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Galantine of Fowl

A poached fowl stuffed with ham, tongue, and anchovy, then glazed and served with aspic.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Anchovy and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,697 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓

Galantine of Fowl

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Prepare

  1. Season the ham, tongue, and anchovy with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Roll the mixture into a large sausage and place it inside the fowl.

  2. Sew up the fowl at the tail and neck.

  3. Wrap the fowl tightly in a buttered cloth and tie the ends.

Poach and press

  1. Place in a pan with boiling stock to cover and float the fowl. Simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours.

  2. After cooking, remove the cloth and wrap the fowl tightly again. Press between two dishes with a weight on top, ensuring the fowl is not on its side.

  3. Once cold, remove the cloth and wipe off grease with a cloth dampened in hot water.

Finish and serve

  1. Glaze and garnish with aspic jelly and beaten butter, or serve with fresh salad.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Anchovy + buttertop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,697 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  2. Ham + anchovytop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together256 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  3. Ham + buttertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,475 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  4. Anchovy + peppertop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,232 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  5. Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Whole fowl
Forms the outer shell that holds the stuffing and stays moist during the long simmer.
Ham
Adds savoury, salty flavour and a firm, sliceable texture to the stuffing.
Tongue
Contributes rich flavour and a firm, tender texture to the stuffing.
Anchovy
Adds deep savoury, umami flavour that seasons the stuffing without tasting fishy.

The step that matters

Simmering the wrapped fowl. The fowl must cook gently in barely simmering stock, not at a rapid boil. Vigorous boiling can break up the tender meat and make it tough and ragged. Gentle heat keeps the meat moist and lets the stuffing set evenly.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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