Recipes

"Remove the liver and gizzards from the cavity of the chicken and set them aside.

Thoroughly rinse the cavity under cold water and dry with paper towels.

Peel the onion and stick it with the cloves.

Peel and chop the garlic and shallot.

Remove the leaves from the parsley and tarragon and chop them finely.

Mince the ham.

Fill a large Dutch oven or stock pot with 3 quarts water.

Add the onion and celery and season with coarse salt and a few peppercorns.

Add the chicken liver and gizzards.

Bring to a boil, skim off the foam that rises to the top, and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing: Remove the crusts from the bread.

Place it in a shallow bowl, pour some of the hot broth from the stock pot over it and let soak.

Gently squeeze the bread to remove excess broth and add it to the mixing bowl with the garlic, shallot, parsley, tarragon, chopped ham, egg yolks and pepper.

Season with fine salt and mix to blend.

When they have cooked for 30 minutes, remove the liver and gizzards from the stock pot, drain, and chop finely.

Add to the stuffing and mix until well blended.

Form the stuffing into loose balls and stuff them into the cavity of the chicken.

Sew the opening closed securely and truss the bird.

Gently lower the chicken into the simmering broth and let cook over low heat for 1 3/4 hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.

Remove and discard the outer leaves of the cabbage.

Plunge it into a saucepan of salted boiling water and blanch for 10 minutes.

Rinse under cold water and drain.

Trim and thoroughly rinse the leeks.

Rinse and peel the carrots, turnips, and potatoes.

About 45 minutes before the chicken has finished cooking, add the cabbage, leeks, carrots and turnips to the pot.

Boil the potatoes separately in a saucepan of salted water for about 30 minutes, or until tender.

To serve, pour the broth into a soup tureen and serve as a first course, ladling it over the toast slices in shallow serving bowls.

Cut the chicken into serving-size pieces and arrange on a warmed platter surrounded by the vegetables and the stuffing spooned from the cavity.

Accompany with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

Note: Bayonne ham is a mildly smoked, salt-cured ham from the Basque region of France.

It resembles Parma ham and other prosciuttos.

Either of the latter can be substituted, as well as any American cured variety like Smithfield or Virginia country hams."