Chicken And Leek Beggars Purses Recipes

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.

CHICKEN BIRIYANI BEGGARS POUCHES

Steps:

• Mix the cayenne powder, coriander powder and tumeric powder, set aside
• In a clean food processor grind the medium onion, garlic and ginger to a paste
• Dry the chicken well and chop finely, but do not grind ( a couple of pulses in the food processor will do fine
• Heat the oil or ghee in a pan and fry the onion slices to golden and set aside
• Do the same to the cashew nuts and raisins and set aside
• Add the ground paste and dry spice mix to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the chopped chicken
• Cook the chicken in the spice paste for a few minutes, turning it over a few times with a spoon, until it is no longer pink
• Add the green chilies, garam masala, whole cardamom, yoghurt, coriander leaves and salt to taste
• Let the chicken simmer in the sauce until the chicken is cooked and the sauce thickens
• Remove from heat and let cool
• Cut the phyllo sheets in half, so you have 32 squares
• cover the phyllo with plastic wrap and a damp towel while working so it does not dry out
• Place one sheet of phyllo on your work surface
• Brush with a little melted butter, especially the edges
• Place a second sheet on top in the opposite direction to make a cross, brushing this sheet with melted butter as well
• Place two more sheets in the same manner (criss crossing and brushing with butter) on top of the previous sheets of phyllo (you will have 4 layers, criss crossing each other
• Divide chicken mixture into 8 and place 1/8th of mixture into center of one of the layers of phyllo
• Sprinkle 1/8th of the cashews and raisins on top
• Loosen the sheets of phyllo with a flat metal spatula or knife and using your fingers, carefully lift and gather the phyllo (as if making a pouch) encasing the chicken in a bundle with a loose flowing frilly top
• Pinch the gather together and hold for 5 seconds
• This will hold the package closed
• Place each purse on a lightly greased baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken and phyllo
• Refrigerate until ready to bake (this can be made in advance up to this point)
• When placing the chicken on the sheet pans, leave enough space between the bundles to that they will become crispy on the sides when baked
• Preheat oven to 375*F
• Place the pans with the beggars purses on them into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, until nicely crispy (do not overcook)
• To serve place one beggars purse on a warm plate, with a dollop of creme fraiche on the side, sprinkling the chopped coriander on for a garnish
• If you wanted, two of these purses could be served as a main course along with a spicy basamati pilaf

BEG FOR MORE DIVINE POTATO PURSES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Clean the potatoes under cold running water. Prick them with a fork, and place on a baking dish and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife slides through nice and clean without any resistance. Remove skins, they should just slip right off. Put the potatoes through a food mill.
• Put potatoes in a bowl and add egg yolks, flour, cinnamon, and salt and mix until combined. Be careful not to over-work the dough. Pinch off tablespoons of dough and roll into balls.
• Preheat a fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with oil to 350 degrees F.
• Take 1 sheet of phyllo dough and cut into 3-inch circles. Brush with butter and place a ball of sweet potato dough in the center and pinch into a purse at the top. Continue to do this using more phyllo and you have used all of the potato dough.
• Place into hot oil to deep fry to a golden brown color. Place in a bowl of caramel sauce and dust with powdered sugar.
• Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until melted. Turn up the heat to medium-high and cook until caramel colored. Take off the heat and add butter and cream. Be careful, caramel may splatter. Set aside to cool.

DUCK-FILLED BEGGAR'S PURSES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Roast the duck: Score fatty skin on duck breasts and place on roasting pan, fat side up.
• Roast in preheated oven 30 minutes.
• When cool, discard the skin, bones and fat. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Make the filling: Chop the meat finely. In a large bowl, combine chopped duck with cranberries, raisins, rosemary, salt and pepper.
• Prepare the chives: Blanch chives for 3 minutes in boiling water.
• Drain and plunge into ice water.
• Drain and let dry.
• Assembly: Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a clean surface.
• Cover remaining dough with damp dish towel. Brush dough with butter, then top with another sheet of phyllo.
• Brush with butter and repeat until you have four layers.
• Cut the phyllo into six squares.
• Place tablespoon of filling in center of each square.
• Pull corners to the center, pinching dough in center to close over filling.
• Tie each bundle with a single chive.
• Snip dough one inch above the chive ribbon so all tops are even.
• Bake the purses: Place the purses on baking sheets and bake in 350-degree
• oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

PUFF PASTRY CHICKEN AND LEEK CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Place chicken thighs, leek, carrots, celery, peas, parsley, garlic, shallot, tarragon, salt, basil, pepper, and bay leaves into a large pan. Pour in milk and stir to blend ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Strain off milk and set aside in a bowl. Separate chicken and vegetables into two bowls. Tear chicken into rough chunks when cool enough to handle.
• Melt butter in the same pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour, stirring frequently and breaking up any chunks. Continue to stir and cook until thickened and golden, making a roux. Gradually add the strained milk, stirring until you have a sauce. Stir in heavy cream and Dijon mustard, then add the chicken and vegetables. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Pour chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish. Roll out the puff pastry and overlap the pieces to cover the casserole. Glaze the pastry with beaten egg and make several vents in the pastry using a sharp knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 30 to 40 minutes.

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.

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.