Saute classical dishes

Poulet Sauté Bercy

Season the pieces of chicken and sauté them in butter; starting with the legs then the thighs then the wings make sure that the breasts are cooked last.  The cooking principles of sauté chicken is to cook the tough pieces first and the tender last do not burn the pieces by over cooking or frying the poultry to fast.

When cooked, arrange in a deep dish or platter, cover and keep warm.

Ingredients:

1 whole Chicken Cut into eights

1 tbsp chopped shallots

1 dl (3 ½ fl oz or ½ U.S. cup) white wine

½ dl (2 fl oz or ¼ U.S.cup) meat glaze

The juice of  ½ a lemon

50 g (2 oz) butter

5 poached chipolatas

100 g (3 ½ oz) sliced mushrooms.

Method

1. Using the same sauté pan add 1 tbsp chopped shallots to the pan and cook for a few seconds.
2.  Deglaze with 1 dl (3 ½ fl oz or ½ U.S. cup) white wine and reduce by half.
3.  Add ½ dl (2 fl oz or ¼ U.S. cup) meat glaze, the juice of  ½ a lemon, 50 g (2 oz) butter., 5 poached chipolatas cut in slices.
4. 100 g (3 ½ oz) sliced mushrooms sautéed in butter. Rectify the sauce and pour the whole sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Recipe for chipolata sausages is in

Professional Charcutiere  by John Kinsella CMC John Wiley and Sons

Chicken sauté chasseur

Poulet sauté chasseur

	4 portions	10 portions
butter, margarine oil	50g (2 oz)	125g (5 oz)
chicken cut for sauté 1¼-1½ kg (2½-3 lb)	1	2½
chopped shallots	10g ( ½ oz)	25g (1 oz)
button mushrooms	100g (4 oz)	250g (10 oz)
dry white wine and brandy	3 tbsp	8 tbsp
jus-lie or demi-glace tomato flavored	250ml ( ½ pt)	625ml (1¼ pt)
tomatoes	200g (8 oz)	500g ( 1 ¼ lb)
chopped parsley and tarragon	Spring
Chopped parsley and Chervel	Summer
Chopped tarragon and chervil	Fall

1. Place the butter, margarine or oil in a sauté pan on a fairly hot stove.

2. Season the pieces of chicken and place in the pan in the following order: drumsticks,

    thighs, carcass, wings, wingless, and breast.

3. Cook to a golden brown on both sides.

4. Cover with a lid and cook on the stove or in the oven until tender.  Dress neatly in a suitable dish.

5. Add the shallot to the sauté pan, cover with a lid, cook on a gentle heat for 1-2 minutes without colour.

6.  Add the washed sliced mushrooms and tarragon and cover with a lid; cook gently for 3-4 minutes without colour.  Drain off fat.

7. Add the white wine and reduce by half.  Add the sauce.

8. Add the tomate concassé; simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Correct the seasoning and pour over the chicken.

10. Sprinkle with chopped Parsley and serve.

Note: Ballottines of chicken chasseur can be prepared as above or lightly braised. And served the same way using the finishing sauce methods.

Poultry.  Volaille

The definition of poultry refers to all domestically bred fowl for human consumption, such as geese, turkeys, ducks, and chickens.  Game birds are not included in this definition to date.  The USDA will be reviewing the definition to include domestically raised game birds.  Until then, we must still categorize them as game and treat them as such.

When the term Volaille, is used in a menu or within a dish, only chicken can be used as the main protein.   Chickens, historically have been categorized into the following classical groups. The reasoning behind this rational is quite simple.  The smaller the bird, the more tender and flavorful will be the cooking result.   Remember the bone structure of a chicken contributes 15 to 20% of the total weight of the bird.  In farm raised birds the total fat content is about 10%, but in a*battery raised chicken the fat content is about 17 to19 %.  An easy identifier the fat in a battery chicken will have a yellowish hue and the leg meat will be much darker when cooked.   Another factor is that the meat content in most domestic fowl will always make up 60% of the content after cooking. Let us now breakdown chickens in the classical manner including classical terminology, age factor, and the most appropriate cooking method.  .

Chicken

Type	Classical Name	Age	Cooking Methods
Baby Chicken	Poussin	4 to 6 weeks	Roasting Grilling
Broiler	Poulet degrain	3 to 5 months	Roasting, grilling
Roaster	Poulet reine	Fully developed Chicken usually weighs between 2 to 3 pounds	Roasting, grilling, sauté, and chicken breasts.
Poularde	Poularde	Fully grown usually about 6 months old	Roasting, casserole, Galantines, Pates and terrines
Capon	Castrated cockerel	5 to 7 pounds	Roasting Sausages Smoking Terrines
Boiler	Poule	12 Pounds	Stock Aspic Sausage meats

Average weights

Baby chickens: 1 pound.  Roaster: 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds.  Poulardes: 3 pounds  Capons:  5 to 7 pounds  Boilers: 7 to 10 pounds 

Quality control points for all fowl.

 There are vital quality points you need to remember.

1.      Check the temperature upon receiving

2.       Examine at least 50% of the product received

3.      Quality control at least 30% chicken from each box to ensure that the purchasing specifications are met or exceeded.

Look for the following signs of quality

• Plump breast with a pliable breast bone and firm flesh
• White skin with no breaks or tears in the skin. 
• The skin should have a blue tint with a snow-white complex.
• No blood spots, scores or any type of abscess.
• Bones should be fine texture and the leg bones should be short and well endowed with meat.

As we no longer gut and clean chickens I still think its imperative that a chef or cook should have a basic knowledge of this important part of your culinary craft.

Drawing procedures for all fowl and game birds.

1. Make sure that the poultry has no hairs or feather stubble
2. Using a sharp boning knife remove the head at the base of the neck area.
3. Clean of the top of the head and then separate the neck from the head
4. Remove the lungs and crop and loosen the main intestine by cutting into the base of the neck.
5. Turning the chicken towards you open the rectal area cutting downward and not crossways. 
6. Using you forefingers remove the intestines making sure not to break the gall bladder (If you break the gall bladder a bitter bile acid will impregnate the bird and make it un usable)
7. Cut off the gall bladder from the liver and throw it away.
8. Flush out the cavity and wipe dry and bag immediately
9. Place on ice and rotate fresh ice every four hours till you use the fowl