Iconic Chef Jacques Pepin Demonstrates Ballotine

Easy and Elegant Technique Turns into Chicken Holiday Fare

Nov 17, 2009 Jacqueline Church

Jacques Pepin tells the New York Culinary Experience students technique is what separates them from great chefs. Only through mastery of technique will talent emerge.

Using a couple of chickens to demonstrate how to bone out a whole bird, stuff, and roll it - it may seem like a lot to learn in just two hours. Jacques Pepin also throws in easy salmon gravlax for entertaining, shows how to create a butter rose, and tosses in stories of Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, James Beard. He makes it all look effortless, and of course, fun.

What is Ballotine? How Does it Differ from Galantine?

People often get the terms ballotine and galantine confused.

A “ballot” is bundle or package in French, ballotine meaning in the style of a bundle. Ballotine begins with boned, flattened meat, usually chicken or fish that is stuffed and rolled or tied into a bundle and roasted. Ballotine is served with pan sauce or gravy.

Galantine is similar in that it begins with a boned, flattened meat, but it is often stuffed with forcemeat (such as pâté) and poached. Galantine is served chilled usually in an aspic. As it is served chilled, rich flavor and texture notes such as pâté, pistachios, olives or truffles are often used to enhance the flavor of galantine.

True French Ballotine of Chicken: Classic Dish from an Iconic Chef

Twenty-four students (including a designer, programmer, landscape architect, bar tender, accountant, prostodontist) watched the master debone, stuff, sear, and roast two whole chickens before trying their hand at it. The demo also included some additional tips and recipes and tips like how to make a quick gravlax and stack it between plastic wrap and dinner plates to cure for entertaining. Ribbons of cucumber, horseradish butter spread on dark bread, stacked then cut to reveal striped, seasoned vehicles to convey perfect salmon from plate to mouth.

"Sometimes they ask me if I cook with wine," then, taking a sip from a glass near his bottle, he quips "I say, 'Yes, I do.'"

You may balk at a twelve step recipe being called "easy." De-boning a chicken, then making the filling, roll and tie with butchers twine, sear, roast; it may sound like a lot of steps. But think of reading a good, long novel, versus a short silly book. You read either one, one page at a time, and the satisfaction justifies the time.

This dish will enable you to serve many more guests with one chicken and to do so in an elegant, classic dish. Why not try it for your next get-together?

The steps:

Cut the wings, leaving only first joint at shoulder. Lift neck skin, remove wish bone.
Place chicken on its side make incision along skin of of back from neck to tail.
With chicken on its side, lift skin at shoulder joint, pull back to reveal joint. Wiggle tip of knife through tendons of joint.
Hold carcass securely through the bone of shoulder with one hand, pull wing at joing with other. This will separate carcass from rest. Repeat other side.
Meat is still attached at breastbone. You should be able to pull the breast meat down and off. Now the chicken is only held together at leg bone.
On side, cut out the "oyster".
Open leg and crack at hip joint, cut through the sinews and pull the leg free.
Repeat, other side, now your carcass is free of meat.
Only remaining meat on carcass are filets, slide finger or thumb under and remove.
Hold filets' sinew and scrape meat free of the sinew that runs through it.
Remove leg bone: cut around the tip so you can grasp firmly there. Scrap meat down to the joint cut around the joint of the leg, again scraping bone of drumstick down to leg.
Using the back of a large knife, break the bone from the inside so as not to break the skin or it will shrink.

This took Pepin about 3 minutes!

Some tips:

Have a sturdy paring knife on hand for most of the de-boning. A large cleaver or chef's knife is hand to break the leg bones using the back of the knife.
Butcher's twine can be found in any kitchen supply store.
Make and cool your filling (Jacques used mushrooms, 1 oz. dried softened in water, save water; 4 oz. cultivated mushrooms, melt 1 TB butter in large skillet, add 2 C sliced onions until nicely browned, add mushrooms, S&P, saute until liquid is released from mushroomsand evaporates. Cool.)

To complete Ballotine:

Lay chicken flat, spread cooled stuffing on it, place filets on top of stuffing. Fold skin around stuffing to resemble natural shape.
Truss: Tie twine around legs of chicken, pull together. Make a loop and pull it around and under, repeat down length of chicken, turn over and run twine back from neck to legs securing at each loop, and finally at legs.
Sear the roast or steam it if you like, then roast about 30 minutes in 425 degree oven. Use reserved juices from mushrooms and from roasting to make a light pan sauce for serving. Cool till you can handle, remove twine. Place on platter with 3/4" slices and sauce.

For more photos of Dean Jacques Pepin teaching his Ballotine class at the New York Culinary Experience, see: Culinary Stars, Lucky Students, Master Recipes.

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