Cooking with Paula McIntyre

Breton Chicken
8 chicken thighs, skin on bones removed ( see below for chicken stock recipe)
1 tablespoon oil
25g butter
1large leek, split, washed and chopped
200ml dry local cider
1 bay leaf
200ml chicken stock
75ml double cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Handful chopped parsley
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Season the chicken with salt and add skin side down in the pan and cook until the skin is crisp and golden. Flip over and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the butter to the pan and add the leeks. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cider and bay leaf. Boil to reduce by half. Add the stock and boil for 5 minutes. Return the chicken thighs to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cream, mustard and parsley and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes then check seasoning, remove bay leaf and serve.
Chicken Stock
Bones from chicken thighs
1 tablespoon oil
1 stick celery, chopped roughly
1 onion, chopped
½ carrot chopped
1 bay leaf
4 peppercorns crushed
Few sprigs thyme
Heat the oil in a saucepan until hot and add the bones. Cook until well coloured. Add the celery, onion and carrot, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Add the bay, peppercorns and thyme and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer for about 2 hours, make sure liquid is topped up. Strain and use what you need. The rest can be frozen.

500g shin of beef
2 tablespoons oil
2 large carrots peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 sticks celery chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato puree
750ml beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic
350g pasta - I used pacheri
75g grated parmesan or hard cheese
Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a casserole until smoking hot. Season the beef with salt and sear on both sides for a couple of minutes. Remove from pan and add the onion, celery and carrots and the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cook for 5 minutes to colour then add the tomato puree and stir well. Cook for a minute and add the stock, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil and return beef to pan. Cover and bake in a 140oc oven for about 2 hours or until fork tender.
Cook the pasta according to the pack. Remove carrots and add 150ml of liquor and blend well. Take the remaining liquor and boil to reduce by half. Blend and check seasoning. Shred the beef and add to the meat liquor. Drain the pasta and add to the meat with the carrot puree, stir well and add a bit of cooking water to loosen if needed.
Mix in half the cheese and spoon into bowls. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and serve.
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Paula shows John how to make chocolate peppermint traybakes.

Coconut cheesecake cream
250g cream cheese
250g mascarpone
50g castor sugar
250ml double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g desiccated coconut
25g icing sugar
Take 125g of the cream and add the vanilla and sugar. Bring to a simmer until sugar has dissolve and add the coconut. Turn off the heat and cool for 30 minutes. Whisk the cream cheese, mascarpone, remaining cream together and add the coconut cream mixture and icing sugar.
Orange Crumble
100g plain flour
80g soft butter
100g castor sugar
Zest 1 orange.
Rub the flour and butter to coarse crumb texture. Add the sugar and orange zest
Spread over a tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes at 180oc or until golden and crisp. Cool and break up into a crumble.
Poached Rhubarb
4 stalks rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
500ml local apple juice
250ml water
50g castor sugar
2 tablespoons grenadine
Place the water and sugar in a large saucepan and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Add the apple juice and bring to a simmer. Add the grenadine and gin and then the rhubarb. Cover the surface with parchment paper and lower the heat to as little as possible. Cook for about 3 minutes then turn off and allow the rhubarb to cool in the liquor. Store in the fridge and use as necessary. The juice can be added to sparkling water, wine or gin and tonic.
Spoon the coconut cream into bowls, make a well in the centre, spoon in some rhubarb and scatter over the crumble.

1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
60g soft butter
60g castor sugar
1 egg
50g ground almonds
15g plain flour
15g cocoa powder
1 egg yolk
10g melted butter
1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
175g cherries, stone removed
Place the pastry on a lightly greased baking tray.
Beat the castor sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the almonds, cocoa and flour to a smooth paste.
Score a border of 1cm thick around the pastry, prick the middle with a fork and brush all over with the egg yolk. Spread the frangipane into the centre rectangle within the border. Press the cherry halves into the frangipane. Brush all over with the melted butter and sprinkle the Demerara sugar over evenly. Bake in a 180oc preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until frangipane is cooked through. Brush with the maple syrup and cool slightly before serving.