Bouchée à la reine

A creamy filling where veal sweetbreads and poultry meet mushrooms. The velvety sauce generously coats the inside of a puff pastry crust that cracks under the teeth.

• Prep time: 45 min
• Cook time: 40 min
• Difficulty: Hard
• Calories: 546
• Protein: 31 g
• Carbs: 21 g
• Fat: 36 g

Ingredients

• 300 g White chicken ( small diced )
• 200 g Veal sweetbreads ( blanched and trimmed )
• 200 g Button mushroom ( quartered )
• 60 g Minimum butter sweet
• 60 g Wheat flour
• 100 ml Cream
• 1 piece Egg ( yolk only )
• 0.5 piece Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. ( juiced )
• 1 pinch Nutmeg
• 1 pinch Gray sea salt
• 1 pinch White pepper ground
• 4 piece Puff pastry shells ( ready to fill )
• 500 ml Chicken broth ( hot )

Instructions

1. Preparing sweetbreads and poultry

   Blanch the sweetbreads for 5 minutes in boiling water, cool them down and remove the membrane. Dice them along with the chicken breast. The meat should be firm but remain tender.

2. Cooking mushrooms

   Sauté the quartered mushrooms in a pan with a knob of butter. They should release their water and start to brown slightly.

3. Making the roux and adding stock

   Melt the butter, add the flour and mix (singer). Cook for 2 minutes without browning. Gradually pour in the stock while whisking until the sauce thickens and coats the spoon.

4. Binding and finishing the filling

   Incorporate the meats and mushrooms into the sauce. Off the heat, add the cream mixed with the egg yolk to bring shine. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and nutmeg.

5. Assembling the bouchées

   Heat the pastry shells in the oven to restore their crispness. Fill generously until overflowing. Serve immediately while the pastry is perfectly dry.

Chef's tips

• Do not boil the sauce after adding the egg yolk, or it may split.
• Trim the sweetbreads well to avoid rubbery bits.
• If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little warm stock.

Storage

The filling keeps for 24 hours in the fridge. Only fill the shells just before serving to prevent them from getting soggy.