Poulet Vermouth

"We watched a nature documentary on television the other evening. A lioness captured and killed an antelope, after which the whole pride pounced on the body and fought each other to win their pound of flesh and gristle. I thought, what a good thing it is that we've organised ourselves in a slightly better way!" - Jeffrey Smart Extract from The Artist's Lunch. More

Poulet Vermouth

• serves

  4

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

1 bunch shallots

Butter

Flour

Vermouth

Fresh tarragon

Sea salt

Mixed peppercorns

Cream

Rice

Green beans

Instructions

The day before, debone a roast chicken and put pieces of meat on a plate. Use the carcass to make a chicken stock.

Roast some shallots. Once cool, peel and quarter.

Béchamel sauce

Make a roux by melting some butter in a heavy frying pan and slowly adding a little flour. Cook until the mixture becomes a biscuit crumb, and then start adding the vermouth. Slowly add the stock.

Grind fresh tarragon, sea salt, and mixed peppercorns with a stone pestle and mortar.

The chicken

Brown the chicken meat, add the tarragon with seasoning, béchamel sauce, cream and then simmer.

Serve with rice and green beans.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.