Poularde Washington

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 7-quart (4.7 to 6.6 litre) oval cocotte or Dutch oven with a tight lid
• •Large skillet
• •1½-quart (1.4 litre) saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine
• •Heatproof oval platter
• •Warmed deep serving bowl or timbale

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the maize

   Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). If using fresh maize for the stuffing, blanch the kernels in lightly salted boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, until three-quarters tender, then drain them thoroughly. If using frozen maize, thaw it under cool running water and drain it well; it was blanched before freezing and has already reached the source recipe's three-parts cooked stage. Spread the kernels on a towel and dry them. Water left clinging to the maize would dilute the stuffing rather than perfume the bird.

2. 2

   Build the stuffing

   Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion with ¼ teaspoon salt and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until translucent and sweet but not browned. Add the sausage meat and break it into small pieces, frying it with the onion for only 60 to 90 seconds, just until its surface loses the raw pink colour. This brief frying preserves the source's sequence; the sausage finishes cooking inside the poularde. Fold in the prepared stuffing maize and ¼ teaspoon white pepper, then spread the mixture on a plate until no longer hot.

3. 3

   Stuff and truss

   Season the chicken inside and out with 1¼ teaspoons salt and another ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Spoon the cooled stuffing loosely into the cavity, leaving enough room for heat to circulate, then tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips underneath. Do not ram the cavity full. If your bird is smaller and some stuffing remains, put the excess into a buttered ramekin, cover it, and bake it beside the chicken during the final 25 minutes.

4. 4

   Braise the poularde

   Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy oval cocotte over medium heat. Set in the chicken and turn it carefully for 6 to 8 minutes, giving the skin a pale golden foundation without trying to roast it dark. Keep the breast uppermost, pour in 1½ cups of the chicken stock, and bring the liquid just to a simmer. Cover tightly and transfer the cocotte to the oven. Braise for 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, basting once halfway through, until the thickest part of the thigh and the centre of the stuffing both register at least 165°F (74°C). If the chicken is cooked but the stuffing remains below temperature, remove the stuffing to a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of the reserved stock and heat it gently to 165°F (74°C) while the bird rests. Ça se rattrape, and the breast need not be sacrificed.

5. 5

   Cream the maize

   While the poularde braises, combine the 3 cups maize, heavy cream, 1 tablespoon butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon white pepper in a saucepan. Bring the cream to the gentlest simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and continue for 6 to 10 minutes, crushing roughly one-quarter of the kernels against the pan with a wooden spoon, until the cream clings to the maize but still pools softly around it. If it tightens too far, loosen it with a spoonful of reserved stock or cream; if it remains thin, simmer it uncovered a little longer. Hold it over very low heat.

6. 6

   Reduce the glaze

   Lift the cooked poularde onto a rimmed heatproof platter and let it rest for 15 minutes. Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan, skim away excess fat, and boil it steadily until reduced to about ⅓ cup (80 ml), glossy and syrupy enough to coat a spoon. If the reduction catches at the edge, pour the clean liquid into another pan without scraping the scorched patch, add a spoonful of reserved stock, and resume over gentler heat. Ça se rattrape. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cold tablespoon of butter.

7. 7

   Glaze at the last minute

   Heat the broiler to high and place a rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below it. Blot any moisture from the rested chicken, then brush the skin with one thin coat of the reduced glaze. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, watching without distraction, brush with a second coat, and return it for another minute or two, just until the surface is evenly burnished. The fierce heat belongs only here. Glaze earlier and the skin toughens; glaze now and it stays tender beneath its shine. If one patch colours too quickly, turn the platter rather than lowering the heat.

8. 8

   Carve and serve

   Spoon the creamed maize into a warmed deep serving bowl or timbale and take it to the table separately, exactly as the entry directs. Remove the twine, present the glazed poularde whole, then carve it and spoon some of the maize, onion, and sausage stuffing beside each portion. Pass the remaining glaze and creamed maize at the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A true poularde can be difficult to find. Choose a plump young roasting hen of about 4½ pounds instead; careful braising matters more than the label on the bird.
• •Green maize means sweet corn, not field corn. Fresh kernels are splendid during their short season, but frozen kernels picked ripe are better than tired cobs and already have the partial cooking the entry requires.
• •Use plain fresh pork sausage meat, gently seasoned with salt and pepper. Strong fennel, smoke, chilli, or heavy garlic would replace the maize rather than support it.
• •The finished skin is glazed and supple, not roast-chicken crisp. Its beauty comes from the concentrated braising liquor and the last flash of fierce heat.
• •A broad, dry French Chardonnay suits the butter, cream, and sweet maize. Keep the rest of the plate simple, since both stuffing and creamed maize are already generous.

Advance Preparation

• •The maize, onion, and sausage mixture can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, cooled promptly, covered, and refrigerated. Bring it only to cool room temperature before filling the bird.
• •Do not stuff the raw chicken in advance. Fill and truss it immediately before braising so the centre cooks evenly and safely.
• •The creamed maize can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead and reheated over very low heat. Add a spoonful of cream or stock if it has thickened while standing.
• •After the meal, remove any remaining stuffing from the carcass before chilling. Refrigerate chicken, stuffing, and creamed maize in separate covered containers for up to 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 580g)