Читать книгу Fortnum & Mason: Christmas & Other Winter Feasts - Tom Bowles Parker - Страница 33

· 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

· 1 carrot, roughly chopped

· 1 shallot, roughly chopped

· 2 garlic cloves, chopped

· 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped

· 100g button mushrooms

· 2 medium egg whites

Pick the leftover meat from the grouse carcasses and set aside. Break up the carcasses, then put them into a large saucepan with the chicken stock and leave over a low heat to infuse. Meanwhile, put the chicken wings into a roasting tin and place them in an oven heated to 190°C/Gas Mark 5. Roast for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and pour in the brandy, stirring and scraping the base of the tin with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add the chicken wings and pan juices to the stock, together with the star anise, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1 hour, then strain into a clean pan and leave to cool a little. Discard the wings and herbs.

For the broth, blitz the chicken thighs in a food processor. Remove from the processor to a plate, then blitz the carrot, shallot, garlic, celery and mushrooms. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. In a bowl, mix the chicken with the blitzed vegetables and fold in the egg whites. Add this mixture to the stock and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring very gently from time to time so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Once the solids reach the top of the pan and form a crust, poke a small hole in the centre. Now leave the stock to simmer gently, undisturbed, for 45 minutes. Strain through a double layer of muslin, discarding the crust. Taste and check the seasoning.

Transfer a little of this consommé to a clean pan and simmer the pearl barley in it for about 25 minutes, until tender. Cook the diced carrot and celery in a little of the consommé in a separate pan. When they are tender, mix with the pearl barley and add the parsley.

To serve, divide the pearl barley mixture between 4 soup plates. Scatter the reserved grouse meat on top and pour the hot consommé over.