First, I halved the recipe. I used a 3 lb chicken, didn't separate the thighs and drumsticks and just cut the breast in two pieces. I had boiler onions instead of pearl onions, so blanched them for 2 minutes and when the mushrooms and bacon were cooked, removed them and left the onions to braise, covered for another 10 minutes. Also put the Dutch oven with the chicken in a 290 degree oven to braise rather than try to simmer on my cook top.
It's a bit fussy, but delicious. I'm wondering if the addition of cocoa to my regular, slightly easier, recipe would make a noticeable difference.
I served it with buttered noodles, Carrots with Dill and Baby Blue Salad.
Here are some comments and the recipe from the San Francisco Gate site.
The marvelous coq au vin at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville sparked a lot of questions: What gives the fork- tender chicken such a gorgeous dark color? Why are the flavors so deep and rich? Why does this long- cooked dish retain such a fresh, vibrant taste?
When I received the recipe from chef/owner Philippe Jeanty, I discovered several secrets:
-- The color -- and marvelous flavor -- comes from marinating the chicken for 24 hours in wine and herbs. The chicken is purple before cooking but takes on a mahogany lacquer when it is sauteed.
-- The richness of the sauce can be attributed to a pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder stirred into the sauce during the last stages of cooking.
-- The fresh taste of the dish comes from cooking the mushrooms and pearl onions separately so they retain their distinctive flavors.
BISTRO JEANTY'S COQ AU VIN
The secrets to success are to marinate the chicken overnight and to add cocoa powder to the sauce. Leftovers are great the next day spooned over wide noodles.
INGREDIENTS:
2 large yellow onions, peeled and diced
3 shallots, peeled and diced
8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
3 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
5 branches thyme
1 1/2 bottles good quality Merlot or Zinfandel
2 large chickens (3 1/2-4 pounds each), cut up Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cognac
2 cups chicken stock (canned is OK)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 ounces thick- sliced apple- wood-smoked bacon, diced
1 basket pearl onions, blanched and peeled
1 pound button mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish
Place the onions, shallots, garlic, parsley sprigs, bay leaves, thyme and wine in a large non-reactive bowl. Add the chicken, and stir to mix well. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
Remove the chicken from the wine marinade; reserve the marinade. Dry the chicken pieces with paper towels, and season them generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole over high heat. Add the chicken in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Brown the chicken well on all sides. Remove the pieces when browned, and set aside.
Add the flour to the casserole and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Return the chicken to the casserole, stir and add the cognac. Remove the casserole from the heat, carefully ignite the cognac, and let the flames burn out.
Add the marinade to the casserole, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, scraping up all browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the chicken from the casserole and set aside. Strain the sauce through a sieve. Discard the solids, and return the sauce to the casserole.
Put the cocoa in a small bowl; add about 1/2 cup sauce, and whisk until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the casserole, turn the heat to high, and boil the sauce until it is reduced to about 4 cups.
When the sauce is reduced, lower the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the casserole to heat through.
Meanwhile, saute the bacon in a large skillet. As it begins to brown, add the pearl onions and then the mushrooms. Let the mixture cook about 10 minutes until lightly colored.
Remove the mixture from the skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the skillet, and add the solids to the chicken. Stir to combine, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Serves 8.
PER SERVING: 480 calories, 38 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 31 g fat (7 g saturated), 113 mg cholesterol, 711 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/01/06/FD27843.DTL
It's a bit fussy, but delicious. I'm wondering if the addition of cocoa to my regular, slightly easier, recipe would make a noticeable difference.
I served it with buttered noodles, Carrots with Dill and Baby Blue Salad.
Here are some comments and the recipe from the San Francisco Gate site.
The marvelous coq au vin at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville sparked a lot of questions: What gives the fork- tender chicken such a gorgeous dark color? Why are the flavors so deep and rich? Why does this long- cooked dish retain such a fresh, vibrant taste?
When I received the recipe from chef/owner Philippe Jeanty, I discovered several secrets:
-- The color -- and marvelous flavor -- comes from marinating the chicken for 24 hours in wine and herbs. The chicken is purple before cooking but takes on a mahogany lacquer when it is sauteed.
-- The richness of the sauce can be attributed to a pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder stirred into the sauce during the last stages of cooking.
-- The fresh taste of the dish comes from cooking the mushrooms and pearl onions separately so they retain their distinctive flavors.
BISTRO JEANTY'S COQ AU VIN
The secrets to success are to marinate the chicken overnight and to add cocoa powder to the sauce. Leftovers are great the next day spooned over wide noodles.
INGREDIENTS:
2 large yellow onions, peeled and diced
3 shallots, peeled and diced
8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
3 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
5 branches thyme
1 1/2 bottles good quality Merlot or Zinfandel
2 large chickens (3 1/2-4 pounds each), cut up Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cognac
2 cups chicken stock (canned is OK)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 ounces thick- sliced apple- wood-smoked bacon, diced
1 basket pearl onions, blanched and peeled
1 pound button mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish
Place the onions, shallots, garlic, parsley sprigs, bay leaves, thyme and wine in a large non-reactive bowl. Add the chicken, and stir to mix well. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
Remove the chicken from the wine marinade; reserve the marinade. Dry the chicken pieces with paper towels, and season them generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole over high heat. Add the chicken in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Brown the chicken well on all sides. Remove the pieces when browned, and set aside.
Add the flour to the casserole and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Return the chicken to the casserole, stir and add the cognac. Remove the casserole from the heat, carefully ignite the cognac, and let the flames burn out.
Add the marinade to the casserole, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, scraping up all browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the chicken from the casserole and set aside. Strain the sauce through a sieve. Discard the solids, and return the sauce to the casserole.
Put the cocoa in a small bowl; add about 1/2 cup sauce, and whisk until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the casserole, turn the heat to high, and boil the sauce until it is reduced to about 4 cups.
When the sauce is reduced, lower the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the casserole to heat through.
Meanwhile, saute the bacon in a large skillet. As it begins to brown, add the pearl onions and then the mushrooms. Let the mixture cook about 10 minutes until lightly colored.
Remove the mixture from the skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the skillet, and add the solids to the chicken. Stir to combine, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Serves 8.
PER SERVING: 480 calories, 38 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 31 g fat (7 g saturated), 113 mg cholesterol, 711 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/01/06/FD27843.DTL