Potage Lavallière

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Two heavy 3-quart saucepans
• •6-inch (15 cm) shallow square baking dish
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Immersion or countertop blender
• •Piping bag with a narrow plain tip
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the celery royale

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan, add the sliced celery, water, and a small pinch each of salt and white pepper, then cover and cook gently for 10 to 12 minutes. The celery should become completely tender without taking colour. Uncover and let any loose water evaporate, then blend the celery with the royale cream until perfectly smooth. Whisk the 2 whole eggs and 1 yolk only until combined, stir them into the celery mixture, and pass everything through a fine sieve. Butter a shallow 6-inch (15 cm) square dish with the remaining butter, pour in the custard, and cover loosely with foil. Set the dish in a roasting pan and add hot water to reach halfway up its sides. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set and the centre gives one soft tremble. If the surface begins to puff or bubble, remove the dish from the water at once and lower the oven by 25°F (15°C). Ça se rattrape: once chilled, trim away any porous edge and use the smooth centre. Cool, then chill until firm.

2. 2

   Fill the profiterolles

   Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Make a small opening in the flat side of each Profiterolle for Soups (No. 218). Put the cold chicken forcemeat into a piping bag with a narrow plain tip and fill each shell without forcing it until it splits. Arrange the shells opening-side down on a tray and bake for 10 to 14 minutes, until the filling reaches 165°F (74°C) at the centre. If the shells soften before the filling is cooked, leave them a few minutes longer at the same heat; higher heat browns the choux before the chicken is safe. Keep them warm and dry.

3. 3

   Warm both creams

   Put the Crème de Volaille Princesse (No. 713) in one heavy saucepan and the Crème de Céleri in another. Warm them separately over medium-low heat, stirring often and scraping the pan floors, until each is hot and just beginning to quiver at the edges. Do not let either reduce or form a skin. Their original 9:4 balance must remain intact.

4. 4

   Prepare two liaisons

   In one heatproof bowl, whisk the 3 poultry-liaison yolks with the ¾ cup cream. In a second bowl, whisk the remaining liaison yolk with the ⅓ cup cream. Whisk until smooth, not foamy. Air has no work here; the liaison should thicken the soup quietly.

5. 5

   Temper without boiling

   Whisk two ladlefuls of hot Crème de Volaille Princesse (No. 713) gradually into its three-yolk liaison, then return the mixture to the poultry saucepan. Temper the celery liaison in the same way with the hot Crème de Céleri and return it to its pan. Stir each over the gentlest heat until it lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 170 to 175°F (77 to 80°C). Never boil a liaison. If either cream becomes grainy, pull it from the heat immediately, whisk in 1 tablespoon of the reserved cold cream, blend briefly, and pass it through a fine sieve. Ça se rattrape, provided you act before the yolks become firm curds.

6. 6

   Marry the creams

   Pour both finished creams into one clean saucepan and stir until the colour and texture are completely even. Hold the Potage Lavallière over very low heat, never above 175°F (80°C). It should pour in a broad ribbon and leave a light veil on a spoon. If it is too thick, loosen it with the remaining cold cream, one spoonful at a time. Taste for salt and white pepper, seasoning carefully so the celery remains distinct beneath the chicken.

7. 7

   Dice the royale

   Run a thin knife around the cold celery royale and turn it onto a board. Cut it into neat ¼-inch (6 mm) dice with a damp knife. If the custard tries to crumble, chill it for another 20 minutes and cut slightly larger cubes; cold custard cuts cleanly, warm custard sulks. Divide the dice among warmed soup bowls or place them in the bottom of a warmed soupière.

8. 8

   Garnish and serve

   Ladle the Potage Lavallière over the celery royale and add the warm chicken-filled Profiterolles for Soups (No. 218) at the final moment so their golden shells retain some delicacy. Allow four for a generous bowl, or two to three for smaller dinner-party portions. Serve immediately, while the surface is glossy and the liaison still fluid. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Make the component creams slightly looser than a finished cream soup. The yolks and cream add body, and a base already standing stiff on the spoon will become too thick after liaison.
• •The instant-read thermometer earns its place here. A liaison thickens below the boil, and removing the guesswork lets you concentrate on texture instead of fearing the pan.
• •Keep the chicken forcemeat cold until it enters the profiterolles. Warm forcemeat smears, traps fat poorly, and can split the little shells as it cooks.
• •Serve a restrained dry white with this potage, such as a mineral Chablis or another white Burgundy without heavy oak. The wine should clear the richness, not compete with the celery.
• •Reheat leftovers over very low heat while stirring constantly, and never let them simmer. If the chilled soup has tightened, loosen it with a spoonful of cream.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Crème de Volaille Princesse (No. 713) and Crème de Céleri up to two days ahead. Chill them separately and add neither liaison until shortly before serving.
• •The celery royale can be baked and chilled a day ahead. Keep it whole and covered, then cut the dice while it is thoroughly cold.
• •The Profiterolles for Soups (No. 218) can be baked ahead according to their own preparation. Fill and cook them earlier on the day of service, then restore their surface in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5 minutes.
• •The finished potage can wait for 20 minutes over a very gentle water bath, provided its temperature remains below 175°F (80°C). Add the garnishes only when serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)