Coq au Vin

I finally caved yesterday and purchased my own copy of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child.  One might wonder why I consider this purchase to be caving in--Julia Child is one of the most preeminent chefs and her cookbooks are full of butter-laden recipes, what’s wrong with that?  Yet somehow I hate to feel that I’m jumping on the bandwagon, and given the recent Julia Child frenzy after the movie “Julie and Julia”, that’s exactly how I feel (I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, no critique here, its popularity is well-deserved).  But here I am, reluctantly, on the bandwagon, and thoroughly enjoying it.

Yesterday’s purchase was largely prompted by a sudden desire to make Coq au Vin.  I have no idea where this inclination came from.  There are no Coq au Vin recipes in my folder.  Coq au Vin is not my perennial childhood favorite.  I haven’t read any other food blogs describing this recipe in the recent past.  I haven’t seen this dish on a menu recently.  Honestly, the idea just appeared, and as I am never one to argue with inspiration, I laced up my walking shoes and hightailed it to the bookstore to get the one cookbook that I knew I just had to have if I was to execute this recipe correctly.

At some point in the past I did have a battered paperback copy of the same cookbook but it didn’t survive one of my many moves.  Having only cooked one or two Julia Child recipes in the past, I had little recollection of how they are structured and written (but I could never forget how much butter they call for).  Thus, I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover how well-organized the recipes are, how neatly each step is sequenced, and that essential pots and pans and other utensils are included in the sidebar with the list of ingredients at each step.  Is it too dramatic to say that I fell a little bit in love?

The Coq au Vin turned out fabulously.  Truly, there is nothing quite like chicken cooked in red wine and smothered in a rich, buttery sauce, accompanied by wine-braised pearl onions and sautéed mushrooms.  The combination is tantalizingly delicious.  In an attempt to be vaguely health conscious, I omitted the bacon portion of the recipe and reduced the butter and olive oil a bit, and while I am sure that the full-fat version is even tastier, I was not left wanting.

There were a few head scratching moments.  For example, the onion recipe specifies that you should peel the onions, then sauté them in a skillet, being careful not to break their skins.  In my world, peeling onions means discarding the skins, which can only happen as a result of breaking the skin (usually by removing the ends first).   A bit confused, I compromised by cutting the ends off and removing the skins from half of the onions (my definition of peeling), and leaving the ends on and only removing any skin that voluntarily came off of the other half of the onions (Julia’s definition of peeling, maybe?).  Not sure what was the intended method but they all tasted identically wonderful.

There was also an adrenaline pumping, oh-my-goodness-this-is-frightening moment; namely, when a small amount of cognac (or in my case, whiskey as liquor stores are closed on Sundays in Georgia and whiskey was what we had on hand) was added to the chicken and set on fire.  Obviously, I knew that a lit match + alcohol=big flames, but I was still unprepared for the resultant whoosh of flame.  A quick check confirmed that I did not burn any hair and all of my eyelashes appear intact.  Be careful with this step, dear readers.

Finally, in the words of my taster:  “Damn.”  I guess it was good.

Coq au Vin

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Serves 4

8 pieces chicken (I like legs and thighs)

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 cup cognac (whiskey works)

3 cups red wine

1-2 cups chicken stock

1/2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, mashed

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp thyme

3 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp butter, softened

There is a bacon step here in the original recipe; I omitted it.

While preparing chicken, also prepare mushrooms and onions; recipes follow.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Melt 1 Tbsp in heavy, fireproof casserole over medium heat.  Brown chicken on all sides.  Pour in the cognac.  Carefully, ignite cognac with a lighted match, averting your face as there will be flames.  Shake casserole back and forth until flames subside.

Pour wine into the casserole and just enough chicken stock to cover the chicken.  Add tomato paste, garlic, herbs and stir.  Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and simmer slowly for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear when pricked with a fork.  Remove chicken to a serving platter.

Simmer chicken cooking liquid for 1-2 minutes, skimming off excess fat.  Raise heat and boil rapidly,  reducing liquid to around 2 cups.  Correct seasoning.  Discard bay leaf.

Blend flour and butter together into a smooth paste (I used my hands to do this).  Beat the paste into the hot chicken cooking liquid with a wire whisk.  Bring to a simmer, stirring, for a minute or two.  The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.

Place mushrooms and onions around chicken on the serving platter, baste with sauce, and serve.

Brown-braised Onions


18-24 peeled white pearl onions
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf


Heat butter and oil in heavy skillet until bubbling.  Add onions and saute over medium heat for around 10 minutes and browned as evenly as possible.  Pour in the liquid, add the parsley and bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.  Onions should be browned and tender, but will have retained their shape, and the liquid will have evaporated.  Discard herbs before serving


Sauteed Mushrooms

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb mushrooms


Wash and dry mushrooms.  Slice or quarter as desired.


Heat butter and olive oil in heavy skillet over high heat.  When butter foam begins to subside, add the mushrooms.  Stir for 4-5 minutes.  The mushrooms will initially absorb the fat, at 2-3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface and the mushrooms will brown.  Once lightly browned, remove from heat.  Mushrooms can be prepared in advance and reheated.