Trim the wings by cutting off the tips and drummette and use just the center part for the purpose of the confit. Use the tips for making stock and for the drummettes see Chicken and rosewater biryani.
The marinade:
2 teaspoons five spice powder
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon Sechuan pepper
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Sichuan peppercorns are not strictly speaking pepper but berries of a shrub called prickly ash. Sichuan pepper, unlike ordinary pepper, has a pungent flavor and the aftertaste, rather than being hot as is in the case of pepper, is numbing. The “peppercorns” should be crushed and dry-roasted to bring out their full flavor.
Shaoxing wine is made from rice, millet, yeast and water, aged for at least 3 years, then bottled. As a drink, rice wine is served warm in small cups. Dry sherry is the best substitute.
12 chicken wings
4 cups duck fat, melted
The mushrooms:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups mixed wild mushrooms, wiped and sliced
⅔ cup chicken stock
½ cup crème fraîche
1 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
The Vol-au-vent:
300 g/10.6 oz puff pastry
2 eggs
The garnish:
1 cup of shimej mushrooms
pea tendrils or any other fine herbs
The dressing:Â
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon honey (or to taste)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a dash of soy sauce
½ teaspoons ginger, finely grated
½ teaspoons garlic powder
toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle
The mushrooms:
- In a pan, heat the olive oil and butter, add the onion and clove and sauté lightly.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms have released or their liquid.
- Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce until about 1 tablespoon of liquid is left in the pan.
- Stir in the crème fraîche and leat heat through.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to use.
The wings:
- Grind all the spices and salt together and rub into the wings. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook the wings, preheat the oven to 100°C/212°F.
- Wipe as much of the marinade off the wings as possible, then place in an oven proof dish (with a lid)Â big enough to take all the wings in a single layer.
- Pour over the duck fat and place a circle of parchment paper on top of the fat to make sure the wings stay submerged in the fat.
Store the paper your butter comes wrapped in the freezer and use for this purpose if you don’t have parchment paper.
- Cover the dish and bake in the oven for 2-3 hours. When the wings are cooked, let cool slightly then lift the wings from the fat.
- To remove the bones, lay the wing on a chopping board and cut off the tips of the bone where the knobble of cartilage is.
It will make the task of pulling out the bones much easier, and at the same time neaten the shape of the wing.
- Very carefully pull out the bones one by one whilst with the other hand keeps the wing intact.
- When all is done, pack them tightly together in a greaseproof lined tray with another piece of greaseproof paper on top.
- Place a second tray on top with some weights to compress the wings.
- Set aside in a warm place until ready to use.
The Vol-au-vent:
- Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 5 mm/¼ in.
- With a round pastry cutter, cut out the vol-au-vents to the size you want.
- With a slightly smaller pastry cutter, press halfway down into the pastry circle, taking care not to cut through the bottom.
- Brush a little beaten egg mixed with a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon water over the top of the cases, making sure the egg wash doesn’t run down the sides.
This can cause the layers to stick together at the edges and prevent the pastry from rising up evenly.
- Bake in the oven at 200°C/400°F for 10-12 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown.
- When ready, remove the cases from the oven and allow them to cool.
- Using a knife, dig out any raw pastry from the center of the case and discard. Return the cases to the oven for a further 4-5 minutes to dry slightly.
Fold unused pieces of puff pastry and roll it out again. Do not crunch into a ball, as it will disturb the layers and will not puff up again when baked. Remove the excess pastry. This can be rerolled to make more Vol-au-vents if you wish.
To make the dressing:
Whisk all the ingredients except the sesame seeds together and set aside until ready to serve.
To finish the Vaul-au-vent:
- Serve two or three for each guest on a long plate.
- Spoon the mushrooms into the hollow part of the vaul-au-vent and top each with one wing, mushrooms and pea tendrils or any other fine herbs.
- Serve with the vinaigrette drizzled around and a sprinkle of sesame seed over the vinaigrette.
Fine Dining for You 