Chicken And Leek Beggars Purses Food

SMOKED SALMON BEGGARS PURSES

Steps:

• Split leek in half lengthwise. Rinse under cold water to remove any dirt, remove the white bottom end and peel the layers apart. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the leeks to the boiling water and cook for about 20 seconds, remove and plunge into the ice water to cool. Remove leeks to a tray lined with a paper towel to dry. When dry cut each leek layer lengthwise in strips about 1/8-inch thick and reserve.
• In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another small bowl whisk together the eggs and milk until well combined. Add the milk mixture to the dry mixture, whisking to prevent lumps, being careful not to overwork. In a small saute pan melt the butter until lightly browned and mix into the batter along with the chopped chives. Let batter rest while you make the filling.
• In a medium mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients for the filling, folding salmon in last and mix until just combined.
• Melt a small amount of the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 ounces, about 1/4 cup, of the crepe batter to the hot skillet. Remove from the heat and tilt slightly to coat the entire pan evenly with batter. Return to the heat and cook until lightly browned on the bottom side, about 50 to 60 seconds. Using your fingertips or a rubber spatula, carefully turn the crepes over and cook on the second side for 10 to 15 seconds. Set the cooked crepe aside on a baking sheet to cool and repeat this process with the remaining batter. Should make 8 crepes.
• When the crepes are cool lay out on a flat surface and with a spoon place some of the smoked salmon mixture in the center dividing evenly among the crepes. Pull the crepe together to form a little purse and tie the top of the crepe with one of the blanched leek strips. Serve 1 or 2 per person.

SWEET CHEESE PHYLLO PURSES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Finely crumble the goat cheese with a fork in a medium bowl, then stir in the ricotta. Brush a 12-cup muffin pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter; set aside 1 tablespoon melted butter in a small bowl for step 3.
• Use the remaining 6 tablespoons butter for the phyllo sheets: Brush the top of a phyllo sheet all over with butter, then stack 3 more sheets on top, brushing each with butter. Cut the stack in half lengthwise, then crosswise into thirds to make 6 squares. Press each square into a muffin cup. Repeat with the remaining 4 phyllo sheets and melted butter.
• Divide the cheese mixture among the phyllo-lined muffin cups, pressing with a spoon to flatten the filling into the cups. Fold in the phyllo to cover the filling, leaving a little hole in the center to vent steam. Brush the tops of the dough with the reserved 1 tablespoon melted butter. Put the pan on the oven floor and bake until the phyllo purses are dark golden brown on the bottom, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ F; move the muffin pan to the middle oven rack and continue baking until the phyllo is golden brown and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the sugar, water, cardamom and orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, occasionally pressing on the cardamom pods with a spoon, until syrupy, about 8 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup. Stir in the orange juice.
• Remove the phyllo purses to a platter as soon as they come out of the oven. Spoon about half of the syrup on top. Let sit for a few minutes to soak in the syrup, then top with the pistachios. Drizzle with more syrup and serve warm.

BEGGARS PURSES FILLED WITH SHRIMP AND SCENTED WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Start by making the aromatic shrimp filling: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season the mix with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, bring 1-inch of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the chives in the water and blanch for 1 minute. Remove the chives and squeeze them dry in a paper towel. The chives will be all bunched up in a ball at this point, so carefully separate them and set them aside.
• To assemble your purses: take a crepe and cut it in half. Place a heaping tablespoon of the shrimp filling in the middle of each half of crepe and draw up the sides of the crepe as to make a pouch of filling resembling a purse. Carefully twist the crepe around at the top and lay it on its side, holding the crepe closed at the top. Slip a chive under the crepe and tie it around the twisted top in a knot to secure the purse. Trim away any extra crepe and length of chive. After practicing this technique a few times you will get the hang of it and they will come together nicely. These may be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 1 month.
• To make the crepe batter, combine the flour, milk, water, eggs, 2 tablespoons of butter, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until the batter is smooth. Cover and let the batter sit for 30 minutes. This is essential in creating strong crepes which will hold up to the stress of tying them into your beggars purses. Place a 7 1/2-inch nonstick crepe pan over medium heat. Brush a little of the remaining melted butter into the pan with a pastry brush. Ladle 2 tablespoons of crepe batter into the pan and swirl to coat the entire pan evenly. Cook the crepe until it is set and the bottom is golden brown. Using a heat-proof rubber spatula, flip the crepe over and cook on the second side until it is lightly browned as well. Continue making crepes with remaining batter. Set aside covered with a dish towel until you are ready to assemble your beggars purses.

CRISPY BEGGAR'S PURSE

Steps:

• If frozen, defrost the spring roll skins thoroughly. Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid. Remove and discard the stems and finely chop the caps. Soak the noodles in a large bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. When soft, drain and discard the water. Cut into 3 inch lengths.
• Put the prawns and pork in a large bowl, add salt and pepper and mix well. Then add the rest of the ingredients except for blanched green onions and frying oil, noodles and mushrooms and stir them well into the prawn and pork mixture. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it for at least 20 minutes.
• For the sauce, mix the cornstarch and water. Place all the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce, except the cornstarch mixture and chili in a pan. Bring to a boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chili flakes. Let cool and set aside.
• When you are ready to stuff the dumplings, put 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each spring roll skin. Dampen the edges with a little water and bring up the sides of the skin around the filling. Pinch the edges together at the top so the dumpling looks like a small, filled bag. Tie with a green onion. Continue, to use up all the filling.
• Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and, when it is moderately hot, add a handful of dumplings and deep-fry for 3 minutes until golden and crispy. If the oil gets too hot, turn the heat down slightly. Drain on paper towels and fry the remaining dumplings. Serve immediately with the sweet and sour sauce.

WILD MUSHROOM AND LEEK BEGGAR'S PURSES

Steps:

• Split leeks in half lengthwise, leaving root attached. Remove some of the inner layers to use for tying purses; blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water, refresh in cool water, drain, and set aside.
• Remove green tops and thinly slice leeks. Saute in 1 tablespoon of the oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Do not brown. Remove from pan to a large bowl.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to pan, turn heat to medium high, and add enough mushrooms to cover bottom of pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until just softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and add to leeks. Repeat until all mushrooms are cooked. If using a variety of mushrooms, cook each type separately.
• Return mushrooms and leeks to pan. Add thyme, salt, pepper, and Madeira or stock, and cook over high heat, stirring, until liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency. Set aside to cool.
• Unwrap phyllo pastry and unroll flat. Cover completely with damp dish towel to prevent drying out. Lay out a sheet of phyllo and brush it sparingly with melted butter. Repeat until you have three layers. Cut into 4 rectangles. Place 1/3 cup filling in the center of each and gather into a cinched-purse shape. Repeat with remaining filling. (Wrap and refreeze remaining phyllo dough.) Chill purses until firm.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place purses on a baking sheet and bake until evenly golden brown, about 15 minutes. Tie each purse with a leek ribbon and serve hot.

BEGGAR'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• Rub the chicken inside and out with salt, half of the soy sauce and half of the wine. Set aside for at least one hour.
• Meanwhile, put the mushrooms in a small mixing bowl and add warm water to cover. Let stand half an hour or until the caps are softened. Drain and squeeze to extract and discard excess moisture. Cut off and discard the tough stems. Cut the caps into thin slivers and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut the preserved vegetable into thin slivers. If it has been packed in a shredded state, shred it further. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and add the pork. Cook, stirring rapidly, until it loses its raw look. Add the mushrooms, preserved vegetable and bamboo shoots. Add the remaining soy sauce, remaining wine, salt and sugar. Cook, stirring, one minute. Set aside to cool.
• Stuff the mixture inside the chicken.
• Fold the wing tips under the chicken. Truss the chicken as neatly as possible with string.
• Lay out a large rectangle of aluminum foil on a flat surface. Place the chicken in the center. Wrap the chicken as compactly as possible inside the foil.
• Gather together a large handful of the clay. Flatten this handful to a thickness of about one inch and apply it to one outside section of the foil-wrapped chicken. Place another flattened handful of clay slightly overlapping and press to seal the two pieces together. Continue applying handfuls of clay, pressing as you work, until the chicken is completely and compactly covered with clay. Smooth the clay over as you work. You may bake the chicken at this point or you may ''sculpt'' the product with additional pieces of clay, shaping it to resemble a whole bird with beak, feet, eyes, tail feathers and so on.
• Place in the oven and bake 45 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. As the clay bakes, it may develop cracks. As these are noticed, seal the cracks by smearing on a little more clay.
• Continue baking the chicken for 30 minutes. If desired, you may then paint the clay with poster paint or watercolors.
• To serve, crack the clay, remove the chicken and peel away and discard the foil. Carve the chicken and serve with the preserved-vegetable stuffing.

BEGGARS' PURSES

Steps:

• Make crêpe batter:
• Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and set aside 2 tablespoons for cooking crêpes. Continue to cook butter remaining in skillet until it has a nutty fragrance and is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Blend brown butter with remaining crêpeingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blend brown butter with remaining crêpe ingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blanch whole chives:
• Blanch chives in a small saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Drain and plunge into an ice bath. Pat dry.
• Make crêpes:
• Lightly brush skillet with butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter. With skillet off heat, add a scant 1/4 cup batter, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets too fast, reduce heat slightly.) Cook until golden around edges, 15 to 30 seconds. Loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula, then flip crêpe over with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Make more crêpes, brushing skillet with butter and stacking crêpes on plate.
• Assemble purses:
• Top each crêpe, browned side up, with about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoon caviar. Gather crêpe around filling and tie 1 or 2 blanched chives in a knot to close purse. Trim ends of chives if necessary.