What could be better to celebrate the first garlic of the season - TopicsExpress

What could be better to celebrate the first garlic of the season from Quirki Organic Farms than a simple marriage of their garlic and champagne. Champagne Drunk 40-Clove Garlic chicken! It may seem like an absolutely absurd amount of garlic to use for roast chicken pieces, but it isnt. The slow roasting of the garlic means you end up with a smokey, smooth caramel flavoured garlic. As soon as I saw the bunch of first season organic garlic from Quirki Farms I knew I wanted to make this recipe. Their garlic has loads of flavour whilst being sweeter and milder. The dish is really quickly to assemble but takes some time in the oven – but its nothing you need to supervise. The chicken, garlic and shallots first cook in a chicken stock and champagne mix in your roasting tray, as soon as that reduces you can uncover the tray and let the chicken and garlic go all sticky and caramelised, with champagne sugars. The creamy garlic sauce you pour over is made from your reserved stock plus a whole head of roasted garlic and some cream!! You can do this with deboned breast meat, but beautiful garlic like this deserves a good tasty piece of chicken, so on the bone in the skin is best! Champagne Drunk 40-Clove Garlic Chicken Serves 4 - 8 pieces chicken - 4 bulbs garlic, halved - 4 shallots, halved and outer skin removed - 100ml champagne/ white wine - 500ml chicken stock, boiling hot - thyme/rosemary/bay leaf - salt & pepper - 60gms butter - 100ml cream Start by preheating the oven to 200°C. Now in a roasting pan add the rinsed chicken pieces, garlic bulbs, cut in half width wise. Shallots, cut in half lengthways with the outer skin removed. Add about half a teaspoon if each of the herbs, finely chopped up. Sprinkle over. Now add the champagne and the hot stock! Cover tightly with foil and bake in the middle of the oven for 40-minutes. Then remove the foil and allow the liquid to reduce and begin to caramelise. Remove the chicken from the oven and carefully drain away most of the stock and champagne juices leftover. Brush the chicken, garlic and shallots with some butter and return to the oven. To make the sauce add the reserved liquids to a pan, 100ml cream, and the garlic squeezed from an entire head of garlic. Bring this to a gentle boil, stirring to break up the soft garlic. and bring to a gentle boil. Finally add the small cubes of cold butter whisking as you go. Remove the chicken once golden brown and serve drizzled with the garlicky sauce, more roasted garlic and some of the sweet shallots.