French Classics Made Easy (27 page)

¾ pound mushrooms, washed, dried, and quartered

2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and quartered, or 1 can (28 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes, drained and quartered

3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

1.
In a flameproof casserole, melt the butter over high heat. Add the chicken and brown well on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes; turn and brown the other side, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook until golden, about 3 minutes.

2.
Stir the flour into the butter with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring or shaking the casserole occasionally, until the flour is light brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

3.
Add the garlic, shallots, stock, wine, bouquet garni, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Stir gently.

4.
Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is tender, 25 to
35 minutes, skimming the fat from the surface several times. Discard the bouquet garni. (The dish can be made to this point 1 or 2 days in advance. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. To reheat, continue with the recipe through step 7 and reheat the entire dish in a 300°F to 350°F oven for about 45 minutes.)

5.
Taste both types of olives to see if they are about the same level of saltiness. If they are, blanch them together. Otherwise, blanch them separately. To blanch: Place the olives in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain and rinse with cold water. Taste and repeat, if necessary, until they are just slightly salty to the taste.

6.
In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté, tossing, shaking, or stirring them occasionally, until they are browned, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

7.
Add the olives, mushrooms, and tomatoes to the chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes.

8.
To serve: If not already in an attractive casserole, transfer to a hot serving dish and sprinkle the chicken with the parsley just before serving.

NOTE

I use pitted olives in this dish, because it’s easier on the cook (no tedious pitting) as well as on the guests, who otherwise would have to be on the lookout for pits. Even if the pitted olives you find might not be your first choice as an eating olive, they will be fine in this dish.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Serve Rice Pilaf (
page 207
) with the chicken. Salad, French bread, and dessert—fruit sorbet and cookies—are all you need to accompany this dish.

WINE

I would serve either a Portuguese red or a chilled Beaujolais with this summer
ragoût.

CHICKEN
WITH RIESLING

[POULET AU RIESLING]

This Alsatian specialty is quick and easy to prepare. Classically,
poulet au Riesling
was made by simmering the chicken in a combination of wine and water. The resulting stock was thickened to make a velouté sauce, which was further enriched with egg yolks and cream. Mushrooms were poached separately and their liquid reduced and added to the sauce. In this recipe, the mushrooms are cooked with the chicken, eliminating two steps, and only cream is used in the sauce. Omitting the butter, flour, and egg yolks yields a smaller quantity of sauce with a greater intensity of flavor.

SERVES 4

C
REAM
S
AUCE
:
Sauce Crème

A Béchamel (
page 313
) with the addition of 1 cup of heavy cream becomes a classic
sauce crème
. Once the cream is added, the sauce is boiled to reduce it to the desired consistency. Contemporary cream sauces are made just with heavy cream and reduced cooking liquids, or Meat Glaze (
page 309
) or other glazes.

Examples of contemporary cream sauces can be seen in the Steak au Poivre (
page 141
) and in the Chicken with Riesling (
page 119
).

3 tablespoons butter

1 chicken (2 to 2½ pounds), quartered, or 4 skinless, boneless half breasts (about 1½ pounds)

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 onion, halved

2 shallots, finely chopped

¼ pound mushrooms, washed, dried, and sliced

¾ cup plus 1 teaspoon Riesling wine

¾ cup heavy cream

1.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown it lightly, about 3 minutes on each side.

2.
Pour off any excess cooking fat. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Add the onion to the pan, cover, and cook gently over low heat for 15 minutes (10 minutes if using only breasts).

3.
Add the shallots, mushrooms, and the ¾ cup wine to the chicken. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender and juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a roasting fork, about 10 minutes.

4.
Transfer the chicken and mushrooms to a serving platter and keep warm. Discard the onion and reduce the liquid over high heat to about ⅓ cup, about 2 minutes.

5.
Add the cream and boil to thicken, stirring gently, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, and stir in the 1 teaspoon wine.

6.
Spoon or pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

SERVING SUGGESTION

This recipe, as with a number of others, was designed to have a subtle blend of beige and cream colors. No touch of green is necessary on the plate, but you can start your meal with a vegetable or a mixed green salad. Serve the chicken with buttered noodles. For dessert, serve an Alsatian Fruit Tart (
page 216
).

WINE

A bottle of well-chilled Riesling is the obvious—and perfect—choice.

VARIATIONS

C
HICKEN OR
V
EAL IN
C
REAM
S
AUCE

[POULET OU CÔTE DE VEAU À LA CRÈME]

In place of the ¾ cup Riesling use any dry white wine. In step 5, add 1 teaspoon Cognac to the
sauce in place of the Riesling. For the veal version, use four 1¼-inch-thick veal chops in place of the chicken. Serve with rice instead of noodles.

C
HICKEN WITH
C
HAMPAGNE

[POULET AU CHAMPAGNE]

Use champagne in place of the ¾ cup Riesling and 1 teaspoon Cognac in place of the Riesling in step 5. Serve with rice instead of noodles.

A
PPLE
C
IDER
C
HICKEN

[POULET VALLÉE D’AUGE]

This dish is named for the valley of the Auge River, which passes through Normandy, where most of France’s apples grow. Use a hard apple cider, sparkling and lightly alcoholic (French cider, if you can find it), in place of the ¾ cup Riesling; and 1 teaspoon Calvados (applejack) in place of the Riesling in step 5. Serve with sautéed apples instead of noodles.

CHICKEN
WITH SHERRY VINEGAR

[POULET AU VINAIGRE DE XÉRÈS]

This is a variation of legendary chef Fernand Point’s famous recipe,
poulet au vinaigre.
When I first tasted this dish, I was surprised to find that it did not exhibit the sharpness of the vinegar. Later, when I made the dish I realized that reducing the vinegar until only a small amount remained cut the sharpness.

In this recipe, the unique flavor created by the sherry vinegar will be a pleasing surprise. Sherry vinegar, having a rich sherry taste, is available in many gourmet stores, but if you have difficulty finding it, try the recipe with a good balsamic or red wine vinegar.

SERVES 4

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

1 chicken (2 to 2½ pounds), quartered, or 4 skinless, boneless half breasts (about 1½ pounds)

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 onion, cut in half

¼ cup sherry vinegar

2 shallots, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

4 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

F
ERNAND
P
OINT

Amaster chef, responsible for many of France’s modern classic recipes, Fernand Point was the acknowledged king of French cooking and the teacher of many of France’s most acclaimed chefs, including Paul Bocuse and the Troisgros brothers. Until his death in 1955, Point was the chef/owner of the famous restaurant called La Pyramide in Vienne, south of Lyons in the Rhône Valley.

1.
In a 12-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown well on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Season with the salt and pepper.

2.
Pour off any excess cooking fat. Add the onion to the pan, cover, and cook gently over low heat for 15 minutes (10 minutes if using only breasts).

3.
Remove the chicken from the skillet, leaving the onion, and pour off and reserve any pan juices. Add the vinegar to the skillet and reduce until almost all of the liquid is evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the shallots, garlic, wine, and reserved pan juices. Return the chicken to the pan, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender and juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a roasting fork, about 10 minutes.

4.
Remove the chicken, place it on a serving platter, and keep it warm. Discard the onion.

5.
Stir in the tomato paste and meat glaze (if using). Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. The sauce should have the consistency of light cream; if it does not, boil to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the parsley. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Start with a mixed green salad. Serve the chicken with Madeira-Glazed Carrots (
page 179
) and Garlic Mashed Potatoes (
page 205
). For dessert, serve Pears Poached in Port Wine (
page 284
) and Macaroons (
page 257
).

WINE

Serve a moderately priced Spanish red with the chicken.

BROILED POUSSINS
WITH HERBS AND MUSTARD

[POUSSINS AUX HERBES ET À LA MOUTARDE]

A
POULET GRILLÉ À LA DIABLE
is a grilled chicken coated with mustard and bread crumbs. I have always found the result too dry, and, in fact, classically this dish is served with a sauce (called
sauce diable
), which compensates for the dryness.

Instead of coating the chicken with bread crumbs, I use only mustard and a number
of herbs normally found in a sauce diable, retaining much of the dish’s original character. The resulting moist and tender chicken needs no sauce other than the simple pan juices.

A
poussin
is a tender and juicy baby chicken weighing about one pound. If not available, use a Cornish hen or a small broiling chicken.

Changing the herbs used or adding a touch of curry powder will lead to many variations, as will the use of Madeira or sherry in place of the white wine.

SERVES 4 TO 6

3 poussins or Cornish hens (about 1 pound each), split in half

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon dried tarragon

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¾ cup dry white wine

1.
Place the chicken halves skin side up in a roasting pan and spread half of the mustard over them. Sprinkle with half of the herbs and season with half the salt and pepper. Turn the chicken skin side down and repeat the seasoning process. (This can be done up to 12 hours in advance of cooking. Cover well and refrigerate.)