Chicken Medallions with Mushroom Thyme Sauce & Coconut Mousse

Main: Chicken medallions with mushroom thyme sauce
From the Womens Weekly Dinner Party Cookbook (No.3) Pg. 64

Dessert: Coconut mousse with golden fruit salad
From the Womens Weekly Dinner Party Cookbook (no.3) Pg. 66

Hello everyone!

I hope you enjoyed trying last week’s menu and sharing it with family and friends.

This week I am back with the good old Womens Weekly Dinner Party Cookbooks. However, it has been brought to my attention that whilst I find these no fail, straight forward recipes, there are a number of people who have had some difficulty with the “assumed knowledge” so I am going to try to cover any areas where I think more explanation is necessary. I really want this blog to be easy and a non-intimidating journey through some yummy food sharing moments.

Now, the chicken was a great one for the family this week because the breasts were on special at Woolies. I like to pick small ones otherwise they are too leathery because if they’re very large, you can bet they’ve come from some old boiler. I will mention here though that you need breasts that still have the tenderloin attached. A lot of this can be prepared beforehand and just finished off in the oven so that’s another bonus. I minced the tenderloins and once I had fried up the shallots, garlic, bacon, mushrooms and pepper (the smell was to die for) I stuffed the fillets as instructed, browned them and then placed them in the fridge for baking later. Yes, I was concerned that this would make them dry but it didn’t. The gang told me that they tasted a lot like a pizza!

In the book it suggested serving these with a Buttery Wine Risotto and I did. Wow! This went so well with the chicken that I will definitely be doing it again. This can be prepared whilst the chicken is in the oven because you already have the sauce for the chicken prepared so you have the time to stand and stir the risotto. In the recipe it tells you to add stock slowly but it doesn’t tell you to heat the stock first and I think that is essential for a good risotto so please give the stock a zap in the microwave for a minute or two. I then just microwaved beans and zucchini which was simple and went really well with everything. The MAV left his risotto which was pounced on by others at the table. I mean who doesn’t like rice – I ask you!!!!???? Only the MAV.

This last week I have minded my little grandsons and I was very tired so this recipe was great for me as the prep was not all last minute. This is also a wonderful recipe for you young ones to make on your stay at home Saturday night. You will impress your friends with it for sure because it looks so good – as if you have spent hours in the kitchen. What did it get?……….10/10

The dessert was another story in terms of ease but I think I have simplified it for you. Firstly it was great being able to make the little mousse the day before, however, please be sure to use simple and evenly shaped containers and oil them well. Mine did not turn out nicely onto the plate. Two ingredients you may not happen to have in the cupboard are coconut essence and Malibu (alcohol). I don’t feel you could substitute anything for the essence but with the Malibu you could probably use another type of suitable liquor, you just won’t get the full coconut flavour. The meringue circles resembled dog turds (please see picture) and trying to turn the mousse out onto them turned into a big mess on my first one. SO – I had a brain wave and broke up the remaining meringue and served it scattered around the mousse along with the little fruit salad pieces. Topped with toasted coconut it was very light and summery – or springy – or anytimey really. And here comes the BUT – for each mousse I was suppose to make a little chocolate palm tree – oh puleaaaase! No way I am going to fiddle with that but there may be some of you out there who want to try it and I would love to know how easy they are to do. These received an average score of 7.5/10.

Okay so I am already working on what to cook for next week. What recipes have you tried so far from this blog? I would love to know, why not shoot me an email at [email protected].

Remember when next you have family or friends around for a meal – “Laughter is brightest in the place where food is” (old Irish proverb)

From my table to yours with love…

Chicken Medallions with Mushroom Rhyme Sauce

This recipe is for two so you will need to increase quantities as desired

The Chicken Breasts

2 Chicken Breast Fillets
20 g butter
4 green shallots (chopped)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 rasher bacon (chopped)
1 lge flat mushroom (chopped)
½ medium red pepper (finely chopped)
1 tbs flat-leafed parsley (finely chopped)
½ tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
½ tsp chicken stock powder
plain flour
oil

Mushroom Thyme Sauce

2 tsp oil
½ tsp chicken stock powder
½ C dry white wine
½ C cream
1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
¼ tsp cornflour
1 tsp water

Chicken

Carefully remove tenderloin form chicken breasts. Remove white sinew from tenderloins, process tenderloins until finely minced, transfer to a bowl.
Heath butter in pan, add shallots and garlic, cook stirring, until shallots are soft. Add bacon, mushroom and pepper, cook, stirring, until bacon is lightly browned and mushroom is soft; cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons of shallot mixture for sauce. Add remaining shallot mixture, parsley, thyme and stock powder to minced chicken; mix well.
Cut a pocket in 1 side of each chicken great, taking care not to cut right though. Carefully push mince mixture into pockets; secure openings with tooth picks. Ross chicken in flour, shake away excess. Heat oil in pan, and add chicken, cook until browned. Transfer chicken to baking dish, sprinkle with extra oil.
Just before serving, bake chicken, uncovered, in moderately hot oven about 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. Serve chicken sliced with mushroom thyme sauce.

Mushroom Thyme Sauce

Heat oil in pan, add reserved shallot mixture, cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add stock powder and wine, simmer, uncovered, until mixture is reduced by half. Just before serving, stir in cream, thyme and blended cornflour and water stir over heat until sauce boils and thickens slightly

Buttery Wine Risotto

20 g butter
½ med onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
¾ C arborio rice
pinch tumeric
2 tbsp dry white wine
2 C chicken stock (Stock should be hot)
20 g butter extra
2 tbsp parmesan cheese (grated)

Heat butter in pan, add onion and garlic, cook, stirring, until onion is soft. Add rice and tumeric, stir until rice is well coated. Add wine and 1/4 cup of stock. Simmer, stirring, until liquid is absorbed. Add remaining stock in about 4 batches, stirring until liquid is absorbed before adding more stock. Total cooking time should be about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Just before serving, stir in extra butter and cheese.

Coconut Mousses with Golden Fruit Salad

This recipe can be easy or hard work depending on what you want to do. I made it the easy way.

The Mousses

2 tsp gelatine
1 tbsp water
2 egg yolks
⅓ C castor sugar
½ C coconut cream
1 tbsp Malibu
½ C thickened cream
¼ tsp coconut essence
2 tbsp shredded coconut (toasted)

Meringues

1 egg white
¼ C castor sugar

Golden Fruit Salad

½ medium mango
1 medium kiwi fruit
½ small rockmelon
2 tbs passionfruit pulp

The Mousses

Lightly oil two moulds (2/3 capacity). Sprinkle gelatine over water in cup, stand in pan of simmering water, stir until dissolved; cool slightly. Beat egg yolks and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy, stir in coconut cream, liqueur and gelatine mixture.
Beat thickened cream and essence in small bowl until soft peaks form, fold into coconut cream mixture. Pour into prepared moulds, refrigerate until set. Turn mousses onto meringues, refrigerate 2 hours.
Just before serving, top mousses with coconut and serve with golden fruit salad.

Meringues

Grease an oven tray, cover with baking paper. Trace around base of coconut mousse moulds to give 2 circles on paper.
Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form, gradually add sugar, beat until dissolved between additions. Spoon meringue mixture into piping bag fitted with 1cm plain tube, pipe mixture over circles marked on paper. Bake meringues in very slow oven for about 1 hour or until firm to touch. Turn oven off, cool meringues in oven with door ajar. When meringues are cold, carefully remove from trays.

Golden Fruit Salad

Cut all fruit into small cubes, combine in a bowl.

Chicken Medallions with Mushroom Thyme Sauce & Coconut Mousse