Potage Petit Duc

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Narrow boning knife
• •Small roasting pan
• •3-quart lidded ovenproof casserole
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Poultry shears and meat mallet
• •Fine-mesh sieve and damp muslin or cheesecloth
• •Four 2-fluid-ounce (60 ml) dariole-moulds or heatproof espresso cups
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small heavy saucepan and long match
• •Immersion blender for rescue

Instructions

1. 1

   Reserve two fillets

   Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Check each woodcock carefully for shot, damaged tissue, or traces of bile, then pat it dry. With a narrow boning knife, remove one breast fillet from each raw bird and refrigerate these two reserved fillets immediately; they are the garnish seared at the last moment. Leave the second fillet attached to each carcass for roasting.

2. 2

   Roast very underdone

   Rub the two birds with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter and use a little of the measured salt. Set them breast-side up in a snug roasting pan and roast for 7 to 9 minutes, just until the attached fillets are warm, lightly coloured, and still deep rose within, about 122 to 125°F (50 to 52°C). They are deliberately underdone because every part cooks again, either in the royale or during the soup extraction; none is ready to eat at this stage. Rest for 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Prepare the royale

   Lift the remaining roasted breast fillet cleanly from each bird. Use these 2 cooked fillets as the game meat for the Game Royale (No. 209), following that preparation’s own method and scaling it to fill four dariole-moulds (small straight-sided moulds) of about 2 fluid ounces (60 ml) each. Poach, unmould, and chill the royale until firm enough to dice cleanly. Small heatproof espresso cups are the honest home equivalent if dariole-moulds are not in your cupboard.

4. 4

   Pound the remains

   Strip the remaining soft meat, sound liver, and heart from the roasted carcasses and pulse them to a fine paste in a small processor. Cut the carcasses into thumbnail-sized sections with poultry shears, place them between folded sheets of sturdy baking parchment, and crack each section with a meat mallet. This replaces the brigade mortar without asking a food-processor blade to fight bone. Put the paste and cracked carcasses into a 3-quart ovenproof casserole, then add the hot game velouté prepared with essence of woodcock.

5. 5

   Extract in bain-marie

   Cover the casserole tightly and set it inside a deep roasting pan. Pour very hot water into the outer pan until it reaches halfway up the casserole, then transfer the bain-marie to a 325°F (165°C) oven. Cook for exactly 35 minutes once the mixture is thoroughly hot. The potage should quiver gently but never boil, and its centre must reach at least 165°F (74°C); the water bath extracts the pounded bird without turning its flesh coarse or clouding the velouté.

6. 6

   Strain to velvet

   Pass the hot mixture first through a sturdy fine-mesh sieve, pressing the soft flesh firmly with the back of a ladle while leaving every hard fragment behind. Pass the liquid a second time through a very fine sieve lined with damp muslin or cheesecloth, without pressing bone grit through the cloth. The soup must feel perfectly smooth between finger and thumb. If it remains sandy, pass it through fresh damp cloth again; patience here is cheaper than explaining grit at the table.

7. 7

   Burn the brandy

   Pour the brandy into the smallest heavy saucepan and warm it over medium heat until its surface begins to tremble. Move the bottle away, remove the pan from the burner, and ignite the brandy with a long match; let the flame die by itself. Never pour from a bottle near a flame. If open flame is unsuitable in your kitchen, simmer the brandy gently until the harsh alcohol scent disappears and about 2 tablespoons remain. Both methods preserve the source recipe’s intent: fragrance without raw alcoholic heat.

8. 8

   Finish without boiling

   Return the strained potage to a clean saucepan and heat it gently to about 180°F (82°C), never to a boil. In a bowl, loosen the foie gras purée with 3 tablespoons (45 ml / about 45 g) of the hot soup until completely smooth. Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the remaining 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) finishing butter, one small piece at a time, followed by the loosened foie gras, the cream, and finally the burnt brandy. Taste before adding any remaining salt. If beads of fat appear, the pan was too hot. Set its base in cool water for 30 seconds and whisk steadily; if needed, blend briefly with the immersion blender held fully beneath the surface. Ça se rattrape.

9. 9

   Sear and serve

   Cut the chilled royale into neat 1/4-inch (6 mm) dice and divide it among warmed soup bowls. Melt the final 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Season the 2 reserved raw fillets lightly and sear them at the last moment, turning once, until browned, just firm, and at least 165°F (74°C) at the centre; they are tiny, so remove them the instant they reach temperature. Slice each fillet thinly and arrange it over the royale. Ladle in the potage and serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Woodcock is the dish, not a decorative choice. Buy only from a lawful, traceable game dealer, or cook a legally taken bird whose handling you trust. In places where woodcock cannot be sold, wait for a lawful source rather than buying an untraceable bird.
• •Ask the dealer to leave the sound liver and heart with the bird and to inspect carefully for shot. Discard any tissue stained green by bile. One bitter gall stain can spoil the entire tureen.
• •The game velouté must already carry essence of woodcock, and the Game Royale (No. 209) must be treated as its own finished preparation. Plain chicken velouté makes a pleasant cream soup, but it does not make Potage Petit Duc.
• •Serve this in small warmed bowls. Foie gras, butter, cream, and concentrated game have authority, and a first course should leave the table wanting one more spoonful, not searching for somewhere to lie down.
• •A mature, restrained red Burgundy suits the dark game and foie gras. Pour modestly; the soup has already brought its own brandy.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the game velouté with essence of woodcock up to 2 days ahead. Cool it quickly, cover, and refrigerate; bring it just below a simmer before combining it with the pounded birds.
• •The Game Royale (No. 209) can be poached up to 1 day ahead. Keep it covered and chilled, then dice it shortly before serving so its edges remain clean.
• •The potage can be completed through the second straining earlier on the day of service. Cool it rapidly over ice and refrigerate, then reheat gently and add the butter, foie gras, cream, and burnt brandy only when the bowls and garnish are ready.
• •Keep the two raw garnish fillets covered in the cold and sear them only at service. Do not hold them warm; their small size gives you no margin against dryness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 275g)