B&B Luncheon, February 2006

Chicken Ballotine

Ingredients:

• 12 chicken drumsticks
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 4 small zucchini
• 60g butter
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 300ml carton cream
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 2 teaspoons seeded mustard

Method:

Prepare the drumsticks by using a small, sharp knife to scrape the meat away from the bone. Pull meat off the bone, allowing the meat to turn inside out. With meat still inside out, hold onto the white tendons and scrape the meat away until the tendons are released. Turn meat so that the skin is to the outside.

Cut carrots, celery and zucchini into thin straws about 10cm long. Take three of each and insert them into the chicken drumsticks.

Braised Beef Cheeks

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 8 (about 1.7 kg) beef cheeks (order from your butcher)
• 2 bottles red wine
• 3 cups good-quality beef stock
• 4 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 bay leaf
• 100 g speck (smoked pork from deli), cut into 3 thick slices
• 100g unsalted butter, chopped

(Start this recipe the day before serving)

Method:

Heat half the oil over high heat in a large frypan. When hot, add half the beef and brown for 2 minutes each side, then transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining oil to the pan and when hot add remaining beef and repeat.

Meanwhile, place the wine and stock in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, then stir in carrots, celery, onions, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and speck. Pour over the beef, allow to cool, then cover and marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.

Chocolate Sponge Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 1 packet sponge or tea cake mix
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (Tia Maria or Kahlua)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 250g cream cheese
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 teaspoons gelatine
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons chocolate liqueur, extra
• 300ml thickened cream
• 2 tablespoons cocoa, extra
• 2 teaspoons icing sugar
• 60g flaked almonds

Method:

Make sponge according to directions on packet but add sifted cocoa before starting to beat. When cooked turn on to a wire rack to cool. When cake is cold, cut two very thin slices (about 5mm in thickness) from base of cake. Remaining cake can be used to make additional cheesecakes or frozen for future use. Use the base of a deep, round 18cm cake tin as a guide and trim both layers of cake to this size. Line the base and sides of the18cm tin with strips of aluminium foil, bringing the foil over the sides to make the cake easier to remove. Place one layer of cake into tin and brush with half the combined Tia Maria and milk.

Have cream cheese at room temperature. Use an electric mixer to combine with sugar and egg, beating until smooth. Sprinkle gelatine over water, dissolve over hot water, add extra Tia Maria to gelatine mixture, add to cream cheese mixture, beatin cream until just combined. Pour cream cheese mixture over cake in tin. Place remaining layer of cake on top, brush with remaining Tia Maria and milk mixture and refrigerate for several hours or overnight until set. Remove from tin, place on serving plate. Dust top with combined sifted extra cocoa and icing sugar, press toasted almonds around side. Cut and serve.

To toast almonds:

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