This inspired take on a classic recipe was debuted on the menu Wolfgang Puck composed for the 2010 Governor’s Ball on Oscar Night. Wolfgang has famously catered the prestigious event for nearly twenty years.

This recipe uses a classic French chicken veloute scented deliciously with winter black truffles. You may substitute or add to the vegetables we've used below according to your taste, however, please do make sure anything added to the veloute mixture is as dry as possible. A vegetarian version of this can be made by substituting a vegetable or mushroom stock for chicken stock in the veloute recipe and by adding more vegetables in place of the chicken.

Ingredients: for chicken stock

• 1 gallon chicken stock
• 1 each 3-3.5# whole chicken (excess fat trimmed)
• 1 each carrot (peeled, rough chop for mirepoix)
• 2 stalks celery (rough chop for mirepoix)
• 2 each yellow onion (rough chop for mirepoix)
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 each bayleaf

Procedure:

• Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring up to a boil. Turn heat down to bring it to a simmer
• Cook for 2 hours, skimming off fat along the way. Remove chicken and let cool
• Strain enriched stock through a fine mesh sieve and skim off any remaining fat off the top
• Reserve 1 quart for the veloute and cool the rest of it down for later use in a soup or a sauce

Ingredients for Chicken Veloute:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 quart enriched chicken stock
• 1 cup creme fraiche
• 2 tablespoons black truffle oil
• 1/4 cup chopped black truffle
• 1 each lemon
• Salt (or truffle salt) to taste
• White pepper to taste

Procedure:

• Make a roux by melting the butter in a pot. Once completely melted, whisk in flour
• Cook on low heat for 5 minutes while continually whisking. Slowly add enriched stock to roux
• Bring veloute up to a boil and then turn heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes
• Veloute should be slightly thick. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Add truffle oil, creme fraiche, and chopped truffle
• Whisk thoroughly, season to taste with salt and pepper and juice from lemon. Check for consistency
• Make sure its not too thick, loosen with more stock if necessary

Assemble:

• 2 cups cooked pearl onions (red and white)
• 2 cups cooked baby carrots (yellow and orange, cut into 1/2 " pieces)
• 2 cups cooked (or defrosted if frozen) green peas
• 18 slices black truffle
• Meat from chicken cooked from enriched chicken stock (not fine shredded)
• 6 each approximately 10 oz. ramekins or 4" wide soup vessel
• Puff Pastry, cut into circles that overlap your ramekin or vessel by 1.5"
• 2 whole eggs +1 egg yolk for egg wash

Procedure:

• Preheat a "still" or low fan oven to 350 degrees. Make sure veloute and all ingredients are completely cool before you begin
• In a wide bowl or a wide pot, combine veloute, vegetables, and chicken and mix well with a rubber spatula
• Spoon mixture into ramekins, leaving about 1/2" room from the top. Place 3 slices of shaved truffle on top of mixture in each ramekin
• Prepare an egg wash by whisking whole eggs and egg yolks together in a separate bowl
• Make sure puff pastry is cool enough to work with. (Leave in the freezer and take out 5 minutes before using)
• Brush outside edge of ramekins with egg wash about 1" from the top of the rim, all the way around
• Cover each ramekin with puff pastry and secure the puff pastry by pressing around the outside of the ramekin
• Brush puff pastry with egg wash and bake in the oven until golden brown (usually 20-23 minutes)
• Glaze again with egg wash halfway through cooking