Potage à la Reine
A creamy potage thickened with poultry, almonds and breadcrumbs, passed through a sieve to obtain a silky velouté, served in a tureen at the first service.
A creamy potage thickened with poultry, almonds and breadcrumbs, passed through a sieve to obtain a silky velouté, served in a tureen at the first service.
They call this soup 'à la reine,' and it indeed suits any table where elegance without ostentation is loved. Simmer a good fat hen for a long time, pound the whitest flesh with blanched almonds and soaked breadcrumbs, then pass everything through a sieve until it flows like silk. My cook at Coppet would bind it with an egg yolk and a little cream at the last moment, never over high heat, for it would curdle. Serve it very hot: it opens the meal like a preamble that announces what follows.
- •Fat hen — one (broth and meat)
- •Blanched almonds — a good handful (thickening and sweetness)
- •Breadcrumbs — a few slices (thickener)
- •Egg yolks — two or three (binding)
- •Cream — a bowl (creaminess)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Potage à la Reine
A creamy potage thickened with poultry, almonds and breadcrumbs, passed through a sieve to obtain a silky velouté, served in a tureen at the first service.
Why this dish? A velvety chicken and almond soup, this classic of the wealthy bourgeoisie opened meals at Coppet as in Paris: a muted introduction, like the evenings where one sat down to better converse.
They call this soup 'à la reine,' and it indeed suits any table where elegance without ostentation is loved. Simmer a good fat hen for a long time, pound the whitest flesh with blanched almonds and soaked breadcrumbs, then pass everything through a sieve until it flows like silk. My cook at Coppet would bind it with an egg yolk and a little cream at the last moment, never over high heat, for it would curdle. Serve it very hot: it opens the meal like a preamble that announces what follows.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fat hen — one (broth and meat)
- Blanched almonds — a good handful (thickening and sweetness)
- Breadcrumbs — a few slices (thickener)
- Egg yolks — two or three (binding)
- Cream — a bowl (creaminess)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts (or a hen, plus carcass for broth) — 300 g (broth and meat)
- Almond flour (or blanched almonds) — 80 g (thickening and sweetness)
- Stale breadcrumbs — 60 g (thickener)
- Chicken broth — 1 liter (liquid base)
- Egg yolks — 2 (binding)
- Heavy cream — 100 ml (creaminess)
- Salt, pepper, nutmeg — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Poach the poultry in the broth until tender, then remove the white meat.
- Soak the breadcrumbs in a little warm broth.
- Finely blend the meat, almonds and soaked breadcrumbs with the broth, then pass through a fine sieve to obtain a smooth velouté.
- Reheat gently without boiling, season with salt and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Off the heat, bind with the yolks beaten with cream and serve immediately, very hot.
How it was made : Potage à la reine appears in French cookbooks as early as the 17th century and remained a classic of bourgeois cuisine in Madame de Staël's time. It was thickened in the old way with almonds, breadcrumbs and egg yolks, long before flour-based liaisons.
The contemporary twist : A toasted slivered almond chip placed in the center of the bowl, to recall the almond signature in a crunchy note.
Sources : Menon, La Cuisinière bourgeoise (1746)
Madame de Staël · Charactorium
