No. 1984

Pullet, Ancient Style

Poularde a l'Ancienne

Draw and singe a pullet, trim and insert slices of truffle between the skin and flesh, truss as for an entree (No. 178), and lard the legs with rosettes of truffles, bard it nicely and cook in stock (No. 194a) then drain and dress garnishing around with cauliflower and serving a separate well-buttered veloute sauce (No. 415) into which mingle some chopped up truffles.

← No. 1983 Pullet a la Zingara Capon & Pullet No. 1985 Pullet, English Style →

For the Modern Kitchen

This is a poached bird, not a roast, and everything about its success depends on that. Ranhofer assumes you have his stock and velouté already made and a cook's understanding of what a pullet is.

The birdA pullet is a young hen, generally under a year old and not yet in full lay, roughly 3 to 4 lb, tender and lightly fatted. A supermarket roasting chicken of the same weight is the practical substitute; avoid anything labelled stewing hen, which needs hours of simmering and will fall apart in this treatment.
Poached, never boiled"Cook in stock" means submerged in barely trembling liquid at about 170-180F. A rolling boil shreds the breast and clouds the stock. Figure 45 to 60 minutes for a 3.5 lb bird, testing the thigh joint for 165F.
Barding is structural hereThe sheet of pork back fat or thinly sliced salt pork tied over the breast keeps the surface from drying and greying during the poach. Ask a butcher for fatback; blanched sliced salt pork works if you have nothing else. Remove it before carving.
Truffles under the skinSlide a finger between skin and breast to make a pocket and lay the slices flat. Resting the bird wrapped and refrigerated for a day beforehand will let the perfume move into the flesh. Black truffle is most likely what is intended; a small jar of preserved truffle peelings is the affordable version and is best not cooked twice.
Larding with rosettesRanhofer says only to lard the legs with rosettes of truffle; in practice this means inserting small shaped pieces so they show as dark rounds when carved. The effect is essentially decorative. Strips of truffle pushed into slits cut with a paring knife achieve the same look with less equipment.
The sauceVelouté is a blond roux loosened with the poaching stock rather than milk. "Well-buttered" means finished off the heat with cold butter whisked in, which is what gives it gloss; if it boils after that it will break. Add the chopped truffle at the very end so its aroma is not driven off.
CauliflowerBreak into small florets and cook separately in salted water until just tender, then arrange in clusters around the base of the bird. Do not cook it in the chicken stock, which the sulphur will spoil for reuse.
YieldThe recipe gives no yield; a bird of this size will serve about four as a main course, or more as one course among several.

A Little History

A l'ancienne — in the old style — was already a nostalgic label when Charles Ranhofer published The Epicurean in 1894 after decades at Delmonico's in New York. The term is used loosely in period French cookery, and elsewhere denotes a garnish rather than a period style. Poaching a bird in stock rather than water was a professional economy as much as a technique: the same marmite yielded the cooking medium, the base of the velouté, and stock for the next service. The truffle work is pure restaurant labour, and it suggests a kitchen with a brigade and a client who paid for the hour it took to slice, insert and lard. The English name Ranhofer gives, "pullet," is worth noticing: American markets of the period still sold poultry by age and sex — capon, pullet, fowl — distinctions that industrial broiler production has largely erased.