Question about Thomas Keller's "the whole bird" recipe

[kostbill]

Hello.

This recipe from Thomas Keller looks nice:

https://cookbookreview.blog/2020/11/26/the-whole-bird-by-thomas-keller/

 

But I have a question.

In the mousse base, he doesn't cook the raw meat. Am I missing something?

 

I can understand if he is using raw beef, but chicken?

He doesn't even say to boil it for some seconds in order to get rid of potential bacteria or whatever on the surface of the muscle.

 

Any idea?

Thanks.

[Anna N]

2 hours ago, kostbill said:

Hello.

This recipe from Thomas Keller looks nice:

https://cookbookreview.blog/2020/11/26/the-whole-bird-by-thomas-keller/

 

But I have a question.

In the mousse base, he doesn't cook the raw meat. Am I missing something?

 

I can understand if he is using raw beef, but chicken?

He doesn't even say to boil it for some seconds in order to get rid of potential bacteria or whatever on the surface of the muscle.

 

Any idea?

Thanks.

Is it not piped onto the breasts and then cooked?

 

"Lay a breast on each piece of plastic, about one-­third of the way up from the bottom edge. The length of the breast should run the direction of the length of the plastic. Pipe a line of the rillettes down the center of each breast.

Use a small offset spatula to spread the rillettes evenly into a ¼-­inch (6-­millimeter) layer across each breast, spreading it to the edges of the breasts. Fold the top of the plastic up and over each breast to meet the other side."

[Dave the Cook]

@Anna N is right. IMO, you really have to read a Keller recipe closely, and more than once, before attempting it.

[kostbill]

Thanks! I am a complete idiot.

In my defense, as Dave the cook wrote, it is not written in an easy way.

 

Anyway, thanks again!

[Anna N]

6 hours ago, kostbill said:

Thanks! I am a complete idiot.

Not at all! I read the recipe over and over and the first answer that I prepared to post was completely wrong. 

[kostbill]

Thanks for making me feel better :).

[Robenco15]

I made a variation of this for COVID Thanksgiving with a turkey breast! Don’t be shy when applying the mousse (I should have done more since it was a thick turkey breast, tough to see in the picture)and do the crispy skin right. I kinda rushed the skin part and wished I took my time on it. Would have been a bit better looking. Great recipe.

 

 

Can also use technique and make a roulade with the breasts with the mousse piper between them. 

[kostbill]

Is it the small layer between the meat and the skin?

I like that you spooned the sauce like in the photo!

Is the sauce the same? Was it good? It is mostly fat, so it should be good.

[Robenco15]

3 hours ago, kostbill said:

Is it the small layer between the meat and the skin?

I like that you spooned the sauce like in the photo!

Is the sauce the same? Was it good? It is mostly fat, so it should be good.

Yes, it’s the thin layer on top of the breast meat. I can see it because I know where to look, but doesn’t pop in the photo as well. Like I said, I should have done more mousse. It was absolutely there and you could

tell while eating it, but for the picture it wasn’t great. 
 

The sauce is actually ChefSteps Jus Gras. I made their herb oil and then emulsified it into my turkey stock. Was fantastic. 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Robenco15 (log)

[kostbill]

Thanks, going to try it.

[kostbill]

OK, so I tried just the mousse and I hated it.

It has a consistency of egg whites.

 

Robenco15, was it creamy at all? Mine is by no stretch of the imagination creamy.

[Robenco15]

On 2/5/2023 at 4:51 PM, kostbill said:

OK, so I tried just the mousse and I hated it.

It has a consistency of egg whites.

 

Robenco15, was it creamy at all? Mine is by no stretch of the imagination creamy.

It had a mousse consistency. Easily pipable. Egg whites? Something went wrong. 

[kostbill]

8 hours ago, Robenco15 said:

It had a mousse consistency. Easily pipable. Egg whites? Something went wrong. 

It was easily pipable before I baked it. I will do it again.

[Katie Meadow]

This recipe is excellent bed-time reading. I fell asleep after two paragraphs. I'll take a simple crispy-skin whole roast chicken and save my mousse for dessert. Make that chocolate mousse, please. Kudos to anyone who makes Keller's dish. With my 75 year old brain......well, I. Can't. Even.

[Anna N]

I think the real challenge of this recipe is the change in names of the various components. It is the leg rillettes that are piped. Meat from the confit leg is combined with the mousse base.  The mousse base will taste of very little since its only seasoning is salt.