Recipe of the Month (July 2016)

Welcome to our recipe of the month page where I will be sharing recipes for dishes I serve at Chalet Bluebell, our catered chalet in Les Gets.

Method:

1. Cut the chicken breast in half length ways on a slight angle to keep the shape of a breast. Season with salt on both sides
2. Place the stale bread, herbs and garlic in a blender or food processor and blend until bright green and a fine crumb.
3. Fill 3 shallow containers with the egg, flour, and crumb.
4. Place each breast first in the flour, then the egg and then the crumb making sure the breast is well covered after each stage and knock off any excess.
5. Heat ½ inch of frying oil in a heavy based pan to 170C.
6. If the oil is not hot enough the crumb will soak up the oil and may become greasy and if its too hot the crumb will colour very fast so may only take 10 seconds on each side. It is better the oil is a bit too hot than not hot enough. Fry the chicken for 30 seconds on each side without much colour and place on an oven tray.
7. Cook in an oven at 180C for 10-12 minutes or until it reaches a core temperature of 64C.

1. Using an old large chopping knife cut the chicken wings into 5 or 6 pieces.
2. Heat a large heavy based pan (not non-stick as it may be damaged) with the oil until smoking hot.
3. Add the butter followed by the chicken wings. (The butter should turn brown when added to the pan but add the wings immediately at this point to prevent the butter burning).
4. Keep the heat on maximum and cook the bones until evenly brown and golden, turning the bones regularly. This may take 15-30 minutes depending on how large the base of your pan is.
5. Keep the heat on high and add then onions and garlic and continue to fry until the onions are golden.
6. Add the carrot & thyme and fry for 3-4 minutes.
7. Pour the contents of the pan into a colander to remove most the fat and place straight back in the pan without cleaning as a lot of flavour will be stuck to the base of the pan.
8. Add the tomato puree and cook for 3-4 mins stirring regularly.
9. Add the white wine and reduce by half
10. Add half a litre of water, turn the pan on high and scrape the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan.
11. Add the contents of the pan to a stock pot along with the remaining water.
12. Bring to a simmer and skim off the fat with a ladle. Do not let the stock boil at any point or the fat may emulsify into the stock and it will be hard to remove.
13. Keep on a low simmer for 1 ½ hours skimming the fat off regularly. Do not let boil!
14. If the stock drops to less that 1 inch above the top of the bones then add more water.
15. Pass the stock through a fine sieve and simmer until it reaches sauce consistency. Skim as needed.
16. Add the chopped tarragon just before serving

1. Trim the tops to 1cm long and wash the carrots well to remove any sand.
2. Using a paring knife carefully scrape the dark skin from around the green top of the carrot to clean away any dirt.
3. Peel the rest of the carrot.
4. Place the carrot and the rest of the ingredients in a deep frying pan. If the water does not cover the top of the carrots, then add some more so they are covered by at least 1cm.
5. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until tender. You can test this by inserting a small knife into the carrot, if there is any resistance they are not ready. If the water evaporates before the carrots are cooked then add some more.
6. Once the carrots are tender continue to simmer until all the liquid has evaporated from the pan. Then turn the pan off until needed.

1. Peel and roughly chop the carrot quite small.
2. Warm the oil in a heavy based pan and add the carrot, a good pinch of salt and sweat on a low heat without colouring the carrots for 5 – 10 minutes. This will help bring out the natural sweetness of the carrot.
3. Add the water and tarragon. Place a lid on the pan and simmer for 15-20 mins until the carrot are soft, adding more water if needed.
4. Remove the lid and continue to simmer until most of the water that is left in the pan had evaporated.
5. Remove the tarragon stalks and add the rest of the contents of the pan to a blender. Blend the puree for 1-2 minutes or until completely silky smooth. You may need to add a little water if the puree is too thick.
6. Adjust the seasoning with salt.

1. Peel the potatoes and trim them so they are all the same thickness. Approx. ½ inch.
2. Place in a large heavy based pan big enough to fit the potatoes without them being too close, add the rest of the ingredients and cover with water so the potatoes are well covered.
3. Place a lid on the pan and bring to a simmer and gently cook until tender, turning the potatoes half way through. Add water to the pan if it gets too low.
4. Remove the lid from the pan and evaporate all the liquid, you will just be left with the butter. Keep the heat on medium and colour the base of the potato until golden.

To Finish

1. Place the carrots over a medium heat and fry/glaze them.
2. Place a spoon of the puree on the plate and using a small palate knife swipe the puree across the centre.
3. Place a potato on the puree, a glazed carrot a rest the chicken on top. Spoon the sauce around the outside of the puree and a little on the potato.

Bon Appétit!