all hail the queen of cuisine

Today would have been Julia Child’s 100th birthday and cooks everywhere will be celebrating. In February, 1963, when “The French Chef” first aired on television, Ms. Child single-handedly brought a fine culinary consciousness to the United States at a time when frozen TV dinners and Rice-a-Roni were all the rage. She introduced home cooks to the idea of adapting French technique at home, and made cooking more approachable for everyone. She had a strong influence on the women in my life–my grandma, my mom, and eventually me–encouraging us to be bold in the kitchen and cook with gusto. One of Julia’s most iconic recipes was her Coq Au Vin, a classic French country dish that she simplified for the home cook. As an homage to her, I present to you my take on this fare, though I must admit (ironically) my version is slightly more complicated than hers. Intent on recreating the dish as authentically as possible, I researched many interpretations, and, in the end, put in the additional step of marinating the chicken overnight in a melange of red wine and aromatic vegetables. This technique, which lends a telltale purple color to the dish, also adds an incredible layer of rich flavor. I’m sure Ms. Child would have approved…Happy Birthday, Julia!

Coq Au Vin

I won’t sugarcoat this recipe–it is definitely a project, more ambitious for some than others. To me, it’s a labor of love. Save this dish for a really special occasion or just cook it when you’re in the mood to tackle one of the great French dishes of all time. The complexity that results makes it well worth the effort. The red wine marinade infuses the chicken, as well as the sauce, with depth of flavor. Bacon lardons lay down a foundation, while sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions complete the crowning touch to the stew. Overall, it’s just stunning.

The day before serving, prepare the marinade. Thinly slice a medium carrot, celery stalk, a yellow onion, and a whole, peeled garlic clove.

In a large pot or dutch oven, combine a bottle of good red wine (yes, a good bottle you would drink–it’s worth the sacrifice) with the sliced carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and a teaspoon of peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow the marinade to cool, then add a tablespoon of olive oil.

Cut a whole chicken into 10 pieces: drums, thighs, wings, and breasts, cut in half. Trim any excess fat from the pieces and place them in a large bowl. 

 

Pour the marinade mixture over all, tossing to coat the chicken well. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, remove the chicken/marinade bowl from the fridge. Using tongs, lift the chicken pieces out of the bowl and place on paper towels to drain and pat dry. Aren’t they a lovely hue?

Place a strainer over a large bowl and separate the liquid from the solids of the marinade; reserve both.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. To make lardons, chop slab bacon into 2″ slivers–if you can’t find slab bacon, use the thickest bacon available.

Prepare the aromatic vegetables for your sauce: peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic; chop 2 large shallots and make a bouquet garni by tying together parsley sprigs, bay leaves and sprigs of thyme.

In a wide pot or dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add lardons and cook until well-browned and crispy, stirring often. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Set aside.

Begin browning the chicken pieces in batches in the bacon fat, being careful to watch the heat in the pan. Because the chicken has absorbed all that wine, it can easily caramelize too quickly, turning darker than you might expect.

As the pieces brown, about 6 to 8 minutes, transfer them to a plate. When you’re just about finished browning the last batch, add Cognac to the pan, wait until it’s bubbling hot, then ignite with a long match (carefully!) to burn off the excess alcohol. Remove the last chicken pieces to the plate, leaving liquid behind.

Now here’s where you’ll start building your sauce. Add reserved solids from the marinade to pot and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in the reserved marinade liquid and bring to a boil. Whisk and cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. 

Stir in the garlic, shallots, and bouquet garni, then add 2 cups of chicken stock (preferably homemade–my recipe is here). 

Nestle the chicken pieces back in the pan, and season all with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and bake for 1 1/4 hours.

While the chicken bakes, prepare the mushrooms and onions. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Add the pearled onions, bring back to a boil, then cook for 30 seconds before draining. 

Allow to cool, then, using a small paring knife, peel and remove the outer skin of the onions. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add the trimmed cremini mushrooms and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Reheat the skillet and add the onions to sauté, cooking until slightly brown, about 8 minutes. Remove onions and reserve skillet.

When chicken is finished baking, remove from oven. Using tongs again, remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Strain the sauce from the pot into the reserved skillet and press down on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.

Bring the sauce in the skillet to a simmer, scraping up any brown bits. Add the onions to the pan, bring back to the simmer, and cover. Cook for 8 minutes until onions are almost tender.

Add sauce and onions back to pot. Stir in mushrooms and bacon and bring back to the simmer, cooking for another 10 minutes. Skim off any excess fat; taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Add the chicken back to the pot and heat until just warmed through. Serve immediately. I paired this luscious chicken stew with another classically Gallic dish, Potato Celeriac Gratin.  A lovely French red wine and simple green salad will perfectly round out this memorable meal. 
Bon Appetit!

Adapted from Julia Child and Saveur

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