CHRISTMAS Bresse chicken ballotines with ceps and butternut risotto

INGREDIENTS FOR 6 PERSONS

• 4 large Bresse chicken fillets
• 50g dry ceps 
• 1 shallot
• 10 + 20g butter
• 5 cl white wine
• 1 tbsp chicken stock 
• 200g arborio rice
• 1 onion
• 120 cl of chicken stock
• 10 cl liquid cream
• 60g parmigiano reggiano
• salt & pepper

METHOD 

1. The day before, place the dried porcini mushrooms in half a liter of water, film, let rest in the fridge.

2. Filter the soaking juice to collect the porcini mushrooms. Cut them roughly. Finely chop the shallot then brown it in a pan with 10 g of butter. Add the porcini mushrooms, sauté for a few minutes, then add the white wine and 10 cl of porcini juice. Season with salt and pepper and let sauté until all of the juice is gone. Keep aside.

3. Prepare your chicken breasts. Remove the skin if necessary, incise the fillets lengthwise to make them thinner. Then place each breast between 2 sheets of cling film and tap on it (without forcing too much) with a rolling pin. The goal is to spread the chicken breast as much as possible in order to succeed in making beautiful ballotines. If you hit too hard your may tear the flesh.

4. Salt and pepper each poultry fillet, then distribute the porcini mushrooms in the middle of the 4 poultry fillets, then roll the filets to form a sausage. Tighten each ballotine in cling film. Plan at least 2 layers of film to form a ballotine that will not let water through. 

5. Bring a large volume of water to a boil, then immerse the ballotines in it. Cook for 5 minutes and let cooking finish in boiling water, heat turned off, for 20 minutes. 

6. Make the juice: reduce the juice of the porcini mushrooms over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring well (be careful that everything does not reduce too much). When you start to have a very concentrated juice, remove from the heat and go up in butter. Reheat gently when necessary.

7. For the risotto, prepare the butternut puree: cut the butternut squash into pieces, remove the skin if necessary, and cook for 15 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Drain, then mix the butternut flesh to obtain a fine purée.

8. Chop the onion very finely. Brown it over low heat in a large saucepan with the butter. When it is translucent, add the rice and cook for 5 minutes (until pearly). Deglaze with the white wine. As soon as all the white wine has been absorbed, add 2 to 3 ladles of hot poultry broth, and let the rice absorb it without stopping stirring. Continue in this way until all of the broth is gone. Check the cooking of the rice before adding the last ladles of broth. At the end of cooking, add the butternut purée, then the cream, mix well. Off the heat, add the parmesan, salt and pepper if necessary.

9. Arrange the risotto on the plates, and arrange 3 to 4 slices of chicken ballotines. Pour the juice over it.