My Favourite Christmas Recipe: Cooking with Chef David

David Alvarez is a French-Mexican pastry chef, who trained in French Gastronomy and Food & Beverage service in Paris. Thanks to his experience teaching in universities in Mexico and France, Chef David joined the committee for the first “World Forum of Mexican Gastronomy as Cultural Heritage of Humanity” in 2011, to introduce and showcase Mexican chocolate art and its cocoa beans abroad.

Chef David also contributed to the creation of recipes for French chocolatologue Valentine Tibère’s book "Les Routes du Chocolat: Le Mexique" and the French baking book "Le pain fait son show."

His favourite Christmas recipe is Guinea Fowl breast stuffed with black truffle. 

As a chef I enjoy working with poultry because of its versatility and light flavour. In this recipe, the association of the Périgord black truffle, a wonderful festive and luxurious Christmas product from French gastronomy, with the subtlety of the Guinea fowl, makes the perfect match.

CATEGORY: Main course

YIELD:5 

INGREDIENTS 

GUINEA FOWL

• Free-range guinea fowl supreme 1.2 kg
• Salt 
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Clarified butter 250 g 
• Black truffle (fresh tuber melanosporum) 1 piece 

MOUSSELINE STUFFING

• Chicken breast 500 g 
• Whipping cream 3 dl 
• Egg whites 1 dl
• Salt 
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Chopped truffle 5 mg 
• Truffle oil 20 ml

PORT WINE JUS

• Chicken wings 300 g
• Mirepoix (carrot, celery stalk, onion) 300 g
• Garlic cloves 2 
• Bouquet garni 1 
• Red Port wine1 dl
• Veal stock or demi-glace 5 dl 
• Water 1.5 l
• Butter 10 g 
• Salt 
• Fresh ground black pepper

GARNISH 

• Sweet potato (Yellow) 0.5 kg
• Coarse salt 2 kg (to cover the sweet potatoes in the oven) 
• Butter 250 g
• Whipping cream 250 ml
• Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Brussels sprouts 300 g
• Shimeji mushrooms 300 g 
• Parsley 40 g

DECORATION

• Chervil 40 g
• Venne cress 1/2 box 

DIRECTIONS

For the guinea fowl:

• Trim the guinea fowl supreme and clean the bone 
• Make a long incision under the skin of the breast to form a long pocket 
• Season and set aside

For the truffle mousseline:

• Mix the chicken breast with the egg whites to get a smooth paste
• Add the truffle oil and mix
• Add the whipping cream to get a lighter texture
• Add the chopped truffle and season
• Set aside in a piping bag
• Stuff the breasts with the mousseline 
• Put film over the breasts in order to keep their shape
• Put the breasts in sous-vide bags
• Slow cook in the immersion circulator for at least 45 minutes at 65 degrees Celsius
• Pan sear them skin side with clarified butter before serving

For the Port wine jus:

• Brown the wings in the oven without any fat
• Add the aromatic garnish and continue browning
• Deglaze with port wine
• Stir to lift the caramel juices, reducer over low heat 
• Transfer the products to the piano in a pot
• Add the veal stock or demi-glace and water, reduce until it thickens
• Strain through a chinois sieve and add the butter
• Season and keep warm in a squeeze bottle

For the sweet potato purée: 

• Bake the sweet potatoes for 45 minutes, leaving the skin, in a deep tray with abundant coarse salt
• Cut in half and remove the meat
• Boil the whipping cream with butter and add the baked sweet potato 
• Season and keep warm

For the sautéed vegetables:

• Clean and trim the mushrooms
• Tear off the Brussels sprouts leaves 
• Sauté the vegetables in high heat with clarified butter 
• Add chopped parsley leaves at the end. Keep warm 

To serve: 

• Put a base of the sweet potato purée on the plate and decorate with it
• Cut the guinea fowl in half and place it at the centre of the plate
• Place some of the sautéed vegetables on top of the purée and the meat
• Decorate with a few dots of port wine jus
• Decorate with fresh truffle flakes and herbs