Chris Bentham presents his recipe for chicken and mushroom ballotine, wrapped in prosciutto

A ballotine is traditionally a boned thigh part of the chicken, duck or other poultry stuffed with forcemeat and other ingredients.

It is tied to hold its shape and sometimes stitched up with a trussing needle. A ballotine is cooked by roasting, braising or poaching. It is often shaped like a sausage or re-formed to look like the leg, often with a cleaned piece of bone left in the end. This dish is excellent for making in advance.

Ingredients: For the chicken mousse;

* 140g chicken breast
* 1 egg yolk 
* 15g dried mushrooms (placed into warm water for 20 minutes to hydrate. If you’re in a hurry, cold water to cover and place in the microwave for one minute) 
* Pinch of salt
* Pinch of white pepper 
* 100g good quality black pudding 
* 40g pancetta lardons 
* 4 slices prosciutto 
* Micro herbs or chopped herbs for garnish.

Buttered leek base;

* 1 leek sliced thinly 
* 15g unsalted butter

Grain mustard dressing:

* 1 tbsp grain mustard 
* ½ tsp white wine vinegar 
* 2 tbsp olive oil (a tasty one) 
* Salt and pepper to taste

Method: Chop the chicken breast into pieces and place into a food processor with the metal chopping blade. Blitz until smooth, adding the yolk toward the end and the salt and white pepper.

Drain the mushrooms and chop coarsely. Add the mushrooms to the chicken breast mixture and blitz again to a smooth puree.

Place clingfilm on a flat surface and cut to around 30cm in length and 20cm across. Take 70g of the chicken mousse and place on to the clingfilm in a vague sausage shape. Roll tightly and tie at both ends. Ensure there is no air left, and it is tight so it will hold its shape and no mousse will escape during cooking. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Place unsalted butter into a small pan on a low heat. When the butter is melted, place the sliced leek in the pan and sweat down for 10 minutes. Remove from heat to rest.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. When it’s cooked, place in a sieve and run under cold water to cool down. When it has cooled, remove the clingfilm and carefully pat dry.

Place your prosciutto ham on a flat surface and wrap each ballotine entirely within the prosciutto ham. At this point the ballotine can go in the fridge until you need it.

When you’re ready to serve your ballotine, place it into a warmed, lightly-oiled frying pan suitable for the oven and turn carefully to give the ballotine some colour, then place it into the oven at 170C fan, 180c or Gas Mark 4 for five or six minutes.

In a separate pan cook 40g pancetta and the black pudding. About three slices of black pudding per person is adequate. Cook the pancetta lardons until crispy.

Remove the ballotine from the oven and drain the ballotine, lardons and black pudding of excess fat by placing on a piece of kitchen roll.

Whisk together all the grain mustard dressing ingredients, and season to taste. Place a small amount of the leeks in the middle of the plate. Place the black pudding in a three ring formation on top of the buttered leeks. Slice your ballotine carefully and place two pieces per person on your black pudding base. Scatter the lardons upon and around the dish. Decorate with micro herbs or chopped herbs of your choice. Place your mustard dressing around the outside of the black pudding.