Poularde De Noel Capon Stuffed With Chestnuts And Truffles Recipes

POULARDE DE NOEL (CAPON STUFFED WITH CHESTNUTS AND TRUFFLES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Chop the shallots and cook them for a few minutes in the butter. Add the sausage meat and sausages and cook, stirring with a fork, until the meat is lightly browned.
• Add the bread crumbs, soaked in milk and well drained, the Cognac, the mushrooms and the truffle, cut into small sticks. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the thyme and set aside.
• Peel and cook the chestnuts and cool them. Break into pieces, reserving about eight whole ones. Add the pieces to the stuffing mixture. Blend well. Add the remaining whole chestnuts.
• Fill the chicken cavity with the stuffing and close the opening by sewing with kitchen thread. Rub the chicken with salt and pepper and roast for about one and one-half hour.
• After half an hour add the carrot, onion, celery, thyme, bay leaf and parsley to the pan in which the chicken is cooking.
• Transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Keep it warm, covered with aluminum foil.
• Skim the fat and vegetables from the pan. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a slow boil. Reduce, add Port, correct seasonings and drain in a sieve. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT BUCHE DE NOEL

Steps:

• Place chocolate in a small bowl with 1/4 cup water. Set bowl in a pan of barely simmering water, stirring frequently until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. Combine 1/2 cup, or more to taste, of chestnut cream into 1 slightly rounded cup of buttercream. Set aside.
• Assemble the Buche: Peel parchment liner from cake. Lift foil under cake and invert it onto a second sheet of foil. Remove the original foil, peeling away the browned genoise "skin" stuck to it. Moisten the cake with the rum, using a pastry brush. Spread chestnut buttercream evenly over the cake. Roll the cake tightly, the long way, into a "log" using the foil to aid you if necessary. Wrap log tightly in foil. Freeze until hard, or at least firm. The firmer the cake, the easier it will be to decorate. Log may be completed to this point, and kept frozen, up to 6 weeks. Stir chocolate mixture into remaining buttercream and refrigerate or freeze until needed. Finish and Decorate the Buche: Soften reserved chocolate buttercream and beat just until smooth. Unwrap the frozen log. Trim a fraction of an inch from each end to even the edges. Spread the log with most of the reserved chocolate buttercream. Do not frost the ends. Use a fork to texture the buttercream so that it resembles the bark of a tree. Dip a sharp knife in hot water, then wipe dry. Cut the diagonal "stump" off each end of the log. Set stumps aside. Transfer log to a serving platter. Affix stumps to the log. Cover bare spots with buttercream. Use the fork to touch up the bark effect as necessary. Decorate with sprigs of pine and meringue mushrooms. Store in the refrigerator. For best flavor and texture, remove Buche from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving.

ROASTED CAPON WITH BLACK TRUFFLES AND CHANTERELLE STUFFING

Steps:

• To make the stuffing, combine the apricots and brandy and set aside. In a large skillet set over medium heat, combine the butter and olive oil. Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add the apricots and brandy and cook until the brandy has evaporated. Add the stock and cook until almost dry. Remove the pan from the heat and add the bread crumbs and thyme. Season the stuffing with salt and pepper.
• To make the capon, preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Season the bird generously, inside and out, with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the butter, truffle paste and shallot and stir until smooth. Use your fingers to gently separate the skin from the breast meat, and work your fingers under the skin at the leg. Push the butter mixture under the skin and over the leg.
• Stuff the bird loosely with the stuffing (do not pack it, as it expands during cooking) and truss the bird or tie the legs together securely with kitchen string.
• Place the bird on a roasting pan fitted with a rack and roast for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to roast until the juices of the bird run clear when it is pierced at the thickest part of the leg, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours more.
• Remove the bird from the oven and allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Remove the string, and then remove the stuffing. Carve and serve the capon with the stuffing on the side.

SWEET STUFFED CAPON

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• 2. Remove the giblets from the capon. Rinse out the cavity with cold water and pat it dry. Season it with salt and pepper. Carefully separate the skin from the meat of the breast meat of the capon. Divide the butter in two equal parts, and carefully spread half of it on each side of the breast meat with your fingers, being careful not to break the skin. Carefully lay a bay leaf atop the butter on each side of the breast meat.
• 3. Coarsely chop the giblets. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the pork, the breadcrumbs, the giblets, the chestnuts, the thyme, and the spices, working the mixture together with your fingers so it is homogeneous. As you work, the chestnuts will break into pieces - leave them in uneven pieces. Mix in the egg thoroughly with your hands, then season with salt and pepper. Sauté a teaspoon of the stuffing and taste it for seasoning. Adjust if necessary. Place as much of the stuffing as you can fit inside the capon, without packing it in too hard. Place any leftover stuffing in a baking dish.
• 4. Truss the capon and place it in a roasting pan. Add 1 cup water. Roast it in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, then turn it on one side. Roast it for 25 minutes, then turn it on the other side and roast it for 25 minutes. Finally, leaving it breast up, continue to roast it until the juices of the capon run golden and the stuffing inside the bird reaches a temperature of 160°F, a total of about 2 hours, checking it occasionally to be sure that it isn't browning too much, and adding more water if the pan is dry. Remove the capon from the oven and season it liberally with salt and pepper. Turn it on its breast at an angle, so the juices run into the breast meat, and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
• 5. Place the roasting pan over medium heat and add three-quarters cup water. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook until reduced by about one-third. Taste for seasoning.
• 6. To serve the capon, present it first at the table, whole, then carve it. Remove the stuffing in one piece if possible and slice it.