Chicken with Chardonnay and Chanterelles

I spotted some chanterelles in our local deli yesterday which reminded me I hadn't made this stylish little recipe for a while which comes from my book Cooking with Wine. It is basically an indulgent spin on chicken in white wine and mushroom sauce using wild mushrooms (dried ones work perfectly well) and a decent Chardonnay instead of the dreaded 'cooking wine'. It's worth the extravagance, believe me.

Serves 2
75g fresh or 15g dried chanterelles
40-55 g butter
2 boneless chicken breasts (about 350-400g)
1 tbsp plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 shallots (about 75g), finely sliced
150 ml subtly oaked new world Chardonnay or white Burgundy*
A good pinch of Spanish sweet smoked paprika (pimenton)
90ml chicken stock (if using fresh chanterelles)
3 tbsp double cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Two coils of dried pappardelle all’uovo or otherwide-ribboned egg pasta (about 100g)
A little freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp very finely chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

If using dried chanterelles soak them for 10 minutes in just enough lukewarm water to cover. Drain them, reserving their soaking liquid which you should pass through a fine sieve. If using fresh chanterelles, brush them lightly with a soft brush, trim the bases and slice them then saute them lightly in 15g of butter.

Dip the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour. Heat a medium-sized frying pan over a moderate heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 15g of butter and place the chicken breasts in skin side down. Fry for about 2 1/2 -3 minutes until the skin is brown and crisp, turn the chicken over and lightly brown the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan, place in an ovenproof dish, transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Discard the fat, wipe the pan and replace it over a low heat. Add the remaining oil, another 15g of butter and cook the sliced shallots gently for about 5-6 minutes or until soft

Add the paprika, stir, turn up the heat and pour in the Chardonnay. When the sizzling has died down add 90ml of the reserved mushroom water or chicken stock. Turn the heat down again and leave to simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half then strain the sauce into a bowl through a fine sieve. Return the strained sauce to the pan, add the soaked or sauted mushrooms, cover and simmer for another 5-6 minutes.

Check the chicken. If it’s cooked turn off the oven. If not give it another 5 minutes. Put the pasta on to cook. Take the mushrooms off the heat, stir in the cream and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Replace over a very low heat to thicken, stirring occasionally.

When the pasta is cooked drain thoroughly, stir in a small knob of butter and season with a little pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Place the chicken breasts on a chopping board and cut with a sharp knife into five or six thick diagonal slices. Transfer them to warm plates, arrange the pasta alongside and spoon over the mushrooms and cream. Sprinkle with a little finely chopped parsley.

What to drink: The same wine you use for the recipe. I'd suggest something like a mid-priced South African, Chilean or New Zealand Chardonnay. Nothing overly oaky but with some richness and fullness.

A stylishly presented alternative cheese board

We tend to get stuck in a bit of a groove when it comes to serving cheese, picking five or six and serving them on a big cheeseboard but if you’re serious about trying to find a good wine match that isn’t the best strategy.

Almost certainly the blues, any washed rinded cheese such as Munster or Epoisses or a mature Camembert or Brie will pose problems for the wine you’re drinking, particularly if it’s a red.

One answer is to limit your selection to two or three cheeses of a similar type as our local tapas bar did the other day (right). This is a red wine-friendly selection of a medium-matured goats' cheese and two hard Spanish sheep's cheeses none of which caused our accompanying glass of Rioja any problems.

Note the other nice aspects of the presentation. The cheese is arranged on a varnished slice of wood which gives the 'board' an appealingly rustic look and accompanied by crisp flat bread rather than crusty bread which makes it lighter and more digestible at the end of a heavy meal. Very stylish!

Mushroom 'caviar'

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a brilliantly wine-friendly spread called ‘mushroom caviar’ I’d tasted at our favourite local restaurant Culinaria. Well, I’ve now cracked the recipe and here it is:

Culinaria’s mushroom caviar
Enough to top 18-24 crostini bases2 shallots or 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp sunflower oil
350g button mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
200g tub of creme fraiche
2 tbsp finely chopped tarragon leaves
Salt and pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juicePut the onion and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Heat the oil over a low heat in a medium to large heavy bottomed saucepan or frying pan and cook the onion and garlic gently until starting to soften (about 5-6 minutes) Chop the mushrooms very finely in the food processor and tip into the pan with the onions. Stir and cook over a very low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes until the mushrooms have the consistency of a thick paste. Take off the heat, stir in the crme frache and return to the pan until the mixture has thickened again (about another 15 minutes). Stir in the chopped tarragon and season to taste with salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Tip into a bowl and cool. If storing in the fridge trickle over a tablespoon or so of olive oil to stop the surface from discolouring and bring to room temperature before using. Spread on crostini bases (below) or toastRecommended wine match: A perfect match for champagne or a good sparkling wine or for a good Chardonnay. It would also be great with Pinot Noir.

For the crostini
It’s worth making a large batch of these as they keep well
Makes about 30-32 slices2 ready to bake ciabatta loaves
Olive oil spray or 4-6 tbsp light olive oil
You also need 2 baking traysPre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Cut the ciabatta on the slant into fairly thin slices. Spray both sides with olive oil or pour the olive oil on the baking trays and dip the slices of ciabatta in it. Bake for 15 minutes, turning the slices half way through. Repeat with any remaining ciabatta slices. Cool then store the crostini in an airtight tin.

Irish cocoa

A 'naughty but nice' alternative to an Irish coffee to treat yourself to on St Patrick’s Day!

Makes 1 mug

2 level tsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp Bailey’s or other Irish cream liqueur
1 tbsp Kahlua or other coffee liqueur (optional, but good)
about 200ml semi-skimmed milk

Put the cocoa powder in a mug. Add the Baileys and Kahlua, if using, and whisk with a small hot-chocolate whisk (or stir vigorously, if you haven't got one). Top up with milk and whisk. Microwave for one minute, whisk again then microwave for a further 20-30 seconds until hot. Stir and serve.

* You can obviously make this with hot milk but because of the amount of cold liquid already in the mug it won’t be quite hot enough so I find it easier to make it a microwave.