(Serves 4-5)
Ingredients 1 small chicken 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 stalks of celery, chopped 10 black peppercorns 1 bay leaf 1 sprig thyme, rosemary For the sauce 30g butter 30g flour
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bottle cider 250g chicken stock 50g double cream 50g Parmesan cheese for the mushrooms 1 tbsp olive oil 150g mushrooms, chestnut or girolles, cleaned 1 sprig thyme, de-stalked 2 cloves garlic, finely chop 1 packet of butter puff pastry 1 egg, whisked for wash Method Start by cooking the chicken - place in a stock pot and cover with water; add in the onion, the carrot, the celery, peppercorns and herbs. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and cook on a medium heat for 45 minutes.
Remove chicken from the stockpot, keeping the stock on the heat. Reduce the liquid on the heat by half and keep it to add to your sauce.
In a separate pot, melt the butter and mix in the flour to make a roux. Cook the flour for one minute and then whisk in the cider and reduce by half. Add in the chicken-stock liquid and cook out on a high heat until thick. Once the sauce is thick, add in the cream and the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
With the cooled chicken, remove the meat from the bones and shred; add to the cream sauce and mix thoroughly.
Next, cook off the mushrooms for about a minute. It is always best to clean your mushrooms before cooking - in the restaurant we keep a selection of new soft paint brushes to dust them with. Melt the butter in a pan; add in the herbs and garlic and season. Once soft and browned, add this to the chicken mix.
Pre heat your oven to 190C. Place a sheet of grease-proof paper on a baking tray and place the rolled-out puff pastry on top, cover with cling film and place in fridge to rest. Doing this ensures that the pastry does not shrink.
Cut out a circle, using a main-course plate as your base guide; with the second circle, you want this to be an inch larger as this will ensure that the pithivier will be sealed properly.
Place the chicken mix on the smaller circle; brush the disc edge with the egg wash and place the large circle on top. Press down on the pastry to ensure any air is removed. If you have a pastry wheel, scallop the edg; if not, using a fork, seal the circle edges.
Brush all the pastry with the egg wash and place in oven for 45 minutes to cook.
Serve with mashed potatoes.