A Bird In Tarragon Cream
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INGREDIENTS A 5-pound roasting chicken, young hen, or capon
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 tablespoons tarragon, fresh preferred
3 carrots
2 stalks celery
Parsley
2 medium onions
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 wineglass white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup cream
2 beaten egg yolks
Cooked Potato BallsRub a 5-pound roasting chicken, young hen, or capon inside and out with salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons tarragon. Cut up 3 good-sized carrots, 2 stalks celery, parsley, and 2 medium onions. Set the chicken and vegetables in a stew pot, cover with water, and cook slowly until tender. Be sure not to overcook, as the bird must be very juicy.
Skin the bird very carefully without tearing the meat. Leave whole and let stand in its own juices, well covered.
Melt 4 tablespooons butter. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour until paste is smooth. Gradually add 1 wine glass white wine and 1 cup of strained chicken broth. Add 2 tablespooons tarragon and cook slowly. Turn heat down and gradually add 1 cup warm cream, salt and pepper to taste, and 2 beaten egg yolks. Keep flame low and stir constantly. When the sauce thickens, remove from heat and pour it over the chicken (left whole and set in a deep dish). Spoon some of the sauce over the bird and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon tarragon.
Put Cooked Potato Balls, as many as desired, around the chicken into the sauce. Carve the bird in the dish, covering each portion with the sauce. Garnish each portion with Cooked Potato Balls and serve. If you prefer, you may use white rice in a separate dish instead of the potatoes.
Makes 6 servings
NOTE: This dish came from the Latin Quarter in Paris, where in the 1920's, in the smallest places for the smallest prices, the quality of the food was the highest.