Archive for April 21st, 2008

I don’t want to re-make the Julie/Julia story, but I did check-out Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking after seeing Ina Garten make the classic Coq au vin the other day. I followed Child’s recipe almost completely, taking the modern liberties at times that the Barefoot Contessa seemed to recommend.

You start by browning some chicken pieces in bacon fat. This dish is about the wine, the bacon, and the deep brown flavors that emerge.

I precooked my mushrooms in the fat after removing the chicken, and added tomato paste. We then added wine, chicken stock, and the bacon pieces back into the pot.

Pearl onions (frozen) and carrots get added to the party (Garten’s party), and the thing gets covered. Child does this on the stove top (as did I), but Ina Garten puts hers in the oven for about an hour.

I also made a quick broccoli soup to start; pretty simple, just added vegetable stock and a touch of cream.

And with the chicken, I wanted garlic mashed potatoes. I put about 5 garlic cloves in heavy cream while I riced the baking potatoes.

As you can see, I invited Dr. Parmesan to the party.

I thought the flavors were great… I’d had this homemade years ago and hated it. This one was great.

I served a pair of Côtes du Rhône wines; we preferred the more expensive bottle on the left. Both contributed to the wine “sauce” in the dish. Bon appétit!

Sunday night I made a salad that featured domestic prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, and tomato, with left-over bread. It was delicious. I used a creamy parmesan-pepper dressing.

The main course was a special Cavanna-made gorgonzola (blue cheese) gnocchi, with a tomato and basil sauce. I augmented the cheese factor by adding fresh grated parmesan. It too, was delicious.

Here’s another gratuitous shot of that salad.