Roast Truffled Pullet on the Spit
A fine pullet studded with slivers of black truffle under the skin, larded with bacon, browned on the spit and basted with its own juice. The truffle perfumes the entire flesh with a festive aroma.
A fine pullet studded with slivers of black truffle under the skin, larded with bacon, browned on the spit and basted with its own juice. The truffle perfumes the entire flesh with a festive aroma.
Ah, here is the dish of great evenings! When Figaro triumphs, we do not sup on crusts: the day before, I slip slivers of black truffle under the skin of the pullet, so that the perfume reaches to the bone. We lard it with bacon, turn it on the spit before a clear fire, and baste, baste without respite, for a fowl neglected dries up like a bad critic. Serve it golden, and let the aroma pay my guests the compliment my pen will spare them.
- •Fat pullet — one fine bird (centerpiece)
- •Black truffle from Périgord — two or three (festive perfume)
- •Bacon fat slices — enough to wrap (retains moisture)
- •Grey salt and pepper — to discretion (seasoning)
- •Butter — a good knob (basting)
Roast Truffled Pullet on the Spit
A fine pullet studded with slivers of black truffle under the skin, larded with bacon, browned on the spit and basted with its own juice. The truffle perfumes the entire flesh with a festive aroma.
Why this dish? To celebrate a premiere at the Théâtre — think of the triumph of *The Marriage of Figaro* in 1784 — Beaumarchais would entertain. The fat truffled pullet was the roast of victory suppers, the dish presented to men of letters and financiers who made his fortune.
Ah, here is the dish of great evenings! When Figaro triumphs, we do not sup on crusts: the day before, I slip slivers of black truffle under the skin of the pullet, so that the perfume reaches to the bone. We lard it with bacon, turn it on the spit before a clear fire, and baste, baste without respite, for a fowl neglected dries up like a bad critic. Serve it golden, and let the aroma pay my guests the compliment my pen will spare them.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fat pullet — one fine bird (centerpiece)
- Black truffle from Périgord — two or three (festive perfume)
- Bacon fat slices — enough to wrap (retains moisture)
- Grey salt and pepper — to discretion (seasoning)
- Butter — a good knob (basting)
Ingredients
- Free-range pullet — 1 (approx. 1.8 kg) (centerpiece)
- Black truffle (or truffle pieces) — 30 g (festive perfume)
- Thin slices of fat bacon — 4 to 6 (barding)
- Butter — 60 g (basting)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- White wine and broth — 10 cl each (deglazing the juices)
Method
- The day before, slip fine slivers of truffle under the skin of the pullet and refrigerate, covered, to let the perfume diffuse.
- Season the cavity with salt and pepper, bard the breast with bacon, and truss.
- Roast in the oven at 180 °C (or on a spit) for about 1 hour 15 minutes, basting regularly with melted butter and juices.
- Remove the barding 20 minutes before the end to let the skin brown.
- Let the bird rest, then deglaze the pan with white wine and broth for a short, fragrant jus.
- Carve and nap with jus and truffle bits.
How it was made : Spit-roasting before the fire remained supreme for roasts in the 18th century: constant basting gave a lacquered skin. Truffles, abundant and then less costly than today, were the great luxury of tables of wit and finance.
The contemporary twist : Present the whole pullet on a light wooden board, jus on the side in a sauceboat, and grate a little fresh truffle at the last minute, before the guests.
Sources : Menon, *Les Soupers de la Cour* (1755) · Vincent La Chapelle, *Le Cuisinier moderne* (1735)
Beaumarchais · Charactorium