Pullet Tartar Sauce-Broiled

Ranhofer assumes you have his numbered cross-references at hand; without them the method is thin but perfectly workable. This is spatchcocked chicken, breaded and grilled, with tartar sauce alongside.

• What a pullet isA young hen, generally under a year old and roughly 3 to 4 lb dressed. Any supermarket broiler-fryer of that weight stands in exactly; a whole 3 1/2 lb bird serves three to four.
• "Split down the center of the back, flatten"This is spatchcocking. Ranhofer's instruction is to split through the backbone itself; open the bird out and press down on the breastbone until it lies flat. Even thickness is the point of the technique.
• Bread-crumb it English styleThe egg yolks and butter are beaten together into a thick liaison, brushed over the flattened bird, then coated in fine dry crumbs. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly before beating in the yolks or it will scramble them.
• "Broil on a slow fire"In 1894 broiling meant a gridiron over coals, not an overhead element. Keep the heat moderate rather than fierce -- Ranhofer gives no temperature -- with the bird bone side down first; a hot fire scorches the crumbs long before the thighs cook through.
• DonenessRanhofer gives no time. Expect 35 to 45 minutes for a 3 1/2 lb bird, turning once, to 165F at the thickest part of the thigh. If the crumbs colour too fast, move the bird to indirect heat and cover.
• The gravy and the sauceNo. 404 is Ranhofer's gravy and No. 631 his tartar sauce; neither composition is given on this page. A well-reduced brown chicken jus does the work of the first, and a cold mayonnaise-based tartar sauce the second. The gravy is poured under the bird rather than over it so the coating stays crisp.
• "A very hot dish"Not decoration. A breaded bird set on a cold platter steams underneath and the crust goes soft within a minute. Warm the platter in the oven.