Two Courses for One!

We’ve been up and running for a week now so thought we would go for a whole meal!  And because I am so mean we are going to cook two courses in the oven so as not to waste energy!  You might want to invite a friend over as both of these dishes can be easily doubled up.

Chicken Thigh in a creamy leek sauce

• 1 -2 chicken thighs (depending on their size and how hungry you are) skin left on
• 2 -3 small potatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 tablespoons double cream
• 50 ml stock (cube) or white wine if you have it
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 small leek

Preheat oven to 200oC.

Put the chicken and potatoes in a roasting tin and toss with the olive oil.  Arrange the chicken skin-side up and season generously. Roast for 25 minutes until the skin is crisp and turning golden

Combine all the other ingredients in a jug with 50 mil of boiling water.

When chicken is roasted, pour the mixture into tray, turning the chicken in the liquid to coat it, returning the chicken to skin-side up

Roast for another 20 -30 minutes until chicken thoroughly cooked and the sauce is bubbling.

As everything is going to be in the oven, bake a potato alongside and some roasted tomatoes (halve and toss in olive oil with some sliced garlic (if liked) and a tiny bit of sugar, cooking for about 20 minutes until caramelized.

And to follow:  Bread and Butter Pudding

The beauty of this dish is that you can really mess around with the ingredients and use what’s to hand.  You can use fresh or stale bread, brioche or leftover pannetone from Christmas.  I also like to spread the bread with apricot jam or marmalade.  You can use whatever dried fruit you like, too – raisins, sultanas, dried apricots.

• 2 -3 slice bread depending on size
• butter – just spread the butter as you would a sandwich, putting jam or marmalade on if wanted
• 1 oz/25 grams dried fruit
• 100 mls of milk ( you can use some cream if you have any left over from the chicken sauce – or keep it to pour over at the end!)
• 1 egg
• 1oz/25 grams of sugar – I like dark brown sugar best but it’s up to what you have
• Pinch of cinnamon/nutmeg or mixed spice

Cut the buttered bread into triangles and put in an overnproof dish. Add dried fruit, interlacing the layers.

Warm the milk, add the egg and sugar and mixed spice if liked and pour over. Leave to stand for about 20 minutes. Grate some nutmeg or sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Now stand the dish in another dish of water coming up to about halfway of the pudding dish – this is a bain marie and gives a much gentler way of cooking.

Put into the oven about the same time as you put the chicken back into the oven with the sauce ie it needs to be baked for about 20 – 30 minutes. It can be on a lower shelf.

NB it may collapse at the end of cooking but will still taste delicious!