Andulusian Stuffed Chicken and Banana Creme Pie

These two were delicious. The chicken is from the book '1080 Recipes' wich is a popular cookbook in Spain. The kitchen still smells like the stuffing and the sherry-enriched juices. The pie was Vanessa's affair and was also delicious, creamy and banana-y.

The only thing I would do differently for the chicken is to reduce the pan juices down to a gravy. We'll try that next time, and there WILL be a next time for this one.

6 tablespoons olive oil
500 g tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and chopped
150 g serrano ham, diced
40 g pine nuts
1 tablespoon parsley, fresh, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
350 milliliters sherry, preferably Amontillado
50 milliliters Pernod
1.5 kg chicken
50 g lard, or 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 onion, large, cut into 2-3 pieces
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the apples and cook over a low heat for 2 minutes. Add the ham, pine nuts, parsley and cloves, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Pour in half the sherry and Pernod, stir well, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Stuff the chicken with the mixture, reserving any cooking liquid. Sew up the chicken cavity or secure with skewers. Spread the lard of brush the oil all over the bird and place it in a roasting tray. Pour the reserved apple cooking liquid around the chicken. Season with salt and put the onions on either side of the chicken. Roast, turning occasionally for 20 minutes, then pour the remaining sherry over the chicken. (If the tips of the legs start to brown, cover them with foil.)

Return the chicken to the oven and roast, basting occasionally, for about 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. To check doneness, piece the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer; if the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink, the chicken is cooked.

Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes on a cutting board or other non-hot surface. Carve the chicken and spoon out the stuffing onto a warm serving dish. Serve immediately with the sauce.

Banana Creme Pie
Cooking spray
12 graham cracker squares (6 full sheets) (Here in England we used a tube of digestive biscuits)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons boiling water
1/3 cup, plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups 1 percent lowfat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sliced banana (3 medium bananas)
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. In a food processor, process graham crackers until finely ground. Add butter and 1 tablespoon of water, and process until the crumb clumps together. Press crumb mixture into bottom of pie plate and about 1/2-inch up the sides. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then let cool.

In the meantime, make the filling. Put the gelatin in a small bowl; add 3 tablespoons of boiling water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/3 cup of sugar and the flour. In a medium bowl lightly beat the milk and eggs together. Add the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk so the flour and sugar dissolve. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened. Stir in the vanilla extract and gelatin. Set aside to cool slightly.

Arrange the sliced bananas on the graham cracker crust and pour the pudding on top. Place in the refrigerator until the pudding has set, about 3 hours.

Whip the cream with an electric beater. When it is about halfway done, add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, then continue whipping until fully whipped. Put the whipped cream in a plastic bag, concentrating it in 1 corner of the bag. Snip that corner off the bag and squeeze the whipped cream out of the bag in a decorative pattern around the pie.