Chicken, IPA braised shallots, braised fennel with shallot and mustard seed pickle

Proteins:

Free Range Chicken

1. Cut into sauté (a classical French cut for poultry made of 8 pieces) – leg, thigh, breast, wing, winglet x2 and French trim this means exposing the bone.
2. Place a large frying pan onto a medium heat, once the pan has began to lightly smoke add a little low flavoured oil.
3. Place your chicken into the pan away from you, I usually begin with the legs and thighs. Cook until golden brown and crispy, once at this point lay your chicken into a pre-prepared resting tray with fresh thyme and crushed garlic.
4. Repeat until you have coloured off your chicken pieces. For the breast, add a little crushed garlic and thyme, baste with foaming butter, once done lay under the breast to infuse and act as a trivet.
5. Place into the oven at 180 degrees and cook for 10 – 15 minutes, until cooked all of the way through and tender.

Roast chicken butter sauce:

1. To begin this sauce place your crown and under of the chicken into a baking tray, drizzle with a little low flavour oil and a touch of sea salt.
2. Roast on 180 degrees until golden brown and crispy, this is a great sauce to make use of the items which would otherwise go to waste.
3. Remove from the tray and place into a large saucepan. Deglaze the baking tray with a little white wine, once deglazed, add to the rest of the chicken into the saucepan.
4. Ensure that you cook off the wine or otherwise the wine will just take-over the sauce.
5. Once deglazed and ready, pass through a fine muslin and reserve in the fridge until you are just about to serve.
6. Reheat in a saucepan and emulsify with a little butter like you would as making a Beurre Blanc.

Pickled shallots:

1. In a small saucepan toast off 2 star anise and a teaspoon of mustard seeds. Once lightly toasted place into a pestle and mortar and crush lightly to release the essential oils.
2. Place this into 150 ml of white wine vinegar and bring to the boil, once at this stage add your peeled and sliced half moon shallots into the pickling liquor.
3. Cook until pickled and al dente.
4. Reserve in a sterilised jar until required later on at plating.

IPA braised shallot halves:

1. To begin this garnish sliced your shallots in half leaving the skin and root attached.
2. Place a large frying pan onto a medium heat once the pan has began to lightly smoke add a little low flavoured oil.
3. Next place your shallots cut side down and roast until lightly golden and brown.
4. Once at this point add half a bottle of IPA a reduce to glaze place a lid over the pan to create a little steam which in turn cooks your shallots.
5. Once ready remove the pan from the heat and bast over the reduced glaze.
6. Remove from the pan and place onto a large dinner plate to cool.

Braised Fennel Bulbs:

1. To begin slice two large fennel bulbs into 8
2. Place into a large baking tray and add sliced lemons, a little white wine, along with a little cold water.
3. Cook for 30 minutes with foil on top, until al dente or can be pricked with a paring knife. Once at this point remove the foil from the top and place in a hotter oven of 190 degrees to lightly colour until a little golden on the ends.
4. Reserve in the pan until required later on in the process.

Pescatarain option:
For the protein, re-place the chicken with sustainable sea bass

1. To prepare your fish using a sharp knife make small cuts along the back of the fish as this helps to impart heat and flavour ensuring you achieve the perfect crispy skin.
2. Place a large frying pan onto a medium – high heat, once lightly smoking and up to temperature add a little oil and place into the frying pan away from you (so that you don’t get splashed)
3. Cook until lightly golden and crispy (around 70 % of the cooking time)
4. Once cooked flip and baste with thyme infused butter.
5. Remove and place onto a piece of J –cloth as this helps to absorb any excess cooking oils or butter.

To plate:

1. Onto pre-warmed artisan plates lay your fennel to the left of the plate
2. Next add your IPA braised shallot and then lastly your perfectly pan seared fillet of sea bass.
3. For your chicken carve with the grain and lay onto the right of the plate, to finish add your chicken butter sauce and serve.
4. Offer your guests some bread as that butter sauce is just to0 good. GG
5. Serve with a cold crisp bottle of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.