Chicken with a Dijon Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C with fan. Trim excess fat from chicken, season with a little salt and pepper and dust with a little flour.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a ovenproof casserole over a medium heat and brown the chicken all over.  Add the thyme, bacon, bay leaf, garlic and onion and stir well for 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the wine, then add the mushrooms and stir again.  Cover with a lid and cook for 35 minutes.
3. Transfer the casserole to the stove top over a low heat.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the mustard, cream and egg yolk.  Slowly stir this mixture into the hot casserole, taking care not to let the sauce boil.  Keep over a low heat for 5 minutes for the mustard flavour to infuse the chicken.
5. Divide the chicken pieces between four plates, spoon on the sauce.

Apple Shortcake

Ingredients

Method

1. Peel, core and slice apples.  Add lemon zest and passionfruit pulp if desired and cook in microwave for 7 minutes on high.  Add ¼ cup sugar.
2. Cream butter and caster sugar until smooth and light and then add egg.  Beat in sifted flours and then knead until smooth.  Refrigerate for ½ hour.
3. Grease a 9″ (20cm) cake tin and cover bottom with paper.  Divide dough mixture in half and cover base with dough by pressing in with fingertips.  Drain apples and cover pastry base, leaving approximately 1cm edge.
4. Roll out other piece of pastry (between paper sheets if necessary) and cover apple.  Press two layers of pastry firmly together.
5. Brush with apple juice and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg and bake in moderate oven for approximately 35 minutes.
6. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving with cream.

Caramel Parfait Glace with Salted Peanut Caramel and Milk Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

Method

1. For the caramel mousse, whip 200ml of the thickened cream to soft peaks, cover and refrigerate until needed. Combine vanilla, remaining cream and 115g of the glucose in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Set aside.  Meanwhile, weigh out 140g of the caster sugar. Heat a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of caster sugar. Once it has dissolved, gradually add the remaining, stirring constantly, until it has dissolved and turned lightly golden. Slowly pour the hot cream into the caramel, whisking until combined; whisk in the butter followed by the gelatine leaves. Strain into a bowl, set over another bowl half filled with ice and water and leave to cool, whisking occasionally.
2. Combine the remaining 50g of caster sugar, 30ml water and remaining 20g of liquid glucose in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the yolks on a moderate speed. Using a sugar thermometer bring the sugar syrup to 118°C.  Remove from the heat and let the bubbles die down slightly. Pour the syrup down the side of the bowl onto the still whisking yolks. Turn up the speed and whisk until  pale, doubled in size and cool.
3. To finish the mousse, fold the two cooled mixtures together, fold through the whipped cream then pour into a 20cm x 25cm x 3cm Swiss roll tin lined with baking paper and place in the freezer until very firm.
4. For milk chocolate Chantilly cream, melt the chocolate and keep warm to the touch. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Quickly whisk half of warm chocolate into the cream, to lighten the mixture. Immediately whisk through remaining chocolate and refrigerate.
5. For the peanut caramel, combine cream and glucose in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Set aside and keep warm. Heat a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat until 1 teaspoon of caster sugar dissolves when added. Gradually add the rest of the sugar and stir constantly until it has dissolved and has turned light golden brown. Slowly pour the hot cream into the caramel, whisking until combined; whisk in the butter. Set over another bowl half filled with ice and water and leave to cool until slightly thickened. Fold through the peanuts and the salt and refrigerate until needed.
6. Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced.
7. For the peanut dacquoise, process peanuts until finely ground. Combine icing sugar, nuts, and almond meal in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Sprinkle sugar onto the whites and continue whisking until firm and glossy. Gently fold the mixture through meringue until combined, but not over-mixed. Spread onto a lined baking tray at a thickness of about 1cm. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the dacquoise is crisp on top but slightly soft in the centre. Remove from the oven and slide onto a cool surface. Place a piece of baking paper on top of the surface of the dacquoise and carefully flip it over onto a small flat baking tray. Remove the paper. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Remove the mousse from the freezer and invert onto the slightly warm dacquoise. Press down lightly to ensure the two surfaces are lightly stuck together. Remove the tin from the mousse. Slide onto a tray and return to the freezer.
8. For the chocolate plaques, gently melt the chocolate, no hotter than 45°C, in a metal bowl over hot but not boiling water. Pour 2/3 of the melted chocolate onto a cool, clean work surface and spread it around until it begins to thicken and feels cool to the touch. Return the cooler chocolate to the warm chocolate that remains in the bowl. Stir until completely combined. The chocolate needs to be about 26°C. The chocolate will feel cool on the side of your little finger. Spread the tempered chocolate with a palette knife over 3 x 4cm x 30cm strips of acetate plastic (stuck to the marble with sticky tape). When the chocolate is set to the touch but still slightly malleable, peel the strips off the bench and turn upside down so the chocolate surface is down. To portion the plaques, measure 10cm lengths, mark through the chocolate with a knife heated under warm water then cut the acetate with scissors. You will get 2 plaques per strip of plastic. Store plaques in the fridge until ready to use.
9. Remove the tray from the freezer and peel off the paper and discard. Using a long knife heated under very hot water, cut the mousse into 10cm logs, taking care to keep the edges clean and straight.
10. To serve, smear a small amount of the peanut caramel in the middle of the plate. This will stop the dessert from sliding around. Then place the bar on the plate dacquoise side down. Now peel the plastic off a plaque and carefully place, shiny side up, on top. Using a teaspoon dipped in hot water to form small quenelles and evenly place three on the plaque. Fill the two spaces with peanut caramel then place another plaque on top. Be careful not to get fingerprints on the chocolate. Serve immediately on a cool plate.

Lye Pretzels

Makes 15

Ingredients

Method

1. Knead flour, yeast and water together using a dough attachment on a mixer for about 4-5 minutes.  Cover with cling film and allow to prove for an hour.
2. Knock down the dough and knead again lightly on a floured bench.  Divide into fifteen equal portions.  Roll each portion into a 40 cm long sausage and tie into a pretzel shape.  Place competed pretzels on baking paper.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C.
4. Bring a 1.5 litres of water to the boil in a large saucepan.  Add baking powder to the water.
5. Place each pretzel into the water.  Allow to cook for 20 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon.  Place on a baking rack to dry.
6. Once the pretzels are dry place onto backing trays lined with baking paper.
7. Season pretzels with generous helpings of salt flakes and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and enjoy whilst still warm.