Galantine of Partridge, Elizabeth

This is an assembly-and-presentation entry rather than a standalone recipe: the cooking happens at No. 2492, and what Ranhofer describes here is how the cold galantine is cut, glazed and dressed. Treat it as a plating scheme and read the cross-references first.

• What you actually need firstA boned, stuffed, poached and pressed partridge galantine, thoroughly chilled overnight under weight. Slicing a galantine that has not set firm is the single thing that ruins the dish; the forcemeat crumbles and no amount of glaze will disguise it.
• "Glaze" and "jelly"Both mean aspic here, at two different strengths. The glaze is a nearly cold, syrupy clarified game or veal aspic brushed on for shine; the jelly is the same stock set clear and used to fix the truffle slice and seal the surface. Work over ice and apply in thin coats, letting each set before the next.
• Half-heart shapesCut quarter-inch slices from the cylinder, then trim each with a heart cutter and halve it, or trim freehand so the slices overlap neatly in a ring. The point is that the pieces lean against each other in a circle without gaping.
• Truffle"Well marbleized" points to a good black winter truffle with clear white veining, chosen so the pattern shows on the plate. Fresh winter truffle is seasonal and expensive; preserved whole black truffle, sliced thin, is the practical substitute. Truffle oil and summer truffle will not give the pattern.
• Russian saladNo. 2645 is Ranhofer's own Russian salad, so check it rather than assuming; the familiar form is a fine dice of cooked vegetables bound in mayonnaise, sometimes with a little cooked meat or tongue. Whatever the version, make it stiff enough to mound in the center of the ring and hold its shape.
• MacedoineA macedoine is simply mixed vegetables cut in small even dice. "Seasoned" here probably means dressed rather than creamed, so that it contrasts with the mayonnaise-bound salad at the center; No. 2650 gives Ranhofer's own version.
• Artichoke bottomsTrimmed, cooked artichoke hearts with the choke removed, used as cups. Jarred or frozen bottoms work; drain and pat dry so the jelly and dressing do not slide.
• Temperature and holdingEverything on this platter is a cold cooked meat with mayonnaise nearby. Assemble on a chilled dish, keep it refrigerated until service, and do not let it sit out for more than a couple of hours on a buffet.
• YieldOne partridge gives only a small number of trimmed half-heart slices, enough for a modest cold course; the recipe itself states no quantity or number of servings.