Ingredients
1 organic free-range chicken, about 1.5kg/3lb
6 sorrel leaves, finely chopped (or substitute with one small bunch of tarragon, finely chopped)
125g/4½oz unsalted butter
1 unwaxed lemon, quartered
2 bay leaves
1 bulb garlic
1 bunch thyme
white pepper and coarse sea salt
For the risotto
knob of butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
125g/4½oz carnaroli rice
75ml/2½fl oz white wine (such as Pinot Grigio)
1 litre chicken stock, lightly simmering
40g/1½oz unsalted butter
125g/4½oz mixed wild mushrooms (such as ceps, girolles, oysters, black trompettes, shiitakes, chanterelles or morels)
50g/1¾oz dried mixed wild mushrooms, soaked in water until re-hydrated
50g/1¾oz Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
½ bunch chives, chopped
drizzle white truffle oil
For the leek cream
knob of butter
2 leeks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100ml/3½fl oz double cream
splash lemon juice, to taste
For the greens
1 cavollo nero
ice
For the white truffle emulsion
1 organic free-range egg yolk
1 tsp apple balsamic vinegar (substitute with normal balsamic if necessary)
1 tsp sherry vinegar
50ml/1¾fl oz extra virgin olive oil
50ml/1¾fl oz grapeseed oil
20ml/¾fl oz truffle oil
For the chicken gravy
50ml/1¾fl oz calvados
remaining chicken stock from the risotto
1 tbsp apple balsamic vinegar (substitute with normal balsamic if necessary)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Using a sharp knife, remove the wishbone, wings and legs from the chicken and pull away the skin from the crown - you can use these for another recipe if necessary.
3. Combine the butter and sorrel in a small bowl.
4. Rub the sorrel butter all over the chicken and under the skin.
5. Place the lemon quarters, bay leaves, garlic and thyme inside the cavity of the chicken. Season with white pepper and coarse sea salt.
6. Place the chicken in a roasting tin and roast the chicken in the oven for about 40 minutes - you will know the meat is cooked when, after piercing the meat with a skewer, the juices run clear. Every ten minutes or so during cooking, spoon the juices back over the bird to keep it moist.
7. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn the bird upside down to allow the juices to run into the breast meat. Wrap in aluminium foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes in a warm place, reserving the pan juices to use for gravy.
8. For the risotto, heat the butter and olive oil in a frying pan and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until softened, but not coloured. Add the rice and cook until glossy, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.
9. Add the wine and cook until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
10. Add a ladle at a time of chicken stock and the soaking liquor from the mushrooms. Stir the rice from time to time.
11. Cook until the rice is not chalky to the bite, but still holds its shape (about 14 minutes) - use as much of the stock as necessary to cook the risotto, reserving the rest for the gravy.
12. Fry the fresh and soaked dried mushrooms in a frying pan with a knob of butter. Fold the fried mushrooms into the risotto along with the Parmigiano Reggiano, chives and a drizzle of truffle oil to taste. Keep warm.
13. For the leek cream, clean the leeks and finely chop them. Sweat over a low heat in a little butter in a frying pan for 20-30 minutes.
14. Season the leeks to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add the cream and simmer down for a few minutes longer.
15. Purée the leeks in a food processor, adding a touch of lemon juice to taste. Keep warm.
16. Blanche the cavollo nero in a pan of boiling salted water for a few minutes then transfer to a bowl of iced water to stop it cooking any further.
17. Drain well when completely cool. When you are ready to serve, blanch the cavollo nero in a fresh pan of boiling salted water and drain well.
18. For the white truffle emulsion, in a clean bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and vinegars. Gradually add the oils, a little at a time, to make a thick emulsion. Add white truffle oil to taste.
19. To make the gravy, use a spoon to skim off two-thirds of the fat from the roasting tin which you used to cook the chicken. Over a medium flame, deglaze the roasting pan by pouring in the calvados and cooking to reduce by half, stirring all the time to release the meaty sediment from the base of the tin.
20. Add the remaining stock and stir well. Sieve the sauce from the tin into a clean pan and cook over a medium heat until the sauce has reduced by half (to a glossy consistency).
21. Carve the chicken breast on a slant. Serve a spoonful of risotto and cavollo nero on each plate. Add a spoonful of the leek cream. Drizzle with chicken gravy and the white truffle emulsion and serve at once.
