When a fricassée is made for several persons, with two, three, four, or more chickens, three garnitures may be placed around the same dish, and, when carefully and tastefully arranged, it makes a sightly one.
The three garnitures are, generally, of chicken-combs, mushrooms, and truffles; they may be also of chicken-combs, quenelles of chicken, and croutons; or, of financière, truffles, and chicken-combs; or a boiled craw-fish here and there, and two of any of the above-mentioned garnitures.
Instead of a garniture, it may be served with a border of rice. (See Rice in Border.)
A la financière.—This is a fricassée of chicken served with a financière garniture.
Au suprême.—Chicken, or rather chickens, au suprême is a fricassée made with the breasts of chickens only. Each side of the breast-bone is carefully detached in two long pieces called fillets; so that, with two chickens, there are eight pieces.
To detach them properly, split the skin right on the breast-bone from the neck to the rump, then pull it off on both sides so as to have the whole breast skinned. Take hold of one wing with the left hand, and, with a sharp knife in the right, split or cut the joint off carefully, we mean the third joint of the wing, or that near the body; as soon as the joint is cut, by merely raising the back of the knife, leaving the edge on the cut joint and pressing gently on the chicken, you easily pull off the larger part of the half breast; detach the end of the other half with the point of the knife and pull it off also.
Do the same for the other side.
When the breasts or fillets are thus detached, prepare them as chicken in fricassée, and serve with a border of paste, or with one of rice, as directed in the receipts above, and serve warm.
What is left of the chickens is put in the broth-kettle, or used to make consommé.