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Chicken Ballotine with Eggplant Puree and Charred Lettuce
Recipe by Orange Team
Replicate this restaurant-quality dish at home to impress the family.
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Chicken Jus
Chicken Ballotine
Smokey Eggplant Puree
Charred Cos Lettuce
Thyme Butter
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Steps
- Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced.
- For the Chicken Jus, spread wings and necks evenly over an oven tray and drizzle with grapeseed oil. Roast until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and when hot, add onion, carrot, leek, garlic and thyme and sauté until slightly caramelised and softened.
- Add roasted chicken pieces to the saucepan and deglaze with the chicken stock. Ensure the chicken pieces are covered with stock, adding extra if needed. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until reduced by half. Skim the surface regularly.
- Place wine and vinegar into a medium saucepan and simmer until reduced to a syrupy consistency.
- Once stock has reduced by half, strain into a clean saucepan. Add reduced wine and vinegar and the thyme and simmer until a sauce consistency is reached. Strain through a fine sieve into a small saucepan.
- Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Adjust acidity with white wine vinegar, and sweetness with sugar as needed. Finish sauce by whisking in butter a small amount at a time, ensuring it is fully emulsified before adding the next piece. Transfer to a serving jug and keep warm until needed.
- For the Ballotine, carefully remove the bones from the Marylands, keeping the skin on the outer side intact.
- Remove the leg meat and the thickest part of the thigh meat, and place in the bowl of a mini food processor. Pulse until the meat is minced. Transfer to a bowl and add pine nuts, thyme, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken skin side down spread each with the chicken mince mixture. Roll the thighs from a long side, enclosing the filling. Use the skin to completely encase the chicken, tucking it in at the ends.
- Place a roll at the edge of a piece of cling film then roll up as tightly as you can. Twist both ends tightly to resemble a bonbon. Roll the package on the bench to achieve a uniform sausage shape. Tie each end of the parcel tightly into a knot. This will ensure that the package is water-tight and will retain its shape. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Half-fill a large saucepan with water and heat until simmering gently. Place the chicken into the water and place a wet tea towel completely inside the saucepan on top of the chicken to keep them submerged. Return to a simmer and cook for 9 minutes. Remove the packages and place them in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Remove the cling wrap from the chicken thighs and cook them in the oil, turning frequently, until golden brown on all sides and cooked all the way through, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and rest for 10 minutes.
- For the Smokey Eggplant Puree, score the eggplant and place on a wire rack directly over an open flame. Turn the eggplant regularly, until all the skin is charred and the eggplant is completely soft. Place into a bowl then into the fridge to cool. Peel and discard the skin and reserve the liquid in the bowl.
- Place the eggplant flesh in the bowl of a food processor. Add tahini, lemon juice, salt, and about half a cup of the reserved eggplant liquid. Blend thoroughly, scraping down the inside of the bowl occasionally. Add more salt or lemon juice, to taste, and more of the reserved eggplant liquid if a smokier result is desired. Set aside.
- For the Charred Cos, heat a fry pan until smoking hot. Drizzle the cut sides of the lettuce with oil and place into the pan on the cut side. Cook until charred then flip into the other cut side and char.
- Remove from the pan and drizzle with a little lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
- For the Thyme Butter, melt butter over a low heat in a small pot. Add thyme, and continue to cook, without browning, for 5 minutes. Season with salt. Reserve and keep warm until needed.
- To serve, spread smoked eggplant puree in a line on each plate. Cover with a portion of charred cos. Trim the ends from each ballotine and slice into 3. Immediately brush with thyme butter and season with salt. Arrange on plates next to the cos. Serve with the jus on the side.
