We heart British celebrity TV Chef Marco Pierre White. Marco, the original temperamental Hells Kitchen Tv chef, is insanely talented, racy, and never afraid to speak his mind or compromise his morals. Said to be the only chef to bring Gordon Ramsay to tears, the 33 year old Marco was awarded 3 Michelin stars in 1995. Marco literally “gave them back” based on principal. (Other chefs who have trained under Marco include Bryn Williams, Matt Tebbutt, and Heston Blumenthal.)
Regarding the returning of the stars, Marco stated: “I was being judged by people who had less knowledge than me, so what was it truly worth? I gave Michelin inspectors too much respect, and I belittled myself. I had three options: I could be a prisoner of my world and continue to work six days a week, I could live a lie and charge high prices and not be behind the stove or I could give my stars back, spend time with my children and re-invent myself.”
Currently, Chef Marco is retired as a chef and is no longer behind the burner. He has various commercial partners and is affiliated with many restaurants including Wheeler’s of St Jame’s in London. He has authored several books, his most recent being “White Heat“, showcasing brilliant black and white photography and recipes.
Our video and recipe today features Chef Marco cooking a roasted chicken casserole with leeks, which is surprisingly simple to make at home.
Roasted chicken and leek casserole
Chef Marco Pierre White
Ingredients
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
Cooking Time: 1.5 hours
2 number-18 chickens (this is British speak for 2 1.8 kg chickens, which equals 6 or 7 lbs of chicken)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch baby leeks
40g butter (approx 2.5 tbsp)
40g plain flour (1/3 cup)
1 litre water (4 and 1/4 cups)
2 portions of Continental Stock Pot Chicken (this is Chef Marcos Special chicken stock/bouillon by Knorr, if you are in the states we recommend Knorr’s chicken bouillon, to taste)
2 sprigs of thyme
100ml thickened cream (approx 1/2 cup)
1 punnet (Brit speak for a small basket, microgreens, found at Trader Joes or Whole Foods) micro herbs to garnish
Preheat the oven to 200°C (approx 390 F), clean and roast the chickens for 1 hour and 10 minutes until cooked.
In a heavy based pot add the oil, and saute the baby leeks for 6 minutes on a medium heat until tender, remove the leeks and set aside.
To make the roux melt the butter in the pot, add the flour and cook to blonde color while stirring continuously.
Add the water gradually to the roux, whisking to ensure no lumps. Add the Continental Stock Pot, cream and thyme bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the liquid by a third.
Cut up the roasted chicken and add to the liquid. To serve garnish with micro herbs.
