Chicken, ham and leek pie

  • medium
  • 6
  • 3 hours 45 minutes
Not yet rated

As is to be expected from a Heston Blumenthal restaurant, this chicken, ham and leek pie from The Hind's Head is a work of perfection. Each element of the filling is lovingly prepared with an incredible attention to detail – using the rendered fat from reserved chicken thigh skins to cook the leeks is a particular detail that will set the hearts of foodies fluttering.

First published in 2018

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pie sauce

Chicken

Ham

Leeks

  • 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil
  • chicken skin, (reserved from the thighs)
  • 300g of leek, (white part only) sliced

Beurre noisette

Filling

To assemble the pies

Equipment

  • Muslin cloth
  • Fine sieve
  • 85mm round pastry cutter
  • 120mm round pastry cutter

Method

1
Begin the night before by making an infusion which will be used in the sauce. Place the port, wine, shallots, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves into a bowl and place in the fridge, covered overnight
2
To brine the chicken, bring 1l of water to the boil and add the salt, whisking until all the salt has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and add the garlic, rosemary, sage, black peppercorns and coriander seeds. Allow to stand until the brine has cooled completely. Strain the brine, discarding the aromatics and pour into a large bowl. Add the chicken thighs, cover and place in the fridge for 5 hours
3
To prepare the ham hock, place the joint in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then drain and refill the pan with enough fresh water to cover the ham. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, leek, celery, bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns to the pan and bring to a simmer over a low-medium heat for 3 hours, covered
4
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the ham hock to cool in the stock. Strain and reserve the stock through a double layer of muslin, discarding the vegetables, herbs and spices. Reserve 250g of the stock for use in this recipe and keep the remainder aside for another use. Shred the ham hock, place in a container, cover and set aside in the fridge until needed
5
Once brined, remove the chicken thighs, discarding the brine, and rinse under cold running water for 5 minutes. Pat dry with kitchen paper. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 85°C
6
Place the chicken pieces in an ovenproof pan and pour over the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat on the stove top, cover and place in the oven for 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to cool in the stock before removing and dicing
  • 500ml of fresh chicken stock
7
To cook the leeks, heat the grapeseed oil in a pan and add the chicken skins reserved from trimming the chicken thighs earlier. Cook over moderate heat until the fat renders, which should take about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the skins and add the leeks, cooking until completely softened. Remove from the heat and allow the leeks to cool in the pan
  • 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil
  • chicken skin, (reserved from the thighs)
  • 300g of leek, (white part only) sliced
8
Next, make the pie sauce. Remove the infusion from the fridge and place in a pan over moderate heat. Reduce the mixture by half. Add the reduced chicken stock and reduce by half, then add the double cream and reduce again by half. Pass the mixture though a fine sieve, discarding the aromatics. Add the chervil and allow to stand for 20 minutes
  • 400g of double cream
  • 1 handful of chervil
  • 1.5l fresh chicken stock, reduced to 750ml
9
Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Set aside 500g of this sauce and stir through the wholegrain mustard
10
Make a beurre noisette by melting the butter in a pan over low heat. Once completely melted, increase the heat to medium and cook the butter until browned and nutty. Remove from the heat and once cooled to room temperature, pass through a double layer of muslin. Add the garlic and herbs and leave to infuse for 1 hour, then pass through another double layer of muslin. Set aside in the fridge until needed
11
To finish the filling, melt 70g of the beurre noisette in a pan and whisk in the flour, cooking for 10–15 minutes, stirring continuously. Pour in the reserved 250g of ham hock stock and continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened. Add the double cream and continue to whisk, removing the pan from the heat after 9–10 minutes. Set aside
  • 70g of plain flour
  • 70g of double cream
12
Finely chop the tarragon, chervil and parsley and combine with the shredded ham, diced chicken, leeks and 90g of the pie sauce. Mix until well combined. Taste and season with white pepper
13
Roll out the puff pastry 4mm thick and cut out 6 circles 85mm in diameter, and a second batch of 6, 120mm in diameter
14
Place the smaller pastry discs on a greased and floured baking tray and spoon approx. 150g of filling into the centre. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash and cover the filling with the larger discs, pressing the edges with a fork to seal the pies closed
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
15
Rest for 30 minutes in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 210°C/gas mark 7
16
Brush the tops with egg wash and bake in the oven for 14–15 minutes until golden brown
17
Serve the pies with the remaining pie sauce

After training under chefs such as Paul Kitching and Adam Simmonds, Pete Gray now leads the kitchen at Heston Blumenthal’s The Hind’s Head, creating British pub classics with incredible technical precision.

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