A Royal Menu for Dinner at Buckingham Palace
Organic Chicken Ballotine
Seasonal Vegetables and Braised Fondant Potatoes
Ice Cream Bombe with Local Berries
The Royal Recipe: Watercress Panna Cotta
Ingredients
2 bunches watercress, tough stems removed
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tbsp sugar
2¼ tsp powdered gelatin
3 tbsp cold water
1small shallot, minced
1 tbsp unsalted butter
To taste: fine sea salt and white pepper
For garnish: king crab, crème fraîche, watercress leaves and chive oil
Directions
Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small bowl and let it bloom for 10 minutes. Next, you’ll want to “sweat” the shallot in the butter over low heat until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. This technique means that you don’t brown the onion, but rather cook it slowly. Add the cream, milk, and sugar to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Do not let it boil.
Separately, blanch the watercress in salted boiling water for 30 seconds. You don’t want to overcook, as otherwise, you’ll lose that perfect green color. Immediately, place in ice water and squeeze dry. Blend the watercress with the warm cream mixture until completely smooth. Pass through a fine sieve to ensure the silky texture you’ll need for panna cotta. Slowly, whisk the bloomed gelatin into the warm cream mixture until fully dissolved. Season with salt and white pepper. Lastly, divide among six coupes or glasses and refrigerate uncovered until set, at least 4 hours. To serve, top with a small spoon of crème fraîche, a few watercress leaves, and a small drizzle of chive oil.
Galavante tip: Taste your watercress before you buy it. This is one ingredient that varies in bitterness. If your watercress tastes sharp, blend in a small handful of baby spinach to soften the edge without losing the color.
The Royal Recipe: Organic Chicken Ballotine
A ballotine is simply a boned, stuffed, and rolled piece of poultry. It may sound intimidating on a menu, but it’s also the power move as far as presentation goes. Every slice comes out as a perfect spiral and there’s no carving required at the table. However,I think is the unsung hero of this dish is the fondant potatoes. They’re the reason this dish reads as “state banquet” rather than “Sunday roast.” Fondant potatoes are braised low and slow in stock and butter until the tops are golden and the inside collapses like custard. Just writing about it makes me hungry.
Ingredients
1 whole organic chicken, deboned (ask your butcher)
½ lb ground chicken or veal, for the farce
¼ cupheavy cream
2 tbsp chopped tarragon
1egg white
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
To taste sea salt and black pepper
Directions
Chicken Ballotine rolls beautifully because the chicken filling is ground. So the first thing you need to do is make the farce by pulsing the ground chicken with cream and tarragon in a food processor. Add the egg white and mustard and process until until smooth. Season to taste.
Next, lay the de-boned chicken skin-side down. Season the flesh, and spread the farce evenly across the center. Roll tightly into a log, skin-side out, and truss with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to set the shape; chill for 30 minutes. Unwrap and sear the ballotine in a hot ovenproof pan until golden on all sides. Transfer to a baking dish then roast at 375°F for 35–40 minutes, until internal temperature reads 165°F. Rest the ballotine 10 minutes before removing the twine and slicing into thick medallions.
The Royal Recipe: Fondant Potatoes
Ingredients
6 large Yukon gold potatoes, trimmed into cylinders
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1½ cups chicken stock
2 thyme sprigs, 1 garlic clove, smashed
Directions
For the potatoes: melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat, add the potatoes cut-side down, and brown for 4–5 minutes per flat side. Add the stock, thyme, and garlic. Cover and simmer 20–25 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance and the liquid has reduced to a glaze.
The Royal Recipe: Seasonal Vegetables
Ingredients
1 bunch baby carrots, tops trimmed
2 cup haricots verts
1 tbsp butter, for glazing
Directions
Blanch the carrots and haricots verts separately, until just tender, then toss together in the butter to glaze. Plate with a potato, a bundle of vegetables, and a spoon of the pan jus.
The Royal Dish: Ice Cream Bombe with Local Berries
The bombe is the great magic trick of formal dinner parties — a showstopper dessert that is entirely made ahead, sliced tableside, and somehow always gets the loudest reaction of the night. Layers of ice cream and sorbet are packed into a chilled dome mold, frozen solid, then unmolded in one clean release just before serving. No last-minute plating stress, no melting on the pass.
We’re leaning into whatever berries are actually in season where you are — the point isn’t a specific fruit, it’s freshness. A proper bombe should taste like the height of summer, no matter the season on the calendar.
Ingredients
1 pint vanilla bean ice cream, softened
1 pint berry sorbet (raspberry or strawberry), softened
2 cups mixed local berries
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
For garnish: whole berries, mint, gold leaf
Directions
Chill a 2-quart dome-shaped mold or mixing bowl in the freezer for at least an hour. Press the softened sorbet in an even layer against the sides and bottom of the mold, leaving a hollow center. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
Fill the hollow center with the softened vanilla ice cream, smoothing the top flat. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, macerate half the berries with the sugar and lemon juice for 30 minutes to make a quick coulis. Blend with a hand mixer and strain.
Fold the remaining fresh berries into the whipped cream and spread as the final layer, sealing the flat top of the mold. Cover and freeze at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. To unmold, dip the mold briefly in warm water and invert onto a chilled serving plate. Lift away gently.
Slice tableside with a warm knife. Serve each portion with a spoon of the berry coulis and a scatter of whole berries.
