Stuffed Rolled Chicken Breast with Gruyère, Asparagus
and Red Pepper
Serves 4
4 Romano or red peppers
200g asparagus (about 20 spears)
4 chicken breasts
2 tsp parsley, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
240g Gruyère, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
2 Roast the peppers in the oven for 30 minutes,
then cool and remove the skins.
3 Peel the bottom third of the asparagus stalks.
Blanch in salted water for 3 minutes. Set aside six stalks; slice
the rest into strips.
4 Butterfly 2 chicken breasts and sandwich them
between cling film. Using a rolling pin, pound them to 5mm
thick.
5 Remove the top layer of cling film and place
the flattened chicken breasts side by side. Sprinkle with half the
parsley, lemon zest and 100g of the grated Gruyère, then place
three of the whole asparagus along the narrow end of the breasts.
Place the sliced asparagus and roasted peppers in strips across the
remainder.
6 Roll up the chicken from the end where you
placed the whole asparagus, removing the cling film as you go
along. Tie up the roll at three or four points with cooking string.
Repeat the above for the other 2 breasts.
7 In a pan, sear the chicken rolls in the olive
oil for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
8 Place on a roasting tray, cover with foil and
bake for 30 minutes. Remove string, sprinkle with the remaining 40g
of Gruyère, and brown under the grill for a few minutes before
slicing and serving.
Smoked Haddock, Gruyère and Pea Flan
Serves 4-6
For the pastry
180g spelt flour
90g unsalted butter, cubed
3 tbsp cold water
For the filling
300g haddock fillet
300ml full-fat milk
1 bay leaf
Two black peppercorns
A pinch of saffron (about 8 threads)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
70g peas
4 medium eggs, beaten
20ml-50ml double cream
70g Gruyère, grated
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
2 Whizz the spelt flour and butter in a blender
until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the water and whizz
once more to make a pastry dough; refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3 Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick and place in a
flan dish. Prick the base with a fork, cover with baking parchment
and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the
baking beans and parchment.
4 Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and put
the flan dish back in for 20 minutes.
1 While the pastry case is cooking, poach the
haddock in the milk for 5 minutes with the bay leaf, peppercorns
and saffron.
2 Set the haddock aside. Remove the bay leaf,
peppercorns and saffron from the milk and heat over a low setting
for a further 10 minutes or until reduced by around two
thirds.
3 Sauté the onion in olive oil for 10 minutes, or
until it becomes translucent. Spread over the base of the cooked
pastry, then add the flaked haddock and peas.
4 Add the beaten eggs to the reduced milk
mixture, then add enough double cream to bring the volume to 300ml.
Add the Gruyère and pour the mixture into the flan case.
5 Bake for 35-40 minutes at 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
Serve warm.
Eggs Florentine with Sauce Mornay
Serves 4
For the sauce mornay
15g butter
25g plain flour
300ml full-fat milk
40g grated Gruyère
5g grated Parmesan
A pinch of nutmeg
For the eggs
50g young spinach leaves (about four handfuls)
2 English muffins
4 eggs
15ml white wine vinegar
1 Make a roux by melting the butter in a
saucepan and adding the flour. Mix to a smooth paste, then
gradually add the milk, stirring all the time over a medium heat
until the sauce becomes creamy.
2 Add the Gruyère, Parmesan and nutmeg, and
season with salt and pepper. Stir the sauce constantly until the
cheese has melted. Set aside.
1 Wilt the spinach in a saucepan and squeeze
lightly to remove excess liquid.
2 Halve the muffins and toast them while poaching
the eggs in 1 litre of water and the vinegar.
3 Put a layer of spinach onto the toasted
muffins, place the poached eggs on top, and pour over the warm
sauce mornay.
Stuffed Aubergine with Gruyère, Spinach and Tomato
Coulis
Serves 4
2 aubergines
4 tbsp olive oil
4 medium tomatoes
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme leaves
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp light brown sugar
120g fresh spinach
100g Gruyère
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp parsley, finely chopped
20g fresh breadcrumbs
? tsp paprika
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
2 Halve the aubergines lengthways and drizzle the
flesh with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Place in an ovenproof dish, flesh
side up, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Cool and set
aside.
3 Put the tomatoes into a bowl and cover with
boiling water. Leave for a few minutes, drain, remove the skins and
chop roughly.
4 For the coulis, fry the onion, garlic and thyme
in olive oil over a medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the onion
becomes translucent.
5 Add the tomatoes, vinegar and brown sugar. Cook
for a further 10 minutes, or until the volume has reduced by about
half.
6 Whizz the mixture in a blender, then sieve it.
Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
7 Wilt the spinach in a saucepan, drain and chop
roughly. Cut 80g of the Gruyère into small cubes.
8 Scoop out the flesh of the aubergines, leaving
a thin layer inside the skins. Chop the pulp, then add the cubed
Gruyère and lemon juice. Fill the skins with the mixture and top
with the spinach.
9 Blend the parsley, breadcrumbs, paprika and
remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle the mixture over the filled
aubergines and grate the remaining 20g of Gruyère over the
top.
10 Return to the oven for 10 minutes, then serve
immediately with the tomato coulis.