Coq au
vin
As
many of you know, I am participating in a celebration of Julia Child’s upcoming
100th birthday. In the field of the culinary arts – Julia Child was
and remains an inspiration to chefs and to the home cook. It was her detailed
efforts to bring the wonderful French gastronomy to the American homemaker that
set off a lifelong career in cookery and most importantly – the love and
appreciation of good food.
"The pleasures
of the table are infinite. Toujours bon appétit!"
- Julia
Child
This
week, we have been challenged to cook Julia’s Coq Au Vin. To
me, this is classic French cooking and classic Julia Child.
Coq Au
Vin is a variation of her Ragout of Chicken and Onions in Red Wine. In Coq Au
Vin, small braised onions, mushrooms and lardons of pork are added. This dish
is a wonderful Sunday dinner dish or one to prepare when receiving company.
As I
was gathering the ingredients for this dish, I met the grocery store manager in
our small town. When shopping here you rarely go in for a ‘quick run’. You will
generally run into someone you know and conversations – or catching up will
ensue. Our grocery store manager happened to spend some time in France during
WWII – he speaks French fluently and when he noted what was in my cart he asked
what I was ‘fixing for dinner’. I then told him, he smiled and corrected my
pronunciation. Then, he began to tell me of a time he spent in an old French
gentleman’s home and the man prepared and served Coq Au Vin. Instead of cutting
up his chicken, he prepared it whole in a roasting pan and used white wine. I
have a preference for white wine with chicken – so I decided then and there to make that one
change – otherwise I followed the instructions to the letter.
My
friend also shared a wonderful way to prepare broccoli and
cauliflower – one that gives a lovely presentation.
You
cut the bottom of the cauliflower removing the leaves and the core – set it in
the center of a dish – I used a pie dish. Then you surround the cauliflower
with broccoli heads and place baby carrots between the broccoli – melt butter
and drizzle over the top – sprinkle with herbs and or garlic salt. Wrap the
dish with plastic wrap in a cross – going one way all way round and repeating
going the other way sealing in the vegetables. Place the dish in the microwave
and cook 5 or more minutes until the cauliflower is tender.
When serving cut
the vegetables in a wedge – truly a lovely presentation.
*Julia
Child’s Ragout of Chicken with Coq Au Vin variations
2 ½ to
3 pounds frying-chicken parts
2 tbsp
butter
1 tbsp
olive oil or good cooking oil
3 cups
sliced onions
salt
and freshly ground pepper
1 or 2
large cloves of garlic pureed
1
imported bay leaf
¼ tsp
or so thyme (I used fresh)
1
large ripe red unpeeled tomato chopped, or 1/3 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes
3 cups
young red wine (zinfandel, Macon, or Chianti type)
1 or
more cups chicken stock
Buerre
Manie for the sauce (1 ½ tbs each flour and softened butter blended to a paste)
Fresh
parsley sprigs or chopped parsley
Equipment
suggested – a heavy bottomed 12-inc frying pan or casserole 2 inches dee, and a
cover for the pan.
Browning
the chicken* using Coq Au Vin variation
Brown
salt pork (lardon) that has been blanched to remove the salt. Once browned,
remove and set aside and brown the chicken in the pork fat – you may add butter
and or oil to supplement enough fat to brown the chicken.
Remove
the chicken from the pan and brown the sliced onions sautéing over moderate
heat until fairly tender, thenraise heat and brown lightly. Drain in a sieve
set over a bowl to remove excess fat.
Simmering
the chicken.
Season
chicken lightly with salt and pepper, return it to the pan. Add the browned
onions, garlic, bay, thyme and tomato. Pour in the wine and enough stock barely
to cover the ingredients. Bring to a simmer; cover and simmer slowly 20 minutes
or until the chicken is tender when pressed.
Finishing
the chicken – the sauce.
Remove
the chicken to a side dish, and spoon surface fat off the cooking juices. Pour
the juices (and onions) into a saucepan and taste very carefully for strength
and seasoning. Boil down rapidly if it needs strength, adding more of the seasonings
if you think them necessary.
Off
heat, whisk in the beurre manie to make a lightly thickened sauce. Bring
briefly to the simmer – the sauce should be just thick enough to coat a spoon
lightly. Was out the casserole; return the cicken to it, basting with the sauce
and onions.
Adding
braised onions and mushrooms to
complete the Coq Au Vin
*Brown-Braised
Onions
In a
pan just roomy enough to hold them in one layer, sauté the peeled onions in a
little clarified butter or oil. Swirling the pan to turn them they will not
brown evenly, but will take on a decent amount of color. Then add chicken broth
(and if you wish a little red wine) to come half-way up. Season lightly with
salt and perhaps a bay leaf or a pinch of dried herbs. Cover and simmer slowly
25 to 30 minutes, until the onions are tender when pierced but still hold their
shape.
*Sauteed
Mushrooms
1 tbs
butter
1 tsp
light olive oil or cooking oil
fresh
mushrooms (6 cups)
½ tbs
chopped shallots or scallions
salt
and freshly ground pepper
set
the frying pan over high heat with the butter and oil. When the butter foam
begins to subside, toss in the mushrooms. Toss frequently, swirling the pan by
its handle, for several minutes, while the mushrooms absorb the butter. In a
minute or two it reappears on their surface; toss with the chopped shallots or
scallion in a moment or two more if you wish them to brown lightly. Toss with a
sprinkle of salt and grinds of fresh pepper. If they are to be part of a
vegetable garnish, the sooner you serve them the better.
*With
bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley
When
sautéed with garlic and parsley, mushrooms take on a distinctly new
personality.
Sauté
the mushrooms when they are done and almost beginning to brown, toss them with
½ cup fresh white bread crumbs, sautéing for a good moment or more. Then toss
with a large clove of minced garlic and a handful of chopped parsley.
Finishing
the dish
Strain,
degrease and finish the sauce. Strew the braised onions and sautéed mushrooms
over the chicken, baste with the sauce, and simmer a few minutes, basting to
rewarm the chicken and to blend the flavors.
My husband
came home for a moment while I was preparing the dish. The surprise lost! When he
did arrive home for the day, he walked in and said, ‘Is this another Julia
Child recipe? I hope it tastes as good as it smells’. It surely did. Then in
the middle of the meal he asked, ‘where’s the biscuit’? Sigh, my Southern boy
must always have his biscuit….
I hope
you give this a try, it is a satisfying dish – one would be quite pleased to
prepare and to present to her family.
