Masterchef UK Professionals
Baker:
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Challenge Type:
Stuffed Chicken Thigh
Chicken Thigh Stuffed with Chicken Liver, Anchovy, Lemon Zest and Swiss Chard Mousseline, Fondant Potatoes, Pan-Fried Leeks and Asparagus, and Blanquette Chicken Sauce
{Patrick}: "Coming from a Michelin background, dishes are tried, tested, and perfected before they make it out onto a menu to the guests. So invention test, a different experience for me. But look, I'm a chef at the end of the day. I've been cooking for long enough so I should be okay."
{Monica}: "You're now cooking in the quarterfinal. How are you feeling?"
{Patrick}: "I'm feeling good now. Obviously I was very scared coming in, but now I've got something in my head. I'm feeling a bit more confident. I'm doing a classic French blanquette sauce. So loads of white wine in there, slowly reducing. I'm going to finish it with creme fraiche and cream, something nice and rich on the plate. Then I've decided to do a mousseline with the cooked chicken livers, some fondant potatoes, bitter Swiss chard. So I just went for classic, safe flavours and now I'm trying to get them all onto a plate in a beautiful way. Something a bit different."
{Monica}: "What is it about the classics that you love doing?"
{Patrick}: "Everyone's familiar with classics. You know, in a challenge like this, I wanted something familiar. I didn't want to be stressing out or put myself out there too much. I'm definitely playing it safe today. I think the skills and the different elements to this dish is going to be enough to impress you guys. I hope so anyway."
Voiceover (Marcus): "Patrick's going classical chicken thigh, which is boned out, stuffed with livers and anchovy mousseline. He's now rolling that and tying it up. Got a potato fondant. It needs to be melt in the mouth, full of butter and delicious. Beautifully coloured on the outside. And I really love the sound of that blanquette sauce. Lots of flavour of the chicken bones and the chicken skin and the herbs. But of course, white wine, passed out and then finished with cream. Monica and I both know what a good blanquette sauce is. And when you mention that on a menu, we're looking for big flavour."
Voiceover (Monica): "Patrick's got to make sure that he seals the chicken thighs nicely so the filling of the mousseline doesn't spill out."
Monica: "Patrick, I'm kind of wondering where the rest of your chicken is. There isn't enough of it. There isn't enough of the filling. I think you could have been braver. There was so much more of the chicken that you could have used on this dish. The sauce is rich. Chicken flavour. You reduced it down. So much wine in there and then a bit of sharpness from the creme fraiche. It's delightful and I think is the most flavoursome thing you've got on this plate."
Marcus: "You could have done with a touch more colour underneath the fondant, but overall, they're beautifully cooked. The leek is clean and washed and delicious. But I have to say, your sauce is sensational. It's the star of the plate, without a doubt."
{Patrick}: "Without the sauce, I don't think it would have been a very good dish in their eyes. I would have definitely done something different given the chance again. So there's always things to improve, and you're never, ever going to put a dish up that you're completely happy with. I don't think."
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