Next Time I'll Stay Sober to Enjoy It!

Here's the recipe for Coq au Vin I made the night I got soused:

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup diced bacon
2–3 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken parts
1/3 cup Cognac or brandy
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 cups trimmed and quartered button mushrooms (I used about half button, half cremini.)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the beurre manié:
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the butter and oil. Add the bacon and sauté until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the chicken to the hot pan and brown well on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off the fat from the pan into a heatproof container and reserve.

Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the Cognac, and bring to a boil. (If the liquor ignites, let the flames die out, which they will do quickly.) Cook, scraping up the browned bits struck to the bottom of the pan, until most of the Cognac has evaporated. Return the chicken to the pan and add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, tomato, wine, broth, and bacon. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the chicken feels firm and its juices run clear when pierced, about 30–40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, reserving the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a medium sauté pan over  medium-high heat, heat the reserved bacon fat. Sauté the mushrooms until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

To make the beurre manié, cream the butter with a fork. Add the flour and combine to make  smooth paste. Set aside.

Bring the liquid in the pan to a simmer and skim the surface of any visible fat. Continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Whisk in the beurre manié 1 Tbsp at a time until the liquid is the consistency of light cream (you may not need all the beurre manié). Add the mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. To serve, ladle the sauce over the chicken.

Comments

[Joel]

Mmm. sounds good. I love a nice coq au vin! And it IS self sousing. I got stuck at work tonight until 8pm, so Alison and I had leftover shepherd's pie I made on Saturday - one of the world's great microwave reheatables. I use the Dean & DeLuca version (cookbook pg. 497) modified to be gluten-free. Now, stressed out and dreading tomorrow, I sit drinking a glass of Marietta California Old Vine Red Lot Number Thirty-Eight. Fruit forward, bold and delicious. I'll think about bed, and tomorrow, in an hour. I would kill for some coq au vin right now! :-)

[Tonya]

I just think it's so CUTE that you got soused! It just makes me giggle.

[Karen]

Well, luckily I wasn't out in public, and luckily I didn't get sick too, but I don't know how cute Andy thought it was! ;-)