Scott Goss' chicken with bacon jam, Madeira and mushrooms

Serves 4 (Start 1 day before serving) Starters and mains

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Method

The day before, start making the purée. Put the peeled garlic cloves in a pan of water, cover and bring to the boil. Once boiling, drain the cloves and refresh in iced water. Repeat this process twice more (this removes their bitterness and astringency). Place the tripleblanched cloves in a bowl and pour over the port and red wine. Add the bay leaf and leave in the fridge overnight to marinate.

The next day, prepare the gravy. Add a dash of rapeseed oil to a large pan over a medium heat and sweat down the shallots, garlic, mushrooms and thyme until soft. Add the Madeira and turn the heat up to high. Simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated, then add half the chicken stock. Simmer until reduced by half.

While the gravy reduces, prepare the bacon jam. Fry the bacon in a little rapeseed oil for 5 minutes, then set aside. In the same pan, add the shallots and fry in the rendered bacon fat until soft and transparent.

Return the bacon to the pan with the brown sugar and stir, cooking until it has dissolved into the fat. Pour over the brandy, coffee and vinegar and leave to simmer until the mixture becomes glossy and sticky with the consistency of jam. Set aside and reheat before serving.

Once the gravy has reduced by half, add the remaining chicken stock and leave to
reduce by half once more.

To make the purée, transfer the garlic cloves and liquid to a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and reduce by two-thirds, then strain the garlic (reserving the liquid) and transfer to a blender, discarding the bay leaf. Blitz until very smooth and glossy, adding a little of the reserved liquid, if needed. Keep warm or set aside and reheat before serving.

When the gravy has reduced to your desired consistency, pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Taste for seasoning and keep warm.

Add a dash of oil and a generous amount of butter to a frying pan over a medium-high heat and once foaming, add the chicken breasts skin-side down and cook for 5 minutes, basting continuously. Add the thyme, flip the breasts and cook for another 8-10 minutes, continuing to baste, until fully cooked. Season and leave to rest for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, gently reheat the bacon jam and red wine purée.

Peel and cut the turnips into small wedges, then blanch for a few minutes in boiling salted water. Drain, then add a dash of rapeseed oil to a pan and quickly sear the baby turnips until lightly coloured. Dust the sliced raw mushrooms with the blitzed dried porcini.

Transfer the reheated purée to a squeezy bottle.

To serve, place a chicken breast on each plate. Add a dollop of bacon jam alongside, then place some turnip halves around it. Top with slices of raw mushroom and shallot, then pipe dots of the red wine purée around the dish. Finish with the Madeira gravy.

This recipe featured in the March/April 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.