Bouchée à la Reine

Bouchée à la Reine are small flaky pastry “containers” garnished with a dollop of a savoury velouté mixture bound together with a creamy white sauce.
the pastry casing are baked first, and when cooked the top is cut off and kept as “hats” for the shells.
The shells are then filled with a white sauce or veloute garnish with things such a white meats, sweet breads, diced chicken breast poached in stock, diced truffle poached in white wine and quartered button mushrooms.

Ingredients for 6 people:

• 150 g veal sweetbreads
• 2 chicken breasts cooked with broth
• 6 small veal dumplings
• 250 g Button mushrooms
• 2 egg yolks
• 50 g butter
• 75 cl chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 yellow lemon
• 10 cl thick cream
• 6 puff pastry casings
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Recipe:

1. Clean the mushrooms and cut into quarter or slices . White cook them with Lemon.
2. Dip the sweetbreads in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and remove the thin membrane. Cut them in dice.
3. poach the chicken breast in stock untill just cooked and dice.
4.  Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, mix well for a few minutes. Slowly add broth and bring to a small boil. Season with pepper and add a nutmeg.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C thermostat 6/7
6.  Add the diced poultry whites, mushrooms and veal sweetbreads to the sauce. Allow to heat over low heat then incorporate the detailed dumplings in sections. Mix gently and continue cooking for a few minutes while stirring.
7.  In a bowl, mix the cream and the egg yolks and pour this mixture into the saucepan. Heat without boiling for 2 to 3 minutes.
8.  Bake the pastry casing and cut the top in small hats of 5 to 6 mn.
9. Place the casing  on individual plates and fill them with the hot mixture. Close with hats and serve immediately.
10. The chef’s advice:
11. As soon as the poultry, the sweetbreads and the dumplings are incorporated into the sauce, lower the fire and do not let it boil again.

Wine pairing: A dry white wine

FCA

Host and author on The French Cooking Academy.