Suprêmes de Volaille aux Champignons, à Brun

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •30 cm / 12-inch heavy stainless-steel skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Whisk
• •Warm oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the components

   Trim any tendon or loose membrane from the suprêmes. Press the thick end of each gently between sheets of parchment until the breast is an even 2 cm thick, keeping its natural oval shape rather than flattening it into a cutlet. Pat every surface completely dry, then season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and half the white pepper. Mince the raw mushrooms by hand into pieces about the size of lentils, and warm a serving platter in the lowest oven.

   Use a knife for the mushrooms. A food processor works too quickly, bruising them into a wet paste that must spend half its time in the pan recovering.
2. 2

   Toss the mushrooms

   Heat a 30 cm heavy skillet over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter. Add the raw mushroom mince, spread it broadly, and toss it hard for 7 to 9 minutes. It will first soften and release water, then grow quiet as that water evaporates; continue until the mince is buttery, concentrated, and bronzed in places. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and half the remaining pepper. If the mushrooms flood the skillet, keep them uncovered over firm heat and let the liquid boil away before seeking colour. Do not drain it, because that liquid is mushroom flavour. Transfer the mince to a bowl, setting one-third aside for the sauce and two-thirds for surrounding the chicken.

3. 3

   Gild the suprêmes

   Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the clarified butter. When it shimmers without smoking, lay in the suprêmes smooth-side down. Press each lightly for the first 10 seconds, then leave it undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes, until deeply and evenly gold. Turn, lower the heat to medium, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the thickest part reaches 71°C / 160°F. If the fond darkens faster than the chicken, lift the skillet from the heat and add 1 tablespoon of the reserved stock to an empty patch; this arrests the browning before bitterness takes hold. Return the pan at lower heat once the liquid evaporates. Move the suprêmes to the warm platter and cover them loosely.

   The temperature will rise a few degrees while the chicken rests. Taking it far past 71°C / 160°F in the skillet gives you dry meat before the sauce is ready.
4. 4

   Build the light sauce

   Lower the heat to medium-low. Pour away excess fat only if more than a thin film remains, preserving every sound brown speck of fond. If any speck is truly black, remove that spot with a folded paper towel held in tongs. Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and the flour, then stir for 60 to 90 seconds to make a roux blond, a pale toasted butter-and-flour thickener. Whisk in 1¼ cups of the warm stock in three additions, scraping the skillet clean as you work. Simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has reduced to about ¾ cup and lightly naps the back of a spoon. Stir in the reserved one-third of mushroom mince for the final 2 minutes. If the sauce is lumpy, take it off the heat and whisk firmly before adding the mushrooms; if it is too thick, loosen it with reserved stock, and if too thin, reduce it another minute.

5. 5

   Mount the sauce

   Remove the skillet from the heat. Whisk in the final chilled tablespoon of butter to monter au beurre, whisking cold butter into the sauce to form a glossy emulsion. Add any juices collected beneath the suprêmes, then taste and use the remaining salt and white pepper as needed. If the sauce turns oily, stop and whisk in 1 tablespoon cold reserved stock away from the heat. Ça se rattrape. Once the sauce is smooth, do not let it boil again.

6. 6

   Dish and coat

   Turn each suprême once in the sauce so it is lightly glazed, then arrange the four on the warm platter. Surround them generously with the remaining buttered mushroom mince and spoon the light mushroom sauce over the chicken, leaving a little of the gilded surface visible. The sauce should coat, not bury. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose four evenly sized suprêmes, about 150 to 170 g each. Technique first, always: modest chicken cooked with attention gives a finer result than an expensive bird left wet and crowded in the pan.
• •Clarified butter is not brigade decoration. Removing the milk solids lets the suprêmes take strong heat and proper colour without burning. Make it ahead from unsalted butter, or buy pure clarified butter with no added flavouring.
• •Plain button mushrooms are right here. Mince them while raw and cook away their water before browning; adding shallot, garlic, or herbs would turn the book's clean mushroom garnish into another preparation.
• •No cream goes into this brown version. Its lightness comes from restrained roux, good stock, and reduction, while the final cold butter supplies gloss without making the sauce heavy.
• •Serve with pommes vapeur, simply steamed potatoes, or a restrained rice pilaf to catch the sauce. A dry white Burgundy has enough body for the butter and enough freshness for the mushrooms.

Advance Preparation

• •Clarified butter can be prepared up to two weeks ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring the measured amount close to room temperature before cooking.
• •The mushrooms may be minced, tossed in butter, cooled, and refrigerated up to four hours ahead. Rewarm them briefly before dividing them between the garnish and sauce.
• •Trim and even the suprêmes earlier in the day, then refrigerate them covered. Pat them dry again just before seasoning, because surface moisture returns while they rest.
• •The finished dish is best served immediately. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and use them within two days, reheating the sauce gently with a spoonful of stock so the butter emulsion remains smooth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)