Missy Robbins
SPIAGGIA | Chicago
Just before graduating from Georgetown University, Missy dined
at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and became convinced that
the kitchen was the right place for her. She moved to New York for
her culinary studies at Peter Kump’s School of Cooking and
afterwards developed two important mentor relationships with noted
chefs Wayne Nish at March Restaurant and Anne Rosenzweig at Arcadia
and the Lobster Club. With a desire to further enhance the breadth
of her culinary education, she embarked on an excursion to northern
Italy where she worked in small, family-run restaurants and the
Michelin-rated Agli Amici in Friuli. Robbins grew to love the ingredient-driven,
simple and regionally inspired foods of Italy. Returning to the
states, she became the sous chef and then chef de cuisine at the
boutique SoHo Grand Hotel before she was lured to Chicago in 2003
by the opportunity to work at Spiaggia, one of the nation’s
few four-star Italian restaurants. Working with highly acclaimed
Chef Tony Mantuano, Robbins has found the perfect opportunity to
bring her ardor for Italian cooking to life.
Guinea Hen Wrapped in Pancetta with Creamy
Yukon Gold Potatoes and Umbrian Black Truffle Sauce
Chef Missy Robbins of Spiaggia – Chicago, IL
Adapted by StarChefs.com
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
Guinea Hen:
- 3 guinea hen, boned out and cut in halves
- 7 ½ ounces pancetta, sliced very thin
- 6 ounces caul fat
Black Truffle Sauce:
- 6 guinea hen carcasses
- 2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup roughly chopped carrot
- 1 cup roughly chopped onion
- 1 cup roughly chopped celery
- 1 bottle white wine
- 12 quarts chicken stock
- 3 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 ounces butter
- 1 ½ ounces Umbrian black truffle carpaccio, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon truffle oil
Potatoes:
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 ounces cream
- 2 ounces butter
- 1 Tablespoon truffle oil
Method:
For Guinea Hen:
Take half a guinea hen, which should be completely boned out, but
left in tact, and roll into a cylinder so that the thigh and leg
meat are inside of the breast meat. Lay 1¼ ounces of the
pancetta flat on a work surface and place the guinea hen on top
of it. Roll the pancetta tightly around the guinea hen cylinder.
Place a piece of caul fat on the work surface and place the wrapped
guinea hen cylinder on top. Roll the caul fat tightly around the
package.
For Sauce:
Preheat an oven to 350° F. Place guinea hen carcasses on a sheet
pan and place in oven. Roast until golden brown. When the bones
have roasted, heat a large sauce pot to medium. Add 2 Tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil and sauté carrots, onions and celery
until vegetables are slightly golden and beginning to soften. Deglaze
with the white wine and reduce the wine by half. Add the roasted
bones to the pot and cover with the chicken stock. Add the tomatoes,
thyme and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 ½ hours
until there is a strong poultry flavor. Strain the sauce through
a fine sieve and place the liquid into a smaller pan. Bring back
to a simmer and let reduce by ¾ or until the sauce can coat
the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just
before serving the sauce, add 2 ounces of butter and whisk in over
low heat so it slowly emulsifies. Finish with the chopped truffles
and the truffle oil.
For Potatoes:
Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Place the potatoes in a
medium-sized sauce pan and cover with cold water. Bring the water
to a simmer and cook potatoes until tender. Drain and let steam
for 1 minute in order to dry out the excess moisture from the potatoes.
Heat the cream and put through a food mill with the potatoes. Whip
in 2 ounces of the butter by hand. (Potatoes should have a loose
consistency. Add more cream if necessary.) Season to taste with
salt and a Tablespoon of truffle oil.
To Assemble and Serve:
Preheat an oven to 450° F. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet
and add 3 Tablespoons olive oil Add the wrapped guinea hens and
sauté while turning until pancetta begins to crisp on all
sides. When the pancetta begins to brown, put the skillet in the
oven to finish cooking, approximately 20 minutes, making sure to
occasionally turn it in order to achieve even browning. When the
guinea hen is cooked through, pull it from oven and let rest for
a few minutes. Trim both ends off and cut in half on a bias.
Place 2 Tablespoons of the potato puree in the center of each plate.
Place the guinea hen upright in the middle of the potatoes. Spoon
Two tablespoons of sauce over each guinea hen.
Wine Pairing:
Albert Morot, Savigny-Vergelesses, La Bataillère, Burgundy,
France 1996
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