Poularde à la Piémontaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart (4.7-liter) heavy lidded cocotte or Dutch oven
• •Small heavy saucepan for risotto
• •Medium saucepan for gravy
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Truffle slicer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine
• •Warm sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the risotto

   Melt the risotto butter in a small heavy saucepan over gentle heat. Add the shallot and cook without coloring until supple, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and nacrez it, coating each grain in butter until its outer edge looks translucent while the center stays white. Add about 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g) of the warm chicken stock a ladle at a time, stirring and allowing each addition to be nearly absorbed before adding the next. Cook until creamy but still faintly firm at the center, about 16 to 18 minutes. Season lightly with some of the salt and white pepper. Weigh out exactly 7 ounces (200 g) of finished risotto and spread it in a shallow dish to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. If it tightens while cooling, loosen it with one spoonful of warm stock. Ça se rattrape.

2. 2

   Build the gravy

   While the risotto cools, melt the gravy butter in a clean saucepan. Stir in the flour to make a roux blond, a pale butter-and-flour thickener, and cook it gently for 2 minutes without letting it brown. Whisk in 2½ cups (600 ml / 600 g) of the warm chicken stock in several additions, making each one smooth before adding the next. Bring to a bare simmer and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, skimming as needed, until the gravy lightly coats a spoon and measures about 1⅔ cups (400 ml). Season modestly and set it aside. If the gravy forms lumps, don't fight them in the pan; pass it through a fine sieve and continue.

3. 3

   Shave and stuff

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and have the home-scale Poëlings (No. 250) prepared in a snug lidded cocotte before cutting the truffles. Season the poularde inside and out with most of the remaining salt and white pepper. When the risotto has fallen to about 95 to 105°F (35 to 40°C), shave all 5⅓ ounces (150 g) of white truffle into thin, flexible slices and fold them through the 7 ounces (200 g) of risotto. Fill the cavity loosely, without compressing the rice, then truss the legs and put the bird into its prepared vessel at once. If the cavity is smaller than expected, don't force the stuffing; place the remainder in a covered buttered ramekin and cook it beside the bird for the final 25 minutes.

4. 4

   Poêler the poularde

   Cook the stuffed bird with Poëlings (No. 250), following that preparation's covered, butter-rich method and basting rhythm. Do not add wine, water, or stock during this stage. Poêler means roasting gently in butter under cover before uncovering for color; moisture added now would turn the method into a braise. Cook covered for about 60 minutes, basting quickly every 20 minutes, then uncover and raise the oven to 400°F (200°C). Continue for 25 to 40 minutes, until the skin is deeply butter-gold, the center of the stuffing reaches 165°F (74°C), and the thickest part of the thigh reaches at least 170°F (77°C). If the skin colors before the stuffing is safe, lay a loose piece of foil over the breast and continue. If the vegetables beneath threaten to catch, lower the heat and add a little butter from the preparation, never stock.

   Probe the stuffing through the cavity rather than through the breast. A stuffed bird is done when its center is safe, not merely when the breast looks ready.
5. 5

   Reduce the liquor

   Transfer the poularde to a warm platter, tent it loosely with foil, and rest it for 20 minutes. Complete the finishing phase of Poëlings (No. 250) exactly as its own entry directs. Measure the strained and degreased poëling liquor it produces, then boil that liquor in a small clean saucepan until concentrated, glossy, and reduced to about ⅓ cup (80 ml). Watch the final minutes closely; a broad pan can take it from savory to scorched very quickly.

6. 6

   Finish the sauce

   Return the thickened chicken gravy to a bare simmer and whisk in the reduced poëling liquor a spoonful at a time. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce naps the back of a spoon in a glossy veil, then taste and correct the seasoning. If it becomes too thick, loosen it with some of the reserved chicken stock. If a buttery slick separates at the surface, skim the excess, add a tablespoon of warm stock, and whisk gently until the sauce comes together. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Carve and serve

   Remove the trussing string. Take off the legs, carve the breast into broad slices, and spoon the truffle risotto from the cavity onto the center of the platter. Arrange the poultry around it without fuss. Spoon a little gravy over the meat and send the rest in a warm sauceboat so each guest can help themselves. The first cut releases the truffle perfume, which is why the bird comes whole to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This dish truly needs fresh white truffle in season. It should feel firm, smell powerfully of garlic, earth, and warm grain, and show no wet or spongy patches. Truffle oil cannot carry this proportion or perfume, and black truffle wants a different treatment.
• •The 200 grams of finished risotto to 150 grams of truffle may look extravagant because it is. That exact four-to-three ratio translates the book's proportions to a bird for four; cutting the truffle to a token shaving changes the identity of the dish.
• •A true poularde has especially tender, well-fatted flesh. If your market doesn't carry one, choose a plump pullet or excellent roasting chicken of the same weight. Technique first, always.
• •Use unsalted stock with real body. A good prepared chicken stock is an honest home equivalent to the stockpot the original kitchen kept going, but reduce it before judging its strength or seasoning.
• •Pour a mature white Burgundy with enough body for the butter and truffle but little aggressive oak. The sauce is already rich and needs a wine with breadth, not sweetness.

Advance Preparation

• •The thickened chicken gravy can be made one day ahead, chilled promptly, and reheated gently before the reduced poëling liquor is added.
• •The home-scale Poëlings (No. 250) can be measured and arranged earlier the same day, ready to receive the bird.
• •Do not shave the truffles or stuff the poularde in advance. Make the risotto, cool it briefly, fold in the freshly shaved truffle, and roast immediately. This protects both the truffle perfume and the safety of the stuffing.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. Reheat covered with a spoonful of gravy until the center reaches 165°F (74°C), knowing that white truffle loses perfume each time it is warmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 470g)