Pullets and Capons for Relevés

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5½- to 6-quart heavy lidded cocotte or narrow stockpot
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Butcher's twine
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •1-quart saucepan

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare and truss

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) for the poêlé or braised route. Take the bird from the cold 30 minutes before cooking, dry it thoroughly, and season the cavity and skin with the salt and white pepper. Tuck the wing tips beneath the back, draw the legs close to the body, and tie them firmly with twine. A compact bird cooks more evenly than one sprawling across the pot.

2. 2

   Bard the breast

   If you are poaching, rub the lemon over the breast and legs to help preserve their pale colour. Do not use lemon for the poêlé or braised route. Overlap the bacon or fatback across the breast from neck to belly, leaving the legs exposed, then secure it with two loops of twine. The breast needs a shield; the legs need the heat.

   If the bacon slips as you lift the bird, stop and retie it. Once it slides into the cooking fat or liquor, the breast is bare and the protection is lost.
3. 3

   Poêler under cover

   For the principal route, set the bird over the prepared aromatics in Poëlings (No. 250), using a heavy covered cocotte that holds it closely. Spoon the prepared melted butter generously over the bird, cover, and cook for 45 minutes, basting with the butter every 15 minutes. When the breast reaches about 145°F (63°C), remove the bacon, add no more than ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the finishing stock supplied with the preparation, and baste again. Return the bird uncovered until its skin is evenly burnished and its final temperatures are reached, usually another 20 to 35 minutes.

   If the breast colours before the legs are ready, lay the bacon back over it and lower the oven slightly. If the aromatics threaten to burn, lift out the darkest pieces rather than flooding the pot; too much liquid turns a poêlé into a braise.
4. 4

   Test and rest

   Check the thickest part of the breast without touching bone, then the inner thigh. Remove the bird when the breast reaches 160 to 162°F (71 to 72°C) and the thigh reaches 170 to 175°F (77 to 79°C). Rest it loosely covered for 15 to 20 minutes and verify that the breast reaches 165°F (74°C) before carving. If the breast is ready but the thigh is not, cover the breast with the bacon and return the bird to the oven for 5 minutes at a time. The old prick-and-judge-the-juice test has served its turn; the thermometer is safer and more exact.

5. 5

   Finish the jus

   Lift the bird to a warm platter. Complete the Poëlings (No. 250) by adding its remaining finishing stock to the aromatics and butter, then simmer them together for the prescribed 10 minutes so the stock recovers the flavour held in the fat. Strain into a small saucepan, skim away the excess grease, and reduce until the jus lightly coats a spoon. Take it off the heat and whisk in the cold butter. If the jus looks greasy or separates, whisk in 1 teaspoon of cold water, then add the butter again a cube at a time. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Pocher if preferred

   For a pale poached bird, complete steps 1 and 2, then use Poachings (No. 249) instead of steps 3 and 5. Place the bird in a narrow pot, breast up, and pour in the cold prepared chicken poaching stock until the bird is submerged. Bring the liquor rapidly to just below boiling, skim, cover, and hold it between 180 and 190°F (82 and 88°C), where the surface barely trembles. Begin checking after 55 minutes and use the temperatures in step 4. If the liquor boils, pull the pot from the heat and add a ladleful of cold stock; ça se rattrape. Strain and degrease enough cooking liquor for the table, reducing it only if it is not already well seasoned, then finish it off the heat with the cold butter.

7. 7

   Braiser if preferred

   For the richer braised route, complete steps 1 and 2 without the lemon, then apply Braising of White Meats (No. 248) in a cocotte just large enough to hold the bird. Keep a substantial layer of bacon over the breast throughout the cooking and follow the preparation's measured stock reductions and basting rather than adding all the liquid at once. Cook to the temperatures in step 4. If the glaze catches at the edge of the pot, lift it from the heat and loosen only that spot with a spoonful of stock, scraping gently. Strain and degrease the cooking liquor, then serve it as the accompanying sauce.

8. 8

   Carve and serve

   Remove the twine and bacon. Take off the legs at the joints, separate thighs from drumsticks, and carve the breast into generous slices. Arrange the dark and white meat together on the warm platter, spoon a little jus beneath the slices, and send the rest in a sauceboat. Do not drown the bird after working so carefully to preserve it. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for a fat young pullet if you want four generous servings. A true capon is often much larger; use the smallest available, allow additional cooking time, and trust the thermometer rather than the clock.
• •Use unsmoked larding bacon or sliced fatback, not aggressively smoked breakfast bacon. Its work is to baste and shield the breast, not make the whole bird taste of smoke.
• •Choose the pot by fit. Too wide and the butter and juices spread thin enough to scorch; too tight and the bird cannot sit properly. A cocotte with only a little space around the bird is right.
• •Serve the poêlé bird with a structured white Burgundy or a supple light red. The sauce is concentrated but delicate, so there is no need to bring a thunderous bottle to the table.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the stocks required by Poëlings (No. 250), Poachings (No. 249), or Braising of White Meats (No. 248) up to 3 days ahead and keep them chilled. Remove any set fat before measuring.
• •The bird can be seasoned and trussed up to 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate it uncovered so the skin stays dry, then add the bacon just before cooking.
• •Leftover carved meat and jus keep for up to 3 days in the cold. Reheat them gently together, stopping before the sauce boils or the breast will tighten.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)