Neil Perry's chicken with horseradish cream and a berry trifle

CHICKEN BREAST WITH HORSERADISH CREAM SAUCE

4 x 180g chicken breasts, skin on

sea salt

extra virgin olive oil

horseradish cream sauce

100ml dry vermouth

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

200ml pure whipping cream

3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and chopped

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

5 tbsp fresh horseradish, grated

1 lemon

Serves 4

Remove the chicken from the fridge about 1 hour before cooking and season liberally with sea salt. Meanwhile, warm the oven to around 70ºC.

Place a heavy-based frying pan large enough to fit 4 chicken breasts over a medium-high heat until hot. Brush the chicken with extra virgin olive oil and put in the pan, skin side down. Cook for 5 minutes until the skin is crisp, then turn over and cook for a further 4 minutes. Put on a plate and rest in the warm oven.

To make the sauce, pour the vermouth in the same pan and scrape well. Add a good pinch of sea salt and the cream and cook for 2 minutes at a rapid boil. Turn the heat down to medium, slowly add the butter and whisk to incorporate.

Remove frying pan from heat, add the parsley and horseradish, then season with freshly ground pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Place one chicken breast on each plate and pour a generous amount of sauce over each. Serve immediately.

STRAWBERRY, RASPBERRY, SAUTERNES AND MASCARPONE TRIFLE

1 punnet raspberries, washed and dried

1 punnet strawberries, hulled and quartered

350ml sauternes (a French sweet wine)

1 packet sponge finger biscuits

50g dark chocolate, for grating

mascarpone filling

2 egg yolks

80g caster sugar

250g mascarpone

100g whipping cream

80g egg whites (about 2)

Serves 6

To make the mascarpone filling, combine the egg yolks and half the sugar in a bowl and beat until the mixture thickens and becomes pale yellow in colour. Add the mascarpone cheese and mix well.

Whip the cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Add the cream to the mascarpone mixture and fold through.

Pour the egg whites into a clean bowl and beat until foamy. Add remaining sugar and beat until soft peaks form then fold gently into the mascarpone mix.

Place a small dollop of mascarpone filling into each of 6 glasses. Divide the berries between the glasses, reserving some for topping.

Pour the sauternes into a bowl. Take the sponge fingers and dip into the sauternes until soaked. Allow two biscuits per serving and break in half before adding to glasses. Add the rest of the mascarpone and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

To serve, top mascarpone with reserved berries and finely grated chocolate.

HOT TIPS

You can also make the sauce with roast chicken - just deglaze the roasting pan with the vermouth, then follow the rest of the recipe.

I like to serve boiled potatoes that have been pan fried with this dish, along with a simple green salad or boiled beans.

Any seasonal fruit can be substituted for the berries in the trifle.

You can use whipped cream, vanilla and icing sugar in place of the mascarpone.

SOMETHING TO DRINK

Marsanne

Marsanne is a textural white wine, predominately grown in the south of France. This 2012 Paul Mas ($8) has flavours of white peach and stone fruit, with hints of honeysuckle that will provide balance and sweetness to the peppery horseradish. The broad texture will complement the flavour of the chicken.

Styling by Hannah Meppem. Food preparation by Nick Banbury.