Horse Tartare - Arnaud Delafosse

One of my favourite of all times. Unfortunately, I had to forget it while I spent my 14 years in London*. Now Im back in France, Im having this for breakfast everyday (...well, not quite).

You can either present it all separate in the plate (like this), for each to do their own mix, or Brasserie-style, prepared just before serving. Here is how (for 1 person):

• 250 gr of freshly minced horse steak
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons of French mustard
• 2 teasp of freshly chopped flat parsley
• 2 teasp of finely chopped shallots
• 2 teasp of finely chopped cornichons (small gherkins)
• salt
• ground black pepper

optional:

• 1 teasp of capers
• few drops of Worcestershire sauce
• few drops of Tabasco (or even better proper chilli sauce)
• few drops of virgin olive oil

Mix all the ingredients (but the egg) in a salad bowl then add the meat. Mix well then add the egg yolk.
Serve immediately in a plate with French fries, a bit of Mache salad and a glass of red wine... et voilà !

You can now play Donna Lee @ 320 bpm, Ascot style.

*Apparently it's illegal for UK butchers to sell horse meat (although it's totally OK to kill them at the races for ridiculous amounts of money), nevertheless some are still bred in the UK and exported for slaughter for the French and Italian markets. Complètement crazy, n'est-ce pas ?!

Chicken in White Wine and Boursin Sauce - Emma Blake

Ingredients:
Two fresh skinned chicken breasts.
Packet of pancetta strips, or smoked streaky bacon.
1 packet of herb Boursin cheese (Philadelphia doesn't work because it doesn't melt so well).
White wine.

Method:
Open out the chicken breasts, and with a sharp knife, carefully slice along one side to make a "pocket" rather like a pitta. Go with the "grain" of the chicken flesh.
Next, stuff the pocket with Boursin, as much as possible (use fingers!), then seal by wrapping pancetta/bacon strips around the chicken diagonally. Make sure the strips are not too tight or too close together, the Boursin needs to be able to ooze out!!
Grease a baking dish with butter, and pour in just over half a glass of white wine.
Set your oven to gas mark 5 (190 C).
Place chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with tin foil.
Place in the middle of the preheated oven and cook for ten minutes.
Remove the tin foil.
Replace in the oven and cook for a further 20 - 25 minutes.
The Boursin will have oozed out and mingled with the wine to create a sauce, which you then pour over the chicken and serve.
Dish up with asparagus, mushrooms, and either sautéed or rosti potatoes.