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Ingredients

1 Lemon

6 Tarragon Sprigs ( or 2 tsp of dried tarragon )

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Chicken Breasts

8 Shallots, Chopped

4 Garlic Cloves, Grated

75ml Sweet Sherry or Marsala Wine

1/4 Pint Chicken Stock

3 Tbsp Créme Fraiché

Salt and Black Pepper ( Preferably Himalayan Pink Salt  )

Ingredients

1. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and coarsest chop the tarragon. 

2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. 

3. Add the flour to a sandwich bag and season generously with salt and black pepper then shake.  

4. Add the chicken to the bag, twist the bag and shake back and forth until the chicken is fully covered.

5. Fry the chicken over a moderate high heat for 3 minutes either way until the chicken has sealed and is lightly browned. 

6. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

7. Add the chopped shallots to the pan and fry for 3 minutes then add the garlic for a further 2 minutes, constantly stirring to ensure the garlic doesn't burn.

8. Mix together 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, tarragon, Sherry and chicken stock and add to the pan. 

9. Stir well, scraping the remnants from the bottom of the pan.

10. Bring to the boil then return the chicken to the pan.

11. Reduce the heat to and lower temperature. If you have a frying pan cover, cover now. If you only have a saucepan with a lid, decant the ingredients to the saucepan, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

12. Remove the chicken from the pan again, cut into thick slices and set aside, covering with aluminium foil to keep warm.

13. Stir the Creme Fraiche into the sauce and bring back to the boil. 

14. Once the sauce has thickened and reduced, remove from the heat.

15. Pour the sauce onto two pre warmed plates to create a base, then place the flayed chicken on top. 

16. Serve with rustic Tuscan potatoes.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Flour.

900g Stewing Beef, fat trimmed and cubed.

1 Brown Onion, sliced.

450ml Guinness

200ml Beef Stock ( Or Porccini Liquid )

2 Bay Leaves

125g Chestnut Mushrooms

100g Porccini Mushrooms

1Tbsp Wholegrain Mustard

1 Carrot, peeled and diced

1/ 2 Tbsp each of Parsley, Oregano and Chives.

1 Tbsp Cornflour

Method

1. Place the flour into a sandwich bag and add salt and black pepper to season.

2. Add the cubed Beef to the bag and shake.

3. In a large frying pan, heat the oil to a medium / high heat then brown the steak. ( note, this must be done in small batches so as not to cook the meat through.)

4. Reduce the heat to a low / medium heat.

5. Transfer the steak into a slow cooker.

6. In the frying pan, lightly fry the Onions for a few minutes, then add the the Parsley, Oregano and Chives.

7. Once onions are opaque, add a little of the Guinness to deglaze the pan and collect the residue from the meat. 

8. Add the remnants to the slow cooker.

9. Add the Carrots, Bay Leaves, both types of Mushrooms, the Beef Stock ( or Beef Cube dissolved into the Porcini liquid, if using, ) to the slow cooker. Finally add the Guinness.

10. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on a low heat for 7- 8 hours.

11. Decant the sauce from the slow cooker into a saucepan, leaving a little liquid  for the steak / mushroom mixture to rest in.

12. Add the Wholegrain Mustard and bring sauce to the boil, adding Cornflour ( premixed with water to create a smooth paste ) and boil until sauce is silky and thickened.

13. Return sauce to the slow cooker.

14. Serve Casserole with Dumplings, Cheddar Mash or Potato Dauphinois for an indulgent twist.