I love it because most of the prep can be done in advance and carving the galantine is a snap. So easy and so festive. You can serve the galantine with cranberry sauce if you like.

Galantine of Chicken

This recipe sounds complicated and it is certainly not for the faint of heart. However, the final results are sensational and look very impressive. While complicated to make, the final cooking and carving are very simple.

2 large whole chicken breasts, keel bone removed, skin attached, trimmed of any excess fat
Salt and pepper

Place the 2 breasts on 1 large piece of plastic wrap and then cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Use a mallet and very gently pound out the flesh of the chicken so that it is as even as possible. Season both sides of the chicken well with the salt and pepper and set aside, refrigerated.

6 large chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into small pieces
6 button mushrooms, washed, trimmed and cut into small pieces
¼ small onion, roughly chopped
2 slices bacon, chopped
Salt and pepper as required

Place the above in the bowl of a food processor and process until almost smooth. Do not make it too smooth as there should be some texture in the finished product. This mixture is called forcemeat and is a classic in French cuisine. Once the mixture is smooth, toss in ¼ cup pistachios that have been lightly toasted and then coarsely chopped.

½ large red pepper, sliced into julienne slices
1 tsp oil
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a pan and add the red peppers. Season and sauté just until they are starting to brown on the edges. Remove from the heat and cool.

100 gm spinach leaves

If you are using fresh spinach, blanch the leaves in hot water for 10 seconds, remove and place on paper towels to dry. If you are using frozen spinach, sauté the spinach just until the moisture has cooked out. Cool well.

150 gm prosciutto, thinly sliced

To assemble, place the chicken, skin side down on a sheet of plastic wrap. Place the breast so that the tapered part of one breast fits into the back end of the other breast. Spread the spinach evenly over the surface of the flesh of the chicken, flattening so you have an even layer. Spread the prosciutto slices evenly over the spinach. Spread a thin layer of the forcemeat over the surface of the prosciutto and then place a row of the red peppers in the middle of the chicken.

Using the plastic wrap, bring the edges of the chicken in over the filling, pressing in to be sure that all of the filling is inside the chicken.

Roll as tightly as possible and be sure there are no air bubbles inside the chicken. Use a needle and thread and sew the chicken up, pressing the stuffing into place as you work. Don’t worry if you don’t have a kitchen needle – just use a regular needle and white thread. You can also tie the roll up but then you will end up with white lines where the string was instead of even browning which is why I prefer to sew the bird up instead.

When you are ready to cook the chicken place in a roasting pan, cover and place in a 400°F oven. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to roast until the chicken and the filling has reached in internal temperature of 165°F, approximately 20 minutes more. Baste the chicken frequently during the roasting.

Once the chicken is cooked through, let it rest for 10 minutes.

½ cup chicken stock
½ cup white wine

Deglaze the pan with the white wine and the chicken stock. Reduce to ¼ and serve the sauce beside the chicken.

Duchesse Potatoes

3 large starchy potatoes – Russets work well
Water to cover
1 tsp salt

Peel the potatoes and cut into small even sized pieces. Add the salt and the water and cook over high heat just until the water comes to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer just until the potatoes are tender. Drain well and return the potatoes to the heat just to dry them out a bit.

Mash the potatoes either with a ricer or a masher but you want the mash to be very smooth.

1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 whole egg

Add the above to the potatoes and mix well. While the potatoes are still hot, place them into a piping bag and pipe rosettes of potatoes onto a baking sheet. This can be done up to this point and then the potatoes heated when you are ready for them.

To heat the potatoes, melt butter and brush the rosettes of potatoes with the melted butter and place in a preheated 400°F oven. Bake just until the potatoes are golden brown and heated through approximately 15 minutes.

Steamed Brussels sprouts with bacon and onions

Trim 1 lb Brussels sprouts and cut each one in half lengthwise. Steam just until tender crisp, approximately 8 – 12 minutes.

Sauté 4 strips of bacon cut into ¼” strips. Cook just until the bacon is starting to render out. Add ¼ cup finely chopped onions to the pan and continue to cook until the bacon is crisp and the onions are just starting to turn brown. Add the cooked Brussels sprouts and sauté until the sprouts are just starting to brown on their cut sides.

Roast sweet potatoes

I must confess I get confused over sweet potatoes and yams. While I like the whiter variety of sweet potatoes or yams, I love the sweet rich flavour and colour of the orange ones. So great in this recipe and adds such wonderful colour to your festive table. However if you like you can use a combination of sweet potatoes.

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into ¾: dice
1 tablespoon butter, melted
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Toss the sweet potatoes with the remaining ingredients and place on a baking sheet. Roast uncovered in a preheated 400°F oven just until the potatoes are fork tender and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Triple Citrus pudding cake

I love this dessert. It is so cool. It goes into the oven as one batter and comes up as 2 distinct layer. One a light and airy cake and on the bottom a luscious pudding. So quick and easy to make and very good.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 4 large ramekins – they will need to hold over 6 fl oz of batter. Set the prepared ramekins inside a pan just large enough to hold them.

⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup flour

Stir together the flour and sugar in a small mixing bowl.

3 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup milk
Juice and zest of 1 small orange, 1 lemon and 1 lime (you will have about ½ cup juice in total)

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and melted butter. Whisk in the milk, zest and juices. While whisking, add the flour/sugar mixture to the liquids and whisk until smooth.

Beat the egg whites with ½ tsp salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter being as careful as you can to get all of the egg white incorporated without deflating them too much.

Pour the batter into the prepared casserole dish and place them in the roasting pan. Add just enough of the hot water to halfway up the outside of the ramekins. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream.

Cathie Hamilton
Certified Culinary Scientist
E-mail Cathie Hamilton

See all articles by Cathie Hamilton