Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [107]
The plastic wrap and cheesecloth are used to help roll the skin around the pâté, forming a tight cylinder, with the chicken breast in the center.
The galantine is rolled tightly to ensure a good, even texture.
The galantine will be completely wrapped in cheesecloth, tied off at each end, and given further support by strips of cheesecloth tied around its girth.
The galantine is cooked in chicken stock that is just below a simmer, about 160 to 180 degrees F./71 to 82 degrees C. A hotel pan is being used here, but a standard pot works fine so long as the galantine is completely submerged. A fish poacher is actually the best cooking vessel, in that its shape requires less stock. When the galantine has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F./71 degrees C., the pan is removed from the stovetop and the galantine is cooled and chilled submerged in the flavorful stock.
After the galantine has been chilled overnight, it is removed from the gelatinous stock and unwrapped. It is ready to be sliced.
Chicken Stock
This is a basic recipe for chicken stock. Because the bones are not roasted, they’ll release a lot of fat and protein that will collect on the surface so it’s important to skim the stock diligently when it first comes to a boil. It should then be cooked at the lowest possible temperature, the surface just at a tremble—this will result in a very clear, clean-tasting stock. If a stock is boiled, it will become cloudy as the fat and other impurities are emulsified into it.
1 cup/150 grams onions, roughly chopped
1⁄2 cup/75 grams roughly chopped celery
1⁄2 cup/75 grams roughly chopped carrots
2 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh thyme
10 black peppercorns, crushed with the side of a knife
2 cloves garlic
8 pounds/4 kilograms chicken bones, necks, feet, and giblets
6 quarts/6 liters cold water
1. Combine all the ingredients except the water in a pot that is taller than it is wide. Add the water; it should cover the ingredients by about 1 inch/2.5 centimeters. Slowly bring the water to a boil then turn to the lowest possible simmer. Skim the stock to remove the impurities on surface. Gently simmer for 5 hours, skimming occasionally.
2. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer. Cool completely before refrigerating.
Yield: 1 gallon/4 liters
ROASTED DUCK ROULADE
This is an excellent alternative to traditional roast duck. The flavors are exciting, and the slice-and-serve preparation is stunning; and prepared this way, one duck makes many more servings than if roasted whole. The hard part of this roulade, as with any galantine-type preparation, is removing the skin intact. (Once the skin is trimmed, you should have a rectangle about 10 inches/25 centimeters long and 5 inches/12.5 centimeters wide.) Scraping the fat off the frozen skin also takes some time and care. After that, though, this is prepared like any other pâté, then rolled up in the skin and gently roasted with aromatic vegetables. You might want to roast the bones to make a stock or the base for a sauce or jus.
This can be served with the traditional accompaniments to roast duck. We suggest serving it on a bed of French lentils, along with some haricots verts (fine green beans).
1 Pekin (Long Island) duck, about 4 pounds/2 kilograms, skinned, boned, and sinews removed (see headnote above and Chicken Galantine, page 223), liver reserved
4 ounces/112 grams pork back fat (or as needed), diced
1 tablespoon/15 grams kosher salt
1 1⁄2 tablespoons/5 grams white pepper
1 tablespoon/15 milliliters vegetable oil
1 tablespoon/18 grams minced shallots
1 cup/250 milliliters dry sherry
1 tablespoon/6 grams minced fresh sage
2 tablespoons/30 grams Roasted Garlic Paste (page 127)
FOR COOKING THE ROULADE
8 ounces/280 grams unsalted