Coulis de Volaille, otherwise à la Reine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Snug 5-quart (4.7 L) heavy saucepan or Dutch oven with lid
• •Countertop blender
• •Fine-mesh sieve at least 8 inches (20 cm) wide
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Flexible spatula and whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach chicken and rice

   Place the chicken breast-side up in a snug, heavy pot and scatter in the rice already prepared according to Blanchings (No. 273). Add 4 cups (950 ml) of the white consommé. Bring it gradually to a bare simmer, skimming any foam that rises, then cover with the lid slightly ajar. Poach for 55 to 70 minutes, turning the chicken once and stirring gently beneath it so the rice cannot catch. The liquid should barely tremble, never roll. The chicken is ready when the thigh joint moves freely and the thickest part reaches at least 165°F (74°C); the rice should be exceedingly soft, well beyond the texture wanted for the table.

   Use a pot that holds the bird closely. The prescribed quantity of consommé need not drown it, but a wide pot leaves too much flesh exposed and reduces the liquid before the chicken cooks.
2. 2

   Reserve and bone

   Lift the chicken onto a board and let it stand only until it can be handled. Raise the two breast fillets cleanly and reserve them, covered, for the garnish. Remove the remaining meat from the legs, thighs, wings, and back, discarding skin, bones, cartilage, and tough sinew. Skim excess fat from the poaching liquid, but keep every drop of the rice and consommé beneath it.

3. 3

   Pound and sieve

   Put the boned dark meat in a blender and work it first to a fine paste, reproducing the original pounding. Add the overcooked rice and enough poaching liquid to let the blades move, then blend in batches until perfectly smooth. Press the purée firmly through a fine-mesh sieve with a flexible spatula, scraping the smooth paste from the underside. Do not skip this pass. A blender cuts the fibres finely, but the sieve removes them; that distinction is the texture of a true coulis.

   Never fill a blender more than halfway with hot purée. Vent the centre of the lid, cover it with a folded towel, and begin at low speed before increasing it.
4. 4

   Boil and strain

   Return the sieved purée to a clean saucepan. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups (475 ml) of consommé, then add more as needed until the coulis flows like thick cream and measures about 2 quarts (1.9 L). Bring it to one full boil while stirring steadily across the bottom, then immediately pass it through the clean fine-mesh sieve once more into another saucepan. If the base catches, do not scrape the bottom. Pour the unscorched soup into a clean pot and strain it; the pale coulis cannot hide a burnt speck, but the rest can still be saved.

5. 5

   Temper the liaison

   Whisk the yolks and cream together in a bowl until completely smooth. Let the strained coulis fall below a simmer, then slowly whisk about 1 cup (240 ml) of it into the yolk mixture. Pour this tempered liaison back into the saucepan in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Keep the heat low and stir until the coulis lightly coats the back of a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes, or reaches about 167°F to 176°F (75°C to 80°C). Do not let it boil.

6. 6

   Mount with butter

   Take the saucepan completely off the heat. Montez au beurre, whisk in the cold butter a few pieces at a time, allowing each addition to disappear before adding the next. The coulis should become glossy and supple without tasting greasy. If tiny yolk grains appear, stop the cooking at once, whisk in a spoonful of cold consommé, blend briefly, and pass the soup through the fine sieve again. Ça se rattrape, provided it has not been allowed to boil hard. If the butter separates at the surface, whisk in another spoonful of warm consommé until the emulsion closes.

7. 7

   Dice and serve

   Cut the reserved breast fillets into small, regular ¼-inch (6 mm) dice. Fold them into the finished coulis for no more than 30 seconds, just long enough to warm without tightening the meat, or divide them among warmed bowls and ladle the coulis over them. Serve immediately in a warmed soupière or shallow soup bowls. No herb, spice, or colored flourish is needed; the ivory surface and precise dice are the garnish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •White consommé is the foundation, not a background liquid. If a stockpot is not part of your daily life, thaw a batch made earlier. A pale, gelatin-rich chicken stock, carefully strained and fully seasoned, is the honest home substitute because this coulis will be puréed rather than served clear.
• •Choose a small chicken close to the specified weight. A large roasting bird changes the ratio of meat to rice and liaison, making the coulis heavy before enough consommé has been added to give it flow.
• •The fine-mesh sieve does more than polish the appearance. It removes chicken fibres and rice skins that a blender leaves behind, so the finished soup coats the tongue evenly instead of feeling faintly woolly.
• •After the liaison enters, use a thermometer if your eye is uncertain. Gentle thickening is the technique. Boiling is not bravery; it is scrambled yolk in a good soup.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken, rice, and sieved coulis base can be prepared one day ahead. Cool it promptly, cover, and refrigerate the reserved breast fillets separately. Bring the base to its required boil and strain it again before adding the fresh liaison.
• •Whisk the yolks and cream together only shortly before service. Once the liaison and butter have been added, hold the coulis warm for no more than 20 minutes and never let it simmer.
• •Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within two days. Reheat over very low heat while stirring, stopping before a simmer. Freezing the finished coulis is unkind to its egg-and-butter emulsion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)