| 1 |
Soak the prunes overnight in the hot tea. Carefully slit them and take out the stones. |
| 2 |
Finely chop one of the onions and fry it in a little butter. Add the breadcrumbs, herbs and seasoning and the juice and rind of 1 lemon. Grate the ounce of hard butter on the coarse side of the grater and add this. |
| 3 |
Stuff the pitted prunes with the mixture, arrange in a buttered baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 180 C/350 F/gas mark 4 for 25 minutes. Put to cool and leave on one side to garnish the finished dish. |
| 4 |
Fit the trussed bird into a pot just large enough to contain it. Add the vinegar, carrot, onion, salt and pepper and just enough water to cover the thighs of the bird well. (The breasts will cook in the steam.) Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook gently on top of the stove for about 45 minutes, or until the thighs are tender. Leave to cool for 1 hour in the cooking liquor. |
| 5 |
Remove the bird, skin it and cut into nice serving portions, taking out any bones. Arrange the pieces on a dish. Cover with foil so that the meat doesn't dry up, but let it get quite cold. Try not to refrigerate unless absolutely necessary. Skim as much fat as possible from the liquor. |
| 6 |
Now make the sauce. Melt the remaining butter in a pan, stir in the flour and gradually work in 1/2 litre/1 pint of the strained cooking liquor. Cook the sauce for 10 minutes, stirring all the time to prevent lumping and burning. |
| 7 |
Strain the sauce into a clean basin and check the seasoning, adding the juice and rind of the second lemon and more salt and pepper if necessary. Cover with oiled paper cut to fit the surface of the sauce and cool completely. |
| 8 |
Half-whip the cream and fold into the cold sauce, incorporating it thoroughly. Coat each piece of chicken with this sauce. |
| 9 |
Garnish with the stuffed prunes, lemon segments and bunches of watercress. |