ERIC RIPERT'S COQ au VIN

By BobD

Ingredients

• Chef Eric Ripert of New York City’s Le Bernardin cooks cooks Coq au Vin, the French country dish of chicken stewed in red wine, for friends and family in the fall and winter.
• 2 2 3 8 2 2 Organic Free-Range Chickens, about 3 lbs each, cut into 8 pieces each (each breast halved, 2 legs and 2 thighs with backs, wings, necks reserved)
• 2 2 2 quarts water
• 2 2 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1 1 slice D'Artagnan Applewood Smoked Bacon, optional
• 1 1 1 cup celery, medium diced
• 1 1 1 cup carrot, diced
• 1 1 1 cup onion, diced
• 4 4 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 6 6 6 ounces button mushrooms, washed and diced
• 1 1 1 cup brandy
• 2 2 2 bottles (750 ml each) red wine
• 2 2 2 cups reduced chicken stock
• 2 2 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 2 2 sprigs thyme, fresh
• Fine sea salt
• to pepper, to taste

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from dartagnan.com

Preparation

Step 1

Make chicken stock:

Gather all of the breasts and leg/thigh portions and place them in a container and refrigerate them.

Place all of the backs, wings and necks (if you have them) in a 4-quart saucepan and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat to a low simmer.

Simmer chicken stock for about 2 hours, skimming away any fat or impurities that rise to the top. Strain the chicken stock through a fine mesh sieve. This can be done up to a one day ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

Make coq au vin:

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour. Heat canola oil in a heavy bottomed stock pot and slowly add the chicken, cooking over medium heat until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Turn chicken and continue cooking until golden brown.

Remove chicken from pan and discard all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Render the bacon until crisp then add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic and mushroom. Cook until lightly caramelized, about 5-7 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with brandy and add the browned chicken, 2 tablespoons of flour, red wine, chicken stock, tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours, until the chicken is very tender and starts falling off the bone.

Carefully remove the chicken from the sauce and reduce the sauce by half. Once the sauce has thickened, add back the chicken and season to taste.

Serve over egg noodles.