Coq Au Vin

My last trip to Paris was 3 years ago in 2007. We have been regular visitors of Paris since 1998 - the year after I met Mr J and started dating him.

A 3-hour Thalys train ride is all it takes to travel from Rotterdam to Paris. We have always managed to sneak in a weekend to Paris when visiting our family in The Netherlands.

It's been a while since we set foot in Europe for the last time. This is because of my unexpected and ongoing back injury that makes it impossible for me to take the long haul flight from Sydney to Amsterdam.

To find a little piece of Paris at home in Sydney, we often see ourselves visiting two of our favourite French bistros: L'Etoile and Tabou.

I was more than excited when I found an old issue of Vogue Entertaining + Living magazine publishing a series of L'Etoile recipes by its owner and chef Manu Feidel. I have since made this Coq Au Vin a few times for dinner.

I love how his version of this French dish is put together. Instead of slow cooking all the ingredients, the recipe calls for everything to be cooked separately and put together prior to serving.

Chicken is marinated in red wine overnight and cooked on low heat until the meat is almost falling off the bones. Fresh carrots, pearl onions, speck, mushrooms, all are cooked to perfection at their own timing to retain the freshness.

The result is marvelous, although the process is a bit tedious with lots of pots and pans needed that need to be washed at the end. But it's absolutely worth the effort.

Coq Au Vin Recipe
(Adapted from Vogue Entertaining + Travel August / September 2009 issue, recipe by Manu Feidel)
Serves 6

Ingredients

6 chicken Marylands, thigh bone removed, drumstick French-trimmed (I used 8 lovely legs)
200 g speck, cut into 1 cm x 4 cm strips
2 cloves garlic, crushed
50 ml brandy
35 g (1/4 cup) plain flour
200 g pearl onions or eschalots
1 tbsp caster sugar
50 g butter
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
450 g button mushrooms trimmed
1 bunch of Dutch (baby) carrots, trimmed steamed, to serve
Chopped curly parsley, to serve

Marinade:
2 x 750 ml bottles Shiraz or Burgundy
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 eschalots, sliced
12 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
8 sprigs of thyme

Method

1. For the marinade, combine all ingredients in a large stainless steel bowl. Add chicken, combine well, cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge overnight.
2. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Strain marinade into a saucepan, reserving solids, and bring to the boil, then strain through a fine sieve into a bowl.
3. Heat a large casserole over medium heat, then add speck and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until fat renders and speck is golden. Drain on paper towel. In the same casserole, brown the chicken, in 2 batches, for 4 minutes each side, then remove from casserole. Discard all but 2 tbsp fat. Add reserved solids and crushed garlic to casserole and stir occasionally for 8 minutes. Add brandy and carefully ignite with a match, then stir in flour. gradually add strained marinade, then return chicken to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook for 1 1/4 hours or until chicken is very tender.
4. Meanwhile, in a pan that will hold onions in a single layer, place onions, caster sugar, 20 g butter, 125 ml (1/2 cup) water and a large pinch of salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until liquid is nearly evaporated and syrupy. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until syrup is caramelised and onions are lightly golden.
5. Heat remaining 30 g butter and oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, tossing, for 3 minutes or until golden. Season.
6. To serve, stir speck, onions, mushrooms and baby carrots into coq au vin and scatter with parsley.