Danish tartlets (tarteletter) with chicken, mushrooms and asparagus
Recipe for Danish tartlets (tarteletter) with a wonderful filling of shredded chicken, mushrooms and asparagus.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
The chicken
- 1 whole fresh chicken, approx. 1.3 kg
- A few vegetables for poaching the chicken
- Stock cube
- Salt and 10 peppercorns
Filling
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms
- 1 bunch fresh green asparagus
- 1 large jar of white asparagus
- 75 g butter (60 g + 15 g)
- 3-4 tbsp plain flour
- 350 ml poaching liquid from the chicken
- 75 ml liquid from the jar of asparagus
- 200 ml whipping cream (38% fat), or whole milk
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice, optional
- Salt and pepper
To serve
- Ready-made puff pastry tartlet shells – allow 3 per person
- Finely chopped parsley to finish
Instructions
The chicken
- Rinse and clean the chicken thoroughly. Place the chicken in a large pot and pour over enough water to cover it.
- Add a few mixed vegetables to flavour the stock – for example an onion cut into wedges, a couple of celery sticks, a carrot cut into slices, parsley stalks or similar. Also add 10 peppercorns, a good amount of salt and, if you like, a couple of stock cubes too – you want plenty of flavour.
- Bring the water to the boil, then turn down to low/medium heat and let the chicken simmer, covered, for approx. 45 min., depending on its size. Skim the stock as it cooks.
- Let the chicken rest in the water for 20 min. before lifting it out, and let it cool slightly before picking the meat off the bones – shred the meat and set it aside. Meanwhile, reduce the stock a little if you like, and finally strain it through a fine-mesh sieve.If time allows, the chicken can cool completely in its poaching liquid – it is easiest to shred while still warm, though.
The filling
- Clean the mushrooms and cut them into quarters. If they are very large, halve the quarters again.
- Snap the green asparagus where it breaks naturally, discard the woody ends and cut the rest into bite-sized pieces.
- Drain the jarred asparagus and cut these into bite-sized pieces too – remember to save a scant 100 ml of the liquid from the jar for the sauce.
- Melt a tablespoon of butter (approx. 15 g) in a saucepan and fry the mushrooms over fairly high heat for approx. 5 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper and set the mushrooms aside.
- Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan and whisk in the flour. Let it cook through over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the stock/poaching liquid from the chicken a little at a time, whisking thoroughly until smooth.
- Add the cream (or whole milk) and half of the asparagus liquid, and let the sauce simmer for approx. 10 min. – stir regularly so it does not catch on the bottom.Adjust the consistency with more asparagus liquid and/or stock.
- Meanwhile, pour boiling water and a pinch of salt over the pieces of green asparagus and let them steep for a scant 4-5 min. Then discard the water and let them drain.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then stir in the chicken, mushrooms and jarred asparagus – and heat through thoroughly.Meanwhile, warm the tartlet shells in the oven.
- Finally, fold in the pieces of green asparagus – season again with salt and pepper and add a little lemon juice if you like, to give the dish a touch of acidity.
- Serve the warm tartlet shells with plenty of filling and a generous sprinkling of parsley.