Turbot with chicken and mushroom ‘marrowbone’ and cognac jus

Preparation method

1. For the cognac jus, melt the butter in a pan until foaming and fry the onion, carrot, celery and thyme for 5-6 minutes, or until golden-brown. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add the wine and simmer until the liquid reduces to a syrup consistency.

2. Add the cognac and simmer again until the mixture is syrupy. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean pan, and stir in the redcurrant jelly until dissolved. Keep warm for serving.

3. For the potatoes, place the potatoes into a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain the potatoes and pass through a potato ricer into a bowl. Beat in the butter and cream, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

4. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

5. For the ‘marrowbone’, melt the butter in a pan until foaming and fry the ceps for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.

6. Trim the chicken breast of any sinew, then roughly chop. Place into a food processor and blend until smooth, then stir in the cream and egg white. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then fold in the cooked ceps and the chopped chives. Mix well, then spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 2cm/1in plain nozzle and place into the fridge to chill.

7. Cut the crusts off the bread slices and roll each piece out to a thickness of 3-4mm. Lay five slices of pancetta out on a sheet of cling film, overlapping the slices slightly. Repeat to create three more portions of overlapping pancetta. Place a piece of bread over each portion.

8. Pipe the chicken mixture across the bread. Using the cling film as a guide, roll the chicken mixture up in the pancetta and bread to create a log, and twist the ends to seal. Repeat with the remaining three portions. Place the ‘marrowbone’ logs into the fridge to chill for five minutes.

9. Remove the ‘marrowbones’ from the fridge and discard the cling film. Heat the clarified butter in an ovenproof frying pan and fry the ‘marrowbones’ for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown all over. Transfer to the oven and roast for a further 5-6 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for five minutes.

10. For the leeks, cook the leeks in a pan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water. Drain.

11. Melt the butter in a small pan until foaming, then stir in the flour. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then pour in the stock. Add the leeks and gently braise for 2-3 minutes, or until the leeks are tender.

12. For the turbot, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Season the turbot fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add to the pan skin-side down. Add the butter to the pan. When melted, use the butter to baste the fish throughout cooking. After 2-3 minutes, turn the fish over, remove the skin and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through.

13. To serve, place a spoonful of mashed potato onto the serving plate and lay the turbot fillet on top. Place the ‘marrowbone’ in the middle and spoon the braised baby leeks to the side. Drizzle the cognac jus around the plate.

Less than 30 mins preparation time

1 to 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4