Soufflé de Volaille à la Périgord

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-liter (about 2-quart) straight-sided porcelain soufflé dish
• •Small saucepan for poaching
• •2-quart heavy saucepan for the velouté
• •Food processor
• •Electric mixer or large balloon whisk
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Broad flexible spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare dish and oven

   Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 400°F (200°C). Butter a 2-liter straight-sided soufflé dish with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter, brushing upward from base to rim so the coating encourages the mixture in the same direction. Add the breadcrumbs, turn the dish until the base and sides are lightly coated, then tap out the excess. Keep the prepared dish cold while you make the base.

   Choose a straight-sided dish that the mixture will fill about three-quarters full. A broad, shallow dish gives less height and cooks the center before the crown has properly risen.
2. 2

   Poach the chicken

   Put the stock in a small saucepan and bring it to a bare tremble. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, lower it into the stock, and poach gently for 12 to 16 minutes, turning once, until the thickest part reaches 160°F (71°C); it will reach a safe 165°F (74°C) as it rests. Never let the stock boil, because hard heat tightens the meat and gives the finished soufflé a fibrous texture. Lift out the chicken, cover it loosely, and strain the stock. Reduce the stock until exactly 1 cup (250 ml / 250 g) remains. If it falls below that amount, restore the measure with a little water.

3. 3

   Build the velouté

   Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook this roux for 2 minutes without allowing it to color. Gradually whisk in the hot reduced stock, then simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring firmly around the corners, until the velouté, the white stock sauce thickened with roux, is smooth and very thick. Stir in the cream and cook until the sauce pulls cleanly from the pan for a moment behind the spoon. If lumps appear, don't begin again. Ça se rattrape: press the hot velouté through a fine sieve, then return it to the pan.

4. 4

   Make the chicken base

   Cut the rested chicken into small pieces and put it in a food processor with the warm velouté. Process until completely smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl several times; any coarse fibers left now will remain in the soufflé. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let it cool until just warm to the touch. Beat in the 5 yolks one at a time, followed by the chopped truffle, the remaining salt, and the white pepper. The base should fall heavily from the spatula and hold a soft mound. If it stands like paste, loosen it with one spoonful of the measured egg whites before whipping the rest.

5. 5

   Whip glossy whites

   Put the 6 egg whites in a perfectly clean, dry bowl and whisk until they hold glossy medium-firm peaks: the tip should bend slightly rather than stand dry and rigid. Stop there. Overwhipped whites break into little cottony clumps and cannot expand evenly in the oven. If they have gone dry, add the optional unbeaten white and whisk slowly just until the mass becomes supple and glossy again. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Fold with restraint

   Stir one-quarter of the whipped whites firmly into the chicken base to loosen it. Add half the remaining whites and fold with a broad spatula, cutting down through the center, sweeping along the bottom, and turning the mixture over itself. Repeat with the final whites. Stop as soon as no large white pockets remain; a few fine streaks are safer than another dozen turns. The air you preserve here is the lift you will see at the table.

7. 7

   Layer the truffles

   Spoon one-third of the soufflé mixture into the prepared dish and level it gently. Arrange half the sliced truffle over it, keeping the slices about 1/2 inch (1 cm) from the sides so they do not interrupt the rise at the rim. Cover with another third of the mixture, add the remaining sliced truffle, and finish with the final third. Smooth the top lightly, then run the tip of a knife around the mixture just inside the rim to form a shallow channel. Wipe the rim clean and bake at once.

8. 8

   Bake and serve

   Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C), then lower the heat to 375°F (190°C) without opening the door. Continue for 18 to 22 minutes, until the soufflé has risen well above the rim, the crown is deep butter-gold, and the center trembles gently rather than sloshing. Do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes. If the top colors too quickly after that point, lay a loose sheet of foil over it and finish at 350°F (175°C). Bring the whole dish directly to the table and serve with a broad spoon, reaching through both truffle layers in every portion. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source's proportion is not negotiable: chopped and sliced truffle in equal weight. Its larger preparation uses 3 1/2 ounces of each; this four-serving version brings both down together to 1.4 ounces (40 g), preserving the defining one-to-one relationship.
• •This dish truly needs black truffle. Fresh Périgord truffle gives the clearest perfume, but outside its season, whole black truffles preserved in their own juice are the classical pantry's honest answer. Drain them well and use the same weights. Truffle-flavored oil cannot build the dark, earthy layers this dish requires.
• •Use unsalted or very lightly salted chicken stock because it is reduced by half. A gelatin-rich homemade stock gives the velouté more body, but a careful cook can make a good low-sodium purchased stock serve splendidly.
• •A soufflé begins settling as soon as it leaves the oven. That isn't failure, it is its nature. Have the table set and the guests seated before it bakes, then serve it without ceremony or delay. Never apologize at your own table.
• •Pour a dry white Bergerac with enough freshness to clear the cream and enough body to meet the truffle. Avoid a heavily perfumed wine, because the truffle has already claimed that part of the conversation.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken may be poached and the stock reduced up to 24 hours ahead. Chill them separately in covered containers, then warm the stock before making the velouté.
• •The chicken and velouté may be processed together up to 8 hours ahead. Press reusable wrap directly against the surface and keep it cold. Let the base lose its refrigerator chill before adding the yolks and truffles.
• •The truffles may be chopped and sliced up to 4 hours ahead and kept separately in tightly covered containers. Whip the whites, fold, layer, and bake only when the table is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)