The Adventures of Croissant and Bagel

Coq au vin July 24, 2009

I was reading Gourmet Traveller’s Bastille Day edition and everything in there looked so nice that I actually got my act together and decided to make something. Usually when it comes to magazines I flip through them, look longingly at recipies and then decide we are missing some ingredient or another so I put it off for another day. They then get buried under several editions of ‘The Advertiser’ and the occasional dental reminder before Dad has an OCD episode and throws out everything that isn’t nailed down.

Anyway, my recipe of choice was Coq au vin. It was different to anything I’d made before (I’ve never really made anything casseroleish). I also convinced myself it was healthy, although this is probably debatable. I used a shiraz, although it was perhaps a bit robust because my chicken took on a purple tint, but oh well. It certainly isn’t the most photogenic thing I have ever made but it tasted ok.

I recently bought a blow torch and I figured that if I was going to make a French main, I may as well use the excuse to make creme brulee before my pyromaniac sister vapourised the bananas in the fruit bowl and used up the butane. It was very rich but I was happy with how it turned out, although Dad told me the toffee looked like ‘Bob the Builder’s BBQ’. I guess my blow torch skills need a little work.

Coq au vin (adapted from Gourmet Traveller)

• 5 Maryland chicken cuts (ie the leg and some of the breast attached)
• 20gm butter
• 2 onions
• 1 celery stalk (finely chopped)
• 1 carrot (finely chopped)
• 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 200g bacon (cut into pieces)
• 250g Swiss brown mushrooms
• 750ml red wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Several stems of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 shallots
• 400gm mini Brussels sprouts
• Handful sage leaves

1. Preheat oven to 200C
2. Fry up chicken with the butter in a fry pan until each side is golden (about 7-10 minutes per side). Place in casserole dish in oven.
3. Add vegetables, garlic, onion, shallots and 100g bacon and 50g Swiss mushrooms and fry until golden (about 7 minutes).
4. Deglaze pan with red wine, then add to the casserole with stock, bay leaves and thyme.
5. Leave casserole in oven until chicken is cooked through (30-40 minutes).
6. When chicken is nearly done, boil up water and cook Brussels sprouts (do not make them too soft- just heat them through). In another pan fry up remaining bacon and mushrooms.
7. Remove chicken from casserole and keep warm while reducing the liquid to a sauce.
8. Cook up polenta in boiling water, adding butter and salt to taste (I kept mine very simple)
9. Divide polenta, sprouts, mushrooms and bacon between plates. Place a chicken leg on top of the polenta and drizzle with sauce.

The actual recipe used Porcini spatzele but I used polenta instead for simplicity, and I didn’t have any porcini. I think anything starchy that sucks up flavour could be used. It is a very rich dish, at least compared to the sort of thing I usually eat but I think I’ll play around with these sorts of recipes  more before winter finishes.

Chicken, Ham and Mushroom Pot Pies June 19, 2009

Its been quite cold here  and staying at home with the heater is very appealing. The other night we decided to be vaguely social and have a few people over for a movie and some dinner. Chicken pot pies were something we could make in advance and reheat (in fact P thinks they taste better that way). If the puff pastry sinking is a concern, the chicken mix can be made and left covered in the fridge. When needed just add the puff pastry and put it in the oven. The movie was pretty terrible, but the chicken pies were yummy : )

Chicken, Ham and Mushroom Pot Pies

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7.
2. Toss chicken thighs in flour and thyme
3. Fry up chicken thighs in olive oil, adding garlic when they are about half done.
4. Add the sliced mushrooms and fry them until slightly softened.
5. Add leg ham (do not fry too long as ham gets tough) and white wine.
6. Gradually pour chicken stock into mixture and add sweet corn and creamed corn.
7. Allow to simmer before adding cream cheese, parsley and pepper.
8. When cream cheese has melted and mixture has boiled off, add cornflour to thicken.
9. Take about 8 large ramekins and make a 1cm pastry rim for each one. If pasty doesn’t stick use a little water to dampen.
10. Cut a circle bigger than the top of each pie-pot for the lid, and then divide the chicken filling between the two pots. Put on the lid and press edges with a fork.
11. Cook pies for about 20 minutes, or until pastry is golden