, taste it, and skim the surface if needed. If it has reduced too strongly, use the reserved ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) consommé to restore its balance.

10. 10

    Pour and serve

    Carry the tureen to the table and pour the boiling consommé gently over the garnishes. Do not return the assembled soup to the stove. Boiling the royale and forcemeat inside the broth roughens their surfaces, sends particles into the consommé, and undoes the clarity you have protected. Ladle two lettuce rounds with a share of pastilles and lozenges into each warm bowl. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The consommé is the foundation, not background. Use a true chicken consommé with enough body to taste complete on its own and clarity sharp enough to read through. A pale carton of broth cannot carry this garnish.
• •Ask a butcher or charcutier for cooked salted or pickled beef tongue. It should be tender, rosy, and finely chopped by hand. Smoked ham changes the flavor and texture; pleasant as that may be, it is no longer the Villeneuve garnish.
• •Cold is part of forcemeat technique. Chill the chicken, cream, egg whites, processor bowl, and blade before beginning, and return the paste to the cold whenever another task interrupts you.
• •Never simmer the completed garnish in the consommé. The final pour is not ceremony for its own sake; it heats the elements while preserving the broth’s brilliance and the royale’s smooth face.
• •For a dinner party, serve modest bowls as the first course. A dry Champagne or restrained white Burgundy will follow the consommé without trampling its delicacy.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the chicken consommé up to two days ahead, chill it promptly, and lift off every trace of surface fat before reheating. Its clarity is easiest to judge while cold.
• •The stuffed lettuces, royale, and forcemeat-coated crêpes may all be cooked one day ahead. Chill them separately in covered containers, then cut the pastilles, rounds, and lozenges several hours before serving.
• •Do not place the garnishes in the tureen until the last moment. Holding them together encourages moisture and crumbs to collect, exactly what a clear consommé cannot forgive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 410g)