Coq au Vin for Valentines

17 Thursday Feb 2022

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Buy Idaho, Buy Local, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Food - French, Heirloom Carrots, Herbs, Homemade Sauce, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork Belly, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - French, What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

coq au vin, morel mushrooms, pork belly

Coq au Vin, Rooster in Wine, was my choice this year to make for Robin, my wife of almost 40 years, and Marnie, my daughter. It’s not for the faint of heart. It takes some ambition and time. But it is well worth it. Delicious!

Just a few suggestions. Prep your ingredients first. I suggest paper bowls for your prep work. Take your time and don’t rush through this. If you are thinking of using an Instant Pot, try, instead, a large cast-iron skillet, at least 2″ deep and a glass lid, you can’t watch the cooking through a solid lid. The dish takes almost a constant vigil.

I used a package of frozen Pearl Onions instead of fresh ones that I would have to peel; heirloom carrots instead of the orange ones; Courvoisier Cognac instead of brandy; dried morel mushrooms reconstituted in the wine used for the dish instead of button mushrooms; pork belly cut into strips instead of bacon and for the beurre manie, I just added to the oil in the pan some flour for thickening. For the chicken, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The original recipe, Julia Child’s, calls for you to cut up a chicken. (Still had to skin and de-bone the thighs.)

And this really needs to be emphasized: Watch your temperatures and don’t burn the sauce. Keep the liquid level just covering the chicken – use chicken stock, not broth, if necessary – and use a medium to low simmer temperature.

Recipe – http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Coq-Au-Vin.pdf

In my opinion, the dish has enough vegetables in it. So I did not use asparagus or rice to serve with it. I also served it with a dish of fresh cut fruit. Marnie had a Red Velvet Cake for dessert Try this and let us know what you think. We loved it.

Two Meals to Try

11 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Buy Idaho, Buy Local, Captain's Shack, Cheese, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Classic Herb Blends, Classis Sauces, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Family, Food - French, Food Photos, French Wines, Homemade Sauce, Idaho Vegetables, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes, What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Alfredo, coq au vin, shrimp

Here are two meals we made. The first is probably one of the best alfredo sauces I have ever eaten. Not “gummy” with cheese, but rather clean and smooth. Shrimp went very well with the sauce. The second is an “Old Persons Meal”, of sorts. Fried chicken with garlic mashed potatoes with pan dripping gravy and garden green beans. Enjoy these.

Recipe – http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Alfredo-Sauce.pdf

The recipe calls for penne pasta, but we didn’t have any. So we used linguini which worked very well. The shrimp really added to the dish – you could probably use any seafood, scallops, lobster or Dungeness crab might be good, or other protein. Use your imagination.

The Alfredo was smooth and creamy and not grainy. It added to the shrimp we used and did not conflict with it. Several flavor levels came through that were delicious.

I have had problems when frying chicken, but this one seems to have over come that flaw. I added some baking powder to the flour that I used to coat the chicken and beaten egg to dredge the chicken in before the flour. We also made sure the chicken was dry before dredging. Cook slowly over medium high heat for about 5 minutes per side, taking care not to burn the chicken. Start cooking skin side down. We always use thighs, or second joints if you are on the East coast, bone-in and skin on.

The gravy was made from the pan drippings to which we added some flour and some wine. Made sure that was all mixed then added some half and half and completely combined to make the smooth gravy. It was delicious.

So there are two more meals from this past week. Next thing I am trying is Coq au Vin, Rooster in Wine. Probably not as good as Julia Child would do, but good nonetheless. Stay tuned and Good Eating!

Awesome Mother’s Day Weekend in the Kitchen

08 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bacon, Baking, Blue Crab, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Cast Iron, Chicken, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Crab Cakes, Creamed Spinach, Dessert, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Family, Food Photos, French Foods, Green Salad, Herbs and Spices, Housemade Sauces, Housemade Tartar Sauce, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Vegetables, Idaho Wine, Indian Creek Winery, Local Markets, Morels, Mother's Day, Mushrooms, Party Time, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Pinot Noir, Popovers, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - French, Recipes - Seafood, Salad, Special Events, Spring Vegies, What's For Dinner?

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

coq au vin, crab cakes, Pinot Noir, popover

Just a super fun and good weekend celebrating Mother’s Day with Robin. Exciting coming up with meals that were different and surprisingly good. Fun to make. Easy to make, although some were rather involved. Great to have Marnie over for Sunday dinner. Even Ray, her Golden Lab, had a good time with Buddy.
Some of the photos that follow of the dishes I prepared, have the recipe hotlinked in the article. Please feel free to use the recipe if you would like. The Coq au Vin – Chicken in Wine – is not difficult to do, but it does take some time. The Popovers are quick and easy. The Crab Cakes are different. We had these for both dinner a breakfast! the remoulade is a pretty basic sauce and can vary widely. “… Rémoulade (English pronunciation: /reɪməˈlɑːd/; French: [ʁemulad]) is a condiment invented in France that is usually aioli- or mayonnaise-based. Although similar to tartar sauce, it is often more yellowish (or reddish in Louisiana), sometimes flavored with curry, and sometimes contains chopped pickles or piccalilli. It can also contain horseradish, paprika, anchovies, capers and a host of other items. While its original purpose was possibly for serving with meats, it is now more often used as an accompaniment to seafood dishes, especially pan-fried breaded fish fillets (primarily sole and plaice) and seafood cakes (such as crab or salmon cakes).” Ours is mayo, chilli sauce, ketchup and green tomato relish. And a touch of horseradish.