White House Chef by Walter Scheib

Author:Walter Scheib
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Published: 2011-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

Vaclav Havel, with the microphone, makes a few remarks as the Clintons, rocker Lou Reed (third from right), and others look on. (Courtesy William J. Clinton Presidential Library)

Gingered Pheasant Consommé with Chanterelle and Sweet Potato Ravioli

Serves 4

This dish was custom-designed to suit guest of honor Vaclav Havel. His staff requested that we serve fish as a main course, so we turned to poultry for our first course. In order to make something state dinner–worthy, we fashioned an elegant, and rare, pheasant consommé, an unexpected twist on the classic, clarified broth.

This recipe is one of the more technically challenging in the book. It incorporates a number of classic techniques: preparing a stock, clarifying a consommé, making and rolling out pasta dough, and cutting and filling ravioli. While we made everything from scratch in the White House, you can certainly turn to alternative poultry for this dish (see ingredient list), or use wonton skins for the ravioli. If you’re up for the challenge of preparing every component, spread it out over several days, to ease the production.

For the pheasant stock

1 pheasant, 2 to 3 pounds, washed, trimmed of excess fat, and cut up (2 Cornish hens can be substituted)

2 pounds chicken drumsticks, washed, trimmed of excess fat and hanging skin, and chopped into 1-inch lengths

3 celery stalks, diced

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 medium Spanish onion, diced

2 medium leeks, white parts only, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

For the consommé

clarification

1⁄4 cup diced carrot

1⁄4 cup diced celery

1⁄4 cup diced Spanish onion

1⁄4 cup diced leek, white part only

1 pound ground pheasant, game hen, or chicken thigh meat (ask your butcher to do the grinding)

4 large egg whites

1⁄2 cup diced plum tomato

1⁄4 cup grated fresh ginger

1⁄4 cup chopped scallions, white part only

2 quarts pheasant stock from preceding step

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1⁄4 cup sherry, sake, or Madeira

To serve

Chanterelle and Sweet Potato Ravioli (recipe follows)

Sliced scallions, green parts only, or fried wonton skins (optional; box)

1. Make the pheasant stock: Put the pheasant, chicken, celery, carrots, onion, leeks, garlic, bay leaves, ginger, and 5 quarts water in an 8-quart soup pot. If the water does not cover the solids, add enough water to cover by 1 inch.

2. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and let simmer for 3 hours, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface during this time.

3. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl, discarding the solids. You should have about 2 quarts of stock. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, spoon off any fat that has risen to the surface.

4. Clarify the stock into a consommé: Put the carrot, celery, onion, leek, ground pheasant, egg whites, tomato, ginger, and scallions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and chop to medium-fine dice.

5. Transfer the mixture to a clean 8-quart soup pot and add the cold stock. Stir it up and bring to a slow simmer over medium heat, lightly stirring to prevent the solids from sticking on the bottom of the pot.

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