Last week, I planned to make this slow cooker recipe for Coq Au Vin. My friend Chuck made it just as it was intended, with an actual, live rooster. Well, strike the “live” part, but he used a rooster from his own farm—Roger, to be exact—not the pre-disassembled chicken I picked up at the Hy-Vee meat counter.
The bad news is that I forget to start it both Thursday morning AND Friday morning. The good news is that I was left with the ingredients for Coq Au Vin and an entire day to make it the traditional way come Saturday.
I set out intending to use Martha Stewart’s recipe, mostly because it’s gorgeous.
But, I compared it to Julia Child’s recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and in that recipe, I get to start booze on fire. Needless to say I ditched Martha and dug out the Aim ‘n Flame.
First, though, I had to saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms in the pan drippings from a few strips of bacon.
Then, remove the vegetables and add a bit more butter…Hellllooooo, Julia.
And toss in the chicken and bacon.
In goes the cognac, up go the flames.
Once the fire’s out, add a bottle of red wine and simmer for a long, long time.
The result is pink—and incredibly tender—chicken.
The recipe asks that you mix butter and flour into a paste, and add it to the wine mixture.
I think you are just supposed to trust that it will incorporate, but it certainly doesn’t look promising at the outset.
If you put down the camera and focus on whisking, it all works out in the end.
At this point, everything can go back into the sauce. Julia invites you to “film” the top by dropping small pieces of butter, should you decide not to dive right in. The recipe holds “indefinitely” in this state.
It wasn’t necessary at our house…we made short work of the finished dish, which we served with quinoa—at Martha’s suggestion.
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Posted by Chuck on October 30, 2009 at 10:41 am
Wow – what a fabulous meal! You are always inspiring! Next time u visit, I will kill the rooster if you cook it!
As for the booze, you skipped a key step. You are supposed to drink a shot before you add it to the mixture. That way you and your dish can be lit at the same time.
The flour and butter paste is a classic French technique. It is called a “roux” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roux . By surrounding each flour particle with a fat, you stop the flour particles from joining together and making clumps. The starch in the flour absorbs water from the dish and thickens it. I use rouxes all the time to thicken stuff. Even if the recipe does not call for it.
Also, I cook the roux in a pan before adding it to the dish. The idea is to toast the flour. Raw flour adds a bitter taste. Toasted flour is more nutty.
Also also, I say yes to butter. A dish this magnificent calls for fresh, home made butter. Here is a video om epicurious – http://www.epicurious.com/video/chef-profiles/chef-profiles-daniel-patterson/1915458805/daniel-patterson-buttermaking-demo/1915433443 it really is that easy. I recommend drinking the butter milk as soon at its made. Maybe add some of that booze and some vanilla?
Posted by Doug on November 1, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Quinoa appears commonly in weboggle, but I had no notion of the definition . . . .!
Posted by Dawn on November 2, 2009 at 3:36 pm
As always, looks fabulous!