I recently cooked for 12 people in San Francisco and was asked to share two items from the menu that night, Chicken Saltimbocca and Chocolate Mousse. Sorry I don't have pictures from that night, I was too busy cooking. However, I didn't manage to find a picture of Veal Saltimbocca that I cooked in Florence.
Chicken Saltimbocca
1 chicken breast, de-boned
2 pieces of prosciutto
4 sprigs of sage
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
For Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
White wine or dry vermouth for deglazing
Makes 2 servings
Take your chicken breast and remove the chicken tender. Pound the breast so that it becomes an even thickness, roughly one quarter inch across the entire surface of the chicken.
Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Add your sage leaves and slices of prosciutto to the chicken breast. Then roll your chicken breast like a cigar and secure with toothpicks or kitchen string.
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
Heat an oven proof sauté pan with enough olive oil to coat the pan. Sear your rolled up chicken on as much surface area as you can until the chicken is well browned. Transfer the pan with the chicken into the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and remove the chicken from the pan. Deglaze the sauté pan with a half a cup of white wine or dry vermouth and reduce by half.
Return the chicken to the pan and add butter off heat. Swirl the butter in the pan with the chicken until the butter is completely melted and the chicken is completely coated. You are ready to serve.
You may cut the chicken into individual slices for a clean presentation or simply cut the rolled breast in half.
Chocolate Mousse
8 Egg Whites
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
16 ounces heavy whipping cream
12 ounces of dark chocolate
Makes 12 servings
Melt your chocolate until smooth in a double boiler.
Meanwhile add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar to your egg whites and whip your egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Now, add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar to cream and whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the melted chocolate in the whipped egg whites until incorporated…(no white spots)
Now take half of your whipped cream and fold into your chocolate egg white mixture, again, no white spots.
Fold the second half of the whipped cream into the mixture until the entire mixture is chocolate fluff.
Put the mousse into the refrigerator for at least an hour, but 3 hours is better.
Spoon the mousse into a decorative bowl or martini glass and garnish with shaved chocolate and sweetened whipped cream.