Lisa P.'s Menu

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 whole chicken legs with thighs attached (preferably from corn-fed chickens)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon/5 ml olive oil
2 tablespoons/30 g butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 leek, cut in half lengthwise, washed, cut into 1/2-inch/1-cm strips
1 tablespoon/15 g coarse-grained (pommery) mustard
1/4 cup/35 g all purpose flour
1 cup/250 ml chicken stock
3/4 cup/190 ml plus 1 tablespoon/15 ml whole milk, divided
¼ cup/55 ml whipping cream
2 tablespoons/5 g finely chopped fresh tarragon
One 17.3-ounce/490-g package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1 large egg
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Method:

To roast the chicken:

Place a heavy baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F/205ºC.  Sprinkle the chicken legs with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Once the baking sheet is hot, place the chicken legs on the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn chicken legs over and continue roasting for a further 20 minutes or until the chicken legs are golden brown and cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly. Reserve the pan drippings on the baking sheet.

Shred the chicken meat into bite-size pieces and place the pieces in a bowl. You should have about 12 ounces/350 g of chicken meat. Discard the sinew, bones and skin.

To prepare the filling:

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and sauté for 5 minutes or just until tender. Stir in the mustard, then the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, 3/4 cup/190 ml of milk and the cream. Mix in the reserved pan drippings. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce thickens. Stir in the shredded chicken and tarragon. Season the chicken mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate the mixture until cold.

To assemble pies:

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry to an 11-inch/28-m square. Transfer the puff pastry square to a 9-inch-/23-cm-diameter pie dish, covering the bottom and sides of the dish and allowing the pastry to hang over the sides of the pie dish.

Using kitchen shears, trim the overhanging dough to 1 inch/2.5 cm. Fold overhanging dough under and crimp to form an edge. Cover the pastry in the pie dish with parchment paper or foil and weigh it down with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake the puff pastry for 20 minutes or until the pastry is set and pale golden around the edges. Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights from the pastry. Set the crust aside and cool completely.

Spoon the chilled chicken mixture into the crust. Roll out the remaining sheet of puff pastry into an 11-inch/28-cm square. Trim the corners of the square to form an 11-inch-/28-cm-diameter round.

Drape the puff pastry round over the pie and press it over the crust edges and the rim of the pie dish to seal. Cut slits into the pastry on top of the pie to allow steam to escape.

Mix the egg and remaining 1 tablespoon/15 ml of milk in a small bowl to blend. Brush some of the egg mixture over the pie and garnish with sesame seeds.  Set the pie on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown all over. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool slightly.

Makes 6

Ingredients:

1 pound/450 g ripe strawberries
1/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon/less than 5 g chopped fresh mint
1 750-ml bottle sparkling apple juice or brut champagne
4 teaspoons/10 g unflavored gelatin powder
1/2 cup/105 g granulated sugar
1 tablespoon/about 5 g powdered sugar
Crème fraîche

Method:

For the jellies:

Reserve the 6 best strawberries for the garnish. Coarsely chop 1 1/2 cups/200 g of the strawberries. Toss the chopped strawberries, cucumber and mint in a medium bowl.

Place six 6-ounce/175-ml molds or ramekins on a small baking sheet. Spoon the cucumber mixture into the molds, dividing equally. Set aside.
Place the juice or champagne in a medium sized saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the gelatin softens. Stir over low heat just until the gelatin dissolves.

If using champagne, add all of the granulated sugar. If using apple juice, add enough sugar to sweeten the juice to taste. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the remaining juice or champagne. Pour half of the juice mixture over the fruit in the molds. Freeze for 30 minutes or just until the jellies are cold and begin to set. Pour the remaining juice mixture over the jellies. Place the jellies in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until they are fully set.

Meanwhile, for the strawberry coulis:

Puree 3/4 cup/100 g of the remaining strawberries and powdered sugar in a food processor until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-meshed sieve and into a small bowl. Cover the strawberry coulis and refrigerate until cold.

To serve:

Dip the molds into a bowl of hot water for 30 seconds to help loosen the jellies from the sides of the molds. Then, holding a plate atop 1 mold, invert the jelly onto the plate. Repeat with the remaining jellies. Serve the jellies with the strawberry coulis, crème fraîche and garnish with the reserved strawberries.