Coq au vin

[mecurtin]

Coq au vin: the seminar.

If I do say so myself, I made the best coq au vin I've ever made for tonight's dinner.

Comments

[30toseoul]

Thank you for showing me a cool new community! I always like to try new recipes, and this sounded delicious. I'll have to look for a good stewing chicken this week. Before Katrina I wouldn't have had a problem, but our markets are still a dozen kinds of fucked up. *sighs*

[peppery_lime]

I have never had coq au vin. I have heard much about it. Your recipe makes me want to have a small dinner party and make this. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[mecurtin]

Let me know how it goes!

There are two kinds of "classic French recipes": the refined aristocratic kind, and the bourgeoise stick-to-your-ribs kind. Coq au vin, for all its reputation as a pinacle of the cuisine, is definitely bourgeoise: it's all about making the absolute best of the ingredients you happen to have. And when the French eat it, they have huge white napkins unselfconsciously tucked into their collars, because it's *stew*.

[peppery_lime]

it has always amazed me that Europe has this "OMG SO FORIEGN AND CHIC" air to it when Americans speak of it. I've lived there. They're pretty much just like us, they just happen to speak a different language (or 15) and be a little (a lot) more open to new things. we may be "The leaders of the free world" but dude, we idolize the Euopean cultures, which i've always found ironic, since almost every one of us have ancestors that left there to start new lives here. :P

[tatkreiswok]

Thanks for sharing such a tasty-sounding recipe! Can't wait to try it!

BTW, a way to get around the issue of browning the chicken and avoiding having skin stick to the pan is to not use a non-stick pan. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but if you start by browning the chicken non-skin side down first in a stainless steel pan, or a Le Cruset (each of which keeps temperature consistent), the chicken will render off enough fat that it will brown without sticking. That way, also, by time you turn the chicken over to brown skin side-down, the skin will crisp up quickly and won't end up sticking to the pan.

Got a question: have you tried using flour instead of conrnstarch for your roux? Is there any discernible difference if you substitute one for the other in this recipe?

[mecurtin]

Thanks for the chicken-browning advice, I will definitely try it that way next time!

Re: the roux, I was actually surprised to find Mapie using cornstarch. I haven't tried this version yet with flour, but I would expect it to work at least as well, and to re-heat even better. Let me know if you try it!

BTW, I left "1 chopped onion" out of the marinade recipe; I've added it now.

[kelly_yoyo]

Wow! I'm definitely going to try this one. Thanks!

coq au vin

[anonymous]

Fryers in the US supermarkets are actually only 7 weeks old now. I think you are on to something here using a stewing chicken. I found your recipe because I was looking for something that used a rooster I think stewing chicken is the closest thing that is possible to find in most US cities. I think the best choice would be a rooster more than 4 months or 5 months old of a heritage breed. They have less breast meat and little fat. I have some 3.5 month old heritage roosters in the freezer that I'm going to try your recipe with soon. Because I can buy "fowl" here (Cambridge MA) I may try that next.

Re: coq au vin

[anonymous]

Oh just wanted to mention that perhaps it might be possible to find an older rooster in an ethnic market, like Asian or Brazilian. Many people from other places hate the bland tasteless stuff we call chicken in the US and may have older rooster for sale, or I guess find a farmer perhaps by googling "pastured poultry"

http://urban-agrarian.blogspot.com/