Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1
1 to 2 Tb softened butter
Optional: 1 to 2 Tb minced parsley or fresh green herbs
Remove all but 2 or 3 tablespoons of fat from the casserole. Add the shallots or onions and cook slowly for 1 minute. Pour in the optional wine, and the stock. Raise heat and boil rapidly, scraping up coagulated sauté juices and reducing liquid to about ⅓ cup. Correct seasoning. Off heat and just before serving, swirl in the enrichment butter and optional herbs.
Arrange around the platter whatever vegetables you have chosen. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.
(*) FOR A WAIT UP TO HALF AN HOUR
Finish the sauce except for its final buttering. Arrange the cooked chicken in an enameled, glazed, pyrex, or stainless steel casserole and baste it with the sauce. Cover loosely and set over barely simmering water. Just before serving, and off heat, tip casserole, add enrichment butter, and baste the chicken with the sauce.
(*) PARTIAL COOKING IN ADVANCE
The chicken may be browned, the dark meat cooked for 8 to 9 minutes, and the white meat added and cooked for 5 minutes more. Then set the casserole aside, uncovered. About 10 to 15 minutes before serving time, cover and finish the cooking on top of the stove; or heat the casserole and set it in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
OTHER SAUCES
Poulet Sauté à la Crème
[Deglazing Sauce with Cream]
1 Tb minced shallots or green onions
½ cup dry white wine or ⅓ cup dry white vermouth
1 cup whipping cream
Sauté the chicken as described in the preceding recipe and place it on a hot platter. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the casserole. Stir in the shallots or onions and cook slowly for 1 minute. Then add the wine and boil it rapidly down to about 3 tablespoons, scraping up coagulated cooking juices. Add the cream and boil it down until it has thickened slightly.
1 to 2 Tb softened butter
Optional: 1 to 2 Tb minced parsley or mixed green herbs
Correct seasoning. Off heat and just before serving, swirl in the butter and optional herbs.
Pour the sauce over the chicken.
Poulet Sauté Chasseur
[Tomato and Mushroom Sauce]
Use the same technique as for the veal scallops escalopes de veau chasseur
VARIATION
Poulet Sauté aux Herbes de Provence
[Chicken Sautéed with Herbs and Garlic, Egg Yolk and Butter Sauce]
Basil, thyme or savory, a pinch of fennel, and a bit of garlic give this sauté a fine Provençal flavor that is even more pronounced if your herbs are fresh. The sauce is a type of hollandaise, as the herbal, buttery pan juices are beaten into egg yolks to make a thick and creamy liaison. Serve this dish with potatoes sautéed in butter or potato crêpes, broiled tomatoes and a chilled rosé wine.
For 4 to 6 people
A heavy- 10-inch fireproof casserole, skillet, or electric skillet set at 300 degrees
¼ lb. (1 stick) butter
2½ to 3 lbs. of cut-up frying chicken dried in a towel
1 tsp thyme or savory
1 tsp basil
¼ tsp ground fennel
Salt and pepper
3 cloves unpeeled garlic
Heat the butter until it is foaming, then turn the chicken pieces in it for 7 to 8 minutes, not letting them color more than a deep yellow. Remove the white meat. Season the dark meat with herbs, salt, and pepper, and add the garlic to the casserole. Cover and cook slowly for 8 to 9 minutes. Season the white meat and add it to the casserole, basting the chicken with the butter. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning and basting 2 or 3 times, until the chicken is tender and its juices run pale yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork.
When the chicken is done, remove it to a hot platter, cover, and keep warm.
⅔ cup dry white wine or ½ cup dry white vermouth
Mash the garlic cloves in the casserole with a spoon, then remove the garlic peel. Add the wine and boil it down over high heat, scraping up coagulated sauté juices until the wine has been reduced by half.
2 egg yolks
1 Tb lemon juice
1 Tb dry white wine or white vermouth
A small enameled saucepan
A wire whip
Beat the egg yolks in the saucepan until they are thick and sticky. Beat in the lemon juice and wine. Then beat in the casserole liquid, a half-teaspoon at a time to make a thick creamy sauce like a hollandaise.
Optional: 2 or 3 Tb softened butter
2 Tb fresh minced basil, fresh fennel tops, or parsley
Beat the sauce over very low heat for 4 to 5 seconds to warm and thicken it. Remove from heat and beat in more butter by tablespoons if you wish. Beat in the herbs, and correct seasoning. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, and serve.
CHICKEN FRICASSEE
For: fryers, roasters, and young stewing chicken
One frequently runs into chicken recipes labeled sautés which are actually fricassees, and others labeled fricassees which are actually stews. The fricassee is halfway between the two. No liquid is included in the cooking of a sauté. For a stew, the chicken is simmered in liquid from the start of its cooking. When chicken is fricasseed, the meat is always cooked first in butter—or butter and oil—until its flesh has swelled and stiffened, then the liquid is added. There is a subtle but definite difference in taste between the three methods. Fricassees can be white, like the following recipe, or brown, like the coq au vin. It is an ideal technique for ahead-of-time dishes, as the chicken loses none of its essential qualities if it is allowed to cool in its sauce and is then reheated.
TYPE OF CHICKEN TO USE
The following recipes are all based on frying chicken. Younger chickens, such as broilers, should never be used; their flesh is so soft and tender that it dries out and becomes stringy. Older chickens need longer cooking than the 25 to 30 minutes of simmering required for a fryer.
Roasting chicken—35 to 45 minutes of simmering
Young stewing chicken—1½ hours or more of simmering, or until the flesh is tender when pricked with a fork.
FRICASSÉE DE POULET À L’ANCIENNE
[Old-fashioned Chicken Fricassee with Wine-flavored Cream Sauce, Onions, and Mushrooms]
For this traditional Sunday dinner dish, which is not difficult to execute, the chicken pieces are turned in hot butter, sprinkled with flour and seasonings, then simmered in wine and white stock. The sauce is a reduction of the cooking liquid, enriched with cream and egg yolks. Braised onions and mushrooms accompany the chicken. Include also steamed rice or risotto, or buttered noodles. If you want other vegetables, buttered peas or asparagus tips may serve as a garnish.
WINE SUGGESTIONS
Serve a chilled, fairly full-bodied white Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, or Bordeaux-Graves.
For 4 to 6 people
Preliminary cooking in butter
2½ to 3 lbs. of cut-up frying chicken
Dry the chicken thoroughly in a towel.
A heavy, 10-inch, fireproof casserole or electric skillet
1 thinly sliced onion, carrot, and celery stalk
4 Tb butter
Cook the vegetables slowly in the butter for about 5 minutes, or until they are almost tender but not browned (260 degrees for an electric skillet). Push them to one side. Raise heat slightly (290 degrees), and add the chicken. Turn it every minute for 3 or 4 minutes until the meat has stiffened slightly, without coloring to more than a light golden yellow.
Lower heat (260 for an electric skillet), cover, and cook very slowly for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once. It should swell slightly, stiffen more, but not deepen in color.
Adding the flour
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp white pepper
3 Tb flour
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and flour on all sides of the chicken, turning and rolling each piece to coat the flour with the cooking butter. Cover and continue cooking slowly for 4 minutes, turning it once.
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p; Simmering in stock and wine
3 cups boiling white chicken stock, white stock, or canned chicken bouillon
1 cup dry white wine or ⅔ cup dry white vermouth
A small herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, ⅓ bay leaf and ⅛ tsp thyme tied in washed cheesecloth
Remove from heat and pour in the boiling liquid, shaking casserole to blend the liquid and flour. Add the wine, the herb bouquet, and more stock, or water, so the liquid just covers the chicken. Bring to the simmer. Taste for seasoning, and salt lightly if necessary.
Cover and maintain at a slow simmer for 25 to 30 minutes (180 to 190 degrees for an electric skillet). The chicken is done when the drumsticks are tender if pinched and the chicken juices run clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. When done, remove the chicken to a side dish.
Onion and mushroom garniture
16 to 20 white-braised onions
½ lb. fresh mushrooms stewed in butter, lemon juice, and water
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Add their cooking juices to the chicken cooking sauce in the next step.
The sauce
Simmer the cooking liquid in the casserole for 2 to 3 minutes, skimming off fat. Then raise heat and boil rapidly, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces and thickens enough to coat a spoon nicely. Correct seasoning. You should have 2 to 2½ cups.
2 egg yolks
½ cup whipping cream
A 2-quart mixing bowl
A wire whip
Blend the egg yolks and cream in the mixing bowl with a wire whip. Continue beating, and add the hot sauce by small tablespoonfuls until about a cupful has gone in. Beat in the rest of the sauce in a thin stream.
A wooden spoon
Pour the sauce back into the casserole, or into an enameled or stainless steel saucepan (do not use aluminum). Set over moderately high heat and, stirring constantly, reach all over the bottom and sides of the casserole, until the sauce comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring.
Salt and white pepper Drops of lemon juice Pinch of nutmeg
Correct seasoning, adding drops of lemon juice to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve.
Final assembly
A clean casserole
Arrange the chicken, and the onion and mushroom garniture, in the casserole. Pour the sauce over it.
(*) Except for reheating, and the final buttering of the sauce, the dish is now ready and can wait indefinitely. To prevent a skin from forming over the sauce, spoon over it a film of cream, stock, or milk. Set it aside uncovered.
Reheating and serving
Set casserole over moderate heat and bring to the simmer. Cover and simmer very slowly for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is hot through, basting it frequently with the sauce.
1 to 2 Tb softened butter
Off heat and just before serving, tilt casserole, add enrichment butter, and baste the chicken with the sauce until the butter has absorbed into it.
Sprigs of fresh parsley
Serve the chicken from the casserole; or arrange it with the onions and mushrooms on a hot platter, surrounded with rice or noodles, and covered with the sauce. Decorate with sprigs of fresh parsley.
VARIATIONS: SAUCES
Using the preceding recipe, you may vary the sauce in a number of ways. The egg yolk liaison at the end may be omitted and a cream sauce substituted; just reduce the cooking liquid until it is quite thick, then simmer it slowly while thinning it out with spoonfuls of heavy cream until it is the consistency you wish it to be. Here are some other ideas:
VARIATIONS
Fricassée de Poulet à l’Indienne
[Curry Sauce]
1 to 2 Tb fragrant curry powder
After the chicken has had its preliminary turning of 5 minutes in butter, blend in the curry powder. Cover, and proceed with the 10-minute cooking period. Then continue with the recipe.
Fricassée de Poulet au Paprika
[Paprika Sauce]
1½ Tb fresh-smelling and fragrant paprika
After the chicken has had its preliminary turning of 5 minutes in butter, blend in the paprika. Cover, and proceed with the 10-minute cooking period. Then continue with the recipe.
½ Tb more paprika, if necessary
After completing the sauce, stir in more paprika if the sauce needs color. It should be a creamy pink.
Fricassée de Poulet à l’Estragon
[Tarragon Sauce]
4 or 5 sprigs fresh tarragon or 2 tsp dried tarragon
Add the tarragon to the wine and stock for the simmering of the chicken.
2 Tb fresh minced tarragon or parsley
Stir fresh tarragon or parsley into the finished sauce.
FONDUE DE POULET À LA CRÈME
[Chicken Simmered with Cream and Onions]
In this rich and delectable dish, the chicken is cooked in butter and onions, then simmered with wine and heavy cream. Serve it with steamed rice or risotto, buttered green peas or baked cucumbers, and a fairly full-bodied white Burgundy or white Bordeaux-Graves.
For 4 to 6 people
2½ to 3 lbs. of cut-up frying chicken
3 Tb butter
A heavy, 10-inch, fireproof casserole
Dry the chicken thoroughly. Turn it in hot butter for 4 to 5 minutes, until the meat has stiffened slightly but has not browned. Remove it to a side dish.
1½ cups thinly sliced yellow onions
Stir the onions into the butter in the pan. Cover and cook very slowly for 5 minutes, or until the onions are fairly tender but not browned.
Return the chicken to the casserole, cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes until it swells slightly and stiffens, but does not brown. Turn it once during this period.
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp curry powder
⅓ cup cognac, Calvados, Madeira, or port; or ¾ cup dry white wine, or ½ cup dry white vermouth
Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Pour in the spirits or wine, raise heat, and boil rapidly until the liquid has almost entirely evaporated.
3 cups whipping cream brought to the boil in a small saucepan
Pour on the hot cream, bring to the simmer, baste the chicken, and cover the casserole. Maintain at the barest simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. The cream may look slightly curdled, but will be smoothed out later.
Remove the chicken to a hot platter, cover, and keep warm for 5 minutes while finishing the sauce.
Salt and white pepper
Drops of lemon juice
3 to 4 Tb whipping cream
Skim fat off the sauce, then boil it rapidly, stirring, until it reduces enough to coat the spoon lightly. Correct seasoning, adding lemon juice to taste. Off heat, beat in additional cream by spoonfuls to smooth out the sauce.
Sprigs of fresh parsley
Pour the sauce over the chicken, decorate with parsley, and serve.
COQ AU VIN
[Chicken in Red Wine with Onions, Mushrooms, and Bacon]
This popular dish may be called coq au Chambertin, coq au riesling, or coq au whatever wine you use for its cooking. It is made with either white or red wine, but the red is more characteristic. In France it is usually accompanied only by parsley potatoes; buttered green peas could be included if you wish a green vegetable. Serve with it a young, full-bodied red Burgundy, Beaujolais, or Côtes du Rhône.
For 4 to 6 people
A 3- to 4-ounce chunk of lean bacon
Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles ¼ inch across and 1 inch long). Simmer for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water. Rinse in cold water. Dry.
A heavy, 10-inch, fireproof casserole or an electric skillet
2 Tb butter
Sauté the bacon slowly in hot butter until it is very lightly browned (temperature of 260 degrees for an electric skillet). Remove to a side dish.
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2½ to 3 lbs. cut-up frying chicken
Dry the chicken thoroughly. Brown it in the hot fat in the casserole (360 degrees for the electric skillet).
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
Season the chicken. Return the bacon to the casserole with the chicken. Cover and cook slowly (300 degrees) for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once.
¼ cup cognac
Uncover, and pour in the cognac. Averting your face, ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside.
3 cups young, full-bodied red wine such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, or Chianti
1 to 2 cups brown chicken stock, brown stock, or canned beef bouillon
½ Tb tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic