Chicken Fricassee a la Waleski

Take three medium chickens each one to weigh two pound and a half; cut both up into seven pieces each, the two legs, two fillets, two from the back and one breast bone; steep them in cold water for an hour, then drain and range in a saucepan; moisten to cover with broth (No. 194a) adding a medium carrot cut in four, a middle-sized onion, a bunch of parsley garnished with thyme and bay leaf, one clove, and peppercorns; allow the chickens to cook for fifteen minutes, then drain and reserve the broth; refresh and sponge the pieces on a cloth, paring them neatly. Melt three ounces of butter in a saucepan, lay in the pieces of chicken and fry rapidly without browning; a few moments later cover with some clear veloute sauce (No. 415), prepared with the chicken broth and a glassful of white wine; boil up this liquid once, then set the saucepan on one side of the fire to finish cooking the contents; when done, free the sauce of all its fat before straining it through a sieve into a sautoir, adding to it a few spoonfuls of mushroom broth. Reduce while stirring from the bottom of the sautoir until a thick, succulent sauce is obtained, then put in a thickening of six egg-yolks, and an ounce and a half of lobster butter (No. 580). Strain this through a tammy over the pieces of chicken, remaining in the saucepan. Just when serving squeeze in the juice of a lemon. Dress in a thin border of cream forcemeat (No. 75), decorated with truffles; surround this border with a circle of sauted sweet peppers (No. 2769), with mushroom heads on top, and a trussed crawfish between every one. Serve the surplus of sauce in a sauce-boat.