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Galantine of chicken with cold bread sauce

For this recipe you will require a whole boned chicken. If you have not attempted this particular aspect of butchery before, I suggest you consult a good cookery techniques book, but be reassured by the following: firstly, it is relatively straightforward if done slowly enough – simply ease the sharp knife around the carcass starting from the back, having first dislocated the legs; secondly, it still takes me bloody ages! Thirdly, even if your boned chicken resembles flattened, minced beef at the end of your attempt, fear not, because as long as all the bones have been removed, you can still achieve a very smart and delicious end product.

I like cold bread sauce (particularly in turkey sandwiches at Christmas). This elegant galantine is, however, well suited to any number of appropriate partnerships: mayonnaise, mustard, green leaf salad, green bean salad, leek and caper vinaigrette, dressed asparagus, watercress, pea and lettuce salad, potato mayonnaise and so on.

You will also need a long roll of kitchen foil – do not attempt this with one of the shorter rolls because you will not be able to achieve the desired level of tension.

Serves 8

1 onion, peeled and chopped

½ bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked, stalks discarded

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed to a purée

25g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease

salt and freshly ground black pepper

150g high-quality plain sausagemeat

50g chicken livers, trimmed and chopped

1 high-quality chicken, wings removed, boned with skin intact

For the bread sauce

600ml full-fat milk

2 bay leaves

a few cloves (optional)

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

25g unsalted butter

250g fresh white breadcrumbs

For the stuffing, sweat the onion with the thyme leaves and garlic in the butter for about 10 minutes until soft. When softened, season and mix thoroughly with the sausagemeat and chicken livers. This mixture needs to be well seasoned and it is a good idea to take a small spoonful to fry and taste before proceeding, adjusting the seasoning if necessary.

Roll out a large piece of kitchen foil in front of you with the main part of the roll still attached at the far end of your work surface. Grease a rectangle twice the size of the chicken generously with softened butter and season this buttered area generously with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken flat, skin-side down and sideways on, on top of the buttered area of foil. Season the flesh side of the chicken and lay the stuffing evenly along the middle. Bring the sides of the chicken together to seal in the stuffing. Form the chicken into a cylinder shape and carefully turn it over so that the join is on the foil. Use the foil, by lifting up the edge nearest you, to roll up the chicken tightly. Continue to roll the cylinder away from you. After you have completed about four to five complete turns, screw up the ends tightly like a Christmas cracker. Cut the foil from the main roll. If you are unsure that the cylinder is tight enough, repeat the process by simply putting your foiled cylinder on to a fresh piece of foil and rolling up once more. It is important that the ends are well sealed and you have achieved good tension when tightening from either end.

You can cook this in two ways. If you have a pan big enough to hold the galantine, fill it with water and bring up to about 80°C – it should be very hot to the touch but by no means boiling. Poach the galantine for 50 minutes at this constant temperature and let it cool in the water off the heat. Alternatively, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 180°C for 1 hour.

Make the bread sauce. Bring the milk to the boil with the bay leaves (and a few cloves, if you like). Take off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes or so. Sweat the onion in the butter and season. Strain and reheat the milk. Add the breadcrumbs and the onion and leave to cool, whisking occasionally to avoid an overly lumpy texture.

When the galantine has cooled, place in the fridge and it will continue to firm up pleasingly and improve overnight. To serve, unroll the cylinder, taking care to keep all the lovely jelly that will have formed around the chicken. Slice thickly (you may find this easier by re-rolling the whole thing tightly in clingfilm) and serve with the cold (room temperature) bread sauce and some cornichons, if you like. Have faith; all the effort will have been worth it.