Recette du jour

Chicken and Ham en Brioche

Brioche dough is used here to encase a rich chicken and ham filling.

The brioches can be made and kept overnight in the refrigerator wrapped in tin foil.

For a picnic, refresh them by placing in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.

If you wish to use ready cooked chicken you would need about 700g of boneless meat.


Chicken and Ham en Brioche

Preparation time : 50-60 minutes
Rising time : 11/2 Hours
Cooking time : 1 Hour
Serves 8

Ingredients

For the filling :

1 oven ready chicken (21/2 lbs)
1 level table spoon whole black peppercorns
1 carrot - chopped
Parsley stalks
8 oz of mushrooms
1 chicken liver
2 shallots
1 oz butter
8 oz cooked gammon
2 level tablespoons of parsley
2 tablespoons of whisky or brandy
1 beaten egg
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper

For the dough :

12 oz plain flour
pinch of salt
11/2 level teaspoons dried yeast and 11/2 teaspoon caster sugar. Or 1/3 of os a sachet dried yeast.
5 tablespoons of warm water
2 eggs
2 oz butter

Glaze :

1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of water

Method

The Filling :

1) Place the chicken in a deep pan with just enough cold water to cover. Add the peppercorns, chopped carrot and parsley stalks. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for about 40 minutes or until the chicken pulls away from the bone easily. Remove from the stock and once cool enough to handle, strip the meat from the bones.

2) Wipe and roughly chop the mushrooms. Chop the chicken liver. Peel and chop the shallots.

3) Melt the butter in a frying pan, then sauté the mushrooms and chicken liver over a medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add the shallots and cook for a further minute. Set to one side to cool down.

4) Place the chicken, mushroom mixture, gammon and parsley into a food blender and chop very finely. Stir in the whisky, beaten egg, Worcestershire sauce and the salt and pepper.

The dough :

1) Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Mix the yeast, sugar and water together in a cup and leave to one side until it becomes frothy.

2) Beat the eggs, melt the butter and together with the yeast mixture, add to the flour. Mix and knead until you obtain a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and continue kneading for a further 5 minutes. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for about an hour to rise until doubled in size.

3) Brush a large baking sheet with oil. Knead the dough thoroughly then divide it into 8 equal parts.

4) Roll each piece into a thin round and place a generous amount of the mixture in the middle of each one. Pull the sides up around the filling and pinch together to seal.

5) Place the filled parcels, sealed side down onto the baking tray and cover with a damp cloth and leave to stand in a warm place for about 30 minutes until well risen and springy to the touch.

6) Mix the egg yolk and water together and brush the tops of the parcels. Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes until firm and golden. Serve hot or cold.

Ideal for a picnic or as a starter course ... alternative fillings could be salmon and spinach or a strong flavored cheese.

Goes best with a simple green salad