Health herb potage
A clear poultry broth perfumed with a bouquet of fresh herbs, poured hot over slices of stale bread. Comforting, healthy, the opening gesture of almost all meals of the century.
A clear poultry broth perfumed with a bouquet of fresh herbs, poured hot over slices of stale bread. Comforting, healthy, the opening gesture of almost all meals of the century.
See how simple and yet delicate the thing is: I simmer a good hen in its broth with a bouquet of fine herbs, and not too many spices, for that is no longer the taste of our time. One pours it all over well-dried bread crusts, which drink the broth and become soft. Believe me, nothing restores the mind and body better on days when one feels languid.
- •Fat hen — one (broth base)
- •Stale bread — a few slices (thickener)
- •Bouquet of fine herbs (parsley, spring onion, thyme, bay leaf) — one bouquet (flavoring)
- •Fresh butter — a knob (liaison)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Health herb potage
A clear poultry broth perfumed with a bouquet of fresh herbs, poured hot over slices of stale bread. Comforting, healthy, the opening gesture of almost all meals of the century.
Why this dish? Of delicate health, prone to "vapors" and often retreating to her townhouse on Rue de Vaugirard, Madame de La Fayette appreciated these light potages that opened every dinner. Poultry broth poured over bread was the daily staple of every table, from the great lord to the prosperous bourgeois.
See how simple and yet delicate the thing is: I simmer a good hen in its broth with a bouquet of fine herbs, and not too many spices, for that is no longer the taste of our time. One pours it all over well-dried bread crusts, which drink the broth and become soft. Believe me, nothing restores the mind and body better on days when one feels languid.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fat hen — one (broth base)
- Stale bread — a few slices (thickener)
- Bouquet of fine herbs (parsley, spring onion, thyme, bay leaf) — one bouquet (flavoring)
- Fresh butter — a knob (liaison)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Free-range chicken thighs — 2 (broth base)
- Stale country bread — 4 slices (thickener)
- Parsley, spring onion (or green onion), thyme, bay leaf — 1 bouquet (flavoring)
- Butter — 20 g (liaison)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Cover the chicken with cold water, bring to a simmer, and skim carefully.
- Add the bouquet of herbs and a pinch of salt; let simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Strain the broth; reserve the shredded meat for another use.
- Place the bread slices in the bottom of soup bowls, add a knob of butter.
- Pour the boiling broth over the bread, let swell for a minute, and serve immediately.
How it was made : The word "potage" literally meant what simmers in the pot. Bread from the day before was always used, and one would say a meal was "well or poorly potaged." La Varenne, in Le Cuisinier françois (1651), drastically reduces medieval spices in favor of garden herbs.
The contemporary twist : A few chopped herbs and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top; served in a small cup, it is a comforting amuse-bouche before dinner.
Sources : La Varenne, Le Cuisinier françois, 1651
Madame de La Fayette · Charactorium
