Here are the recipes for the dishes we cooked:
Coq au Vin
by Julia Child
A simple chicken dish made with
mushrooms, onions, bacon and red wine.
Ingredients
Serves 6
- 1/2 cup lardons (Pronounced larh-DOHN, Fatty bacon that has been first diced, blanched, and then fried) cut into 1/4 by 1 1/2-inch strips
- 2 or more tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ½ pounds ready-cut frying chicken (a selection of parts, or all of one kind), thoroughly dried
- ¼ cup Cognac or Armagnac
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 16 to 20 small white onions, peeled
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups red wine (Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, or Pinot Noir)
- About 2 cups chicken stock
- 1-2 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ pound fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, and quartered
Directions
1. If you are using lardons, sauté several minutes in 2 tablespoons oil
in a heavy-bottomed casserole until lightly browned; remove lardons to a side
dish and leave fat in pan.
2. Heat fat or oil in pan to moderately hot,
add chicken, not crowding pan; turn frequently to brown nicely on all sides.
Pour in the Cognac, shake pan a few seconds until bubbling hot, then ignite
Cognac with a match. Let flame a minute, swirling pan by its handle to burn off
alcohol; extinguish with pan cover.
3. Season chicken pieces with salt and
pepper; add bay leaf and thyme. Place onions around the chicken. Cover and cook
slowly 10 minutes, turning once.
4. Uncover pan and sprinkle on the flour,
turning chicken and onions so flour is absorbed; cook 3 to 4 minutes more,
turning once or twice.
5.
Remove from heat, gradually stir and swirl in the wine and enough stock or
bouillon to almost cover the chicken. Add the browned lardons, garlic, and
tomato paste to the pan. Cover and simmer slowly 25 to 30 minutes, then test
chicken; remove those pieces that are tender, and continue cooking the rest a
few minutes longer. If onions are not quite tender, continue cooking them; then
return all chicken to the pan, add mushrooms, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes. Taste
carefully, and correct seasoning. Sauce should be just thick enough to coat
chicken and vegetables lightly. If too thin, boil down rapidly to concentrate;
if too thick, thin it with some stock.
______________________________________________________________
French Green
Bean Salad
Adapted from "Jamie's Dinners:
The Essential Family Cookbook" by Jamie Oliver
Serves 6
Ingredients
·
1 pound haricots verts
·
2 tablespoons finely chopped
shallot (from 1/2 of a small shallot)
·
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
·
1 medium garlic clove, minced
(about 1 teaspoon)
·
1 tablespoon
Whole-Grain Dijon Mustard
·
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
as needed
·
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper, plus more as needed
·
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
·
2 tablespoons capers, drained and
finely chopped
·
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh
Italian parsley leaves
Directions
1. Combine the shallot, vinegar, and garlic in a large, nonreactive
bowl and let sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of heavily
salted water to a boil over high heat. Also, prepare the beans by cutting the
stem ends off, leaving the wispy tail on.
2. When the shallot mixture is ready, add the mustard and measured
salt and pepper and whisk until combined. Whisking constantly, add the oil in a
slow, steady stream. Stir in the capers. Taste and season with additional salt
and pepper as needed; set aside.
3. When the water has reached a boil, add the trimmed beans and
cook until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and
immediately add to the dressing. Using tongs, toss until well coated, then
transfer to a flat serving dish. Spoon the remaining dressing over top and
sprinkle the beans with the parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chocolate Crepes
Makes 20-25 crepes
Ingredients:
- 1C milk (may use low fat milk)
- 1C water (may need more to adjust batter consistency)
- 4 eggs
- 4T butter, melted
- 2C flour
- 1T sugar
Fillings:
· Chocolate hazelnut spread (Nuttela)
· sliced bananas/strawberries
Optional
Accompaniment: whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream
Directions:
1.
Blend the wet ingredients for a few seconds. Add
melted butter. Add the sugar and flour and stir for 1 min. It is important not to blend too long. Batter consistency should be such that it will flow when poured into a pan. Add more water if the batter is not thin enough. Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2.
Heat a 10” non-stick pan over medium heat. Coat
with butter lightly. Ladle ¼C of the batter and tilt the pan moving quickly to spread the
batter evenly. After 1-2 min flip the
crepe (I use my fingers to lift the crepe but you can use a spatula), cooking 1-2
min on the other side too. The crepe should have a few light brown spots. Remove
the crepe and keep aside. Make the rest of the crepes.
3.
Spread 2T of Nuttela on half of each crepe. Fold
the other half over it and fold one more time to form a triangle. Repeat with
the rest of the crepes. If desired, add banana or strawberry slices before
folding.
4.
Serve immediately or if serving later, just
before serving re-heat the chocolate crepes for 30 seconds on each side in a
pan or layer them on a baking sheet and heat under a broiler for 2-3 minutes.
Serve with strawberries and vanilla ice cream.
