Marco Pierre White’s delicious childhood favorites: Chicken Kiev, Fish Cakes, and Macaroni Cheese

Marco Pierre White has been sharing his classic Christmas recipes since Saturday.

Today, in the final part of our series, Marco will show you how to prepare dishes inspired by his illustrious career as a chef and his childhood favorites – keyword chicken Kiev, a sublime macaroni cheese and the trusted old favorite the pudding- Cake …

Chicken Kiev

This is my take on classic chicken with a crispy layer of breadcrumbs and a bag of garlic and herb butter that oozes out as you cut.

I use winged chicken breasts; If you can’t get these, just use wingless breasts.

Served 2

• 30 g unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 chicken breast fillets, approx. 175 g each, skin removed
• 100 g normal flour
• 3 medium-sized eggs, beaten
• 100 g panko breadcrumbs, mixed to a powder
• 100 ml sunflower oil
• sea-salt
• Chopped fresh herbs of your choice for garnish
• 1 lemon, halved, for serving

Mix the butter, garlic and parsley into a paste and store in the refrigerator.

Place a chicken breast inside out on a board. Remove a thin slice of meat; This is used to “close” the filling pocket.

Turn the fillet over and decorate it – cut it from the thick long side horizontally almost to the other side so that it opens like a book.

Repeat with the other fillet. Put the butter paste in the chicken and close. Use the reserved washers to seal and tap the pockets. Chill for an hour to set.

Line up three bowls – one with flour, one with eggs, one with breadcrumbs. Coat each Kiev first with the flour, then with the egg and then with the breadcrumbs.

In a pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and fry the kievan flat on the thick side for five to six minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for three to four minutes until crispy and golden brown on both sides.

Season with salt, garnish with herbs and serve with lemon halves.

Salmon fish cakes with tartar sauce

A great tip when making fish cakes is to add some smash to the mixture. You can freeze them – and if you go to the trouble of making fish cakes, you can make a large amount too.

You made two or three dinners from a job in the kitchen. This is a great way to use mashed potatoes, although you can use the meat from baked potatoes, either pureed or given through a rice machine.

A great tip when making fish cakes is to add some smash to the mixture. You can freeze them – and if you go to the trouble of making fish cakes, you can make a large amount too

Served 6

• 500 g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 500 g salmon fillets, skin removed
• Milk for poaching the salmon
• 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
• Tabasco to your taste
• Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce to your taste
• Mash 10 g instant mashed potatoes
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 300 g normal flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Tartar sauce (see recipe on the right)
• Withered spinach for serving
• 6 poached eggs for serving

Boil the potatoes in a saucepan with boiling water until soft.

Drain and set aside until they stop steaming. Mash.

Place the salmon fillets in a pan with enough milk to cover them, simmer, and poach until half-cooked for three to four minutes.

Remove from the pan and let cool.

Add the tomato ketchup, tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and smash to the mashed potatoes and mix well.

Peel the fish and fold into the mashed potatoes.

Season with sea salt and white pepper.

Shape the potato mixture into balls weighing approx. 160 g each.

Roll in the flour first, then the beaten eggs, then the breadcrumbs, making sure they are completely coated.

Press each patty into a suitable circular cutter (I use one that is 8 cm in diameter) to form a flattened circle. Sprinkle again with breadcrumbs and store in the refrigerator until use.

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C / 160 ° C / gas 4 and place a baking sheet in it to heat it up.

In a large saucepan, heat enough oil to reach the fishcakes halfway up and cook them for two minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Place on the preheated tray and bake hot in the middle of the oven – about five minutes.

Warm the tartar sauce slightly, but do not let it boil. Arrange the fish cakes on a platter on a bed of withered spinach and place a poached egg on top of each fish cakes.

Serve the tartar sauce on the side or spoon generously over the eggs.

Anchovies on toast

Butter the toast – be generous. Place six anchovies on each slice. Sprinkle with the shallot rings and garnish with parsley. Serve on a board or a warm tray

Packed with flavor, saltiness and crispy toast, this is always just the thing. You can watch me prepare this dish on BBC Maestro.

Served 4

• Unsalted butter to spread
• 4 slices of sourdough bread or bread of your choice, toasted
• 24 anchovies
• 2-3 shallots, cut into thin rings
• Finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Butter the toast – be generous. Place six anchovies on each slice. Sprinkle with the shallot rings and garnish with parsley. Serve on a board or a warm tray.

Fried pheasant with lentils

A healthy alternative to turkey. Use chicken pheasant if you can as the meat is more tender.

Served 4

A healthy alternative to turkey. Use chicken pheasant if you can as the meat is more tender

• 250 g puy green lentils
• 2 large carrots, cut lengthways
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 celery stalks, halved crosswise
• 1 bay leaf
• 550 ml (19 fl oz) water
• 1 Knorr chicken stock pot
• 2 chicken pheasants
• Clarified butter or ghee (from supermarkets) or oil
• Sprinkle some extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 180 ° C / fan 160 ° C / gas. 4. Place the lentils in a pan with cold water and bring to a boil. Drain and freshen up with cold water.

Return the lentils to the pan, add the carrots, onions, celery, bay leaf, water and stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, bring to a boil and cook for 40-45 minutes until tender.

In the meantime, place the pheasants in a roasting pan and brush with butter or oil. Fry on the lower shelf for 30-35 minutes until brown.

Lift the pheasants out of the can and let them rest. Drain the lentils and vegetables and set the vegetables aside. Stir the extra virgin olive oil into the lentils, season and arrange on a plate. Place the pheasants on top and garnish with vegetables and bay leaf.

Macaroni cheese with soft-boiled eggs

I’ve added a few twists to this popular dish to make it extra special.

Of course, cheese is usually mixed into the bechamel sauce, but that makes it gloopy and the flavors are undefined. That’s why I don’t add cheese to the sauce, but instead use it to layer the dish.

The soft-boiled eggs are solemn and don’t last long, but are optional. At BBC Maestro, watch me take the dish to a place it’s never been before and pair it with another Italian classic in macaroni cheese with ragù Bolognese.

Served 8

Of course, cheese is usually mixed into the bechamel sauce, but that makes it gloopy and the flavors are undefined. That’s why I don’t add cheese to the sauce, but instead use it to layer the dish

• 1 lb 10 oz (750 g) macaroni
• A dash of olive oil
• 8 medium eggs (optional)
• 450 g parmesan, grated
• Chopped fresh herbs of your choice for garnish

For the bechamel sauce

• 90 g unsalted butter
• 75 g plain flour
• 1.5 l (2 ¾ pt) whole milk
• 150 ml (¼ pt) double cream
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and white pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg to your taste

For the topping

• 40 g (1½ oz) panko breadcrumbs mixed into a powder
• 75 g parmesan, grated

To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over low to medium heat, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for five minutes to cook the flour.

Pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Add the cream, bay leaf and season with salt and white pepper.

Grate some nutmeg if you like. Whisk over low to medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until it thickens slightly.

You don’t want the sauce to be too thick – it should be pretty light as the starch in the pasta will thicken it.

In a separate saucepan, cook the macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente (with a light bite).

Drain the macaroni and add a dash of olive oil.

With the macaroni in a colander, work the pasta with a wooden spoon for about a minute to get the water out.

Now mix the pasta with the bechamel sauce and stir with a wooden spoon to make sure it is well coated.

For the soft-boiled eggs, if used, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and carefully place the eggs in the pan.

Let cook for five minutes and 15 seconds. Take them out of the pan and once cool enough to touch, peel them and set them aside.

Preheat the grill too high. In a large, deep, ovenproof baking dish, arrange the macaroni cheese as follows: one third of the parmesan on the bottom of the baking dish; then a third of the pasta covered with sauce; another third of the parmesan; another third of the pasta; the remaining parmesan; the remaining pasta.

For the topping, mix the mixed breadcrumbs and parmesan and spread the mixture over the top.

Transfer the bowl to the bottom of the grill and brown it until golden brown or to your liking. Alternatively, you can bake in an oven preheated to 160 ° C / fan 140 ° C / gas 3.

When using, arrange the soft-boiled eggs around the top of the macaroni cheese. Garnish with chopped herbs and serve immediately.

Pudding tartlets

I’ve always been a huge fan of pudding and this dessert is an old favorite of mine.

Serves 8-10

Cut out a circle of parchment paper to cover the top of the pudding as you cut off the top of the pastry edge, leaving a pie that is neat and very pretty

• Flour for dusting
• 500 g sweet pastries
• 800 ml (1½ pt) whipped cream or double cream
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 12 egg yolks
• 120 g powdered sugar
• Grated nutmeg to your taste

Line a 3.5 cm deep cake ring or a 26 cm diameter cake pan with baking paper. On a floured surface, roll out the pastries to the thickness of a 1 pound coin. Line the tin with the pastries and leave an overhang. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 175 ° C / fan 155 ° C / gas 3½. Line the pastries with kitchen foil and fill with baking beans (or dry legumes).

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Leave the oven on, but reduce the temperature to 140 ° C / fan 120 ° C / gas. 1. Remove the beans and foil from the pastry and let them cool.

Mix a little of the cream with the corn flour to make a paste. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar with one hand or an electric whisk until well mixed.

Stir in the cornmeal paste, then add the rest of the cream and stir with a whisk until smooth. Put through a sieve on the baking pan and rub nutmeg (to your taste) over it.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the cake is in the middle. You can test it by moving it gently – it shouldn’t wobble.

Cut out a circle of parchment paper to cover the top of the pudding as you cut off the top of the pastry edge, leaving a pie that is neat and very pretty.

Fried plums with vanilla

A simple dessert to finish off a Sunday dinner. You can always roast the plums before eating and then reheat them when it’s time for pudding. Delicious with cream or ice cream.

Serves 6-8

A simple dessert to finish off a Sunday dinner. You can always toast the plums before eating and then reheat them when it’s time for pud

• 125 g butter
• 125 g powdered sugar
• 16-18 plums
• 3-5 vanilla pods to your taste

Melt the butter in a large pan over low to medium heat. Add the sugar and continue cooking until a light caramel forms.

Place the plums in the pan with the vanilla pods and cook for about ten minutes. Turn and continue cooking for about five minutes – cooking time will depend on how ripe the plums are. Test the softness with the tip of a knife or use one as a taste test.

Take the pan to the table to serve with caramel and whipped cream or ice cream.