大象传媒

Ingredients

• 1 jointed free range chicken (about 1.3/1.4kg)
• 4 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
• 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme and parsley sprigs tied together)
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 30g butter
• 200g chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and roughly sliced
• 200g smoked back bacon, derinded and chopped
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 150ml double cream
• Small handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 400g good quality puff pastry
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp water to glaze

Method


Season the pieces of chicken and place in a pan with leeks, bouquet garni and stock. Top up with water and bring to a simmer. Skim, then partially cover the pan and simmer gently for an hour or until the chicken is tender. Lift it out and leave to cool slightly.聽

Transfer the leeks to a large bowl using a slotted spoon. Then boil the stock vigorously until reduced by half.聽

Cut the chicken in to bite sized pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Add to the leeks.
Heat a wide pan, add the butter and fry the mushrooms with a little seasoning until golden brown.

Add the bacon and fry for a few more minutes until browned. Add the flour and stir over the heat for a few minutes. Pour in the reduced stock, then the cream and simmer until reduced to a thick coating consistency. Take off the heat and mix in the chicken and leeks. Season well, stir in the parsley and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 200掳. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a 拢1 coin. Using a large 1.75 litre pie dish as a template, cut out a pastry lid, slightly larger all round than your dish. Cut 2cm wide strips from the trimmings. Position a pie funnel (if using one) in the centre of the dish and spoon in the filling. Brush the edge of the dish with water and lay the pastry strips on the rim joining to fit as necessary, press down lightly.聽
Brush the pastry rim with egg glaze.

Lift the pastry lid on top of the pie and cut a small steam hole in the middle. Press the pastry edges together to seal, trim off the excess and knock up the edges. If you like, decorate the pie with pastry leaves cut from the trimmings. Brush with a little more egg glaze. Bake for 40-50 mins until the pastry is golden brown.

Ingredients

• 700g fresh rhubarb
• 110g golden caster sugar
• Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• 275ml freshly squeezed orange juice
• 50g pecans
• 6 trifle sponges
• 3 level tbsps marmalade
• 120ml dry Madeira
• 1x 11g sachet gelatine powder
• 350g fresh custard
• 200ml whipping cream
• Pre-heat the oven to 180掳c

Method

To prepare the rhubarb, cut in to 1 inch chunks and add these to an ovenproof baking dish , measuring 19cm square and 5cm deep.聽

Sprinkle in the caster sugar, the zest and juice of the orange. Put in the oven, uncovered, and let it cook for 30-40 mins until the rhubarb is tender but still retains its shape. At the same time, place the pecans in the oven and put a timer on for 7 minutes to toast them lightly, then you can either leave them whole or chop them roughly.聽

While the rhubarb is cooking, slice the trifle sponges in half lengthways, spread each half with the marmalade, then reform and cut in to each one in to 3 little sandwiches. Now arrange them either in individual serving bowls or a large trifle bowl. Make a few stabs in the sponges and sprinkle the Madeira over them, leave it to soak in.

When the rhubarb is cooked and is cold, taste it and add more sugar if needed. Take a draining spoon and remove the rhubarb, place amongst the sponges. Now pour the juices from the dish in to a measuring jug and make it up to 510ml with the orange juice.

Pour 225ml of this in to a small saucepan, scatter the gelatine over, whisk it and leave it to soak for 5 minutes. Then place the pan over a gentle heat and whisk everything until all the gelatine has completely dissolved (about 2 minutes) then return it to the remaining juice in the jug and give it a good whisk.聽

Pour it over the sponges and rhubarb. When cold, cover in clingfilm and leave in fridge til set. Spoon over the custard and whipped cream.

Keep chilled until ready to serve then sprinkle the toasted pecans over just before serving.