Giffords Circus Cookbook by Nell Gifford

Author:Nell Gifford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quadrille Publishing Ltd
Published: 2020-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

SERVES 6–8

2 large leeks, washed, trimmed and diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

vegetable oil, for drizzling

1.5kg free-range chicken

50g soft unsalted butter

200ml white wine

500ml double cream

1 bunch of tarragon, leaves picked and chopped, plus extra whole ones to decorate

1 small fresh truffle, half grated and half shaved

small drizzle of good-quality truffle oil

sea salt and black pepper

For the suet pastry

400g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

200g shredded beef suet

10g salt

a few thyme leaves

2 egg yolks, beaten

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Toss the leeks, garlic and thyme in a drizzle of vegetable oil in a deep roasting tray and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the vegetables, smear with the soft butter, season well, and roast for 1 hour. The bird should be golden and cooked through when done. Leave it to cool slightly, then pick all the meat from the carcass and put to one side.

Set the roasting tray on the hob over medium heat and add the white wine to deglaze it, scraping up any caramelised bits that have stuck to the tray. Boil until the liquid has reduced by half, then add the cream. Once the cream comes to the boil, add the chicken, tarragon, the grated truffle and a tiny drizzle of truffle oil. Season, then remove from the heat and chill in the fridge.

For the suet pastry, put the flour, suet, salt and thyme leaves in a mixing bowl and rub together using your fingers. Transfer to an electric mixer with a dough hook if you have one, or hand-knead it, gradually adding 240ml cold water. Knead for 10 minutes until the suet is incorporated and the dough is smooth and ever so slightly elastic. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour. Turn up the oven to 190°C.

It’s very important that all the ingredients are cold when building the pie; the pastry will act differently if warm. Place the meat filling in a deep ceramic or enamel pie dish. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until about 1cm thick and large enough to cover the dish with a generous overhang. Brush the underside of the pastry lid with the beaten egg yolk wash and place it over the pie filling to fit snugly, pressing around the sides to ensure it is airtight. Brush more of the egg yolks all over the pastry lid and brush on a few truffle shavings and tarragon leaves to decorate.

Chill the pie in the fridge for 10 minutes, then bake for 25–30 minutes. The pastry should be a shiny golden brown. Finish with a light brushing of truffle oil on top, if you like, and serve with seasonal vegetables and some very creamy mashed potato.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.