Honey Roast Chicken Platter with Roast Potato Cubes

Honey Roast Chicken Platter with Roast Potato Cubes

Served with Parsnip Crisps and Deep Fried Pickled Onion Rings

Here’s another great sharing Valentine’s meal for two, Impressive to look at so good to eat and so simple to make.

You will need;

1 – Poussin Chicken

 

For the Coating;

40 Ml – Honey

A few drops Worcester sauce

20 Ml – Water

For the accompaniments

600 Gm – Good Roasting Potatoes

Oil for roasting

1 – Medium Parsnip

4 – Large Pickled Onions

A little plain Flour

Seasoning

Oil for deep frying

First of all here’s how to cut you poussin chicken in half.

Place the chicken breast side down and with a large sharp knife cut down each side of the backbone and remove it.

Now go in and cut through the centre of the breast bone.

Plunge the two halves into boiling water for 3 minutes.

Mix the ingredients for the coating and after 3 minutes in the boiling water take the chicken out and while it’s still warm coat it with the honey mixture and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Prepare your potatoes; make them into about 3 cm cubes.

Cut the parsnip into strips with a speed peeler, and your pickled onions into thin rings. Put these in the fridge for later.

Pre heat the oven to 200c, put the oil in a baking tray and place in the oven to heat for 5 minutes.

Take the tray out of the oven and carefully put the potatoes in the tray, turn them with a spoon so that they are coated with the oil, sprinkle with a little salt.

Preheat your oven to 200c, place the chicken on a rack over an ovenproof tray or dish and put in the centre of the oven then put the potatoes in the top.

The potatoes should take about 20 minutes and the chicken 30 – 35 minutes.

Heat some oil for deep frying to 180°c and deep fry the parsnip crisps for 2 – 3 minutes then coat the pickled onions in the flour and deep fry for about 5 minutes, the onions will then need to be seasoned with salt to taste

Serve everything warm, together on a platter or large plate.

Rainbow Trout on Noodles with Fennel and Parsley

Rainbow Trout on Noodles with Fennel and Parsley

A Valentine’s dinner for 2

It’s time to start thinking about the first big day of the year, Valentine’s Day it’s only a couple of weeks away and you want to be ready.

You could take your special person out for dinner but wouldn't it be nice to produce something with loving care in the comfort of your own home, something that looks and tastes really impressive but at the same time is so simple to prepare.

If you need to clean and trim your trout then see how do this here.

You will need

 

2 – Whole Rainbow Trout

A small bunch of Fresh Parsley (roughly chopped)

½ a bulb – Fennel (thinly sliced then roughly chopped)

A little Olive Oil

4 pinches – Sea Salt

4 knobs – Butter

300 Gm  – Fresh Noodles

On each side of the fish make some small cuts about 1 cm apart, rub the skin with olive oil and rub in a pinch of salt.

Mix the parsley and fennel together and stuff it in the cavity.

Heat your grill to its hottest temperature and place the trout under about 4 – 5 inches below the heat for about 6 -8 minutes each side.

Times will vary according to your grill so keep an eye on it, the fish should have a crispy skin and be cooked all the way through.

Meanwhile cook your noodles according to the instructions on the packet.

Serve on a platter or large plate of noodles with a salad in the centre to share.

Slow Roast Crispy Pork Belly with Baked Apple Sauce

Slow Roast Crispy Pork Belly with Baked Apple Sauce

The apple sauce that goes with this beautiful piece of pork is not like your regular apple sauce, it’s a mild relish that enhances the gentle taste of pork belly.

For 2 servings you will need

450 Gm - Pork Belly

½ teaspoon - Mixed Herbs

½ teaspoon - Sea Salt

1 – Sharp Cooking Apple (peeled and cored)

150 Ml - Water

A little Olive Oil

100 Ml - White Wine

1 desert spoon – Plain Flour

Make some cuts length ways in the skin of the pork belly with a very sharp knife being careful not to cut into the meat then place in an oven proof dish.

Mix the herbs and sea salt together, drizzle some olive oil over the pork and rub in the herbs and salt with your hands.

Pour in 100 Ml of the water, place the apple in with the pork cover and bake in a 150°c oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour carefully take out the apple and set it aside then turn the oven up to 210°c uncover and cook for another 20 minutes to crisp up the skin.

After 20 minutes take the pork out of the dish and leave to rest, then add the plain flour to the juices and make a paste.

Here’s a tip

When making a paste with this amount of liquid tilt the dish and place the flour in the dry spot then gradually straighten the dish introducing the liquid to the flour little by little while mixing.

Now add the wine and mix well and simmer for 5 minutes.

Mash the apple in, add the other 50 Ml of water and mix well, season to taste and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Use hot as a sauce or cold as a relish.

Fillets of Plaice with Fennel and Lemon Parsley Butter

Fillets of Plaice with Fennel and Lemon Parsley Butter

Also in this post; How to trim and fillet a whole plaice.

This is a very delicate light appetiser to get the juices flowing for your main course; the flavoured butter adds the finishing touches to these wonderfully light fillets of fish.

If you are going to make this dish from ready filleted fish then you can skip down to the ingredients section to start, or indeed you might want learn how to trim and fillet a plaice for next time.

OK let’s start by trimming and filleting the plaice.

Take a pair of kitchen scissors and cut off the tail and trim off the fins around the outside.

Remove the head by cutting just under the fin, cut as close to the head as possible otherwise you will lose some of the meatiest part.

With the dark side uppermost take a small sharp knife and make a cut from head to tail along the back bone.

Start from the middle at the head end and cut against the bone gently teasing away the fillet all the way down.

Repeat this on the other side and also on the underside.

To skin the top fillets make a small cut at the tail to separate the skin from the flesh, lay skin side down with your knife in between then press down with your hand and carefully cut towards the head end.

For 2 servings you will need

1 – Whole Plaice or 4 small fillets

1 bulb – Fennel

Butter and olive oil for frying

The lemon parsley butter

100 Gm – Butter (softened not melted)

1 table spoon – Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)

The zest and juice of half a lemon

To make the flavoured butter beat the softened butter, parsley and lemon zest in a bowl then add the lemon juice little by little as you are mixing.

Put in a ramekin and place in the fridge, this will make more than you will need for the dish but it will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

Pan fry the fillets in butter on a medium heat for about 3 minutes each side or until cooked through.

At the same time in a separate pan thinly slice the fennel add a little black pepper and gently fry in a little olive oil for 2 – 3 minutes.

Line your dish with the fennel, place your fillets over and top with a spoonful of the lemon parsley butter.

Serve warm as a starter. 

Pancetta Pear & Honey Pancakes with Mozzarella

Pancetta Pear & Honey Pancakes with Mozzarella

Pancakes with a difference, this is a breakfast that you will want time and time again.

So simple and quick to make.

For each pancake you will need

1 – Ripe Pear (peeled, topped & tailed and cut into wedges)

3 rashers - Pancetta (or streaky bacon)

50 Gm – Mozzarella (thinly sliced)

2 teaspoons - Honey

For the pancake mix (this will make about 5)

100 Gm - Plain Flour

210 Ml – Milk

90 Ml - Water

2 – Eggs

Pinch of Salt

Place the pear wedges on a griddle or frying pan and cook on a medium – high heat for 5 minutes turning once.

Cut the pancetta rashers into 3 add to the pears and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Whisk the flour, milk, water, eggs and salt in a bowl for you pancake mix.

Arrange the pears and pancetta onto a grill pan, place the slices of mozzarella on top and drizzle over the honey.

Place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted.

While it’s under the grill make your pancake then with a fish slice carefully scoop the pear and pancetta mix onto it.

Serve hot for breakfast or a snack.