CHAPTER SIX
POULTRY
SOME OF THE most glorious dishes of the French cuisine have been created for chicken, and almost all the fundamentals of French cookery and sauce making are to be found somewhere in the chicken realm. The most important aspect of chicken cooking is that you procure a good and flavorsome bird. Modern poultry raising has done wonders in making it possible to grow a fine-looking chicken in record time and to sell it at a most reasonable price, but rarely does anyone in the country discuss flavor. If you are interested in price alone, you will often end up with something that tastes like the stuffing inside a teddy bear and needs strong dousings of herbs, wines, and spices to make it at all palatable. A chicken should taste like chicken and be so good in itself that it is an absolute delight to eat as a perfectly plain, buttery roast, sauté, or grill. So when you buy chicken, make every attempt to find a market which takes special pride in the quality and flavor of its poultry.
CHICKEN TYPES
Chickens fall into several categories, all of which relate to age. Age dictates the cooking method. A broiler, for instance, may be broiled, or roasted, but its very tender flesh becomes dry and stringy if it is fricasseed. The fullflavored stewing hen, on the other hand, must be fricasseed or stewed, as its flesh is too firm to be cooked in any other way.
DEFROSTING FROZEN CHICKEN
The best method for defrosting frozen chicken, according to those in the business, is the slowest: leave it in its transparent wrapper and let it thaw in the refrigerator. It will lose much less of its juice and flavor. The best alternative is to unwrap it and thaw it in a basin of cold, running water, removing the package of giblets from the cavity as soon as it can be pried loose, and pulling the legs and wings away from the body as soon as they will move.
Sometimes frozen roasters, fryers, and broilers can be quite tough and stringy. According to the Poultry and Egg National Board, this is usually the result of their having been frozen while they were too fresh. If the frozen chicken is flavorless, it may have thawed and been refrozen several times, so the juices escaped; or it may be too young a bird to have a developed flavor.
WASHING AND DRYING
Because commercially raised chickens, on the whole, are packed in a communal tub of ice during at least part of their processing, it is probably wise to give them a thorough washing and drying before storing or cooking—just to be on the safe side.
SINGEING
Usually American chickens have been plucked absolutely clean. If not, pluck and squeeze out feather follicles, then turn the chicken rapidly over a gas or alcohol flame to burn off any hairs or feather bits.
CHICKEN STOCKA little concentrated chicken stock is easy to make with the giblets and neck of a chicken and will always give more character to your sauce, however simple it may be.
For about 1 cup
A heavy-bottomed, 2-quart saucepan
The chicken neck, gizzard, heart, and miscellaneous scraps
1 sliced onion
1 sliced carrot
1½ rendered fresh pork fat or cooking oil
Chop the chicken into pieces of 1½ inches or less. Brown them with the vegetables in hot fat or oil.
2 cups white or brown stock, or canned beef bouillon, or chicken broth
2 parsley sprigs
⅓ bay leaf
⅛ tsp thyme
Pour out the browning fat. Add the liquid, the herbs, and enough water to cover the chicken by ½ inch. Simmer partially covered for 1½ hours or more, skimming as necessary. Strain, degrease, and the stock is ready to use.
Same as brown chicken stock, but do not brown the ingredients, and use white stock or canned chicken broth.
STUFFING WARNING
Stuffings may be prepared in advance, but a chicken should never be stuffed until just before it is cooked, as the mixture may sour inside the chicken and spoil the meat.
HOW TO TRUSS A CHICKEN
A whole chicken should be trussed so the legs, wings, and neck skin are held in place during its cooking, and the bird will make a neat and attractive appearance on the table. The following French method calls for a trussing or mattress needle and white string. There are two ties, one at the tail end to secure the drumsticks, and one at the breast end to fasten the wings and neck skin.
Tie Number 1
Thrust the needle through the lower part of the carcass.
Come back over one drumstick, through the tip of the breastbone, and over the second drumstick. Tie.
Tie Number 2
Push the needle through the carcass where the second joint and drumstick join, coming out at the corresponding point on the other side.
Turn the chicken on its breast. Fold the wings akimbo. Go through one wing, catch the neck skin against either side of the backbone, and come out the other wing. Draw the string tightly and tie.
The chicken is now ready for oven roasting, spit roasting, or poaching.
HOW TO TELL WHEN A CHICKEN IS DONE
A stewing chicken is done when its meat is tender if pierced with a fork. Roasters, fryers, and broilers are tender to begin with and are done when the flesh is cooked through so that the juices, when the meat is pricked deeply with a fork, run clear yellow with no trace of rosy color. For a whole chicken, the last drops of juice drained from the vent will run clear yellow with no rosy traces. While an underdone chicken is not fit to eat, it is a shame to overcook chicken, allowing the meat to dry out and lose its juice and flavor. However, we have noticed that the French criterion of doneness seems like under-doneness to some American palates. We consider a chicken to be cooked at a meat-thermometer reading of 175 to 180 degrees, and have based our recipes on these figures. The figure on American thermometers is 190 degrees.
TIMETABLE FOR WHOLE CHICKENS: Oven Roasting, Casserole Roasting, Spit Roasting, and Poaching
This table is based on unchilled, unstuffed chicken. Oven temperature for open-pan roasting is 350 degrees, for covered roasting, 325 degrees. Meat-thermometer reading is 175 to 180 degrees. Add 5 to 10 minutes more to the total roasting time if you wish a reading of 190 degrees. You will note that larger chickens require less cooking time per pound than smaller chickens. A 4-pound chicken takes an hour and 10 to 20 minutes, while a 7-pound bird requires only 20 to 30 minutes more. Stuffed chicken will take 10 to 30 minutes additional roasting than the total time indicated.
ROASTING TIMETABLE-OVEN TEMPERATURE: 350 DEGREES
POULET RÔTI[Roast Chicken]
You can always judge the quality of a cook or a restaurant by roast chicken. While it does not require years of training to produce a juicy, brown, buttery, crisp-skinned, heavenly bird, it does entail such a greed for perfection that one is under compulsion to hover over the bird, listen to it, above all see that it is continually basted, and that it is done just to the proper turn. Spit roasting, where the chicken is wrapped in fat and continually rotated, is far less exacting than oven roasting where you must constantly turn and baste.
Small French chickens are frequently roasted without a stuffing. The cavity is seasoned with salt and butter, and the skin rubbed with butter. For oven roasting, it is browned lightly for 10 to 15 minutes at a temperature of 425 degrees, then the temperature is reduced to 350, and the chicken is turned and basted until it is done. A simple, short deglazing sauce is made with stock and the juices in the pan, giving just a scant spoonful for each serving.
VEGETABLE SUGGESTIONS
Broiled tomatoes, buttered green beans or peas, and sautéed, roasted, souffléed, or fried potatoes, or potato crêpes
One of the potato casseroles and green peas or beans
Stuffed mushrooms, glazed carrots, and glazed onions
Ratatouille (eggplant casserole), and sautéed potatoes
WINE SUGGESTIONS
A light red wine, such as a Bordeaux-Médoc, or a rosé
For 4 people
Estimated roasting time for a 3-pound chicken: 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
A 3-lb., ready-to-cook roasting or frying chicken
¼ tsp salt
2 Tb softened butter
Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with the salt, and smear in half the butter. Truss the chicken. Dry it thoroughly, and rub the skin with the rest of the butter.
A shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold the chicken easily
To flavor the sauce: a small sliced carrot and onion
For basting: a small saucepan containing 2 Tb melted butter, 1 Tb good cooking oil; a basting brush
Place the chicken breast up in the roasting pan. Strew the vegetables around it, and set it on a rack in the middle of the preheated oven. Allow the chicken to brown lightly for 15 minutes, turning it on the left side after 5 minutes, on the right side for the last 5 minutes, and basting it with the butter and oil after each turn. Baste rapidly, so oven does not cool off. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Leave the chicken on its side, and baste every 8 to 10 minutes, using the fat in the roasting pan when the butter and oil are exhausted. Regulate oven heat so chicken is making cooking noises, but fat is not burning.
¼ tsp salt
Halfway through estimated roasting time, salt the chicken and turn it on its other side. Continue basting.
¼ tsp salt
Fifteen minutes before end of estimated roasting time, salt again and turn the chicken breast up. Continue basting.
Indications that the chicken is almost done are: a sudden rain of splutters in the oven, a swelling of the breast and slight puff of the skin, the drumstick is tender when pressed and can be moved in its socket. To check further, prick the thickest part of the drumstick with a fork. Its juices should run clear yellow. As a final check, lift the chicken and drain the juices from its vent. If the last drops are clear yellow, the chicken is definitely done. If not, roast another 5 minutes, and test again.
When done, discard trussing strings and set the chicken on a hot platter. It should sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before being carved, so its juices will retreat back into the tissues.
½ Tb minced shallot or green onion
1 cup brown chicken stock, canned chicken broth, or beef bouillon
Salt and pepper
1 to 2 Tb softened butter
Remove all but two tablespoons of fat from the pan. Stir in the minced shallot or onion and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add the stock and boil rapidly over high heat, scraping up coagulated roasting juices with a wooden spoon and letting liquid reduce to about ½ cup. Season with salt and pepper. Off heat and just before serving, swirl in the enrichment butter by bits until it has been absorbed. Pour a spoonful of the sauce over the chicken, and send the rest to the table in a sauceboat.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
Roast chicken can wait for 20 to 30 minutes in the turned-off hot oven, its door ajar. It cannot be reheated or it loses its fresh and juicy quality.
[Spit-roasted Chicken]
Estimated roasting time: same as for oven-roasted chicken, see chart.
3 to 4 strips of blanched bacon (never use regular bacon; it will flavor the whole chicken)
Season and truss the chicken as described in the preceding master recipe. Push the spit through it starting at the breast end. Dry it thoroughly, rub with butter and sprinkle with salt. Secure the strips of blanched bacon over the breast and thighs with white string. Because of the bacon, no basting is necessary until the very end.
If you have a rotisserie, use the moderate heat and roast with the door closed. Remove bacon 15 minutes before the end, and baste with the pan drippings until the chicken is browned and done.
If you have a spit attachment in the oven, use a moderate broiler temperature, leave oven door ajar, and place a pan under the chicken to catch the fat and juices. Fifteen minutes before the end, remove the bacon, increase broiler temperature, and continue roasting, basting frequently until the chicken is browned and done.
Use the same tests as for oven roasting in determining when the chicken is done, and the same method for making the sauce.
In this lush combination, the chicken is roasted as usual, but is basted for the last minutes with heavy cream, which rolls off the buttery, brown chicken skin and combines with the pan and stuffing juices.
VEGETABLE SUGGESTIONS
Serve sautéed mushrooms and sautéed potatoes, or green peas and braised onions.
WINE SUGGESTIONS
A chilled white Burgundy or white Graves, or a red Bordeaux-Médoc would be appropriate.
For 4 or 5 people
Herb and giblet stuffing
The chicken gizzard, peeled and minced
1 Tb butter
⅛ tsp oil
A small skillet
The chicken heart, chopped
1 to 4 chopped chicken livers
1 Tb minced shallots or green onions
Sauté the gizzard in hot butter and oil for 2 minutes. Then stir in the heart, liver, and shallots or onions. Sauté for 2 minutes more, or until the liver has stiffened but is still rosy inside. Scrape into a mixing bowl.
⅔ cup coarse crumbs from fresh homemade type of bread
4 Tb cream cheese
2 Tb softened butter
3 Tb minced parsley
⅛ tsp tarragon or thyme
⅛ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
Blend in the rest of the ingredients and taste carefully for seasoning. Let the stuffing cool.
A 3-lb. ready-to-cook roasting or frying chicken
¼ tsp salt
1 Tb butter
Sprinkle salt inside the chicken, and loosely fill with the stuffing. Sew or skewer the vent. Truss and dry the chicken, and rub its skin with butter.
Roasting the chicken
1 cup whipping cream
Roast it either in the oven, or on a spit. About 10 minutes before the end of the estimated roasting time, remove all but 1 spoonful of fat from the roasting pan. Start basting with 2 or 3 tablespoons of cream every 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is done. The cream will probably look curdled in the pan, but this will be corrected later.
¼ tsp salt
Remove the chicken to a hot platter and sprinkle with salt.
The sauce
3 Tb strong brown chicken stock or canned beef bouillon
Add the stock or bouillon to the cream in the roasting pan and boil rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping up coagulated chicken roasting juices.
3 to 4 Tb whipping cream
Salt and pepper
Drops of lemon juice
Just before serving, remove from heat and stir in additional cream by spoonfuls to smooth out the sauce. Correct seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste.
Spoon a bit of sauce over the chicken and send the rest to the table in a warmed sauceboat.
Chicken, cream, and mushrooms occur again and again, as it is one of the great combinations. This perfectly delicious recipe is not difficult, but it cannot be prepared ahead of time or the chicken will lose its fresh and juicy quality. The chicken is roasted, then carved, flamed in cognac, and allowed to steep for several minutes with cream, mushrooms, and port wine. It is the kind of dish to do when you are entertaining a few good, food-loving friends whom you can receive in your kitchen.
VEGETABLE SUGGESTIONS
Nothing should interfere with these special flavors. It would be best to serve only potatoes sautéed in butter, or a perfectly seasoned risotto. Peas, or asparagus tips, or braised onions, could be added if you feel the necessity for more vegetables.
WINE SUGGESTIONS
Serve very good, chilled, white Burgundy such as a Meursault or Montrachet, or an excellent, chateâu-bottled white Graves.
For 4 people
A 3-lb., ready-to-cook, roasting or frying chicken
Roast the chicken as described in the master recipe. Be sure not to overcook it.
1 lb. fresh mushrooms
Meanwhile, trim and wash the mushrooms. Quarter them if large, leave them whole if small.
A 2½-quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan
¼ cup water
½ Tb butter
½ tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
Bring the water to boil in the saucepan with the butter, lemon, and salt. Toss in the mushrooms, cover, and boil slowly for 8 minutes. Pour out the cooking liquid and reserve.
1 cup whipping cream
½ Tb cornstarch blended with 1 Tb of the cream
Salt and pepper
Pour the cream and the cornstarch mixture into the mushrooms. Simmer for 2 minutes. Correct seasoning, and set aside.
When the chicken is done, remove it to a carving board and let it rest at room temperature while completing the sauce.
½ Tb minced shallots or green onions
⅓ cup medium-dry port
The mushroom cooking liquid
The mushrooms in cream
Salt and pepper
Drops of lemon juice
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan. Stir in the shallots or onions and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add the port and the mushroom juice, and boil down rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices, until liquid has reduced to about ¼ cup. Add the mushrooms and cream and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the liquid to thicken slightly. Correct seasoning and add lemon juice to taste.
A fireproof casserole or a chafing dish
1 Tb butter
⅛ tsp salt
Smear the inside of the casserole or chafing dish with butter. Rapidly carve the chicken into serving pieces. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and arrange in the casserole or chafing dish.
¼ cup cognac
Set over moderate heat or an alcohol flame until you hear the chicken begin to sizzle. Then pour the cognac over it. Avert your face, and ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole slowly until the flames have subsided. Then pour in the mushroom mixture, tilting the casserole and basting the chicken. Cover and steep for 5 minutes without allowing the sauce to boil. Serve.
(*) Chicken may remain in its casserole over barely simmering water or in the turned-off hot oven with its door ajar, for 10 to 15 minutes, but the sooner it is served, the better it will be.
[Roast Squab Chickens with Chicken Liver Canapés and Mushrooms]
Also for: squab pigeons, game hens, partridge, quail, dove
This is one of the classic French recipes for serving small roast birds. The livers are chopped, seasoned, and spread over sautéed bread rectangles; just before serving, these are run under the broiler. Then the roast birds are placed on them, and the dish is garnished with a wine-flavored deglazing sauce and sautéed mushrooms.
Only sautéed, shoestring, or souffléed potatoes, or homemade potato chips are suggested.
WINE SUGGESTIONS
Serve a red Bordeaux-Médoc for chicken, game hens, or pigeon; red Bordeaux-St. Émilion or red Burgundy for game.
For 6 people, 1 bird apiece
A Note on the Order of Battle: Although the mushrooms and canapés may be prepared while the birds are roasting, it seems best to do them ahead and relieve pressure, for the roast birds should be served almost as soon as they are done.
The mushrooms
1½ lbs. fresh mushrooms
2 Tb butter
1 Tb oil
A 10- to 12-inch enameled skillet
Trim and wash the mushrooms. Leave whole if small, quarter if large. Dry in a towel. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes in hot butter and oil until they are very lightly browned.
1 Tb minced shallots or green onions
½ clove mashed garlic
Stir in the shallots or onions, and garlic, and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Set aside.
The canapés
Homemade-type of white bread
Cut 6 slices of bread ¼ inch thick. Remove crusts, and cut slices into rectangles 2 by 3½ inches.
Sauté the bread lightly on each side in hot clarified butter.
6 poultry or game livers from the birds
3 Tb fresh, raw pork fat; OR fat bacon simmered in water for 10 minutes, rinsed, and dried
¼ tsp salt
Big pinch of pepper
1 Tb Madeira, port, or cognac
Optional: 2 to 3 Tb foie gras
Trim the livers, cutting off any black or green spots. Chop very fine, almost into a purée, with the pork fat or bacon. Then blend the liver in a bowl with the seasonings, wine, and optional foie gras. Spread the mixture on one side of each rectangle of sautéed bread. Arrange on a broiling pan and set aside. (Preheat broiler in time to cook the canapés just before serving.)
Roasting the birds
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Six 10- to 12-ounce, ready-to-cook squab chickens, game hens, squab pigeons, or game birds
½ Tb salt
2 Tb finely minced shallots or green onions
½ tsp dried tarragon
4 Tb butter
6 strips of bacon simmered in water for 10 minutes, rinsed, and dried
Season the cavities of the birds with a sprinkling of salt, shallots or onion, and tarragon, and 1 teaspoon of butter. Truss the birds, dry them, and rub with butter. Cut the blanched bacon in half, crosswise, and tie 2 strips over the breast and thighs of each bird.
A shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold the birds easily on their sides
3 Tb butter melted with 1 Tb good cooking oil
A basting brush
Place the birds in the roasting pan, and set on a rack in the middle of the preheated oven. Baste and turn the birds every 5 to 7 minutes until they are done:
CHICKENS will take from 30 to 40 minutes; they are done when the last drops of juice from their vents run clear yellow with no trace of rose.
GAME HENS, as their flesh is usually firmer than chicken, take about 45 minutes; they are done when the flesh of their drumsticks is soft.
PARTRIDGE and QUAIL, if young and tender, may be judged like chicken; if older, like game hens.
PIGEON and DOVE may be served slightly underdone if you wish, when their juices run a very pale rose rather than a clear yellow.
½ Tb salt
When done, remove trussing strings, sprinkle the birds with salt, and place them on a warm platter. Set in turned-off oven, its door ajar.
The sauce
1 Tb minced shallots or green onions
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan. Stir in the shallots or onions and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add the stock or bouillon and wine and boil rapidly, scraping up coagulated cooking juices until liquid has reduced to about ½ cup. Correct seasoning. Off heat and just before serving, swirl the butter into the sauce.
Final assembly
Just before serving, run the liver canapés under a hot broiler for a minute, until they are sizzling.
1 Tb butter
¼ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
Toss the mushrooms over moderately high heat with the butter, salt, and pepper.
A handful of water-cress leaves or parsley sprigs
Place a canapé under each bird. Surround with the mushrooms, and decorate with water cress or parsley. Spoon the sauce over the birds, and serve.
POULET POÊLÉ À L’ESTRAGONFor: roasters, large fryers, and capons
When a chicken is cooked this way, it is trussed, browned in butter and oil, then set to roast in a covered casserole with herbs and seasonings. It is a lovely method, as the buttery, aromatic steam in the casserole gives the chicken great tenderness and flavor. While oven cooking is more even, the top of the stove may be used if your casserole is heavy; then the chicken must be turned and basted frequently, and the cooking will be a little longer than for oven cooking.
VEGETABLE AND WINE SUGGESTIONS
They are the same as for a roast chicken.
For 4 people
Estimated roasting time: 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes for a 3-lb. bird. See chart for other sizes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
A 3-lb., ready-to-cook roasting chicken
¼ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
2 Tb butter
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon or ½ tsp of dried tarragon
Season the cavity of the chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Insert the tarragon leaves, or sprinkle in dried tarragon. Truss the chicken. Dry it thoroughly and rub the skin with the rest of the butter.
A heavy fireproof casserole just large enough to hold the chicken on its back and on its side
2 Tb butter
1 Tb oil, more if needed
Set the casserole over moderately high heat with the butter and oil. When the butter foam has begun to subside, lay in the chicken, breast down. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes, regulating heat so butter is always very hot but not burning. Turn the chicken on another side, using 2 wooden spoons or a towel. Be sure not to break the chicken skin. Continue browning and turning the chicken until it is a nice golden color almost all over, particularly on the breast and legs. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. Add more oil if necessary to keep the bottom of the casserole filmed.
3 Tb butter, if necessary
Remove the chicken. Pour out the browning fat if it has burned, and add fresh butter.
½ cup sliced onions
¼ cup sliced carrots
¼ tsp salt
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon or ½ tsp dried tarragon
Cook the carrots and onions slowly in the casserole for 5 minutes without browning. Add the salt and tarragon.
¼ tsp salt
A bulb baster Aluminum foil
A tight-fitting cover for the casserole
Salt the chicken. Set it breast up over the vegetables and baste it with the butter in the casserole. Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the chicken, cover the casserole, and reheat it on top of the stove until you hear the chicken sizzling. Then place the casserole on a rack in the middle level of the preheated oven.
Roast for 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes, regulating heat so chicken is always making quiet cooking noises. Baste once or twice with the butter and juices in the casserole. The chicken is done when its drumsticks move in their sockets, and when the last drops drained from its vent run clear yellow.
Remove the chicken to a serving platter and discard trussing strings.
2 cups brown chicken stock, or 1 cup canned beef bouillon and 1 cup canned chicken broth
1 Tb cornstarch blended with 2 Tb Madeira or port
2 Tb fresh minced tarragon or parsley
1 Tb softened butter
Add the stock or bouillon and broth to the casserole and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up coagulated roasting juices. Then skim off all but a tablespoon of fat. Blend in the cornstarch mixture, simmer a minute, then raise heat and boil rapidly until sauce is lightly thickened. Taste carefully for seasoning, adding more tarragon if you feel it necessary. Strain into a warmed sauceboat. Stir in the herbs and the enrichment butter.
To serve
Optional but attractive: 10 to 12 fresh tarragon leaves blanched for 30 seconds in boiling water then rinsed in cold water, and dried on paper towels
Pour a spoonful of sauce over the chicken, and decorate the breast and legs with optional tarragon leaves. Platter may be garnished with sprigs of fresh parsley or—if you are serving them—sautéed potatoes and broiled tomatoes.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
If the chicken is not to be served for about half an hour, make the sauce except for its butter enrichment, and strain it into a saucepan. Return the chicken to the casserole. Place aluminum foil over it and set the cover askew. Keep the casserole warm over almost simmering water, or in the turned-off hot oven, its door ajar. Reheat and butter the sauce just before serving.
A chicken will need 10 to 15 minutes more cooking if you fill it with this stuffing.
¾ lb. finely minced fresh mushrooms
1 Tb butter
1 Tb oil
1½ Tb minced shallots or green onions
A 10-inch skillet
A handful at a time, twist the mushrooms into a ball in the corner of a towel to extract their juice. Sauté them in hot butter and oil with the shallots or onions for 5 to 8 minutes, until the pieces begin to separate from each other. Place them in a mixing bowl.
The chicken gizzard, peeled and minced
The chopped chicken liver
1 Tb butter
A small skillet
Sauté the gizzard for 2 minutes in hot butter. Add the liver and sauté 2 minutes more. Add to the mixing bowl.
¼ cup Madeira or port
Pour the wine into the mushroom cooking skillet and boil it down rapidly until it has reduced to a spoonful. Scrape into the mixing bowl.
¼ cup dry, white crumbs from homemade-type of bread
3 Tb cream cheese
1 Tb softened butter
½ tsp minced fresh or dried tarragon
2 Tb minced parsley
¼ tsp salt
Big pinch of pepper
Blend the rest of the ingredients into the mixing bowl and season carefully to taste. Let the stuffing cool. Pack it loosely into the chicken. Sew or skewer the vent and truss the chicken. Then brown and roast it as described in the preceding master recipe.
[Casserole-roasted Chicken with Bacon, Onions, and Potatoes]
This is an all-in-one dish where bacon and vegetables are cooked with the chicken and each item takes on a bit of flavor from its neighbors. No other vegetables are needed to make up a main course, but you may wish to serve broiled tomatoes along with it for color.
For 4 people
A ½-lb. chunk of bacon
A fireproof casserole for cooking the chicken
1 Tb butter
Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangular strips ½ inch wide and 1½ inches long). Simmer for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water. Rinse in cold water, and dry. In the casserole, sauté the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes in butter until very lightly browned. Remove to a side dish, leaving the fat in the casserole.
A 3-lb., ready-to-cook roasting chicken, trussed and buttered
Brown the chicken in the hot fat, as described in the master recipe. Remove it to a side dish and pour the fat out of the casserole.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
15 to 25 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter
Drop the onions in boiling, salted water and boil slowly for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
1 to 1½ lbs. “boiling” potatoes or small new potatoes
Peel the potatoes and trim them into uniform ovals about 2 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Cover with cold water, and bring to the boil. Drain immediately.
3 Tb butter
¼ tsp salt
A medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, ½ bay leaf, and ¼ tsp thyme tied in washed cheesecloth
A bulb baster
Aluminum foil
A tight-fitting cover for the casserole
Heat the butter in the casserole until it is foaming. Add the drained potatoes and roll them around over moderate heat for 2 minutes to evaporate their moisture; this will prevent their sticking to the casserole. Spread them aside, salt the chicken, and place it breast up in the casserole. Place the bacon and onions over the potatoes, and the herb bouquet. Baste all ingredients with the butter in the casserole, lay the aluminum foil over the chicken, and cover the casserole.
Heat the casserole on top of the stove until the contents are sizzling, then place in the middle level of the preheated oven and roast for 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is done. Baste once or twice with the butter and juices in the pan. No sauce is necessary.
POULET SAUTÉFor: frying chickens
In a true sauté the cut-up chicken is cooked entirely in butter, or butter and oil, with seasonings. No liquid comes in contact with it until the very end. It is a quick and delicious way to cook chicken, but should be served as soon as possible after it is done or it loses the fresh and juicy characteristics of a sauté. The fricassees, however, as they cook in a sauce, take well to reheating.
A NOTE ON DISJOINTING THE CHICKEN
French chicken is disjointed so that each wing includes a strip from the lower part of the breast. The breast minus ribs is cut in two, crosswise. The drumsticks are separated from the second joints. This makes 8 good serving pieces, plus the back cut in two, crosswise, if you wish to include it.
American chicken is usually disjointed into 2 drumsticks, 2 second joints, the 2 halves of the breast, and the 2 wings with no breast meat attached. So that the breasts will cook evenly, slip a knife under the ribs and remove them. Each breast half may be chopped in two, crosswise, if you wish.
WINE AND VEGETABLE SUGGESTIONS
These are the same as for roast chicken.
For 4 to 6 people.
Total cooking time: 30 to 35 minutes
Browning the chicken (8 to 10 minutes)
2½ to 3 lbs. of cut-up frying
Dry each piece of chicken thoroughly. It will not chicken brown if it is damp.
A heavy, 10-inch casserole, skillet, or electric skillet
2 Tb butter and 1 Tb oil, more if necessary to keep bottom of pan filmed with fat
Tongs for turning the chicken
Place the casserole or skillet over moderately high heat with the butter and oil (360 degrees for an electric skillet). When you see that the butter foam has almost subsided, add as many chicken pieces, skin-side down, as will fit easily in one layer. In 2 to 3 minutes, when the chicken has browned to a nice golden color on one side, turn it to brown on another side. Regulate heat so fat is always very hot but not burning. Remove browned pieces as they are done and add fresh ones until all pieces have browned.
Finishing the cooking (20 to 25 minutes)
Salt and pepper
Optional: 1 to 2 tsp fresh green herbs: thyme, basil, and tarragon, or tarragon only; or 1 tsp dried herbs
2 or 3 Tb butter, if necessary
Season the dark meat with salt, pepper, and optional herbs. (The wings and breasts are done later, as they cook faster.) If the browning fat has burned, pour it out of the casserole and add the fresh butter. Place over moderate heat (300 degrees for an electric skillet). Add the dark meats, cover the casserole, and cook slowly for 8 to 9 minutes.
Salt and pepper
A bulb baster
Season the white meat, add it to the dark meat, and baste the chicken with the butter in the casserole. Cover and continue cooking for about 15 minutes, turning and basting the chicken 2 or 3 times.
The meat is done when the fattest part of the drumsticks is tender if pinched and the chicken juices run clear yellow when the meat is pricked deeply with a fork.
Remove the chicken to a hot serving platter. Cover and keep warm for 2 to 3 minutes while finishing the sauce.
Brown deglazing sauce
1 Tb minced shallot or green onions
Optional: ½ cup dry white wine or ⅓ cup dry white vermouth
¾ to 1 cup brown chicken stock, canned beef bouillon, or canned chicken broth
1 to 2 Tb softened butter
Optional: 1 to 2 Tb minced parsley or fresh green herbs
Remove all but 2 or 3 tablespoons of fat from the casserole. Add the shallots or onions and cook slowly for 1 minute. Pour in the optional wine, and the stock. Raise heat and boil rapidly, scraping up coagulated sauté juices and reducing liquid to about ⅓ cup. Correct seasoning. Off heat and just before serving, swirl in the enrichment butter and optional herbs.
Arrange around the platter whatever vegetables you have chosen. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.
(*) FOR A WAIT UP TO HALF AN HOUR
Finish the sauce except for its final buttering. Arrange the cooked chicken in an enameled, glazed, pyrex, or stainless steel casserole and baste it with the sauce. Cover loosely and set over barely simmering water. Just before serving, and off heat, tip casserole, add enrichment butter, and baste the chicken with the sauce.
(*) PARTIAL COOKING IN ADVANCE
The chicken may be browned, the dark meat cooked for 8 to 9 minutes, and the white meat added and cooked for 5 minutes more. Then set the casserole aside, uncovered. About 10 to 15 minutes before serving time, cover and finish the cooking on top of the stove; or heat the casserole and set it in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
1 Tb minced shallots or green onions
½ cup dry white wine or ⅓ cup dry white vermouth
1 cup whipping cream
Sauté the chicken as described in the preceding recipe and place it on a hot platter. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the casserole. Stir in the shallots or onions and cook slowly for 1 minute. Then add the wine and boil it rapidly down to about 3 tablespoons, scraping up coagulated cooking juices. Add the cream and boil it down until it has thickened slightly.
1 to 2 Tb softened butter
Optional: 1 to 2 Tb minced parsley or mixed green herbs
Correct seasoning. Off heat and just before serving, swirl in the butter and optional herbs.
Pour the sauce over the chicken.
[Tomato and Mushroom Sauce]
Use the same technique as for the veal scallops escalopes de veau chasseur
Basil, thyme or savory, a pinch of fennel, and a bit of garlic give this sauté a fine Provençal flavor that is even more pronounced if your herbs are fresh. The sauce is a type of hollandaise, as the herbal, buttery pan juices are beaten into egg yolks to make a thick and creamy liaison. Serve this dish with potatoes sautéed in butter or potato crêpes, broiled tomatoes and a chilled rosé wine.
For 4 to 6 people
A heavy- 10-inch fireproof casserole, skillet, or electric skillet set at 300 degrees
¼ lb. (1 stick) butter
2½ to 3 lbs. of cut-up frying chicken dried in a towel
1 tsp thyme or savory
1 tsp basil
¼ tsp ground fennel
Salt and pepper
3 cloves unpeeled garlic
Heat the butter until it is foaming, then turn the chicken pieces in it for 7 to 8 minutes, not letting them color more than a deep yellow. Remove the white meat. Season the dark meat with herbs, salt, and pepper, and add the garlic to the casserole. Cover and cook slowly for 8 to 9 minutes. Season the white meat and add it to the casserole, basting the chicken with the butter. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning and basting 2 or 3 times, until the chicken is tender and its juices run pale yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork.
When the chicken is done, remove it to a hot platter, cover, and keep warm.
⅔ cup dry white wine or ½ cup dry white vermouth
Mash the garlic cloves in the casserole with a spoon, then remove the garlic peel. Add the wine and boil it down over high heat, scraping up coagulated sauté juices until the wine has been reduced by half.
2 egg yolks
1 Tb lemon juice
1 Tb dry white wine or white vermouth
A small enameled saucepan
A wire whip
Beat the egg yolks in the saucepan until they are thick and sticky. Beat in the lemon juice and wine. Then beat in the casserole liquid, a half-teaspoon at a time to make a thick creamy sauce like a hollandaise.
Optional: 2 or 3 Tb softened butter
2 Tb fresh minced basil, fresh fennel tops, or parsley
Beat the sauce over very low heat for 4 to 5 seconds to warm and thicken it. Remove from heat and beat in more butter by tablespoons if you wish. Beat in the herbs, and correct seasoning. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, and serve.
For: fryers, roasters, and young stewing chicken
One frequently runs into chicken recipes labeled sautés which are actually fricassees, and others labeled fricassees which are actually stews. The fricassee is halfway between the two. No liquid is included in the cooking of a sauté. For a stew, the chicken is simmered in liquid from the start of its cooking. When chicken is fricasseed, the meat is always cooked first in butter—or butter and oil—until its flesh has swelled and stiffened, then the liquid is added. There is a subtle but definite difference in taste between the three methods. Fricassees can be white, like the following recipe, or brown, like the coq au vin. It is an ideal technique for ahead-of-time dishes, as the chicken loses none of its essential qualities if it is allowed to cool in its sauce and is then reheated.
The following recipes are all based on frying chicken. Younger chickens, such as broilers, should never be used; their flesh is so soft and tender that it dries out and becomes stringy. Older chickens need longer cooking than the 25 to 30 minutes of simmering required for a fryer.
Roasting chicken—35 to 45 minutes of simmering
Young stewing chicken—1½ hours or more of simmering, or until the flesh is tender when pricked with a fork.
FRICASSÉE DE POULET À L’ANCIENNEFor this traditional Sunday dinner dish, which is not difficult to execute, the chicken pieces are turned in hot butter, sprinkled with flour and seasonings, then simmered in wine and white stock. The sauce is a reduction of the cooking liquid, enriched with cream and egg yolks. Braised onions and mushrooms accompany the chicken. Include also steamed rice or risotto, or buttered noodles. If you want other vegetables, buttered peas or asparagus tips may serve as a garnish.
WINE SUGGESTIONS
Serve a chilled, fairly full-bodied white Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, or Bordeaux-Graves.
For 4 to 6 people
Preliminary cooking in butter
2½ to 3 lbs. of cut-up frying chicken
Dry the chicken thoroughly in a towel.
A heavy, 10-inch, fireproof casserole or electric skillet
1 thinly sliced onion, carrot, and celery stalk
4 Tb butter
Cook the vegetables slowly in the butter for about 5 minutes, or until they are almost tender but not browned (260 degrees for an electric skillet). Push them to one side. Raise heat slightly (290 degrees), and add the chicken. Turn it every minute for 3 or 4 minutes until the meat has stiffened slightly, without coloring to more than a light golden yellow.
Lower heat (260 for an electric skillet), cover, and cook very slowly for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once. It should swell slightly, stiffen more, but not deepen in color.
Adding the flour
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp white pepper
3 Tb flour
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and flour on all sides of the chicken, turning and rolling each piece to coat the flour with the cooking butter. Cover and continue cooking slowly for 4 minutes, turning it once.
Simmering in stock and wine
3 cups boiling white chicken stock, white stock, or canned chicken bouillon
1 cup dry white wine or ⅔ cup dry white vermouth
A small herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, ⅓ bay leaf and ⅛ tsp thyme tied in washed cheesecloth
Remove from heat and pour in the boiling liquid, shaking casserole to blend the liquid and flour. Add the wine, the herb bouquet, and more stock, or water, so the liquid just covers the chicken. Bring to the simmer. Taste for seasoning, and salt lightly if necessary.
Cover and maintain at a slow simmer for 25 to 30 minutes (180 to 190 degrees for an electric skillet). The chicken is done when the drumsticks are tender if pinched and the chicken juices run clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. When done, remove the chicken to a side dish.
Onion and mushroom garniture
16 to 20 white-braised onions
½ lb. fresh mushrooms stewed in butter, lemon juice, and water
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Add their cooking juices to the chicken cooking sauce in the next step.
The sauce
Simmer the cooking liquid in the casserole for 2 to 3 minutes, skimming off fat. Then raise heat and boil rapidly, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces and thickens enough to coat a spoon nicely. Correct seasoning. You should have 2 to 2½ cups.
2 egg yolks
½ cup whipping cream
A 2-quart mixing bowl
A wire whip
Blend the egg yolks and cream in the mixing bowl with a wire whip. Continue beating, and add the hot sauce by small tablespoonfuls until about a cupful has gone in. Beat in the rest of the sauce in a thin stream.
A wooden spoon
Pour the sauce back into the casserole, or into an enameled or stainless steel saucepan (do not use aluminum). Set over moderately high heat and, stirring constantly, reach all over the bottom and sides of the casserole, until the sauce comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring.
Salt and white pepper Drops of lemon juice Pinch of nutmeg
Correct seasoning, adding drops of lemon juice to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve.
Final assembly
A clean casserole
Arrange the chicken, and the onion and mushroom garniture, in the casserole. Pour the sauce over it.
(*) Except for reheating, and the final buttering of the sauce, the dish is now ready and can wait indefinitely. To prevent a skin from forming over the sauce, spoon over it a film of cream, stock, or milk. Set it aside uncovered.
Reheating and serving
Set casserole over moderate heat and bring to the simmer. Cover and simmer very slowly for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is hot through, basting it frequently with the sauce.
1 to 2 Tb softened butter
Off heat and just before serving, tilt casserole, add enrichment butter, and baste the chicken with the sauce until the butter has absorbed into it.
Sprigs of fresh parsley
Serve the chicken from the casserole; or arrange it with the onions and mushrooms on a hot platter, surrounded with rice or noodles, and covered with the sauce. Decorate with sprigs of fresh parsley.
Using the preceding recipe, you may vary the sauce in a number of ways. The egg yolk liaison at the end may be omitted and a cream sauce substituted; just reduce the cooking liquid until it is quite thick, then simmer it slowly while thinning it out with spoonfuls of heavy cream until it is the consistency you wish it to be. Here are some other ideas:
1 to 2 Tb fragrant curry powder
After the chicken has had its preliminary turning of 5 minutes in butter, blend in the curry powder. Cover, and proceed with the 10-minute cooking period. Then continue with the recipe.
1½ Tb fresh-smelling and fragrant paprika
After the chicken has had its preliminary turning of 5 minutes in butter, blend in the paprika. Cover, and proceed with the 10-minute cooking period. Then continue with the recipe.
½ Tb more paprika, if necessary
After completing the sauce, stir in more paprika if the sauce needs color. It should be a creamy pink.
4 or 5 sprigs fresh tarragon or 2 tsp dried tarragon
Add the tarragon to the wine and stock for the simmering of the chicken.
2 Tb fresh minced tarragon or parsley
Stir fresh tarragon or parsley into the finished sauce.
[Chicken Simmered with Cream and Onions]
In this rich and delectable dish, the chicken is cooked in butter and onions, then simmered with wine and heavy cream. Serve it with steamed rice or risotto, buttered green peas or baked cucumbers, and a fairly full-bodied white Burgundy or white Bordeaux-Graves.
For 4 to 6 people
2½ to 3 lbs. of cut-up frying chicken
3 Tb butter
A heavy, 10-inch, fireproof casserole
Dry the chicken thoroughly. Turn it in hot butter for 4 to 5 minutes, until the meat has stiffened slightly but has not browned. Remove it to a side dish.
1½ cups thinly sliced yellow onions
Stir the onions into the butter in the pan. Cover and cook very slowly for 5 minutes, or until the onions are fairly tender but not browned.
Return the chicken to the casserole, cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes until it swells slightly and stiffens, but does not brown. Turn it once during this period.
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp curry powder
⅓ cup cognac, Calvados, Madeira, or port; or ¾ cup dry white wine, or ½ cup dry white vermouth
Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Pour in the spirits or wine, raise heat, and boil rapidly until the liquid has almost entirely evaporated.
3 cups whipping cream brought to the boil in a small saucepan
Pour on the hot cream, bring to the simmer, baste the chicken, and cover the casserole. Maintain at the barest simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. The cream may look slightly curdled, but will be smoothed out later.
Remove the chicken to a hot platter, cover, and keep warm for 5 minutes while finishing the sauce.
Salt and white pepper
Drops of lemon juice
3 to 4 Tb whipping cream
Skim fat off the sauce, then boil it rapidly, stirring, until it reduces enough to coat the spoon lightly. Correct seasoning, adding lemon juice to taste. Off heat, beat in additional cream by spoonfuls to smooth out the sauce.
Sprigs of fresh parsley
Pour the sauce over the chicken, decorate with parsley, and serve.
[Chicken in Red Wine with Onions, Mushrooms, and Bacon]
This popular dish may be called coq au Chambertin, coq au riesling, or coq au whatever wine you use for its cooking. It is made with either white or red wine, but the red is more characteristic. In France it is usually accompanied only by parsley potatoes; buttered green peas could be included if you wish a green vegetable. Serve with it a young, full-bodied red Burgundy, Beaujolais, or Côtes du Rhône.
For 4 to 6 people
A 3- to 4-ounce chunk of lean bacon
Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles ¼ inch across and 1 inch long). Simmer for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water. Rinse in cold water. Dry.
A heavy, 10-inch, fireproof casserole or an electric skillet
2 Tb butter
Sauté the bacon slowly in hot butter until it is very lightly browned (temperature of 260 degrees for an electric skillet). Remove to a side dish.
2½ to 3 lbs. cut-up frying chicken
Dry the chicken thoroughly. Brown it in the hot fat in the casserole (360 degrees for the electric skillet).
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
Season the chicken. Return the bacon to the casserole with the chicken. Cover and cook slowly (300 degrees) for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once.
¼ cup cognac
Uncover, and pour in the cognac. Averting your face, ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside.
3 cups young, full-bodied red wine such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, or Chianti
1 to 2 cups brown chicken stock, brown stock, or canned beef bouillon
½ Tb tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
¼ tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
Pour the wine into the casserole. Add just enough stock or bouillon to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Bring to the simmer. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. Remove the chicken to a side dish.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.
Simmer the chicken cooking liquid in the casserole for a minute or two, skimming off fat. Then raise heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2¼ cups. Correct seasoning. Remove from heat, and discard bay leaf.
3 Tb flour
2 Tb softened butter
A saucer
A rubber spatula
A wire whip
Blend the butter and flour together into a smooth paste (beurre manié). Beat the paste into the hot liquid with a wire whip. Bring to the simmer, stirring, and simmer for a minute or two. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
Arrange the chicken in the casserole, place the mushrooms and onions around it, and baste with the sauce.
(*) If the dish is not to be served immediately, film the top of the sauce with stock or dot with small pieces of butter. Set aside uncovered. It can now wait indefinitely.
Shortly before serving, bring to the simmer, basting the chicken with the sauce. Cover and simmer slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is hot through.
Sprigs of fresh parsley
Serve from the casserole, or arrange on a hot platter. Decorate with sprigs of parsley.
Here is a fine method for broiled chicken which is good either hot or cold. The chicken is partially cooked under the broiler, then smeared with mustard and herbs, rolled in fresh bread crumbs, and returned to the broiler to brown and finish cooking. A practical attribute is that it can be almost entirely cooked ahead of time, set aside or refrigerated, and then finished off in the oven. With the mustard dip, a sauce is not a necessity. But if you want one, serve melted butter mixed with lemon juice and minced herbs, or sauce diable (herbal brown sauce with shallots and wine). Baked, whole tomatoes and green beans would go well with it, and a chilled rosé wine.
For 4 to 8 people
Preheat oven broiler to moderately hot.
Two ready-to-cook, 2½-lb. broilers, halved or quartered
A saucepan containing 6 Tb melted butter and 2 Tb oil
A pastry brush
A broiling pan minus rack
Salt
Dry the chicken thoroughly, paint it with butter and oil, and arrange it skin-side down in the bottom of the broiling pan. Place it so that the surface of the chicken is 5 to 6 inches from the hot broiling element and broil 10 minutes on each side, basting every 5 minutes. The chicken should be very lightly browned. Salt it lightly.
6 Tb prepared mustard of the strong Dijon type
3 Tb finely minced shallots or green onions
½ tsp thyme, basil, or tarragon
⅛ tsp pepper Pinch of cayenne pepper
Blend the mustard with the shallots or onions, herbs, and seasonings in a bowl. Drop by drop, beat in half the basting fat to make a mayonnaiselike cream. Reserve the rest of the basting fat for later. Paint the chicken pieces with the mustard mixture.
4 cups fresh, white crumbs from homemade-type of bread (make the crumbs in an electric blender, 3 or 4 slices of bread at a time)
Pour the crumbs into a big plate, then roll the chicken in the crumbs, patting them on so they will adhere.
A broiling pan with rack
The rest of the basting fat
Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side down on the rack in the broiling pan and dribble half the remaining basting fat over them. Brown slowly for 10 minutes under a moderately hot broiler. Turn, baste with the last of the fat, and brown 10 minutes more on the other side. The chicken is done when the thickest part of the drumstick is tender, and, when the meat is pricked with a fork, the juices run clear yellow.
Transfer to a hot platter and serve.
If you wish to do most of the cooking in advance, brown the crumbed chicken under the broiler for 5 minutes only on each side. It then may be finished off several hours later, placed in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not allow it to overcook.
Breast of chicken when it is removed raw from one side of the bird in a skinless, boneless piece is called a suprême. Each chicken possesses two of them. If the upper part of the wing is left on, the suprême becomes a côtelette. The breast of a cooked chicken is not a suprême, but a blanc de poulet, or white meat of chicken. A suprême may be poached in butter in a covered casserole à blanc, or sautéed or broiled with butter à brun. It is never, in good French cooking, simmered in a liquid. The suprême is an easy morsel to cook, but attention must be exercised to be sure it is not overdone, as even a minute too much can toughen the meat and make it dry. The flesh of a perfectly cooked suprême is white with the faintest pinky blush, its juices run clear yellow, and it is definitely juicy. Its point of doneness is easily determined as it cooks. Press the top of it with your finger; if it is still soft and yields slightly to the touch, it is not yet done. As soon as the flesh springs back with gentle resilience, it is ready. If there is no springiness, it is overcooked. As a suprême cooks in only 6 to 8 minutes and may be served very simply, it can make an exquisite quick meal.
PREPARING THE SUPRÊMES FOR COOKING
Choose whole or half breasts from a 2¼- to 3-lb. fryer. Slip your fingers between skin and flesh, and pull off the skin. Then cut against the ridge of the breastbone to loosen the flesh from the bone. Disjoint the wing where it joins the carcass and continue down along the rib cage, pulling flesh from bone as you cut until the meat from one side of the breast separates from the bone in one piece. Remove the wing. Cut and pull out the white tendon that runs about two thirds of the way down the under side of the meat. Trim off any jagged edges and flatten the suprêmes lightly with the side of a heavy knife. They are now ready for cooking. If they are not to be used immediately, wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate.
SUPRÊMES DE VOLAILLE À BLANCServe these with buttered asparagus tips, green peas, artichoke hearts, or creamed spinach, a good risotto cooked in chicken stock, and a bottle of chilled white Burgundy or Traminer.
For 4 people
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4 suprêmes (boned breasts from two fryers; see directions in paragraph preceding recipe)
½ tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
Big pinch white pepper
A heavy, covered, fireproof casserole about 10 inches in diameter
A round of waxed paper 10 inches in diameter and buttered on one side
4 Tb butter
Rub the suprêmes with drops of lemon juice and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in the casserole until it is foaming. Quickly roll the suprêmes in the butter, lay the buttered paper over them, cover casserole and place in hot oven. After 6 minutes, press top of suprêmes with your finger. If still soft, return to oven for a moment or two. When the meat is springy to the touch it is done. Remove the suprêmes to a warm platter and cover while making the sauce (2 to 3 minutes).
For the sauce:
¼ cup white or brown stock or canned beef bouillon
¼ cup port, Madeira, or dry white vermouth
1 cup whipping cream
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice as needed
2 Tb fresh minced parsley
Pour the stock or bouillon and wine into the casserole with the cooking butter and boil down quickly over high heat until liquid is syrupy. Stir in the cream and boil down again over high heat until cream has thickened slightly. Off heat, taste carefully for seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste. Pour the sauce over the suprêmes, sprinkle with parsley, and serve at once.
This is a delicious combination, the onions giving the chicken and the sauce a subtle flavor, while the paprika lends fragrance and rosiness to the finished dish.
Drop the minced onions into boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, run cold water over them, and drain again. Cook the onions with the salt, paprika, and butter in the covered casserole for about 10 minutes over very low heat until the onions are tender and translucent, but not browned.
4 suprêmes and the sauce ingredients in the preceding master recipe
Following the master recipe, cook the suprêmes in the onions, paprika, and butter. Remove when done, leaving the onions in the casserole. Complete the sauce, also as described in the master recipe.
The following vegetables cut into neat 1/16-inch cubes, making ⅔ to ¾ cup in all:
1 medium carrot
1 to 2 tender celery stalks
1 medium white onion
Cook the diced vegetables slowly with the salt and butter for about 10 minutes in the covered casserole until tender, but not browned.
⅛ tsp salt
5 Tb butter
4 suprêmes and the sauce ingredients in the master recipe
Following the master recipe, cook the suprêmes in the vegetables and butter. Remove them when done, leaving the vegetables in the casserole. Complete the sauce, as described in the master recipe.
5 Tb butter
1 Tb minced shallot or green onion
¼ lb. diced or sliced fresh mushrooms
⅛ tsp salt
Heat the butter in the casserole over moderate heat until foaming. Stir in the minced shallots or green onion and sauté a moment without browning. Then stir in the mushrooms and sauté lightly for a minute or two without browning. Sprinkle with salt.
Following the master recipe, cook the suprêmes in the mushrooms and butter. Remove when done, leaving the mushrooms in the casserole. Complete the sauce, as described in the master recipe.
SUPRÊMES DE VOLAILLE À BRUN[Chicken Breasts Sautéed in Butter]
Here the chicken breasts are lightly dusted with flour and are sautéed in clarified butter. (Ordinary butter will burn and form black specks on the suprêmes. Clarified butter may be heated to a higher temperature before burning.) A good accompaniment for this dish would be grilled or stuffed tomatoes, buttered green peas or beans, and potato balls sautéed in butter. Serve with it a red Bordeaux-Médoc.
For 4 people
4 suprêmes (boned breasts from 2 fryers)
¼ tsp salt
Big pinch of pepper
1 cup flour spread on an 8-inch plate
Just before sautéing, sprinkle the suprêmes with salt and pepper, roll them in the flour, and shake off excess flour.
An 8- to 9-inch skillet
6 to 8 Tb clarified butter (note that you will need ¼ cup more for your sauce)
A hot platter
Pour clarified butter into skillet to a depth of about 1/16 inch. Set over moderately high heat. When the butter begins to deepen in color very slightly, put in the suprêmes. Regulate heat so butter is always hot but does not turn more than a deep yellow. After 3 minutes, turn the suprêmes and sauté on the other side. In two minutes, press tops of suprêmes with your finger. As soon as they are springy to the touch, they are done. Remove to a hot platter, leaving the butter in the skillet.
Brown Butter Sauce (Beurre Noisette)
4 Tb clarified butter
3 Tb minced parsley
1 Tb lemon juice
Add additional clarified butter to skillet and set over moderately high heat until the butter has turned a very light golden brown (a minute or two). Immediately remove from heat, sir in parsley and lemon juice, and taste for seasoning. Pour over the suprêmes and serve.
1 Tb minced shallot or green onion
¼ cup port or Madeira
⅔ cup brown stock or canned beef bouillon
2 Tb minced parsley
After removing the sautéed suprêmes, stir minced shallot or onion into skillet and sauté a moment. Then pour in the wine and stock or bouillon and boil down rapidly over high heat until liquid is lightly syrupy. Pour over the suprêmes, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
1 minced canned truffle and the juice from its can
Ingredients for the preceding brown deglazing sauce minus the parsley
After sautéing the shallots or onions, as in the preceding master recipe, add the wine, stock or bouillon, and the truffle and its juice. Boil down liquid until syrupy, and pour over the suprêmes.
4 suprêmes (boned breasts from two fryers)
¼ tsp salt
Big pinch of pepper
1 cup flour spread on an 8-inch plate
1 egg, ⅛ tsp salt, and ½ tsp olive oil beaten together in an 8-inch soup plate
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and ½ cup fine, white, fresh bread crumbs mixed together in an 8-inch dish
Season the suprêmes with salt and pepper. One at a time, roll them in the flour and shake off excess. Dip in beaten egg. Then roll in the cheese and bread crumbs, patting them in place with the flat of a knife. Lay the suprêmes on waxed paper and allow cheese and bread crumbs to set for 10 to 15 minutes or several hours.
Ingredients for brown butter sauce, master recipe
Sauté on both sides in clarified butter until resilient to the pressure of your finger. Serve with brown butter sauce as described in the master recipe.
Only the genuine duckling or caneton—a bird under 6 months old—is good for roasting. Fortunately that is the only kind of duck you are liable to find in any American market. It generally weighs 4½ to 5½ pounds ready to cook, has been beautifully plucked and cleaned, and is usually frozen, a state to which it takes much better than chicken. It needs only to be thawed out in the refrigerator or in a basin of cold, running water, and it is ready for cooking.
A NOTE ON FRENCH DUCKS
While American commercially raised birds are usually of one variety—the White Pekin—French ducks are of various breeds. These are: the nantais, which rarely weighs over 3 pounds and is the most common table duckling; the rouennais, famous as pressed duck; and the canard de barbarie, often older and always larger, which is used for braising.
PREPARING A DUCK FOR ROASTING
Pull out all loose fat from the cavity and from around the neck. To make the carving of the breast meat easier, cut out the wishbone. The lower part of the wing is mostly bone; chop it off at the elbow and add it to the stock pot. Be sure the fat glands on the back at the base of the tail have been removed; dig out any yellow residue that may remain, and rub the area with salt and lemon juice. To help the layer of subcutaneous duck fat to escape during cooking, prick the skin at ½-inch intervals along the thighs, the back, and the lower part of the breast. After seasoning the cavity, or stuffing it, sew or skewer the legs, wings, and neck skin to the body so the bird will make a neat appearance on the table; see the illustrated directions for trussing a chicken which may be adapted for duck.
DUCK STOCK
The neck, heart, gizzard, and lower wings may be used for the making of a duck stock. Follow the same method as for chicken stock.
CARVING NOTE
Duck has far more carcass and far less meat than a chicken of the same weight; a 4½-pound duck will serve only 4 or 5 people. The French method of carving is to make as many thin slices of breast meat as possible, 4 to 6 per side, as follows: After the second joints and drumsticks have been removed, the duck is turned on its side, its tail facing the carver. Thin slices of meat are cut diagonally starting from the lower part of the breast nearest the tail and running toward the breastbone. The same system is used for the other side, cutting in the opposite direction.
ROASTING TIMETABLE
French taste is for ducks roasted to a medium rare—the juices run slightly rosy when the meat is pricked. If the duck is to be served well done, its juices should run clear yellow. Overcooked duck meat is brown, dry, and disappointing.
The following table is for unstuffed, unchilled duck. Add 20 to 30 minutes to the times listed if the duck is stuffed.
VEGETABLE SUGGESTIONS
Caneton aux petits pois, duckling with green peas, is one of the favorite French combinations, especially in the spring. Other vegetable suggestions are broccoli or Brussels sprouts, or braised lettuce, celery, celeriac, onions, or turnips. Among starchy vegetables, if you wish to serve one, are braised or pureéd chestnuts, potatoes mashed with celery root or turnips, or a purée of lentils or navy beans.
WINE SUGGESTIONS
Serve full red wine, such as Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or Bordeaux-St. Émilion. Or a chilled Alsatian Traminer.
CANETON RÔTIFor 5 to 6 people
Estimated roasting time: 1 hour and 20 to 40 minutes
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
A 5½-lb. ready-to-cook duckling
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
A pinch of thyme or sage
A small sliced onion
Season the inside of the duck with salt, pepper, herbs, and the sliced onion. Secure the legs, wings, and neck skin to the body. Prick the skin around the thighs, back, and lower breast. Dry the duck thoroughly.
A shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold the duck easily
1 medium sliced carrot
1 medium sliced onion
Place the duck breast up in the roasting pan, strew the vegetables around it, and set it in the middle level of the oven for 15 minutes to brown lightly.
A bulb baster
Reduce oven to 350 degrees, and turn the duck on its side. Regulate heat so duck is always making cooking noises but fat is not burning. Remove accumulated fat occasionally (a bulb baster will suck it up easily). Basting is not necessary.
About 30 minutes later, or about halfway through, turn the duck on its other side.
½ tsp salt
Fifteen minutes before the end of the estimated roasting time, salt the duck and turn it breast up.
The duck is done to a medium rare if the juices from the fattest part of the thigh or drumstick run faintly rosy when the meat is pricked, and when the duck is lifted and drained, the last drops of juice from the vent are a pale rose. The duck is well done when the juices run pale yellow.
When done, discard trussing strings, and place the duck on a serving platter. Set in turned-off oven and leave the door open while preparing the sauce, which will take 3 to 4 minutes.
Tilt the roasting pan and spoon out all but 1 tablespoon of fat. Add the stock or bouillon and boil rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices, and crushing the vegetables, until liquid is reduced at least by half. Correct seasoning. Add optional wine and simmer a minute to evaporate its alcohol.
1 to 2 Tb softened butter
Off heat and just before serving, swirl the butter into the sauce and strain it into a sauceboat. Pour a bit of sauce over the duck, and serve.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
Roast duck may wait in the turned-off hot oven, its door ajar, for about 30 minutes before serving.
SPIT ROASTING
Duck does very well indeed on a rotary spit. Follow the directions for spit-roasted chicken but omit the bacon wrapping. No basting is necessary. Roasting time is the same as for oven roasting on the chart.
Apples and duck are a fine combination, and sausages make it an even better one. The platter may be garnished with more apples and sausages if you wish, braised onions, and sautéed potatoes or potato crêpes. A chilled Alsatian Traminer would go well with it, or hard cider.
For 5 or 6 people
Estimated roasting time: 1 hour and 45 to 60 minutes
Sausage and apple stuffing
½ lb. pork link sausages
Sauté the sausages in a skillet until they are lightly browned. Drain them. Mash them roughly with a fork in a mixing bowl.
4 or 5 crisp eating apples
Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut the quarters into 2 or 3 lengthwise segments. Sauté them, a few at a time, in the hot sausage fat in the skillet. They should be very lightly browned, and almost tender, but still retain their shape.
1 Tb sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp sage
2 Tb cognac
Place them on a platter and sprinkle with the seasonings and cognac.
¼ cup port
¼ cup stock or canned beef bouillon
Pour the fat out of the skillet. Add the wine and stock or bouillon and boil rapidly until liquid has reduced to 2 or 3 tablespoons. Pour it over the cooked sausages.
When both apples and sausages have cooled, mix them delicately together. Stuff loosely into the duck. Sew or skewer the vent, truss the duck, and roast it according to the preceding master recipe.
Caneton à l’OrangeOne of the most well known of all the duck dishes, caneton à l’orange, is roast duck decorated with fresh orange segments and accompanied by an orange-flavored brown sauce. Its most important element is its sauce—a rich, strong, meaty, duck essence darkened with caramel, flavored with wine and orange peel, and given a light liaison of arrowroot. You can and should prepare the sauce well ahead of time so that when the duck is roasted, the dish is within 2 to 3 minutes of being done.
VEGETABLE AND WINE SUGGESTIONS
Nothing should interfere with the flavors of the duck, the sauce, and the oranges. Sautéed or shoestring potatoes, or homemade potato chips are your best choice. Serve a good red Bordeaux-Médoc, or a chilled white Burgundy—Meursault, Montrachet, or Corton-Charlemagne.
For 5 or 6 people
Note: Under the ingredients needed for the sauce are 2 cups of excellent duck stock. This should be prepared ahead of time, as it must simmer about 2 hours.
4 brightly colored navel oranges
Remove the orange part of the skin in strips with a vegetable peeler. Cut into julienne (small strips 1/16 inch wide and 1½ inches long). Simmer for 15 minutes in a quart of water. Drain. Pat dry in paper towels.
Roasting the duck
A 5 ½-lb. ready-to-cook duckling
½ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
Season the duck cavity with salt and pepper, add a third of the prepared orange peel, and truss the duck. Roast it according to the master recipe.
The sauce base
A 4-cup saucepan
3 Tb granulated sugar
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 cups strong, brown duck stock (follow directions for brown chicken stock, using duck giblets instead of chicken giblets)
2 Tb arrowroot blended with 3 Tb port or Madeira
The rest of the blanched orange peel
While the duck is roasting, make a sweet-and-sour caramel coloring as follows: Boil the sugar and vinegar over moderately high heat for several minutes until the mixture has turned into a mahogany-brown syrup. Immediately remove from heat and pour in ½ cup of the duck stock. Simmer for a minute, stirring, to dissolve the caramel. Then add the rest of the stock, beat in the arrowroot mixture, and stir in the orange peel. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until the sauce is clear, limpid, and lightly thickened. Correct seasoning, and set aside.
The orange segments
The 4 oranges, skinned
Cut the 4 oranges into neat, skinless segments and place in a covered dish.
Final assembly
When the duck is done, discard trussing strings, and set it on a platter. Place it in the turned-off hot oven, leaving the door ajar.
½ cup port or Madeira
Remove as much fat as you can from the roasting pan. Add the wine and boil it down rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices and reducing the liquid to 2 or 3 tablespoons.
The prepared sauce base
2 or 3 Tb good orange liqueur
Drops of orange bitters or lemon juice
Strain the wine reduction into the sauce base and bring to the simmer. Stir in the orange liqueur by spoonfuls, tasting. The sauce should have a pleasant orange flavor but not be too sweet. Add drops of orange bitters or lemon juice as a corrective.
2 Tb softened butter
Just before serving, and off heat, swirl in the butter enrichment, and pour the sauce into a warmed sauce-boat.
Place a line of orange segments over the length of the duck and heap the rest at the two ends of the platter. Spoon a bit of sauce with peel over the duck, and serve.
Cherries or peaches are also good as a garnish for roast duck. Roast the bird as directed in the master recipe. Make the caramel-colored and arrowroot-thickened sauce described for the preceding caneton à l’orange, omitting the orange peel and orange liqueur. The fruit is heated in the sauce as follows:
36 to 48 red or black pitted cherries (if frozen, thaw and drain)
A 4-cup enameled saucepan
1 Tb lemon juice
3 Tb port or cognac
2 to 3 Tb granulated sugar
Toss the cherries in the saucepan with the lemon juice, port or cognac, and sugar. Let them soak for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
After the duck has roasted, and the pan juices have been deglazed with wine and added to the sauce, pour the sauce into the cherries. Heat to below the simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to poach the cherries (if liquid simmers, the fruit may shrivel). Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon and distribute them over and around the duck.
2 Tb softened butter
Boil the sauce rapidly to reduce and thicken it slightly. Correct seasoning. Off heat, swirl in the enrichment butter. Pour the sauce into a warmed bowl, spoon a bit over the duck, and serve.
3 large or 6 small, firm, ripe, freestone peaches (or drained canned peaches, minus the sugar below)
2 Tb lemon juice
2 to 3 Tb port or cognac
If using fresh peaches, peel and halve them not more than 30 minutes before serving so they will not discolor. Arrange the peaches in a fireproof dish and baste them with the liquids and sugar. Baste several times more before using.
2 to 3 Tb granulated sugar
After the duck has roasted and the pan juices have been deglazed with wine and added to the sauce, pour the sauce over the peaches. Proceed as for the preceding duck with cherries recipe.
CANETON POÊLÉ AUX NAVETS[Casserole-roasted Duck with Turnips]
In casserole roasting, the duck is browned on all sides, then set to roast in a covered casserole. Cooked in its own steam, the duck’s flesh becomes wonderfully tender, and the layer of subcutaneous fat is even more effectively dissolved than by roasting. The turnips, which finish their cooking with the duck absorbing cooking juices, are particularly succulent. No other vegetable is necessary, but you could serve green peas or broccoli. A red Bordeaux, Beaujolais, or Côtes du Rhône would be the choice of wines.
For 5 to 6 people.
Estimated roasting time: 1 hour and 20 to 40 minutes
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
A 5½-lb. ready-to-cook duckling
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
A heavy, oval casserole just large enough to hold the duck easily
3 Tb rendered fresh pork fat or cooking oil
Season the inside of the duck with salt and pepper, truss it, prick the skin around the thighs, back, and lower part of the breast. Dry it thoroughly. Brown it slowly on all sides in hot fat in the casserole—as for browning a chicken.
A medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, ½ bay leaf, and ¼ tsp thyme tied in washed cheesecloth
Pour out the browning fat. Salt the duck and place it breast up in the casserole. Add the herb bouquet, cover the hot casserole, and place it in the middle level of the preheated oven. Roast for 50 to 60 minutes, regulating heat so the duck is always making quiet cooking noises. Basting is not necessary.
2 lbs. firm, crisp, white or yellow turnips
While the duck is cooking, prepare the turnips: Peel them and cut into large olive shapes about 1¾ inches long, or into ¾-inch dice. Drop into boiling, salted water, and boil slowly for 5 minutes. Drain.
A bulb baster
After the duck has roasted for 50 to 60 minutes, or 30 to 40 minutes before the end of its estimated cooking time, degrease casserole with bulb baster. Arrange the turnips around the duck, cover the casserole, and return it to the oven. Baste turnips occasionally with the juices in the casserole.
The duck is done when its juices run a pale rose for medium rare, or a clear yellow for well done.
2 to 3 Tb minced parsley
Drain the duck, discard trussing strings, and place it on a hot platter. Remove the turnips with a slotted spoon, arrange them around the duck, and decorate with parsley. Degrease the cooking juices, correct seasoning, pour into a warmed sauceboat, and serve.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
The duck, turnips, and degreased cooking juices can be returned to the hot casserole. Set the cover askew, and keep it warm for 30 minutes in the turned-off hot oven, or over barely simmering water.
[Duck Braised in Red Cabbage]
These two classic combinations are both done in the same way: after the sauerkraut or cabbage is about two thirds braised, the browned duck is added to cook in the casserole, and all ingredients benefit from their mutual exchange of flavors. Parsley potatoes or braised chestnuts and a chilled Alsatian Traminer go well with this.
For 5 or 6 people
Ingredients for 2 lbs. of braised sauerkraut, or braised red cabbage
A casserole large enough to include the duck as well
Follow the recipe for braised sauerkraut or braised red cabbage, and cook for 3½ hours.
A 5½-lb. ready-to-cook duckling
Season, truss, prick, and dry the duck. Brown it in hot fat as described in the preceding recipe. Salt it and bury it in the casserole with the sauerkraut or cabbage. Cover, and braise for about 1½ hours more, or until the duck is done.
Parsley sprigs
When done, remove the duck to a hot platter and discard trussing strings. Lift out the sauerkraut or cabbage, draining its juices back into the casserole, and arrange it about the duck. Decorate with parsley.
Degrease the cooking juices. Set casserole over high heat and boil rapidly until the liquid has reduced and its flavor is concentrated. Strain into a sauceboat, pour a spoonful over the duck, and serve.
[Braised Duck with Chestnut and Sausage Stuffing]
Follow the recipe for braised goose with chestnut and sausage stuffing. Use the timetable for roast duck adding 30 minutes more because of the stuffing.
[Boned, Stuffed Duck Baked in a Crust]
This recipe is on this page
Goose, like duck, can only be considered gastronomically interesting when it is under 6 months old, and that is probably the only kind you will find in American markets. It usually comes frozen, and should be defrosted either in the refrigerator or in a pan with cold, running water. It is prepared for cooking like duck.
Goose fat is extremely good as a sauté or basting medium, or as a flavoring for braised cabbage or sauerkraut. Once rendered, it will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. To render the fat, pull out all the loose fat from inside the goose. Chop it up into ½-inch pieces. Simmer it in a covered saucepan with 1 cup of water for 20 minutes to draw the fat out of the tissues. Then uncover the pan and boil the liquid slowly to evaporate the water. As the moisture evaporates, the fat will make spluttering noises. As soon as these have stopped, the fat is rendered, the liquid will be a pale yellow, and the fat particles will have browned very lightly. Strain the liquid into a jar.
The browned fat particles may be turned into a spread for croûtons, toast, or crackers. Pound them in a mortar or put them through the meat grinder. Warm them briefly in a skillet and stir in salt, pepper, and allspice to taste. Pack them into a jar. When cold, pour a ⅛-inch layer of hot goose fat over them to seal them. They will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
A good goose stock is easy to make with the gizzard, neck, heart, and wing tips of the goose. The liver may be included, unless you wish to treat it like chicken liver, or add it to your stuffing. Follow the general procedure for chicken stock. It should simmer for 2 hours or so.
Goose may be cooked with or without a stuffing. Besides the prune and foie gras, and the chestnut stuffing, both of which are described in the pages following, another good one for goose is the apple and sausage mixture in the Duck section. Count on ¾ to 1 cup of stuffing for each ready-to-cook pound of goose. An 8-lb. bird, for instance, will take 6 to 8 cups of stuffing. Although you may prepare a stuffing ahead of time, never stuff the goose until just before cooking, or both goose and stuffing may spoil.
TIMETABLE FOR ROAST OR BRAISED GOOSE
The following table is based on unstuffed, unchilled goose cooked to the well-done stage—when its juices run pale yellow. Be sure not to overcook your goose, or the breast meat especially will be dry and disappointing. You will see in the table that the larger the goose, the less time per pound it takes to cook. A 9-lb. goose requires about 2 hours, and a 12½-lb. bird, only about 30 minutes longer. The best sizes to buy are from 9 to 11 lbs.; larger geese may be a bit older and tougher. Oven temperature for roasting is 350 degrees; for braising, 325 degrees. A meat thermometer should register 180 degrees.
| READY-TO-COOK WEIGHT | NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVED | APPROXIMATE TOTAL COOKING TIME (UNSTUFFED GOOSE)* |
| 8 lbs. | 6 | 1 hour and 50 to 55 minutes |
| 9 lbs. | 6 to 8 | About 2 hours |
| 9½ lbs. | 8 to 9 | 2 hours and 10 to 15 minutes |
| 10½ lbs. | 9 to 10 | 2 hours and 15 to 20 minutes |
| 11½ lbs. | 10 to 12 | 2 hours and 20 to 30 minutes |
| 12½ lbs. | 12 to 14 | 2 hours and 30 to 40 minutes |
* For a stuffed goose, add from 20 to 40 minutes to the times given.
[Roast Goose with Prune and Foie Gras Stuffing]
Goose is roasted exactly like duck, the only exception being that the goose is basted every 15 to 20 minutes with boiling water to help in the dissolution of its subcutaneous fat, which is more copious for goose than for duck. Prunes and goose are an exceptionally fine combination. With the goose you can serve braised onions and chestnuts, and a full red wine such as a Burgundy or Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
For 6 to 8 people.
Estimated roasting time: About 2½ hours
Note: A good brown goose stock will give you an excellent sauce, but it must be prepared in advance; see preceding remarks.
40–50 “tenderized” prunes
Soak the prunes in hot water for 5 minutes. Pit them as neatly as possible.
1 cup white wine or ⅔ cup dry white vermouth
2 cups brown goose stock, brown stock, or canned beef bouillon
Simmer them slowly in a covered saucepan with the wine and stock or bouillon for about 10 minutes, or until they are just tender. Drain them and reserve the cooking liquid.
The goose liver, minced
2 Tb finely minced shallots or green onions
1 Tb butter
Sauté the goose liver and shallots or onions in butter, using a small skillet, for 2 minutes. Scrape into a mixing bowl.
⅓ cup port
Boil the wine in the same skillet until it is reduced to 2 tablespoons. Scrape it into the mixing bowl with the liver.
½ cup or 4 ounces of foie gras (goose liver), or very good liver paste
Pinch: allspice and thyme
2 to 3 Tb bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
Blend the foie gras or liver paste and flavorings into the mixing bowl with the sautéed liver. If mixture seems too soft for easy stuffing, beat in bread crumbs. Taste carefully for seasoning. Fill each prune with a teaspoon of the stuffing.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
A 9-lb. ready-to-cook young roasting goose
1 tsp salt
A shallow roasting pan
Salt the cavity of the goose. Stuff it loosely with the prunes. Sew or skewer the vent. Secure the legs, wings, and neck skin to the body. Prick the skin over the thighs, back, and lower breast. Dry thoroughly, and set it breast up in the roasting pan.
Boiling water
A bulb baster
Following directions for roast duck, brown the goose for 15 minutes in the hot oven. Turn goose on its side, lower heat to 350 degrees, and continue roasting. Baste every 15 to 20 minutes with 2 or 3 tablespoons of boiling water, and remove excess accumulated fat. A bulb baster is useful for this; tilt the pan and suck the fat out. Turn goose on its other side at the halfway mark, and on its back 15 minutes before the end. The goose should be done in 2 hours and 20 to 30 minutes, when the drumsticks move slightly in their sockets, and, when the fleshiest part of one is pricked, the juices run a pale yellow. Do not allow the goose to overcook or the meat will dry out.
When done, discard trussing strings and set the goose on a platter.
The prune cooking juices
Optional: ⅓ to ½ cup port
Salt and pepper
2 Tb softened butter
Tilt the pan and spoon out the fat, but leave the brown roasting juices. Pour in the prune cooking juices and optional port. Boil down rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices, until liquid has reduced and is full of flavor. Correct seasoning. Off heat and just before serving, swirl in the enrichment butter by bits. Pour into a warmed sauceboat, spoon a bit of sauce over the goose, and serve.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
Roast goose may wait for 30 to 40 minutes in the turned-off hot oven with its door ajar.
[Braised Goose with Chestnut and Sausage Stuffing]
There are many who prefer braised goose to roast goose because the meat is more tender and more flavorful, and the closed, moist cooking of a braise renders out more fat than open-pan roasting. A good combination to go with this would be more chestnuts, either braised or pureéd, and braised lettuce, onions or leeks. Brussels sprouts, or braised green or red cabbage are other choices. Serve a red Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or chilled Alsatian Traminer.
Estimated roasting time: 2½ hours
Sausage and chestnut stuffing (8 cups)
1½ pounds of fresh chestnuts, or 4 cups of drained, canned, and unsweetened chestnuts
If using fresh chestnuts, peel them, and simmer them in stock and seasonings as described. Drain, and allow them to cool.
4 cups of the fresh ground veal and pork stuffing described
The goose liver, chopped, and sautéed in butter
Prepare the stuffing and beat the sautéed liver into it. Sauté a spoonful to check seasoning.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
A 9-lb. ready-to-cook young roasting goose
½ tsp salt
A shallow roasting pan
Season the cavity of the goose with salt. Starting with the meat stuffing, loosely pack alternate layers of stuffing and of chestnuts into the goose, leaving a good inch of unfilled space at the vent. Sew or skewer the vent, truss the goose, and prick its skin. Dry it thoroughly, and set it breast up in the roasting pan.
Brown the goose lightly in the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, turning it several times so it will color evenly.
1 tsp salt
A covered roaster just large enough to hold the goose easily
Salt the goose and place it breast up in the roaster. Turn oven down to 325 degrees.
The goose neck, wing tips, gizzard, and heart
1½ cup sliced onions
½ cup sliced carrots
4 Tb rendered goose fat, rendered fresh pork fat, or cooking oil
A skillet
Brown the goose bits and vegetables in hot fat in the skillet.
Stir the flour into the skillet and brown slowly for several minutes.
4 cups boiling brown stock or canned beef bouillon
3 cups dry white wine or 2 cups dry white vermouth
Off heat, blend in the boiling stock or bouillon, and then the wine. Simmer for a moment. Then pour the contents of the skillet into the roaster around the goose. Add additional stock if necessary, so liquid reaches about one third the way up the goose.
Bring to the simmer on top of the stove. Cover, and set in the middle level of the preheated 325-degree oven.
A bulb baster
Braise for about 2 hours and 20 to 30 minutes, regulating oven heat so liquid simmers very quietly. Basting is not necessary. Accumulated fat may be removed occasionally with the bulb baster. The goose is done when its drumsticks move slightly in their sockets, and, when their fleshiest part is pricked, the juices run pale yellow.
Remove the goose to a serving platter and discard trussing strings.
Salt and pepper to taste
⅓ to ½ cup port
Skim the fat out of the roaster (degreasing directions), boil the cooking liquid down rapidly until it has thickened enough to coat a spoon lightly. Correct seasoning. Stir in the port and simmer a minute or two to evaporate its alcohol. Strain the sauce into a bowl or a saucepan, pressing juice out of the ingredients. You should have about 5 to 6 cups of sauce. Pour a spoonful over the goose, and serve.
(*) AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
For a 30- to 40-minute wait, return the goose to the roaster, and set the cover askew. Place in turned-off hot oven with its door ajar, or over barely simmering water.
