Potage Nélusko

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart heavy saucepan
• •2-quart saucepan for poaching quenelles
• •Food processor with metal blade
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Digital scale and liquid measuring jug
• •Two demitasse spoons or a ½-teaspoon measure

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast and divide hazelnuts

   Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Toast the hazelnuts for 8 to 10 minutes, until their centers are golden and the aroma is full and nutty. Rub away the loose skins in a clean towel, cool the nuts completely, then pulse them into a fine powder without letting them turn oily. Divide the powder into 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 21 g) for the Hazelnut Butter and 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 14 g) for the quenelles. Work the larger portion thoroughly into the softened butter; the finished Hazelnut Butter weighs 3¾ ounces (106 g), preserving the source ratio exactly.

2. 2

   Poach the purée chicken

   Reserve ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the chicken stock for adjusting the soup. Bring the remainder to a bare tremble in a heavy saucepan, add the large chicken breast, and hold the liquid between 175°F and 180°F (79°C and 82°C). Poach gently until the center reaches 165°F (74°C), about 18 to 25 minutes depending on its thickness. Lift out the chicken and cover it loosely while you build the velouté; keep the poaching stock hot.

3. 3

   Build the liquid velouté

   Melt the 5 tablespoons of butter in a clean 4-quart saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook the roux blanc (white roux) for 2 minutes over gentle heat, stirring constantly; it should smell faintly of warm biscuits but take no brown color. Whisk in the hot chicken stock one ladle at a time, making each addition smooth before the next. Bring it to the gentlest simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, skimming the surface and stirring along the bottom. Strain through a fine sieve and measure 5¾ cups (1.36 L). If there is too much, reduce it gently; if there is too little, add some reserved stock. It should veil a spoon lightly, not cling like a finished sauce.

   If the first stock addition makes lumps, stop adding liquid and whisk the roux smooth over low heat. Add the next ladle only when the pan is calm again. Ça se rattrape.
4. 4

   Make the chicken purée

   Chop the poached chicken and process it with ½ cup (120 ml) of the velouté until completely smooth. Add more velouté by spoonfuls until the blades carry the purée freely, then press it firmly through the fine sieve. Measure exactly 1½ cups (355 ml) of finished Chicken Purée, loosening it with a little more velouté if necessary. Measure 4½ cups (1.06 L) of the remaining Poultry Velouté into a clean soup pot. These are the source proportions: three parts velouté to one part purée.

5. 5

   Mix the forcemeat

   Chill the food-processor bowl and blade for 10 minutes. Process the diced raw chicken with the egg white, ¼ teaspoon of the measured salt, and a small pinch of white pepper until the mixture becomes smooth and tacky. With the machine running, pour in the cold cream gradually, stopping as soon as it is absorbed. Press the Chicken Forcemeat through the sieve, then weigh out 6 ounces (170 g). Fold in the reserved 2 tablespoons of hazelnut powder, exactly one tablespoon for every three ounces of forcemeat. Keep it cold. If it becomes loose or glossy from warmth, chill it for 10 minutes before shaping; flour would bind it, but it would also steal the tenderness.

6. 6

   Shape and poach quenelles

   Bring the water and tablespoon of salt to 175°F to 180°F (79°C to 82°C). Using two small spoons or a ½-teaspoon measure, shape the forcemeat into about 24 very small quenelles and lower them into the water in batches. Poach without boiling for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until they feel lightly springy and reach 165°F (74°C) at the center. Test the first one before shaping the rest. If it feathers apart, the forcemeat or water is too warm; chill the mixture, lower the heat, and try again. Ça se rattrape. Drain the quenelles and cover them.

7. 7

   Join the base

   Whisk the measured 1½ cups of Chicken Purée into the 4½ cups of Poultry Velouté. Warm the Potage Nélusko slowly, stirring along the bottom, until it reaches about 180°F (82°C) and looks entirely uniform. Taste before adding more salt, since both the stock and poached chicken carry seasoning. Keep the texture fluid; if it has tightened, loosen it with a spoonful of reserved stock.

8. 8

   Temper the liaison

   Whisk the egg yolks and cup of cream together in a bowl. Add about 1 cup (240 ml) of the hot soup in three gradual additions, whisking constantly, then pour the tempered liaison back into the pot. Stir over the lowest heat until the soup reaches 175°F to 180°F (79°C to 82°C) and lightly coats the spoon. Never let it boil. At the first sign of graininess, take the pot off the heat, transfer the soup to a cool bowl, blend briefly, and pass it through the fine sieve before warming it gently again. A slight curdle can be rescued; fully scrambled yolks cannot.

   The liaison is ready when a finger drawn across the coated spoon leaves a clean path. More heat will not improve it.
9. 9

   Mount and serve

   Take the pot completely off the heat. Whisk in the full 3¾ ounces (106 g) of Hazelnut Butter a small piece at a time, letting each disappear before adding the next. If a greasy film forms, whisk in 1 tablespoon of cool reserved stock and blend briefly; the emulsion will come home. Add the quenelles and warm them for 2 minutes over very low heat without simmering. Adjust the salt, white pepper, and consistency, then ladle three quenelles into each generous bowl. The surface should gleam, not swim in fat. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The Hazelnut Butter is butter worked with toasted hazelnuts, not beurre noisette, which is butter browned until it smells nutty. Here the actual nut must run through both the soup and the quenelles.
• •Measure the completed Poultry Velouté and Chicken Purée before combining them. The source is built on a 3:1 ratio, and guessing by eye can turn a poised soup into chicken paste with cream around it.
• •Use a gelatin-rich stock with restrained salt. A good purchased stock is acceptable, but taste it after heating; reduction concentrates salt more faithfully than flavor.
• •A fine sieve is not pomp here. It removes cooked fibers from the purée and gives the liaison a smooth foundation, which is why the finished soup feels rich without feeling coarse.
• •Pour a dry white Burgundy or another full but restrained Chardonnay. The wine needs enough body for the liaison and butter, but too much oak overwhelms the toasted hazelnut.

Advance Preparation

• •The Hazelnut Butter can be made up to five days ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to a cool, pliable consistency before mounting it into the soup.
• •The Poultry Velouté and Chicken Purée can be prepared one day ahead, cooled promptly, and refrigerated separately. Reheat them gently before measuring and combining.
• •The quenelles can be poached one day ahead and refrigerated in a covered container with a spoonful of chicken stock. Warm them only after the liaison and Hazelnut Butter have been added.
• •Do not add the liaison in advance. Bind and mount the soup shortly before serving, then hold it below 180°F (82°C). Leftovers keep for two days when chilled promptly and must be reheated without boiling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)