Poularde à l’Ivoire

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6 to 8 quart (5.7 to 7.6 L) narrow stainless-steel or enameled stockpot with lid
• •Parchment paper and a small heatproof plate
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •2 quart (1.9 L) heavy saucepan
• •Large wide skillet
• •Warmed oval serving platter and two 2 cup (480 ml) sauceboats

Instructions

1. 1

   Whiten and settle bird

   Pat the poularde dry and remove any feathers or loose fat from the cavity. Rub both cut lemon halves over the entire skin, paying particular attention to the breast above the fillets; the lemon discourages discoloration and gives the skin its clean ivory cast. Truss the legs loosely so the bird cooks evenly without being squeezed out of shape. Put the leek, celery, onion studded with the cloves, bouquet garni, peppercorns, and poaching salt in a narrow stockpot. Set the poularde breast-side up over the vegetables, add the cold water, and add only enough extra water to cover the bird by 1 inch (2.5 cm).

   Choose the narrowest pot that holds the bird comfortably. A broad pot demands more water, which weakens the cooking liquor and leaves you reducing what need never have been diluted.
2. 2

   Poach below a bubble

   Set the pot over medium-low heat and bring the liquor slowly to 175 to 180°F (79 to 82°C), skimming away the grey foam as it rises. Lay a parchment round on the surface and, if the bird floats, hold it down with a small heatproof plate. Keep the pot partly covered and maintain that temperature without allowing a bubble to break the surface. Poach for 55 to 75 minutes after the liquor reaches temperature, until the thickest part of the breast registers 165°F (74°C) and the inner thigh reaches at least 170°F (77°C), without touching bone. If the liquor begins to boil, pull the pot off the heat at once and add ½ cup (120 ml) cold water down the side; one brief surge can be arrested, but continued boiling tightens the flesh and clouds the broth.

3. 3

   Strain and divide liquor

   Lift the poularde carefully, tipping it over the pot to drain the cavity. Set it breast-side up on a tray, moisten a sheet of parchment with hot cooking liquor, lay it directly over the bird, and cover loosely with foil while it rests. Strain the cooking liquor through a fine sieve without pressing the vegetables, then skim off the yellow surface fat. Measure 3 cups (720 ml) for the sauce ivoire and 2 cups (480 ml) for the second sauceboat; keep another cup nearby for loosening the sauce if needed. Warm the serving portion gently and correct its seasoning with a little of the reserved salt. It should taste clear and distinctly of poultry, not like salted water.

4. 4

   Build the sauce ivoire

   Only now, with the bird safely out, may the liquor boil. Reduce the 3 cups (720 ml) reserved for the sauce to 2 cups (480 ml), then pour it into a jug. Melt the roux butter in the same wiped saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook gently for 2 minutes without letting it color; the raw flour smell must leave while the mixture remains chalk-pale. Whisk in the hot reduced liquor in three additions, smoothing each one before adding the next, then simmer gently for 8 minutes. Add the cream, reserving 1 tablespoon for rescue, and cook until the sauce reaches nappe, a coating consistency that leaves a clean line when you draw a finger across the back of a spoon. Take it off the heat and monter au beurre (mount with butter) by whisking in the cold cubes one at a time. Season with white pepper and salt. If it becomes lumpy, pass it through the fine sieve; if the butter separates, whisk in the reserved cold cream away from the heat. Ça se rattrape. Pour the glossy ivory sauce into a warm sauceboat.

5. 5

   Finish cèpe noodles

   While the sauce cooks, prepare the garnish. If using frozen cèpes, put them in a wide skillet without fat and cook until their released water has evaporated; fresh cèpes may begin directly with the butter. Add the butter and sauté until the mushrooms are tender and their edges take a proper hazelnut color, then season with half the white pepper. Cook the noodles in generously boiling water with the measured salt until just tender, reserving ½ cup (120 ml) noodle water before draining. Return the noodles to their pot, fold in the cream and cèpes over low heat, and toss until lightly bound. If the cream tightens before service, loosen it with a spoonful of noodle water. The garnish should be supple, not cemented together.

6. 6

   Serve every part separately

   Warm an oval platter, dry it thoroughly, and remove the trussing string from the poularde. Set the bird on the platter breast-side up and leave it plain: no sauce poured over it, no parsley, and no attempt to disguise the ivory skin. Bring it to the table with the sauce ivoire in one warm sauceboat, the clear cooking liquor in another, and the cream-bound cèpe noodles in a separate bowl. Carve the breast across the grain, give each diner a little dark meat, and let everyone choose sauce, broth, or both. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A true poularde has more fat and tenderness than an everyday young chicken, but don't abandon the dish if your butcher cannot supply one. Choose a plump air-chilled bird of the stated weight. Technique first, always; the careful poach matters more than a pedigree on the label.
• •Use stainless steel or enamel for the poaching pot. Lemon and bare aluminum are poor companions, and a dark or reactive pot can muddy the pale cooking liquor before the sauce has even begun.
• •Fresh cèpes are magnificent in their season, but good frozen cèpes are the honest choice when the fresh ones are tired or unavailable. If only dried cèpes are available, use 1 ounce (30 g), soak them until supple, and save their dark soaking liquor for another dish so it does not stain this pale presentation.
• •The sauce must be ivory, not paper-white and not blond. The reduced poultry liquor gives it a faint warm cast; the pale roux supplies body, while cream and the final butter give the gloss. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Pour a restrained white Burgundy, particularly a Chardonnay from the Mâconnais. Its freshness handles the cream while its roundness stays beside the poularde rather than climbing over it.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Keep the carved poultry submerged in a little strained cooking liquor for up to 3 days, then reheat it gently below a simmer so the meat remains tender.

Advance Preparation

• •The poularde may be trimmed and loosely trussed up to 6 hours ahead, then kept covered in the refrigerator. Measure the aromatics separately and rub the bird with lemon only when it is ready to enter the pot.
• •The cèpes may be sautéed up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm them in the cream while the noodles cook; boil the noodles at the last moment so they stay supple.
• •The sauce ivoire may be completed through the cream up to 1 hour ahead. Cover its surface with parchment and hold it over barely warm water, then reheat gently and mount with the cold butter immediately before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 750g)