Potage à la Diane

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small metal roasting pan or ovenproof skillet
• •4-quart heavy saucepan or Dutch oven
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •High-speed blender with vented lid
• •Fine-mesh sieve, 8 to 10 inches wide
• •Small crescent aspic cutter or sharp paring knife
• •2-quart soup tureen

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the lentils

   Put the lentils, cold water, onion, carrot, bouquet garni, and ½ tsp of the salt in a medium saucepan. Bring them slowly to a simmer, skim once, then cook gently for 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender but not dry or bursting apart. Remove the aromatic garnish and drain the lentils thoroughly, discarding their cooking liquor. If a few lentils split, do not fret; they are destined for the sieve.

2. 2

   Undercook the partridges

   Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Dry the partridges well, season them inside and out with 1 tsp salt and half the white pepper, then rub them with the softened butter. Roast in a snug metal pan for 12 to 16 minutes, turning the pan once, until the skin is richly bronzed but the breast meat remains rosy, around 140°F (60°C) at its thickest point. Rest for 5 minutes, then remove the breast fillets cleanly and reserve 3 oz (85 g) for the Game Royale (No. 209). None of the meat is ready to eat yet; the bodies finish in the pot and the fillets finish during the royale's poaching. If the birds went further than intended, ça se rattrape: shorten their second cooking and keep the liquid below a boil.

3. 3

   Finish in consommé

   Set the partridge bodies and drained lentils in a heavy 4-quart pot. Pour about ½ cup (120 ml) of the game consommé into the roasting pan and scrape up every bronzed trace of fond, then add this and the remaining consommé to the pot. Bring it to the barest simmer, cover loosely, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the leg meat reaches at least 165°F (74°C) and pulls readily from its joints. Lift out the birds, let them cool just enough to handle, then remove every scrap of meat and discard the skin, bones, and sinew. Search carefully for fine bones before the meat reaches the blender.

4. 4

   Shape the royale

   Prepare and poach the Game Royale (No. 209) according to its own entry, using the reserved roasted fillets. Let it set and cool enough to cut cleanly, then stamp or slice it into small, regular crescents about ½ inch (1.25 cm) across. Keep the crescents covered so their edges do not dry while the soup is finished.

5. 5

   Blend and sieve

   Return the boned partridge meat to the lentils and their consommé. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes, then blend in batches until completely smooth, never filling a blender more than halfway and keeping its vent open beneath a folded towel. Pass the purée through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly with a ladle until only dry fibers remain. This replaces the mortar and tammy without changing their purpose. If the purée fights the sieve or still feels sandy, blend it again with a ladleful of the measured thin game stock and pass it once more. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Let down the purée

   Return the sieved purée to a clean pot and whisk in the 3½ cups (840 ml) of thin game stock in several additions. Bring it only to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, skimming any froth, until the soup flows from the ladle in a smooth ribbon and lightly coats a spoon. If it is too thick, loosen it with a little additional hot stock; if it is thin, simmer uncovered for a few minutes. Do not use flour or cream to correct it. The lentils and game are its proper body.

7. 7

   Reduce the Madeira

   While the purée settles, simmer the Madeira in a small saucepan until exactly 2 tbsp (30 ml) remain. It should smell concentrated and vinous but remain fluid, not sticky. If it catches or turns syrupy, take it off the heat and loosen it with a spoonful of game stock. Do not discard it; ça se rattrape.

8. 8

   Mount and serve

   Warm a soup tureen and arrange the royale and black truffle crescents in its base. Take the soup off the heat. Monter au beurre, mount it with butter, by whisking in the cold butter a few pieces at a time, then stir in the reduced Madeira. Taste and correct with the remaining salt and white pepper. Never boil after the butter goes in, or the finish may separate; if a greasy sheen appears, whisk in 2 tbsp of cold game stock off the heat until smooth. Pour the soup over the garnishes and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Frozen farmed partridge is an honest choice when fresh birds are unavailable. Thaw it slowly in the refrigerator, dry it thoroughly, and inspect the cavity; moisture left on the skin prevents the bronzing that gives the soup its roasted depth.
• •The stock carries nearly the whole dish. Use unsalted game stock if you can. A deeply roasted duck stock is the closest home substitute, though the finished potage will taste rounder and less wild; pale boxed chicken broth has too little backbone.
• •A high-speed blender does the pounding, but the fine-mesh sieve still matters. Blending makes particles smaller; sieving removes the fibers that would otherwise leave the soup rough on the tongue. That distinction is the difference between thick and silken.
• •Use fresh black truffle when it is truly good, or a properly preserved whole black truffle from the classical pantry. Truffle oil does not replace the crescents and brings a perfume the original dish never asked for.
• •Serve the Potage à la Diane as a small first course. A mature red Burgundy has enough woodland depth for the partridge and truffle, while a dry Madeira quietly echoes the finish without making the soup taste sweet.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the two strengths of game stock up to 3 days ahead. Reduce a portion for the concentrated consommé stage, keep the remainder thin, and refrigerate both promptly or freeze them in measured containers.
• •The Game Royale (No. 209) may be poached one day ahead, covered, and chilled. Cut the crescents while it is cold for the cleanest edges, then let them lose their chill before the hot soup is poured over them.
• •The puréed and sieved soup base can be made up to 2 days ahead, cooled quickly in a shallow container, and refrigerated without the butter or Madeira. Reheat it gently, then reduce the Madeira and mount with cold butter immediately before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)