Chicken and ham terrine, pickled girolles, tarragon mayonnaise and honey mustard dressing

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Matt Weedon's stunning chicken and ham terrine recipe is paired with tangy pickled girolles and tarragon mayonnaise for a sensational starter. You can make the terrine in a traditional terrine mould if preferred, but the wonderful round shape adds a visually striking touch to this classic dish. The chef suggests a wine pairing of either a Gavi from Italy or an Albariño from Spain.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Chicken and ham terrine

Tarragon mayonnaise

Pickled girolles

Honey and mustard dressing

Salad

Method

1
Start the terrine the day before serving to allow time to set. Place the ham hock in a saucepan with the onion, carrot, bay leaves and garlic and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4–5 hours, topping up the water occasionally to keep it submerged
2
Remove the hock (reserving 100ml of the cooking liquid for later) and set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm. Pick the meat into a bowl and set aside
3
Preheat oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
4
Take the whole chicken and rub over oil and sea salt. Place in a roasting tray and roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until cooked through
  • 1 whole corn-fed chicken, ready for roasting (1kg in weight)
  • 1 dash of oil
  • sea salt
5
Leave to rest at room temperature. When cool enough to handle, strip away the skin and discard, pick the meat from the bones and place in the same bowl as the ham hock. Cover and set aside
6
Scrape the residue and any juices from the chicken roasting tray (use a little water to help loosen all the tasty bits) and place the mixture in a pan with the butter and the 100ml of ham stock. Bring to the boil
7
Soak the gelatine in iced water then squeeze out any excess moisture and dissolve it in the pan with the butter, stock and chicken juices. Set aside in a warm place
  • 3 gelatine leaves
8
Add the chopped gherkin, shallot, tarragon and gelatine mixture to the bowl with the chicken and ham hock. Mix well until everything is well-combined
  • 2 tbsp of shallots, chopped
  • 2 tbsp of tarragon, chopped
  • 2 tbsp of gherkins, chopped
9
Mix well but try not to break down the meat too much as you want to see nice chunks running through the terrine. Season the mixture with a little malt vinegar, sea salt and freshly ground pepper
10
To shape the terrine, lay a large double layer of cling film flat on a work surface. Lay slices of the ham down the middle of the cling film, so there's a 15cm gap at either side of the ham slices. In the centre of the ham slices, add a large line of the ham and chicken mixture. Roll up the mixture inside the ham and cling film, holding the ends and rolling the mixture into a tight sausage shape. Tie off the ends of additional cling film so the mixture is sealed and refrigerate to set overnight
11
To make the mayonnaise, whisk the yolks in a large bowl and slowly trickle in the oils until fully incorporated. This needs to be done very carefully so the mayonnaise doesn't split
12
Mix in the lemon juice, vinegar, seasoning and mustard. Check the seasoning, add the chopped tarragon and refrigerate until required
13
Prepare the girolles by scraping just below the gills to the bottom of the stalk with a small knife. Lightly wash in warm water to remove any dirt and grit and drain on kitchen paper
14
Heat the water with the sugar, honey, vinegar and salt and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, place the girolles in the liquid and cover with cling film to keep the heat in. Place in the fridge to pickle
  • 1 pinch of sea salt
  • 200ml of water
  • 1 pinch of caster sugar
  • 80g of runny honey
  • 150ml of malt vinegar
15
To make the honey and mustard dressing, simply whisk together all of the ingredients
16
Prepare and wash the leaves in cold water and dry in a salad spinner or with a clean tea towel
17
To serve, unwrap the set terrine and using a very sharp knife, cut into slices. Place a round of terrine on each plate
18
Drain the girolles on some kitchen paper and dot around the terrine. Glaze each terrine slice with 1/2 tsp of the pickling liquor, add a grind of black pepper and a sprinkling of sea salt flakes
19
Add spoonfuls of the tarragon mayonnaise to each plate. Mix the salad leaves with 2 tbsp of the dressing, tossing to combine
20
Gently add the salad leaves to the plate to give colour, height and texture, with a few teaspoons of the dressing drizzle around the plate. Serve immediately

Soft-spoken and faultlessly modest, chef Matt Weedon prefers to let his accomplishments in the kitchen speak for themselves.

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