Chicken with Pink and Green Peppercorns ►

To make the chicken: Bone the chicken to produce two servings (or globi) per chicken: Begin by cutting down along the breast bone, scraping along the bone to keep the meat intact. Disjoint the wing and continue boning along the wishbone. Turn the chicken over and cut along the backbone, carving out the meat from the bone. Disjoint the thigh and continue to remove entire half of chicken with the skin intact. Cut off the wing at the first joint leaving only the shoulder bone attached. Scrape meat off this remaining wing bone to remove the bone, leaving the meat and skin attached to half the chicken. Remove the thigh bone, leaving the meat attached to the chicken half. Cut around the knob end of the leg, releasing the skin and tendons. Press the leg meat and skin firmly toward the thigh so that 1-1/2 to 2 inches of leg bone is exposed. Cut the knob off the end of the leg bone. Repat with the second half of the chicken. Marinate for one hour in cognac, thyme, and bay leaf. Remove, and refrigerate the marinade.

To make the stuffing: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a baking pan. Soak the bread in heavy cream. Crush the peppercorns. In a deep bowl, mix the ground meat and mushrooms with the bread and cream mixture, peppercorns, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of stuffing into the pocket of each chicken leg. Fold the breast flap over the stuffing, then fold the thigh flap over the other flap. Press the chicken globi fold-side-down on a flat surface so the leg bone sticks straight up and the chicken forms a pear shape. Place the leg with the bone up in the baking pan and brush with melted butter. Bake 30 – 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

To make the sauce: In a small saute pan, heat 1/4 cup of the cognac and peppercorns. Cover and remove from the heat. Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the oven and place the chicken in a warm place. Pour off the fat from the chicken pan and place the pan over medium-high heat. Pour 1/2 cup of the cognac into the pan and bring to a boil, stirring to bring up the browned bits on the pan. Mix the demi-glace and cream together and add to the baking pan. Boil until thickened, then strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Add the remaining cognac. Tilt the pan slightly away from you, avert your face, and ignite the sauce. When the flame dies down, combine the cognac mixture with the strained baking pan sauce and bring to a low boil. Cook until reduced and slightly thickened. Season to taste.

To assemble: Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Clean the baby vegetables and plunge them into the boiling water. Boil the vegetables for 2 minutes, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Remove from the ice water. Place one chicken globi on each dinner plate and surround with the sauce. Garnish with parboiled vegetables. Place a frill on the knob end of each leg bone and serve.