Gordon Ramsay's Sunday Lunch

Gordon is back with a new series of the F Word. You can watch the popular TV show on Wednesday evenings at 9pm. We've got a selection of some of Gordon's recipes from the show and his new book, Sunday Lunch.

I love the subtle flavours running through this menu - a velvety soup of white beans, a mushroom-infused sauce to enhance chicken and a comforting apple sponge to finish. For a lighter dessert, you could omit the sponge and simply serve the caramelised apples with creme anglaise. This menu serves 4.

-- Haricot soup with tiger prawns
-- Chicken breast with a morel veloute
-- Pommes puree
-- Asparagus with herb butter
-- Gordon's apple pudding
-- Preparation

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This is the perfect way to cook chicken breasts - gently poach them on the bone to keep the meat flavourful and succulent, then pan-fry to give them a golden, crisp skin. Dried morels lend an intense flavour to the cream sauce.

4 servings
2 free-range chickens, about 900g - 1kg each
1 head of garlic (unpeeled), halved horizontally
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
1 tbsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed
1 tbs coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 thyme sprig
2 bay leaves
2 leeks, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
olive oil, for cooking
few knobs of butter

Morel Veloute
10-12 dried morels
olive oil, for cooking
3 large shallots, peeled and finely sliced
1 thyme sprig
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
175ml dry white wine
250ml double cream

Remove the legs, wings and parson's nose from the chickens, to leave the crown of the birds. (Save the legs and wings for another dish.) Put the garlic in the cavities and season well. Soak the dried morels for the veloute in hot water for 20 minutes.

Two-thirds fill a large pan with cold water (enough to cover the chickens). Add the bouillon powder, peppercorns, coriander seeds, herbs and vegetables. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken crowns and poach for 10-12 minutes or until the breasts feel firm. (Depending on the pan, you many need to poach them one at a time.) Remove from the pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Reserve the poaching stock.

Make the veloute in the meantime. Drain and chop the morels, reserving the liquid. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and saute the shallots, thyme and garlic for 5-6 minutes until golden. Add the morels, a little more oil and seasoning. Cook for 5-6 minutes, then carefully pour in most of the morel soaking liquor (leaving the sediment behind). Add the wine and bubble until almost totally reduced. Add 2-3 ladlefuls of the reserved chicken poaching stock and boil for 8-10 minutes until reduced by half. Add the cream and simmer until thickened to the consistency of single cream. Pass the sauce through a sieve, pressing the mushrooms and shallots to extract as much flavour as possible. Season the sauce and return to the pan. Remove the legs, wings and parson's nose from the chickens, to leave the crown of the birds. (Save the legs and wings for another dish.) Put the garlic in the cavities and season well. Soak the dried morels for the veloute in hot water for 20 minutes.

Published by Quadrille, Photography Jill Mead.

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