Suprêmes de Volaille en Papillote

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heavy saucepan, about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
• •Wide 12-inch skillet
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Five sheets of parchment, about 15 by 18 inches (38 by 46 cm)
• •Pastry brush
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the paper hearts

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C), or 400°F (200°C) with convection, and set a rack in the middle. Fold four sheets of parchment measuring about 15 by 18 inches (38 by 46 cm) in half, then cut each into a large half-heart so it opens into a symmetrical heart. Make one spare for repairs. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush the inner faces lightly, leaving a dry 1-inch (2.5 cm) border so the pleats won't slip.

2. 2

   Build the Italienne

   If the stock does not set when cold, sprinkle the gelatin over it and leave it for 5 minutes. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced ham and mushrooms, then cook until the mushrooms release their water, the pan dries, and a brown fond begins to form, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes without scorching it. Stir in the tomato paste, then the flour, and cook for another minute; this light roux gives a home quantity of stock the body that a grand kitchen drew from its standing demi-glace.

3. 3

   Reduce the sauce

   Pour in the white wine and scrape every browned bit from the saucepan. Reduce until the wine is nearly dry, then add the stock, thyme, and bay leaf. Simmer briskly until the Sauce Italienne measures about 1/2 cup (120 ml) and is nappant, coating the back of a spoon while the mushroom and ham remain distinct. Remove the herbs, stir in the parsley, and season cautiously with salt and white pepper. If the sauce runs like broth, keep reducing before it approaches the paper. If it becomes pasty or drops below the required volume, add stock or water 1 teaspoon at a time until it regains a heavy gloss. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Stiffen the suprêmes

   Pat the chicken dry. If one end is much thicker than 3/4 inch (2 cm), cover it with parchment and tap it gently to an even thickness. Season both sides with the remaining salt and white pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When it foams, add the suprêmes without crowding and raidir them for 45 to 60 seconds per side, just until the surfaces turn opaque and firm without forming a crust. A little gold does no harm, but lower the heat if the butter darkens quickly. The centres must remain uncooked.

5. 5

   Layer each papillote

   Open the buttered hearts and work on one half of each, keeping the border clean. Set down one ham triangle, spoon 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of Sauce Italienne over it, and place a suprême on top. Cover the chicken with another 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of Sauce Italienne and finish with a second ham triangle. Repeat with the remaining hearts. The sauce belongs beneath and above the meat in equal measure; don't pour extra around it, because free liquid seeks out the seam.

6. 6

   Seal the hearts

   Fold the empty half of each heart over the filling. Starting at the rounded top, make small overlapping pleats through both layers, pressing each fold firmly before making the next and continuing around to the point. Twist the final point and fold it underneath to lock the seam. This follows the paper-heart model preserved in Côte de Veau Papillote (No. 1259). If a sheet tears or a seam becomes greasy and refuses to hold, set the entire parcel inside the spare buttered heart and pleat again. Place the sealed papillotes on a rimmed baking sheet with space between them.

7. 7

   Bake until billowed

   Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The papillotes should swell taut and take a few pale amber marks while the butter leaves a sheen around the folds. At 12 minutes, test the largest suprême by slipping an instant-read thermometer through the seam into its thickest part; it should register 160 to 162°F (71 to 72°C), then reach 165°F (74°C) during a 2-minute rest inside the parcel. If it is cooler, pinch the seam closed as well as you can and return it to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. It may not rise as proudly a second time, but the chicken will be sound.

8. 8

   Serve at once

   Transfer each closed papillote to a warm plate and serve immediately, before the inflated paper begins to settle. Let each diner slit the top carefully and fold it back, keeping hands and faces clear of the first concentrated rush from inside. The suprême should be tender, the ham glossy, and the Sauce Italienne thick enough to cling rather than flood the paper. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose four small, evenly sized breast fillets. Huge chicken breasts force the paper to stay in the oven too long, and the outside dries before the thick centre finishes. Technique first, always.
• •Jambon de Paris is the right register: cooked, unsmoked, and not sweet. A heavily smoked or glazed ham overwhelms the mushrooms and turns the reduced Sauce Italienne into something blunt.
• •Use parchment, never waxed paper. Cut one extra heart because a torn fold is a small nuisance when a spare is ready and a catastrophe only when it isn't.
• •Serve the papillotes with pommes purée or buttered green beans, both quiet enough to leave the aromatic parcel in command. A restrained white Burgundy has the breadth for the butter and mushrooms without bullying the chicken.

Advance Preparation

• •The Sauce Italienne can be made up to 2 days ahead, chilled promptly, and reheated gently. If it sets too firmly, loosen it with stock 1 teaspoon at a time until it again coats the spoon heavily.
• •Cut the parchment hearts and trim the ham triangles a day ahead. Keep the paper flat and the ham covered in the refrigerator.
• •Stiffen and seal the suprêmes shortly before baking. The finished papillotes wait for no one; their proud rise and tender chicken belong to the moment they leave the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 245g)