SERVES 6
The black and white colour of this salad evokes the appearance of an ermine coat (and the precious truffle its cost). Strips of white chicken meat are combined with homemade mayonnaise, served on a bed of chicory, and garnished with black truffle.
1.75 kg (3.5 lb) chicken
1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
2 medium leeks, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, studded with a whole clove
1 Bouquet Garni
Salt
15 ml (1 tbsp) peppercorns, crushed
450 g (1 lb) small new potatoes
6 heads chicory
15 ml (1 tbsp) strained lemon juice
350 g (12 oz) celery hearts
MAYONNAISE
2 egg yolks
15 ml (I tbsp) Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper
225 ml (8 fl oz) vegetable oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon, strained
30 ml (2 tbsp) chopped parsley 1 black truffle, sliced
Combine the chicken, carrot, leeks, celery, studded onion, bouquet garni, salt to taste, and crushed peppercorns in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Cover the saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and poach the chicken for about 45 minutes, until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a knife.
Meanwhile, rinse the potatoes but do not peel. Put them in a saucepan and add enough cold salted water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until tender. Drain and leave to cool.
When it is cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and drain. Remove and discard the skin. Cover the chicken with a clean damp tea towel and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the breasts and cut crosswise into slices about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Cut the slices into julienne strips (see technique photograph) and set aside. Refrigerate the remaining chicken and the stock for another use (such as croquettes or soup).
Peel the potatoes and cut lengthwise into 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick slices. Reserve enough slices to decorate the serving platter (see serving instructions below). Cut the remaining slices into 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick julienne.
Rinse and drain the chicory. Reserve 3 whole chicory to garnish the serving platter. Remove the cores from the remaining chicory with the point of a vegetable peeler. Trim the leaves to approximately the same size and cut them into julienne. Toss with the lemon juice.
Cut che celery hearts into 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick julienne.
Prepare the mayonnaise: use the above ingredients and follow the directions for basic mayonnaise, using the lemon juice instead of vinegar.
To serve, combine the chicken, potatoes, chicory julienne and celery in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise and toss carefully to mix. Cut the leaves from the reserved chicory and trim to 5 cm (2 inch) lengths; discard the cores. Arrange the chicory leaves in a ring around the rim of a senrving platter, with the base of each leaf toward the centre. Arrange the reserved potato slices in a second ring at the base of the chicory leaves. Mound the mixed salad in the centre of the platter. Sprinkle the chicory leaves with chopped parsley. Arrange the truffle slices in a row down the centre of the salad.