New feature! The CookingBites Cookalong: Coq au Vin

morning glory said:
Me too in vegetarian dishes, unless I make my own. I was wondering if you would do that.
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Making my own assumes I have spare veg at some point. I never do. My compost bin the the fridge, only ever seems to have alliums or citrus in it. A few onion tops, onion skins and garlic skins is not going to make much even taking lemon or orange rind into account!
 
morning glory said:
That sound very strange! Did the finished dish looked pale rather than rich brown?
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I haven't done it yet! Will post a photo later when it's finished.

A quick scan through the bookshelf reveals that it is not necessarily traditional to use red wine. I think this largely came about over here in the seventies. I remember my mother cooking it, possibly with the aid of a can of Homepride cook-in sauce! The recipe in the Larousse quotes "good old Auvergne wine", not specifying whether it should be red, white or rose. Pellaprat only gives a Coq au Riesling version, which I think is my friend's recipe, albeit via Nigel Slater. I suspect, as in most classic regional dishes, it would have been acceptable to use whatever local ingredients were available at the time.
 
epicuric said:
I haven't done it yet! Will post a photo later when it's finished.

A quick scan through the bookshelf reveals that it is not necessarily traditional to use red wine. I think this largely came about over here in the seventies. I remember my mother cooking it, possibly with the aid of a can of Homepride cook-in sauce! The recipe in the Larousse quotes "good old Auvergne wine", not specifying whether it should be red, white or rose. Pellaprat only gives a Coq au Riesling version, which I think is my friend's recipe, albeit via Nigel Slater. I suspect, as in most classic regional dishes, it would have been acceptable to use whatever local ingredients were available at the time.
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Sorry - I assumed your friend had cooked the recipe for you. Interesting! I looked at my Larousse too but assumed it meant read!
 
I've never been a big fan of cooking with red wine..I can drink the stuff by the bucket load, but find that it doesn't go well with most meat based dishes. I like a bit in Bolognese sauce and with Beef Bourguignone, but that is about it...I'll give it a go again this time just to see if I can convince myself otherwise...
 
Rocklobster said:
I've never been a big fan of cooking with red wine..I can drink the stuff by the bucket load, but find that it doesn't go well with most meat based dishes. I like a bit in Bolognese sauce and with Beef Bourguignone, but that is about it...I'll give it a go again this time just to see if I can convince myself otherwise...
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That's unusual - I think red wine improves almost an sort of meat based dishes - and a few vegetable one's too (mainly tomato sauces). What about white wine - do you ever use that?
 
Wow! We’re airborne! A few coughs and sputters from the engine, but its singing a good, strong, low, resonant note now, and it’s a hell-of-a-view from up here.


So Coq-au-Vin. I’m not exactly sure why, but the dish has connotations of pretention and snobbery for me – the sort of thing that Margot would have done when Jerry’s boss was coming for tea. I’m not sure that I have ever had it before, I have certainly never cooked it, but the James Martin recipe looks okay to me. So, it is basically a chicken casserole with plenty wine in the sauce. And that seems an immediately interesting point to me. Even for those who have no particular problem with the wine, having done the Coq-au-Vin, it might be interesting to then do a chicken casserole recipe without wine to draw the contrast. Understand, I’m not proposing that for the next Cookalong recipe, but it might be part of the on-going conversation on this thread.


Anyway, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First question is, can I make a half-reasonable job of this dish? And can I get a photograph of it that I am happy to put up for general scrutiny? We’ll see…
 
Ken Natton said:
Says Cooking Bites' resident professional food photographer.
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Anyone can take good photos on a smartphone or digital camera. I'm not a professional at all and simply shoot on automatic settings. There is one main trick that will work. Make sure you get the food into daylight - not direct sun which produces ugly shadows - but a bright spot. @MypinchofItaly's photos have been improving in leaps and bounds and she is using a smartphone in daylight. Cook the Coq au Vin earlier than you need it (it improves with being kept and re-heated) so that you can photograph it in daylight. Flash is your enemy unless you are very skilled and have a flash you can 'bounce'. We are a bit off topic but perhaps this advice will help others. :happy:
 
morning glory said:
That's unusual - I think red wine improves almost an sort of meat based dishes - and a few vegetable one's too (mainly tomato sauces). What about white wine - do you ever use that?
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Yes. It is unusual..and, I've used red in many dishes over the years. But, for some reason, it seems to stand out and not blend with the other flavors..not sure how to explain it. I use white wine quite a bit in many dishes....Usually a white Italian table wine that I always keep on hand for cooking and swiggin'...
 
Mission complete - coq au vin cooked and eaten! Some things I found out whilst researching this recipe:
1. It is equally acceptable to use white wine instead of red. So I did.
2. As a slow cooked dish it was a way of using up old, tough birds, or latterly a capon.
3. Some recipes call for everything to be browned first, others (inc. James Martin's "French Adventure" version) put everything raw into the cooking liquor, just adding fried lardons and mushrooms at the end.
4.The Larousse recipe thickens the sauce with the blood of the chicken. Michel Roux allegedly uses white pudding for thickening!

Anyway, the ingredients:
cov0.jpg

4 shallots, chopped
5 garlic cloves, smashed but whole (I used smoked garlic)
1 leek, cut into strips
2 rashers streaky bacon, cut into lardons (again I used smoked)
6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on (serves 2, generously)
1 bottle Riesling, Gewürztraminer or similar (I used the latter)
500ml chicken stock
200ml single cream
bouquet garni - I used parsley, thyme and marjoram from the garden
10 chestnut mushrooms, quartered
olive oil and butter for frying

Method

1. If you have time, cover the chicken with the wine in a bowl, along with some bay leaves and peppercorns and leave for 12 hours or overnight. I only had time to do this for 4 hours, but it's a start!
cov1.jpg
2. Remove the chicken from the wine and pat dry.
3. Fry off the lardons, shallots and garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Add the leeks towards the end to soften. Tip into an ovenproof dish along with the wine.
4. Brown the chicken thighs in the same frying pan (use butchers bands/string/cocktail sticks to hold them together). Add to ovenproof dish.
5. Add chicken stock and bouquet garni. Decide how long you want to cook it and adjust temperature accordingly. I put it in a hot (180 deg C) oven uncovered for 1 hour (to reduce the liquid), then covered and turned down to 140 deg C for four hours.
6. After cooking, remove chicken thighs and keep warm.
7 Reduce liquor further if required. Skim off any unwanted fat. Add cream, and if necessary thicken. Season to taste.
8 Fry the mushrooms in butter until cooked, then add to the sauce
9. Return the chicken to the sauce and put back in oven to keep warm until ready to serve - it is very forgiving and will sit happily.
10. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes and veg (I used purple sprouting broccoli and Chantenay carrots)
11. Enjoy!

cov2.jpg


Conclusions
1. I will definitely cook this again, probably quite often!
2. If the non-browning James Martin method actually works then this would be an ideal slow cooker/crockpot meal - just bung all the ingredients in first thing and let it cook low and slow all day.
3. This was a great recipe choice for a cookalong - it's one of those recipes where there is no right or wrong way to do it, just get stuck in and make it your own.
4. I have enjoyed this very much, and am really looking forward to seeing what the rest of you come up with!
 
epicuric said:
Mission complete - coq au vin cooked and eaten! Some things I found out whilst researching this recipe:
1. It is equally acceptable to use white wine instead of red. So I did.
2. As a slow cooked dish it was a way of using up old, tough birds, or latterly a capon.
3. Some recipes call for everything to be browned first, others (inc. James Martin's "French Adventure" version) put everything raw into the cooking liquor, just adding fried lardons and mushrooms at the end.
4.The Larousse recipe thickens the sauce with the blood of the chicken. Michel Roux allegedly uses white pudding for thickening!

Anyway, the ingredients:
View attachment 6579

4 shallots, chopped
5 garlic cloves, smashed but whole (I used smoked garlic)
1 leek, cut into strips
2 rashers streaky bacon, cut into lardons (again I used smoked)
6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on (serves 2, generously)
1 bottle Riesling, Gewürztraminer or similar (I used the latter)
500ml chicken stock
200ml single cream
bouquet garni - I used parsley, thyme and marjoram from the garden
10 chestnut mushrooms, quartered
olive oil and butter for frying

Method

1. If you have time, cover the chicken with the wine in a bowl, along with some bay leaves and peppercorns and leave for 12 hours or overnight. I only had time to do this for 4 hours, but it's a start!
View attachment 6580
2. Remove the chicken from the wine and pat dry.
3. Fry off the lardons, shallots and garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Add the leeks towards the end to soften. Tip into an ovenproof dish along with the wine.
4. Brown the chicken thighs in the same frying pan (use butchers bands/string/cocktail sticks to hold them together). Add to ovenproof dish.
5. Add chicken stock and bouquet garni. Decide how long you want to cook it and adjust temperature accordingly. I put it in a hot (180 deg C) oven uncovered for 1 hour (to reduce the liquid), then covered and turned down to 140 deg C for four hours.
6. After cooking, remove chicken thighs and keep warm.
7 Reduce liquor further if required. Skim off any unwanted fat. Add cream, and if necessary thicken. Season to taste.
8 Fry the mushrooms in butter until cooked, then add to the sauce
9. Return the chicken to the sauce and put back in oven to keep warm until ready to serve - it is very forgiving and will sit happily.
10. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes and veg (I used purple sprouting broccoli and Chantenay carrots)
11. Enjoy!

View attachment 6581

Conclusions
1. I will definitely cook this again, probably quite often!
2. If the non-browning James Martin method actually works then this would be an ideal slow cooker/crockpot meal - just bung all the ingredients in first thing and let it cook low and slow all day.
3. This was a great recipe choice for a cookalong - it's one of those recipes where there is no right or wrong way to do it, just get stuck in and make it your own.
4. I have enjoyed this very much, and am really looking forward to seeing what the rest of you come up with!
Click to expand...

Well done @epicuric. First off the blocks! It really does look good. I may ask a few more questions later but at the moment I'm in a hotel in Canterbury and about to go out.
 
epicuric said:
Mission complete - coq au vin cooked and eaten! Some things I found out whilst researching this recipe:
1. It is equally acceptable to use white wine instead of red. So I did.
2. As a slow cooked dish it was a way of using up old, tough birds, or latterly a capon.
3. Some recipes call for everything to be browned first, others (inc. James Martin's "French Adventure" version) put everything raw into the cooking liquor, just adding fried lardons and mushrooms at the end.
4.The Larousse recipe thickens the sauce with the blood of the chicken. Michel Roux allegedly uses white pudding for thickening!

Anyway, the ingredients:
View attachment 6579

4 shallots, chopped
5 garlic cloves, smashed but whole (I used smoked garlic)
1 leek, cut into strips
2 rashers streaky bacon, cut into lardons (again I used smoked)
6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on (serves 2, generously)
1 bottle Riesling, Gewürztraminer or similar (I used the latter)
500ml chicken stock
200ml single cream
bouquet garni - I used parsley, thyme and marjoram from the garden
10 chestnut mushrooms, quartered
olive oil and butter for frying

Method

1. If you have time, cover the chicken with the wine in a bowl, along with some bay leaves and peppercorns and leave for 12 hours or overnight. I only had time to do this for 4 hours, but it's a start!
View attachment 6580
2. Remove the chicken from the wine and pat dry.
3. Fry off the lardons, shallots and garlic in olive oil until lightly browned. Add the leeks towards the end to soften. Tip into an ovenproof dish along with the wine.
4. Brown the chicken thighs in the same frying pan (use butchers bands/string/cocktail sticks to hold them together). Add to ovenproof dish.
5. Add chicken stock and bouquet garni. Decide how long you want to cook it and adjust temperature accordingly. I put it in a hot (180 deg C) oven uncovered for 1 hour (to reduce the liquid), then covered and turned down to 140 deg C for four hours.
6. After cooking, remove chicken thighs and keep warm.
7 Reduce liquor further if required. Skim off any unwanted fat. Add cream, and if necessary thicken. Season to taste.
8 Fry the mushrooms in butter until cooked, then add to the sauce
9. Return the chicken to the sauce and put back in oven to keep warm until ready to serve - it is very forgiving and will sit happily.
10. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes and veg (I used purple sprouting broccoli and Chantenay carrots)
11. Enjoy!

View attachment 6581

Conclusions
1. I will definitely cook this again, probably quite often!
2. If the non-browning James Martin method actually works then this would be an ideal slow cooker/crockpot meal - just bung all the ingredients in first thing and let it cook low and slow all day.
3. This was a great recipe choice for a cookalong - it's one of those recipes where there is no right or wrong way to do it, just get stuck in and make it your own.
4. I have enjoyed this very much, and am really looking forward to seeing what the rest of you come up with!
Click to expand...

Watering mouth! Looks very delicious, well done! And the Gewürztraminer....:bravo:I think I'm going to try this recipe!
 
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