TASTE of Olney

Danny decided to prepare two versions of Julia Child’s signature dish - coq au vin or “rooster with wine” - with red and white wine sauces to sample the differences in the two approaches.

“This is a dish I’ve enjoyed many times at restaurants but had never made it at home,” Danny said. “It’s rich and elegant, a real treat. I was thinking of a good Easter Sunday meal when I made it.”

This rustic stew featuring braised poultry, mushrooms, and pearl onions hails from the Burgundy region of France and may date back to ancient Gaul. “One of the first documented recipes for coq au vin dates back to 1913, when the French natural philosopher and zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson stumbled upon the dish in the Chaîne des Puys region,” according to the Taste Atlas website. Julia Child presented the recipe to English-speaking audiences in her 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and on her TV program “The French Chef.”

Although the original recipe for “drunken chicken” calls for a hearty Burgundy red wine, each region of France prepares the dish using local wines, transforming the dish to “coq au riesling” or “coq au Champagne,” according to Wikipedia.

“I recently had the blanc (white wine) version for the first time so I thought I would try them side by side to see which I preferred. Surprisingly, I think I prefer blanc but both are delicious,” Danny said.

A quick sear of the meat - Danny uses chicken thighs here - and a long slow simmer in the wine of your choice are the secrets to tender coq au vin. Danny prepared the chicken stew with button mushrooms and pearl onions. Pearl onions are tender and sweet but can be tricky to peel. Danny blanched them briefly in boiling water, shocked them in cold water, and snipped off the ends with kitchen shears to squeeze them out of their papery covering.

“A side of cooked greens is a great compliment to the dish (and) I think crunchy bread or mashed potatoes are a must to soak up the rich sauce,” Danny said.

The recipe “took about 1.5 hours from prep to finish,” he said. “It’s not difficult at all but does require take a little more hands-on time and a little patience with several steps.”

All ingredients are available at Stewart’s Food Store.

Ingredients (Coq au Vin Blanc*): 4 slices of thick bacon cut into lardons 4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 shallots thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 8 oz of pearl onions 8 oz button mushrooms 1 tsp thyme 1 cup of white wine 1 cup of chicken broth 2 tbsp butter Fresh parsley for garnish *The classic version is basically the same recipe but replaces white wine and broth with 3 cups of dry red wine and adding a tablespoon of tomato paste.

Preparation: Step 1: Cut bacon into lardons (matchsticks), cook in heavy pan until fat is rendered and bacon crispy.

Remove bacon and set aside Step 2: Salt and Pepper chicken thighs. Place thighs skin side down in bacon grease and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes until skin is crispy and fat is rendered.

Step 3: Turn thighs over and cook another 5 minutes. Remove thighs from pan Step 4: Add shallots, onions, and garlic and cook until translucent. Then add mushrooms, thyme wine, and broth to pan and cook.

Step 5: Return bacon lardons and thighs (skin side up) to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.

Step 6: Increase heat to a boil to thicken sauce, about 10 minutes. Stir in butter and reduce heat and spoon sauce over thighs.

Step 6: Bon appetit!