Romancing the chicken in Ballykeeran!

When I said I was romancing a chicken on a Tuesday night the default reaction was a quizzical look or arched eyebrows accompanied by a laugh. Little did anyone know that my date with a chicken was all part of an exciting adult gourmet cookery programme in Angie's Kitchen in Ballykeeran, where chef and instructor Angie Perry was on a mission to give me and the other participants some new and innovative ideas to spice up chicken, getting away from the usual boring, bland results to a new approach of simple dining with an elegant twist. Very much a practical course, Angie got me and the three other participants straight to work on the night's menu, although not before we all oohed and aahed at the dining table which was set in a beautiful festive style, full of golds and cream which we all thought looked straight out of a food and interiors magazine. With our minds back on the food, we watched Angie, a native of Dublin, in a simple and entertaining way demonstrate the steps to make a mouth watering chicken roulade with smoked salmon and spinach with wholegrain sauce from the spacious confines of her beautiful purpose-built kitchen. It always seems simple watching someone else do the work but you don't actually learn until you have a go yourself, which was certainly borne out as I split my chicken before putting it on cling film and patting with rolling pin to flatten out. Forgetting what to do next Angie was on hand to offer gentle reassurance and plenty of tips to make great food and present it in a very professional, gourmet manner. After placing smoked salmon and spinach on my chicken I parcelled it up in the cling film again and rolled it swiss roll style before tying it at either end. For all the world, it looked a bit like a chicken sausage before being plopped into a casserole dish of stock for cooking in the oven for 20 minutes, something Angie told us is very suitable for a dinner party as it's simple and quick to prepare and cook and looks fantastic. Getting hungry at this stage, our group moved on to work on the accompaniment, a sweet potato bake and a green salad to accompany the starter of chicken liver pate. After chopping the sweet potato in small cubes it went into boiling water for cooking while I turned my attention to cutting up the pineapple and Angie, who is whizz with really useful tips and advice, showed us how to make melba toast before we tried it out for ourselves. A first for me I must say having tried and failed to make it in the past! She also spent some time demonstrating top notch presentation for the green salad to accompany the pate, which to me, looked straight out of a top class restaurant before we tried to replicate it ourselves. By now licking my lips in anticipation of some scrummy food, I got my first taste as the group sat down to sample the chicken liver pate, a recipe they made during the six-week course, and by golly it was worth waiting for. Served with red currant jelly, it was an entrée Paulo Tullio would have been proud of and went down a storm with me and the other ladies on the night, who I must say were great company throughout, providing lively banter and fun. First course scoffed it was time to check in on the chicken and sweet potatoes. Done and done. After removing the cling film each one of us cut our roulade and presented it in a fan shape on the plates after our instructor demonstrated the presentation technique. Out of the boiling water the sweet potato went into a casserole dish topped with the pineapple and controversially - marshmallows - before being put under the grill. Intrigued by that combination, it was just a few minutes before we got to taste the results and despite being an unusual combo it was a great sweet/savoury mix, while the chicken roulade got top marks all round. Gone was the dry chicken and in its place was a moist, flavoursome mix with the smoked salmon and spinach adding a lively twist. It struck me that this really was gourmet food I would gladly pay good money for and now I can actually make it at home. This highly enjoyable evening was rounded off by a dessert (my favourite part of the meal by the way) treat made by Angie earlier that day, a Toberlone mousse with star shaped shortbread. And yes, it tasted as good as it sounds. All in all, a fitting conclusion to an evening that flew by in a haze of cooking, eating and entertaining, some of my favourite pursuits, while learning plenty of new skills at the same time. Before we were on our way Angie thoughtfully presented us all with a little festive box of homemade chocolate fudge and a chef's hat. Let's hope I put it, and her recipes, to good use! Angie's Kitchen holds regular cookery programmes, junior camps and baking parties for birthdays. She also offers catering services for dinner parties in your own home, Christmas cooking, buffets and home baked goods. For further information call Angie Perry, Angie's Kitchen, Annagh, Ballykeeran, on 086 8364860.