The elegant abalone
At Hahndorf’s Haus Café + Bar + Kitchen in the Adelaide Hills they source products from their local friends.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 4 Balhannah Junction Meats Chicken Kievs (Frenched, with skin left on)
- 8 thin slices of Skara Smallgoods prosciutto
- 5 cobs sweet corn
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 300ml cream
- 1 bunch baby yellow carrots
- 1 bunch baby orange carrots
- 1 bunch baby beetroots
- 200ml balsamic vinegar
- 100gr brown sugar
- 3 spring onions, sliced finely
- ½ bunch thyme, leaves stripped from the stem
- Parsley sprigs (optional)
Method
Balsamic reduction
To make the balsamic reduction, place the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a small saucepan and place over a low heat, stirring gently until the sugar has dissolved. When all the sugar is dissolved, turn the heat up to high and reduce the liquid by about two thirds, or until it becomes glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove from the heat, pour into a container and place it in the fridge to cool down.
Corn purée
To make the corn purée, steam the corn with the husk still on. (Alternatively, remove the husk and place the corn in a large saucepan of salted water over a high heat and boil for about five minutes or until the corn kernels have turned bright yellow and are soft.) Remove the husks if you haven’t already done so and strip the corn kernels from the cob. The easiest way to do this is to place the cob in a large bowl, holding it upright, and run a sharp knife down the sides of the cob to remove the kernels. Discard the cobs.
Place the onion and garlic in a medium saucepan. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch each of salt and white pepper and sauté gently, allowing the onion to become transparent. (You don’t want any dark colour as this will show up in the cream-based sauce.)
Add the corn kernels and cream to the mixture. Cook out the corn for about 10-15 minutes, allowing the mixture to reduce a little then, using a stick blender, blitz to purée consistency. Set aside.
Roast vegetables
Pre-heat the oven to 190C. Trim the tops of the carrots and beetroots and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Pat dry.
Cut all the vegetables in half and place in a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for approximately 10-12 minutes or until they just start to colour. Remove from the oven, add thyme leaves (reserving a few leaves to garnish the finished dish later) and toss gently to combine.
Chicken Kiev
Place a slice of prosciutto on a clean board and place a chicken Kiev on top of it with the skin side up. Wrap the prosciutto around to the top, then place a second slice of prosciutto over the top and wrap this underneath so that the last fold is underneath the chicken breast. Repeat for remaining Kievs.
Place a frying pan on medium heat and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil. While the oil heats, season the prosciutto-wrapped chicken with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken, seasoned side down, in the pan. Season the uppermost side with salt and pepper.
Seal the chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides and remove from the pan. Place the chicken on an oven tray and bake in the oven to complete cooking through. This will take about 15 minutes (when cooked, the chicken Kievs will feel firm to the touch). Remove from the oven and rest for about five minutes on a warm plate (this helps the meat relax and retains the juices).
To serve
Warm the corn purée and smear a generous amount across your plate (this will be the main sauce). Place roasted vegetables on top of the pure.
Carve each Kiev into three pieces and stack this on top of the vegetables, with the leg bone sticking up.
Drizzle about a tablespoon of the balsamic reduction around each plate and garnish with some fine slices of your fresh spring onion, a few thyme leaves and a few sprigs of parsley.
