1444—The Way to Serve Poultry Relevés Quickly and Hot

I feel bound to call the reader’s attention to this very important point in culinary work:—

Owing to the difficulties involved in the carving of the fowl and the placing and arranging of the pieces and their garnish upon the consumers’ plates—both of which operations require dexterity and expertness, which those in charge very often do not possess, or thanks to the inefficiency of particular installations, or what not, I have noticed for some considerable time, that the method of serving large pieces of poultry is, in many cases, very far from being the right one.

For, indeed, how often does not the diner find himself presented with a plate of fowl which is neither appetisingly dainty nor yet sufficiently hot! It follows from this, that all the care and trouble devoted by a chef to the preparation of the dish are entirely wasted. Now, I have tried to improve this state of affairs, by planning a method of serving which would be at once simple and expeditious, without necessarily being devoid of tastefulness and presentability.

In the first place, it is my practice to remove the fowl’s two suprêmes, in the kitchen, and to keep them warm in a little cooking-liquor until the last minute. Secondly, I remove all the bones of the breast, and I reconstruct the fowl with a garnish in keeping with the dish, i.e., either a mousseline forcemeat, pilaff rice combined with cream, foie gras and truffles, spaghetti, or noodles with cream.

Having properly smoothed and arranged the selected garnish, the fowl may now be placed, either at one end of any but a round dish, or on a low cushion of fried bread, on which it may be set firmly.

It may also be entirely coated with Mornay sauce, sprinkled with grated cheese, and speedily glazed.

When the body of the bird is dished, its garnish should be set round it in fine, tartlet crusts; its suprêmes, quickly sliced, should be distributed among the tartlets, and the dish sent to the table with the sauce separately.

By this means, it reaches the table hot, it is served quickly and cleanly; and every person gets a slice of meat, and not garnish only, as was so often the case formerly.

Instead of tartlets, one may use thin croûtons of bread, of the size of the slices of chicken, and fried in fresh butter.

Thus, for a “Poularde à la Derby,” after having stuffed the pullet with rice, suppressed the bones of the breast, and removed the suprêmes; all that is necessary is to properly shape the rice, and to dish the fowl on a cushion.

This done, prepare as many croûtons and slices of foie-gras, sautéd in butter, as there are diners, and arrange them round the pullet—the slices of foie-gras lying on the croûtons. Now, quickly cut the suprêmes into slices; put one of these on each slice of foie-gras, and on each of the latter put a slice of truffle. Put the pullet, thus prepared, in the oven for a few minutes; let it get very hot, and send it to the table with the sauce separately.

In the dining-room the Maître-d’hôtel quickly serves the garnished croûtons on hot plates, beside each croûton he puts a tablespoonful of the rice with which the pullet has been stuffed, and, finally, a tablespoonful of sauce.

In less than two minutes after its entrance into the dining-room, the pullet is thus served warm to each person.

Of course, the above measures refer to the fowl that has to be dished whole and presented; but, when this is not required, the rice withdrawn from the cooked bird need only be set in the centre of a deep, square entrée dish (fitted with a cover), and surrounded by the sliced suprêmes, with intercalated slices of foie-gras and truffle. The sauce is also served separately in this case. Cover the dish, so that it may stand and keep hot a few minutes, if necessary, without spoiling.

The legs, which are rarely served at a well-ordered dinner, remain in the kitchen together with the carcass.

I cannot too strongly recommend the system just described, whenever the circumstances allow of its being put into practice. It is the only one that ensures an efficient service, calculated to give entire satisfaction to all concerned.