Double Delight on a Friday Night

Graton Chardonnay + Coq Au Vin: 5/5

Innocent Bystander Pink Mascato + Artisan Triple Chocolate Mousse: 5/5

For my second posting I got this crazy idea in my head, I think Tuesday, about what I should do for my second pairing. Michael is WAY in to television. Between Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nip/Tuck, Ghost Hunters, Angel, Star Trek, and Bones, it’s hard for me to keep them all straight. So I did some reconnaissance, and found out that one of my fiction writing class mates from last semester Mikey, is into most of the above listed programs, as well. So I invited he and his boyfriend Thomas, over for the latest television addiction, Dollhouse. To my surprise, they both agreed to come, and to bring dessert, if I provided dinner and wine, of course.

I had originally thought that chicken would be a pretty safe route, most people seem to like chicken, especially those of the homosexual demeanor. Luckily, as soon as I turned on the T.V., yesterday morning, Emeril Lagasse was doing an episode entitled “Chicken, Chicken, Chicken”. Seriously, it took me all but a half an hour and I had three new and exciting recipes to choose from. Now usually I don’t give Emeril the time of day, because he just doesn’t do it for me on camera, but he was doing a throwback to Julia Child’s Coq Au Vin, and I thought that it would be a nice homage to Mrs. Child and the recent movie Julie and Julia.

Traditionally this dish, which translates to cock on wine (the pairing just became that much more perfect right?), is prepared with red wine, but Emeril was doing a white wine version, which as I read in the reviews, takes on a prettier color than the traditional one. Now, I won’t lie, from the moment I read the recipe, to the time it was ready to plate, I thought I was in way over my head. This was no pot roast in the crock pot, this was a full on french classic.

Coq Au Vin Blanc

Recipes courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Food of Love Productions, 2008

Prep Time: 45 Min Cook Time: 2 hr 15 min Level: Intermediate Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients

• 10 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 organic chickens, about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds each, quartered, rinsed and patted dry (I used a family pack of chicken thighs)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 30 small pearl onions, peeled
• 1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large shallots)
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
• 1 pound button mushrooms, wiped clean and halved or quartered if large (should match size of pearl onions)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 3 cups full-bodied dry white wine, such as white Burgundy, or a California Chardonnay (I used a cheaper Beringer chardonnay)
• 1 1/2 cups rich chicken stock
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (did you know heavy whipping cream and heavy cream are the same?)
• Egg noodles, cooked according to package directions, accompaniment
• Braised Leeks (recipe found on foodnetwork.com)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large, heavy Dutch oven over high heat fry the bacon until crisp and all of the fat is rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the crisp bacon bits to paper towels to drain. Set aside and reserve.

Season the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper. Brown the chicken pieces in the hot bacon fat, working in batches, if necessary, until golden on all sides. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large plate or bowl and set aside. Remove all but about 4 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the Dutch oven. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the chopped onion, pearl onions, shallots and garlic cloves to the Dutch oven and cook until soft, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook for 7 minutes longer, or until they've released most of their liquid and have begun to brown. Add the flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly add the wine and stock, stirring constantly. Add the thyme, bay leaves reserved bacon and chicken. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook the sauce at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes, until liquid is slightly thickened. Bring the sauce to a boil and cover the pot. Place in the oven and cook for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is very tender. Transfer the chicken pieces to a serving dish and cover loosely to keep warm. Return pot to medium-low heat. Skim any fat from the surface of the cooking liquid and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the heavy cream and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Return the chicken to the Dutch oven and cook for a few minutes to heat through, then serve.

Serve with egg noodles and Braised Leeks. Garnish with chopped parsley.

So as you can see, this is a bit intimidating. But my advice to those out there that are hindered when it comes to home-cooking is, the only way you will know what works is to try it. The worst thing that could happen is, you had to have KFC instead of Coq Au Vin. Now I decided to omit, the braised leeks, and three cups of white wine is about 4 tablespoons shy of a full bottle, so I just threw the rest in. I kid you not, from the time the bacon hit the pan, our apartment was filled with the most succulent, mouth watering, smells. Sweet shallots, savory chardonnay, and fresh twigs of thyme, danced about the stove, pirouetted in my nostrils, and slid out of the crack beneath our door for over three hours.

Now for the wine, I was down in the loop earlier this week and stopped in at one of my favorite wine bars, Wine Styles, located just south of Roosevelt on Michigan. I have been frequenting this place since I turned 21 and developed a little friendship with the resident sommelier, Sara Kay Snider, who just happens to have her own wine blog at www.winesoaked.com. Sara has started posting a weekly video, discussing 2-3 wines that follow a theme. Since our guests were bringing dessert, I wanted to find a wine that was a safe bet, not too sweet, not to dry, that could go with a range of desserts. It just so happened, that in Sara’s latest video, she features the Innocent Bystander Pink Mascato, that she describes as being not to sweet, and a little bubbly. It looked and sounded amazing, so I stopped in and picked up two bottles, since they were smaller. With a Graton Chardonnay, to accompany the Coq Au Vin, that I purchased from Sara earlier this week, the evening was bound to be boasting with flavor.

Usually I object to having the T.V. on during dinner, but since our guests had come over to specifically watch Dollhouse, I let it slide. Candle light twinkled throughout our apartment, silverware scraped the white porcelain plates, and silence fell over the four of us as 8 o’clock came and Dollhouse started. While the others were busy watching the show, I sipped and sampled the flavors of the wine and Coq Au Vin.

The Graton Chardonnay was mostly clear and crisp, with a nose of pear and apples. Paring with the Coq Au Vin, the wine had a full body, and medium acidity, which was able to hold it’s own against the strong flavors of the dish. The fattiness of the chicken, was able to cut through the acid, bringing out the fruit flavors, and cutting down the acidity. As my palate was coated with both the wine and the chicken the marriage was harmonious, no bickering, no late night fights, just bliss.

As a compliment to me, the only thing left on everyone’s plates were a couple of mushrooms, and the bones from the chicken. While I know I could have had gone for a second round of noodles and sauce, there was a Dominick’s “Artisan Triple Chocolate Mousse” waiting in the fridge, and two bottles of bubbly to accompany. Just as described by Sara, the bubbly had a nice dryness to it, which was able to cut down on the sugar in the mousse. The chocolate brought out the rich flavors of watermelon, fresh cut grass, and raspberries in the wine. The wine’s effervescence cleaned the palate with each sip, making the mousse taste more decedent with each bite. It was hard not to feel a little surely sipping on this sweet symphony. Two bottles of mascato meant two pieces of mousse for Thomas and Michael, while Mikey and I looked ready to explode.

Buzzed and about ready to bust, Mikey, Michael, and Thomas, collapsed on the couch, into a food induced catatonic state. I did the dishes (see I am a good host), and as the evening came to a close, we were excited to have had a very successful soiree. As of right now we plan to meet again next week and I guess I should start planning the meal now. What channel is Food Network?