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Friday 17 December 2010

Coq Au Vin....... a classic

This dish has a mystique aura about it, but just try it and you will have created something well worth the effort. Use a organic or free range chicken for this.
You will need;
1 Chicken
1 onion
1 carrot
sprig of thyme, rosemary and parsley
3/4 bottle of good red wine
2 bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic
175g of button mushrooms
115g of unsmoked streaky bacon
splash of olive oil
55g of good Irish Butter
16 button onions
1 glass of brandy
2 slices of white bread fried in butter
10g flour
15g butter

Cut the chicken into four pieces,(legs and breasts). Make the chicken stock with the carcase, onion, thyme, carrot and water. Pour the red wine into a large wide pan with the bay leaves, thyme and the chopped garlic. Add 1/4 pint of chicken stock. Simmer this for about twenty minutes or until it has reduced by almost half. Add the mushrooms for the last five minutes.
Strain the wine, discard the herbs but keep the mushrooms. Cut the bacon into lardons and put back into the pan with a little oil and butter and fry until crisp, add in the button onions and brown, now add in the chicken skin side down and fry until golden brown. Remove the onions and set aside with the button mushrooms.
Heat the brandy and set it alight and pour over the chicken, now pour in the reduced wine and chicken stock. Add in the rest of the herbs. Cover the pot and cook on a slow heat for 40 minutes. Transfer the chicken, mushrooms, onions and bacon to a hot serving dish and keep warm.
Now fry the bread that has been cut into triangles. Work the flour and butter together and add this to the cooking liquid. Whisk until the sauce becomes a little thick, season with salt and pepper. Pour it over and around the chicken, arrange the fried bread around the dish and serve immediately.

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