This is a new dish for us, but is sure to become a favourite. The apples make it unusual, but they work really well with the chicken. We think this dish would work well with pork too. Overall it has a lovely French flavour, so we teamed it with Dauphinoise potatoes.

…

Sunday
Breakfast
Toast and lemon curd or Porridge

Lunch
Toasted Cheese & tomato sandwich

Dinner
Normandy Chicken and Dauphinoise potatoes

Snack
Frosted Courgette & Lemon Cake

…

Normandy chicken

Ingredients

60g butter
4 Skinless chicken thighs
2 Brown onions
3 Celery sticks, chopped
200ml Apple juice (or cider)
300ml Chicken stock, hot
100ml Crème fraîche
3 Apples, such as Braeburn, cored and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon of flour diluted in 2 tablespoons of water
to thicken
Handful of chopped fresh chives or Parsley, to serve

Method

Heat 30g butter in a roasting tin on the hob and brown the chicken thighs all over, turning as needed.

Add the onions and celery and cook for a few more minutes. Then pour over the apple juice, stock, diluted flour, season and mix well.

Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and cook for 25 minutes, or until the juices run clear from the chicken. Stir in the crème fraîche and bring just to the boil, then simmer for 1 more minute.

While the chicken is in the oven, heat the other 30g of the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, and add the apple wedges and fry for 5 minutes until lightly coloured. When the chicken is ready stir the apples in and. sprinkle with some chopped chives or parsley.

Serve with potato dauphinoise and peas.

…

Potato Dauphinoise

1/2 of the red onion thinly slices
2-3 of the large potatoes thinly slices
2 cloves of garlic
100ml Crème Fraîche
100ml Milk
2 Handfuls of grated Parmesan or cheddar cheese
3-4 bay leaves
Very small bunch of fresh thyme if available

For the Dauphinoise potatoes, leave their skins on and slice them and the red onion thinly. Place the potatoes in a boiling pan of water for about 5 minutes, then tip into a colander to drain.

Next place them into a large sturdy roasting tray and season with salt, pepper and crush in 2 cloves of garlic, the sliced onion, then pour in the Crème Fraîche and milk.

Finely grate over a large handful of Parmesan or Cheddar.

Add the bay leaves, and a few thyme leaves then add a good drizzle of olive oil.

Mix everything together, scatter the rest of the cheese on top, then put the tray into the oven on the top shelf and cook for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

…

Frosted Courgette & Lemon Cake
(Adapted from BBC Good Food)

250g butter, very soft, plus extra for the tin
2 unwaxed lemons
200g caster sugar
3 egg
2 medium courgettes, coarsely grated, you’ll need 300g
1 teaspoon poppy seed, plus extra to decorate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g self-raising flour
100g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
85g icing sugar
200g pack FULL FAT soft cheese
4 tbsp lemon curd (optional)

Method

Heat oven to 180C or Gas Mark 4.

Butter 2 x 16cm sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.

Zest a lemon, then squeeze the juice into a separate bowl.

Put the butter, the caster sugar, eggs, courgettes, poppy seeds, vanilla and lemon zest into a mixing bowl.

Beat to a creamy batter. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the flours, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spoon the mix into the tins, then bake for 20 minutes or until risen, golden and springy in the middle.

Make a drizzle by mixing another tablespoon lemon juice with 25g icing sugar. Put the remaining icing sugar and into a bowl, add the soft cheese, remaining lemon juice (about 2 tablespoon) and grate in the final lemon’s zest. Beat to make a creamy, smooth frosting. You must use full fat cream cheese or it won’t set and will turn runny.

When the cakes are ready, cool for 15 minutes in their tins, then turn onto a cooling rack. Prick several times with a cocktail stick, spoon over the drizzle and cool completely.

Spread over the lemon curd if using, along with half the frosting.

Top with the second cake, spread the remaining frosting over the top and sprinkle with poppy seeds.