Aspic de Poulet à l’Italienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-cup (1-liter) metal border or ring mould
• •Wide bowl for an ice-water bath
• •Fine-mesh sieve and clean damp muslin
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Chilled serving platter and small sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach the fillets

   Reserve 1/2 cup of the stock in the cold for blooming the gelatin. Put the remaining stock in a saucepan with the sliced carrot, leek, bouquet garni, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and half the white pepper. Bring it to a bare simmer, slip in the chicken breasts, and hold the liquid at the gentlest tremble until the thickest part reaches 165°F or 74°C, about 15 to 18 minutes. Lift out the chicken, cover it loosely, and let it cool completely. Hard boiling tightens the fillets and clouds the stock, two injuries from one impatient flame.

2. 2

   Build the clear jelly

   Strain the poaching liquor through a damp cloth without pressing the vegetables, skim away every trace of fat, and reduce it gently to 2 1/2 cups. The limpid, succulent standard required by Aspic de Homard (No. 954) remains the point. If the liquor is cloudy, cool it to lukewarm, whisk in the optional egg white, and bring it slowly to a bare simmer without further stirring. Let the raft gather the cloudiness for 10 minutes, then strain again through a freshly dampened cloth and restore the volume to 2 1/2 cups with water if necessary. Bloom the gelatin in the reserved cold stock for 10 minutes, then stir it into the hot clarified liquor off the heat. Do not boil it. Taste and season firmly, since cold mutes salt and pepper.

3. 3

   Test the set

   Spoon a teaspoon of jelly onto a chilled saucer and refrigerate it for 5 minutes. It should hold a clean edge when pushed, yet soften immediately on the tongue. If it remains loose, rewarm the jelly gently and add the optional teaspoon of gelatin after blooming it in a tablespoon of cold water. If it sets like rubber, rewarm it and loosen it with 2 tablespoons of water. Never let the corrected jelly boil. This small test protects the whole mould.

4. 4

   Cut the filling

   Reserve 8 to 10 broad, thin truffle rounds for decorating the mould. Cut the remaining truffle, the cooled chicken, and the salted tongue julienne-fashion, into coarse match-shaped rods roughly 1 1/2 inches long. Keep the three fillings separate and return them to the cold. Warm filling would melt the jelly around it and blur the layers, so patience here is part of the construction.

5. 5

   Clothe the mould

   Chill a 4-cup ring mould and the serving platter for 30 minutes. Set the mould level in a bowl of ice water, then pour in about 1/2 cup of cool, still-fluid jelly. Rock and turn the mould until a thin, even skin covers its base and walls, then pour the excess back into the bowl and chill the mould until firm. This is clothing the mould, the procedure carried by Aspic de Homard (No. 954), and it creates the clear outer shell. If the jelly slides away and leaves bare patches, it is too warm. Pour it out, chill both mould and jelly for 5 minutes, and try again. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Fix the truffles

   Arrange the reserved truffle rounds against the base and outer wall of the clothed mould. Fix each one with two or three drops of jelly and chill briefly, then spoon over enough jelly to cover the decoration by about 1/4 inch. Chill again until firm. If a truffle slice floats or slips, lift it out before the layer sets, re-chill the mould, and fix it with colder jelly. A regular pattern is handsome, but the firm fixing matters more than geometry.

7. 7

   Layer the aspic

   Following the successive-layer construction of Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916), spread a loose layer of chicken julienne over the set jelly, sprinkle it with cool fluid jelly, and chill just until tacky. Add a layer of tongue, more jelly, then a sparse layer of truffle. Repeat in that order until the mould is filled to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Pass a thin skewer gently through each fresh layer to release trapped bubbles, then seal the top with jelly. Do not stir the fillings together and pour once. The separate layers are the dish; the brigade's enormous quantities were scaffolding. Cover without touching the surface and chill for at least 6 hours.

8. 8

   Make the salad

   Cook the diced potatoes in well-salted water until tender but still square at the edges, then drain them carefully. Blanch the haricots verts in the same water until bright and just tender, about 3 minutes, and cool them promptly in cold water before draining well. Cook the mushrooms gently in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with a pinch of salt until their released liquid evaporates, without browning them. Once everything is cool, fold together the potatoes, beans, mushrooms, salad cornichons, salad capers, chervil, 1 teaspoon of the tarragon, the remaining olive oil, and the salad vinegar. Season with salt and white pepper, then chill the salade à l’Italienne separately so its dressing cannot cloud the aspic.

9. 9

   Whisk the rémoulade

   Anchor a bowl on a folded towel and whisk the pasteurized yolk with the Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of the rémoulade vinegar, and a pinch each of salt and white pepper. Add the neutral oil first by drops, then in a thin thread once the emulsion gains body, whisking without pause. Thin it with the remaining vinegar, then fold in the rémoulade cornichons, rémoulade capers, parsley, and remaining tarragon. If the emulsion splits, put a teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl and whisk the broken sauce into it one spoonful at a time. Ça se rattrape. Cover and keep cold.

10. 10

    Turn out and serve

    Dip the mould in hot, not boiling, water for 5 seconds, dry it thoroughly, and invert it onto the very cold platter. Lift the mould straight up. If the aspic refuses to release, give it another 2 seconds in the water rather than shaking it into ruin. Return the turned-out aspic to the cold for 10 minutes if its surface has softened. Drain any loose dressing from the salade à l’Italienne, mound it generously in the center, and serve the rémoulade separately in a small sauceboat. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy the clearest low-sodium chicken stock you can find, or use a carefully strained homemade stock. Gelatin makes cloudy stock firm, not clear; if the liquor clouds during poaching, use the one-egg clarification in the method.
• •A preserved whole black truffle is the honest classical-pantry answer when fresh truffle is unavailable. Drain it well and reserve the broadest slices for the outer decoration. Truffle paste cannot make those visible rounds and changes the texture.
• •Ask for cooked salted or corned ox tongue at a good delicatessen or butcher. Smoked ham is pleasant but not invisible as a substitute; it loses the tongue's silky density and changes the source dish.
• •Gelatin strength varies, so trust the chilled-saucer test rather than the packet's serving suggestion. The commercial suggestion is usually meant for a spooned dessert, not a filled mould that must turn out cleanly.
• •Serve a dry Champagne or a lean Chablis. Both have enough acidity for the jelly and rémoulade without trampling the truffle, and neither asks the dish to become anything other than itself.

Advance Preparation

• •Finish and chill the filled mould one or two days before serving. Keep it covered without letting the covering touch the jelly, and leave it in the mould until shortly before the guests sit down.
• •The rémoulade can be made one day ahead with a pasteurized yolk. Keep it tightly covered in the cold and whisk in a teaspoon of cold water if it thickens overnight.
• •Prepare the salad components one day ahead, but hold the dressing separately for the best color and texture. Dress and chill the salad before unmoulding the aspic.
• •Do not freeze the aspic. Frozen gelatin releases water as it thaws, leaving a weeping surface and a weakened mould.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 595g)