Coq Au Vin - Burgundy-style poultry and red wine stew

Coq au Vin (literally "rooster in red wine") is probably the most famous of all French chicken dishes, and certainly one of the most delicious, with its rich red wine sauce, its tender onions and mushroom garniture, and its browned pieces of chicken with their wonderful flavor.

                                         6 Portions

  Ingredients:

1 Coq, stewing chicken, or guinea fowl, 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs)or whole quails 

2 thick slices bacon 

2 T flour 

1/4 C cognac
3 C dry red wine (not too dry, not too sweet) 

2 cloves garlic, 4 carrots peeled 

2 bay leaves, 3 sprigs fresh thyme 

20 pearl onions, or 4 large white onions, 1/4ered 

360 g (13 oz.) button mushrooms
2 T. butter 

450 g, (1 lb.) fingerling potatoes 

1 bunch chopped parsley

 

Procedure:

• Portion large poultry such as chicken into 8's, small poultry like Cornish hens into 1⁄4 s. 
• Meanwhile, chop bacon and brown in wide sauté pan over medium heat. Careful not to burn oil, remove and reserve bacon once browned. 
• Place poultry pieces in bacon fat and brown on all sides, add dust with flour and stir to dissolve, then deglaze with Cognac, which can be flambéed if desired. 
• Reduce 3 minutes, then add the herbs and wine, which should cover about 1/2 way up the poultry. Salt lightly, and bring to the simmer over medium heat, careful not to ever boil. (Best not to put on a lid, as the steam build-up can quickly toughen the poultry.)   
• Meanwhile, unless you have a huge pan, you'll have to cook the vegetables in a separate sauté pan. Melt 1 T. butter and soften onions and carrots with light browning about 10 minutes, covered. Add garlic cloves for last 2 minutes, salt, and mix into pan with poultry. 
• Use the same pan with another 1 T. butter to brown the mushrooms, cut smaller if necessary. 
• Mix them, and reserved bacon into the poultry in the last 10 minutes of cooking, which should not exceed 45 minutes total simmering. 
• If sauce remains too thin to coat the back of a spoon, remove the poultry and reduce sauce until it's thick enough to coat the poultry. 
• Check for seasoning, toss in parsley the last minute, and serve with fingerling potatoes, which have been boiled about 30 minutes, salted, till tender. 
• To perfect cooking times, the breast pieces should be cooked ideally only about 10 minutes, so if you want to go to the trouble, remove them from the pan after browning, and add them to the wine sauce only for the last ten minutes.

• Also, should you be trying the authentic recipe with an older bird, count on about 2 hrs of simmering time. In this case, it's better to add the sautéed veggies into the simmering sauce only in the last 1/2 hr or so, to avoid them completely over-cooking.

 

 

Wine Suggestions: 

 

Use the same or similar red wine as in the stew, traditionally a balanced wine from Burgundy.

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of Pauline Boldt.

Brandade de Morue

                                                  Serves 6

A southern French classic recipe. It's usually served with slices of crusty bread and raw vegetables, and goes well with a crisp, dry white wine.

Ingredients:

400 g Salt cod, diced, soaked in cold water overnight

500 g cooked potatoes

3 shallots peeled and sliced

250 ml Milk

250 ml Cream

2 eggs

8 Tablespoons olive oil

Black pepper

Procedure:

• Cook the peeled and chopped potatoes and keep on the side.   
• Sweat the chopped shallots in 2 Tbs of olive oil for 5 mins. Add the soaked Cod, potatoes, cream and Milk. 
• Cook until the fish is tender. 
• Strain off most of the liquid and put in a food processor. Add the Eggs and black pepper and mix on medium speed. Slowly incorporate the rest of the olive oil. Taste for salt, but it should be good.  
• Put in oven proof individual dishes and bake 375 degrees for 5-10 mins, when it soufflées and browns. Serve with fresh bread.  

Home-made Gnocchi

Ingredients:

for 4 people

1.25 Kilos Raw Old Russet Potatoes

Rock Salt

125 grams all-purpose Flour

75 grams Semolina Flour

200 Grams Parmesan, finely grated

5 Egg Yolks

Procedure:

Bake the potatoes on a bed of salt in a very hot oven (500F / 260C) with aluminum over the top for 1 hour.

Cut them in half and pass them through a fine mesh sieve. Take 1 kilo of the potato pulp in a bowl, add in the egg yolks and the parmesan cheese. Mix the flour together, then put half flat on the table. Put the potato mass on the flour and add the rest of the flour on top.

Cut the flour into the dough with a flat wide plastic bowl scraper.

Then start to fold and form a ball. Roll the dough into small tubes, using the smallest amount of flour.

Cut the tubes into small bits about 3/4’s of an inch. Then roll them off the back of a fork to create the ridges. Poach them in simmering water until they float and serve with any kind of sauce.

This recipe can also be deep fried at 175C / 350F for about 4 mins.

Happy Valentines Day

Litchi and Rose Spongecake

Ingredients:

150g/ 5.3O oz sugar

180g/ 6.3O oz  soft butter

3 eggs

150g/ 5.3O oz  flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

250G /8.8O oz  whipping cream

50g/ 1.7O oz icing sugar

250G/ 8.8O oz mascarpone

1/2 teaspoon of rose essence, and crushed rose tea petals

Procedure:

In a bowl mix the butter and the sugar until it gets white. Add the eggs one by one and mix. Add the sifted flour and a spoon of baking powder and vanilla.

Pour mixture into a cake mould. Add the fruit you like, such as litchi, mango, apricot, berries….Bake at 175C (350F) for 20 mins

To check if it’s cooked you need to stick a knife blade in and check if it comes out clean.

In a mixer whip the cream then add the icing sugar. Finish with the mascarpone and the rose essence & coloring if you wish,  you can also add cinnamon, ginger, spices,…

Then add the cream on top of the cake, make sure cake is cooled down so it doesn’t melt.

Rosemary and 7-garlic clove leg of lamb

                                                  8 Portions

Ingredients

1 small leg of lamb, about 3 lbs/1.5 kg 

7 branches fresh rosemary 

7 cloves fresh garlic 

Olive oil
2 T coarse salt

Procedure

• Trim most of the fat off the leg of lamb, if necessary. 
• In a large sauté pan, brown the leg on all sides. Cut each clove in half or thirds, pierce the meat with a paring knife and insert the garlic. 
• Finely chop the rosemary and rub all over the meat surface, with olive oil if necessary to form a paste which clings. 
• Place in 400 F/200 C oven the 1st 15 minutes, then at 365 F/180 C for about 30 more minutes for medium rare, 45 for medium well. 
• Sprinkle surface with salt, let rest 5-‐10 minutes before slicing against the grain. Season sliced meat with fleur de sel, and fresh cracked pepper. 

Tips:  

• If you don't have a large enough sauté pan for initial searing, rub meat surface with olive oil and place under broiler on upper oven rack, 400 F/200 C, to brown at least two sides well, before rubbing on the rosemary, and piercing with the garlic, lowering the temperature to continue cooking. 

 Wine Suggestions

Full bodied reds : Rhone valley, Corbières, Minervois, Bordeaux

Seared Duck with glazed orange Turnips

Ingredients:

3 duck breasts

1 big turnip or 3 small round turnips

Sherry Vinegar (vinagre de Jerez)

Orange juice  
Honey
Meat stock (chicken or beef)

Olive oil  
Salt, pepper

Procedure:

1. First peel and with the mandolin, slice the turnips then cut them with a round cutter to make a circle shape.

2. Blanch them in hot water to take out the sourness and when they are soft take them out.

3. Prepare the sauce by making a reduction of orange juice and honey. When reduced add the vinegar, let it reduce again then add the chicken stock and let it reduce again.

4. Prepare the duck with salt & pepper, take out the tendons and score the skin side. Sear the duck in a frying pan with no fat skin side down for about 4 minutes. Flip breasts and cook for another 2 minutes. Let it rest and then finish cooking it in the oven.

5. Finish cooking the turnips in a frying pan with some orange juice, let the juice reduce until the turnips are glazed shiny.

Boeuf Rossini

First of all, a little history :

Boeuf Rossini or Tournedos Rossini is named after the Italian composer Gioachino ROSSINI.

Rossini was born in Pesaro, Italy and he died in Paris in 1868. He was a “bon vivant”, lover of fine food and rare wines had his regular table at the Tour d'Argent, Bofinger, and the Maison Dorée, where Chef Casimir Moisson dedicated this creation: Tournedos Rossini.

They say he composed his music mainly in bed, but also in restaurant kitchens, where he spent much of his time, he also wrote a cookbook…

Ingredients:

1.5 Kilos (3.5 lbs) whole Sirloin

600 grams (1.25 lbs) Foie Gras Terrine

50 grams Dried Morel mushrooms

10 grams Truffles chopped

1 bunch Chives

2 Shallots

1/4 cup cognac

4 ounces butter

Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper

Procedure:

- First, Clean all extra fat off the sirloin. Tie the sirloin with butchers twine 4- 5 times lengthwise and 1 time top to bottom. Make sure that it’s tight.

- In a small pot, add the morels and 2 cups of water and boil the mushrooms to re-hydrate them. Add water if needed to keep the mushrooms just covered and simmer for 30 mins.

- Mince the shallots as small as possible with a sharp knife. Chop the chives as small as possible as well.

- Cut the foie gras in 7 pieces with a hot knife and reserve the pieces in the fridge.

- Heat a large pan, preferably cast Iron, on high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper on all sides. Then add a few splashes of oil to the pan, and place the meat inside.

- You should hear it sear. Caramelize the beef on all sides. Then remove and place it into a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees. Cook it until the center temperature is barely warm. 30-40 mins. Internal temperature 125 F.

- In the pot, remove the burnt oil then place one of the slices of foie gras in the pot on medium heat. Sautee this until it has decreased by half its size.

- Add the shallots and cook in the foie gras fat. Cook until soft and tender, 5 mins. Then take the pot off the heat and add the cognac.

- Being very careful, put the pot back near the Flame and “Flambé” When all alcohol is gone, add the mushrooms and it’s jus and cook this all together.

- Reduce the liquid on medium heat until there is only about 1/2 a cup left. Add the cold butter and whisk it in until smooth. Add the chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

        

- Let the meat rest for at least 20 mins. Slice the meat into 6 slices on an angle. Put this back on a tray and place the foie gras on top and heat in the oven for 2 mins, or until the foie is just warm. Serve immediately with its jus.