Chicken and Portabello Mushroom Roulade with Mushroom Espuma Sauce ~ SiliconValleySousVide

Sous Vide Details: Cook chicken at 145F for 1 to 2 hours

Ingredients, Serves 2:

1 Chicken breast with skin on (boneless)
1/2 Large cap Portabello mushroom (stem removed)
1 T unsalted butter
1/2 T Tarragon, chopped
2 T EVO
1 T Grape seed oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mushroom Espuma Sauce:

5 oz mushrooms (you can use shitaki, portobello or any other kind you like)
1/3 C White wine
1/3 C Chicken stock
1/4 C Water
2 T EVO
1 t Cheyenne pepper
1 T Tarragon
3 threads saffron
1 Egg yoke
1 Stick of melted unsalted butter (4 oz or 8 T)
1/3 C heavy cream

Special kitchen tools: Cream whipper (used for the espuma sauce)

Sous vide is a perfect method for making a chicken roulade presentation (roll). It plates really well. Start by taking a chicken breast with the skin on and putting into a heavy duty 1 gallon zip lock bag. Using a cooking mallet, pound the chicken flat.

Thinly slice the portabello mushroom. Heat the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Put the mushroom slices in and cook on medium low for 1 min per side until they are soft and slightly brown. Sprinkle with tarragon spice. Set them aside.

Now, you will need a large counter space cleared and clean. Lightly dampen your counter with a towel and then place a sheet of saran wrap on the counter with about 2 inches hanging over the edge. It should be twice the width of the chicken breast's longest dimension. Smooth it down on the counter so there are no bubbles. It should stick to the counter top. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breast and then lay it on the saran wrap 2 inches from the counter edge with the longest side parallel to the edge of the counter. Lay the mushroom slices in the center of the breast, again parallel to edge of the counter. Now pick up the saran wrap that is overhanging the edge and wrap it over the chicken. Using your fingers and cupping your hands, pinch the wrap back towards you, essentially rolling the chicken breast onto itself. Slowly roll the saran wrap away from you squeezing the breast into a roll. Make sure there is no air between the saran wrap and the chicken breast. Pinch both ends together as you roll so that the chicken breast is "pressurized" into a tight roll (like a sausage roll). When you've completed the wrap, twist both ends to create an air tight roll. Put the roll in a bag and seal.

Put the chicken breast roulade into the water bath at 145F and cook for 1-2 hours.

Now fro the espuma sauce. Espuma is Spanish for "foam". Espuma sauces are incredibly light and airy as they are infused with N2O in a pressurized cream whipper canister. I have a blog on this topic coming up. First clean and rough chop the mushrooms to a size of your liking. In a large sauce pan, heat up the EVO over medium heat and add minced garlic. Cook until just starts to turn golden brown. Reduce heat and add minced shallots. Cook until soft but not brown. Add mushrooms and cook until softened. Add chicken stock, white wine, water, Tarragon, saffron, and cheyenne pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Empty sauce pan into a stick blender container and puree until smooth. Strain mixture. Slowly whisk the egg yoke into the mixture. Return mixture to stick blender container and slowly blend in melted butter until the mixture is a smooth emulsion.

Following your whipper's instructions, pour mixture into the whipper, tighten cap and charge whipper with N2O cartridge. Shake whipper prior to plating.

When chicken is done, heat a cast iron skillet on high with the grade seed oil. Take it out of the water bath and bag. Using a paper towel, pat dry the chicken roulade. Place roulade into the skillet and sear the outside on all sides. When completed, slice the roulade with a sharp knife into 3/4" slices. You can cut square or at a slight angle, whichever you want.

Now for plating, take the whipper and turn it upside down. Pointing directly at the plate, press the release lever and create a medium sized espuma landing for the roulade. It should be foamy and delicate. Now place the chicken roulade in a row slightly overlapping one another. Add whatever sides you wish and serve!