Best In Season with Nicholas Balfe - September

 
 
 

September in the Kitchen

September definitely feels like a turning point in the kitchen. Summer hasn't quite disappeared, but you can feel the seasons beginning to shift. Tomatoes are still heavy on the vine and courgettes continue to arrive in abundance, yet the first signs of autumn begin to emerge. For me, it's one of the most exciting moments in the calendar because two very different seasons briefly overlap.

Fresh English sweetcorn is at its absolute peak. Picked at the right time, the kernels are incredibly sweet and juicy, a world away from the tinned or vacuum-packed versions many of us grew up with. Alongside it comes one of Britain's greatest seasonal treasures: pert, golden girolles from Scotland.

Every year I hound my suppliers for the arrival of the first Scottish girolles from early August onwards. Their season in the UK is short, their flavour is delicate and they possess an almost fruity sweetness - alongside those trademark earthy tones - that's unlike any other mushroom. When they're available, it feels almost criminal not to build a dish around them.

There's an old saying that what grows together goes together, and few pairings demonstrate that better than sweetcorn and girolles. The sweetness of the corn is lifted by the gentle woodland character of the mushrooms, whilst peppery watercress and a rich chicken jus bring freshness and depth. It's a dish that perfectly captures this brief window between summer and autumn.

Cooking with corn

Sweetcorn deserves far more respect than it often receives. At its best, it's one of Britain's finest vegetables, but timing is everything. As soon as it's picked, the natural sugars begin converting into starch, which is why locally grown corn eaten in season tastes so remarkably different.

For this dish, I cook the cobs with their final papery husk still attached. As they sit on the hot plancha, the outer leaves char while the kernels gently steam inside, concentrating their sweetness before they're sliced from the cob.

Some of those kernels are folded through a warm fricassée with sautéed girolles. The remainder are transformed into an indulgent purée with shallots, garlic, cream, crème fraîche, smoked paprika and a big pinch of allspice. Once blended until perfectly smooth, the natural starch in the corn creates an incredibly silky texture without the need for additional thickening.

Scottish champions

If I had to choose one ingredient that defines early autumn, it would have to be girolle mushrooms. Scottish girolles are one of the great seasonal luxuries of the British larder. Their season is fleeting, which makes their arrival all the more exciting.

Unlike bolder-flavoured mushrooms such as ceps or black trumpets, girolles are wonderfully elegant. They have a subtle woodland aroma alongside a gentle sweetness that reminds me almost of ripe stone fruit. That natural sweetness makes them the perfect companion to fresh corn.

The best way to cook them is also the simplest. A hot pan, a little butter and careful seasoning at the very last moment is all they need. Overwork them and you lose the very quality that makes them so special.

Roast chicken, but make it pro!

I always use whole chickens where possible, free range at a minimum, but traceability and ethics of production are of paramount importance. Here, we’ve used Creedy Carver chicken from nearby Merrifeld in Devon, a slower-grown bird with excellent flavour and texture, but produced in enough volume to make them commercially viable on the menu.

In the restaurant, we break them down, reserving the thighs and drumsticks for other preparations to maximumise the value. The breasts are brined on the crown are with garlic, bay, rosemary, thyme, black peppercorns and just a touch of fenugreek. Brining gently seasons the meat throughout whilst helping it remain exceptionally juicy when cooked.

Once brined and air-dried in the fridge for 12 hours, we slow-roast the crowns in advance before finishing them in foaming butter to order. It's a technique that's ideal for professional kitchens because it combines consistency with beautifully crisp, caramelised skin.

A rich chicken jus

With sweetcorn already providing plenty of natural sweetness, the sauce doesn't need to be complicated.

A proper chicken jus made from roasted bones, caramelised vegetables, a touch of tomato purée and a good amount of white wine provides exactly the right amount of savoury depth. I like to whisk in some of the buttery resting juices just before serving, too. The flavour transfer from the deeply caramelised skin to that nutty brown foaming butter is just too powerful to waste!

It's glossy, rich and intensely flavoured, tying every element on the plate together without overwhelming the delicate flavours of the season.

ROAST CREEDY CARVER CHICKEN WITH CHARRED SWEETCORN, SCOTTISH GIROLLES & WATERCRESS

Serves 12 

For the Chicken

Ingredients 

  • 3 whole Creedy Carver chicken crowns, brined for 4 hours

  • Neutral oil

  • 100g unsalted butter

  • 1 head garlic, halved

  • A few sprigs of thyme and rosemary

Brine

  • 4 litres water

  • 400g fine sea salt

  • 140g caster sugar

  • 6 sprigs rosemary

  • 10 sprigs thyme

  • 1 head garlic, halved horizontally

  • Peel of 2 lemons, removed in strips

  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns

  • 1tsp fenugreek (optional - but adds great complexity)

Method 

  1. aromats. Add the remaining 3 litres of (iced) water and set aside to cool, then transfer to the fridge. Ensure the bring is <5 degrees C before using.

  2. Break down the chickens, removing the legs, wings and backs and reserving the wing tips, trim and any offal for the jus. Remove the wishbones from the crowns, then brine for four hours. Remove from the brine, pat dry, then air dry in the fridge, ideally overnight, before using to create super crisp skin.

  3. Slow roast the crowns at 90 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 65 degrees C, then set aside. To finish, heat a little oil in a large pan and colour the chicken all over. Add the butter, garlic and herbs and baste in the foaming butter until deeply golden. The chicken can then rest on the crown before carving  la minute, with each breast sliced lengthways into two portions. Reserve the brown butter resting juices to finish the jus.

 Note: If you are pushed for time or want to prioritise efficiency, you can of course buy chicken supremes and you can get away without brining them - just be aware the end result won’t be anywhere near as tasty.

Chicken Jus 

Ingredients 

  • 500g chicken wings, offal and trim

  • 500g mirepoix

  • A small bunch of hard herbs

  • 1 tbsp tomato purée

  • 300ml dry white wine

  • 4 litres chicken stock

  • Sherry vinegar

Method 

  1. Caramelise the chicken trim well in a large sauce pan, then add the mirepoix and herbs and continue cooking until coloured. Add the tomato purée and cook out for 2 minutes.

  2. Add the white wine and reduce by one third, then add the chicken stock. Simmer gently, skimming regularly, until reduced by two thirds. Pass through a fine sieve and continue reducing until rich and glossy. Season with salt and a little sherry vinegar.

 

Sweetcorn Purée

Ingredients 

  • 10 cobs British sweetcorn

  • 2 litres double cream

  • 2 bay leaves

  • A few sprigs of thyme

  • 1 tsp black peppercorns

  • 1 tsp whole allspice

  • 5 shallots, sliced

  • 10 garlic cloves, sliced

  • 125g butter

  • 300ml dry white wine

  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

  • ½ tsp ground allspice

  • Salt and lemon juice

Method 

  1. Remove the outer husks from the sweetcorn, leaving the final papery layer intact. Char the cobs on a hot plancha or barbecue until blackened outside and tender within. Remove the remaining husk and slice the kernels from the cobs.

  2. Infuse the stripped cobs in the cream with the bay, thyme, peppercorns and whole allspice for 1 hour, then strain.

  3. Again, to save time, you can use tinned or frozen corn. The results won’t be bad, but the process above does add layers of flavours you won’t achieve otherwise.

  4. Sweat the shallots and garlic in the butter until soft. Add 500g of the charred corn, followed by the wine, and reduce until almost dry. Add the paprika and ground allspice, then enough infused cream to cover. Cook gently until reduced and rich, then blend until completely smooth. Season with salt and plenty of lemon juice.

Sweetcorn Fricassée

Ingredients 

  • 1kg Scottish girolles

  • 500g remaining charred sweetcorn kernels

  • Neutral oil

  • 1 garlic clove

  • Butter

  • Lemon juice

  • Chives and parsley, chopped

Method 

  1. Clean and trim the girolles. Heat a little neutral oil in a large frying pan and sauté the mushrooms over a high heat until lightly coloured.

  2. Add the sweetcorn and a small amount of finely grated garlic, followed by a generous knob of butter. Toss together, then season with salt, lemon juice and chopped herbs. Don’t add the salt too early, otherwise moisture will be drawn out of the mushrooms and they might begin to braise rather than saute.

To serve 

  1. Reheat the sweetcorn purée, fricassée and chicken jus. Lightly dress a few watercress leaves with olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt.

  2. Spoon the purée onto each plate and add half a chicken breast and a generous spoonful of the sweetcorn and girolle fricassée. Finish with the dressed watercress.

  3. Whisk the chicken resting juices into the hot jus at the last moment and spoon over the chicken to serve.

 

 
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