Cider Poached Chicken, Asparagus and Mayonnaise

Ingredients

1 cup Heritage Apple Cider
1 1/2 cup water
1 tspn peppercorn
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
230g chicken breast Without Wing Bone or Skin

Cheat’s Mayonnaise
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tbspn Verjuice
1/2 tspn dijon mustard
140ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
80ml grapeseed oil
1 tspn sea salt
1/3 cup pine nuts (optional) Roasted

Salad
1 bunch asparagus
80g green beans
1/3 cup mint
2 cup parsley leaves
1 heart of cos lettuce
1 bulb leaves of 1 bulb witlof (or radicchio leaves)

Salad Dressing
2 tbspn Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbspn Verjuice


Method

1 Combine Cider or Verjuice, water, peppercorns, fresh bay leaves and thyme in sauce pan. Bring to gentle simmer. Slide chicken breast in and cook for five minutes cartouche, turn over and cook for a further five minutes, or until just cooked through.

2 Rest for ten minutes at room temperature and slice against the grain.

3 To make Cheats Mayonnaise, place all ingredients into mixing bowl and blend with stick mixer for 30 seconds. (Makes 1 cup, Serves 4). The mayonnaise not used for this recipe will keep for a few days in the refrigerator covered.

4 Optional – roast the pine nuts, then allow to cool and process with Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make a paste. Then add to mayonnaise, this makes it beautifully rich.

5 To make the salad, blanch the asparagus and beans, then refresh.

6 Toss sliced chicken in two tablespoons of the mayonnaise and then toss together with the remaining salad ingredients.

7 To finish, combine Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Verjuice and drizzle over salad.

Recipe  kindly  provided  by  Maggie  Beer