Heston Blumenthal's chicken and ham pie

• Meat

  • 1 Chicken
  • 8 Chicken thighs
  • 200 g Ham hock, cooked

• Produce

  • 250 g Button mushrooms
  • 10 g Flat-leaf parsley
  • 300 g Leeks

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg

• Canned Goods

  • 8 Brine
  • 500 ml Chicken stock
  • 90 ml Reserved chicken stock

• Condiments

  • 15 g Dijon mustard
  • 25 g Wholegrain mustard

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 tbsp Agar agar flakes
  • 1 Salt and pepper

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 1 250 g packet All butter puff pastry

• Dairy

  • 25 g Butter, unsalted
  • 135 ml Double cream
  • 135 ml Full-cream milk

• Beer, Wine & Liquor

  • 120 ml White wine

Found on nonnascooking.com

Description

Directions

• Place the brine in a bowl big enough to contain the chicken thighs. Add the chicken to the water and leave in the brine for 5 hours.
• Rinse the chicken under cold running water for 5 minutes, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Store in the fridge until needed.
• Preheat the oven to 85ºC.
• Place the brined chicken thighs in an ovenproof saucepan and cover with the chicken stock. Bring the stock to a simmer over a medium heat then place in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Allow the chicken to cool in the liquid before removing and dicing. Retain 90 ml of the chicken stock for the sauce which will bind the pies. (The remaining stock can be used for soups or sauces.)
• In the meantime, cook the leeks. Place the pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin and render the fat from it for 10–15 minutes. Remove the skin and discard.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the leek to the fat. Cook until completely soft (approximately 15 minutes), then allow to cool in the pan.
• To cook the mushrooms, place a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the butter and when melted, add the mushrooms and cook until lightly coloured (approximately 5 minutes). Drain the mushrooms on a plate covered with kitchen paper.
• For the sauce, put the cream, reduced wine, milk and reserved chicken stock into a pan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Sprinkle in the agar agar flakes and whisk to incorporate. Simmer for 4 minutes then allow to cool and blitz thoroughly with a hand blender.
• When ready to assemble and cook the pie, preheat the oven to 215ºC.
• Mix the chicken thigh meat, diced ham, leek, mushroom, wholegrain and Dijon mustards together then add the sauce. Finely chop the parsley and add it to the mixture. Season with salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and stir until all the ingredients are well combined. Pour into a family-sized pie dish (approximately 28 cm in length).
• Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick. Lay over the pie dish and fold the overhang around the lip of the dish to seal the edges. Rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.
• Crimp the edges of the pie with a fork for decoration then, using a pastry brush, coat the top of the pie with the beaten egg.
• Place the pie in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the pastry turns golden on top.