Suprêmes de Faisan Gastronome

Suprêmes de Faisan Gastronome (cold pheasant breasts with mousse, chaud-froid, and truffles) teaches one severe and useful principle: a cold composition succeeds by proportion before ornament. The glossy breast slices must rise exactly to the depth of the leg-meat mousse, so decide now that you will measure, not guess. When the heights agree, the slices lean naturally and the platter looks abundant rather than fussy.

The original assumed a saucier at your elbow, brown stock never off the fire, brigade quantities, a cupboard of parfait moulds, and a silver hatelet for the crowning truffle. At home, one pheasant, good prepared demi-glace, a 5-inch springform ring, and a short wooden cocktail pick perform the same honest work. The salamander has no job here, because this construction is served cold. One cook, one stove, one evening of work, then a proper rest in the cold.

Only the freehand decoration changes: neat diamonds cut from the truffle peelings replace a brigade's elaborate motifs, because more ornament adds hands, not flavor. The Poëling, Madeira, brown chaud-froid (a gelatin-set brown sauce served cold), leg-meat mousse, Champagne truffles, and aspic border are the dish and must stay. The measure that decides everything comes after coating: stand up one glazed slice, mark its exact height inside the mould, and fill the mousse to that line. No higher, no lower.