I had a surfeit of onions this week. A surplus. A bounty. I had a lot of onions in the house. I also didn’t have a whole lot else. At least not a whole lot that was all that interesting. I could have re-made any number of the dishes I’ve […]
French Cooking
Cuisses de Poulet à l’Oseille – Chicken Thighs Braised with Sorrel
You can be easily forgiven if you’re not familiar with sorrel. It’s not a vegetable we see much of here in the states. You may have seen the red-veined variety. It’s often used as garnish on fancy plates – especially the tiny leaves. But I’m talking about garden sorrel, or […]
Chicken Thighs a l’Orange
Duck a l’Orange is fancy. Really fancy. Like, classy old movie, white tablecloth restaurant, waiter with a fake French accent, and Humphrey Bogart yelling “Garcon!” fancy. Chicken a l’Orange is also fancy. Just not quite as fancy. Maybe more like a nice evening at home with candles left from last […]
Ce N’est Pas un Coq au Vin
The classic French coq au vin is prepared with an old rooster, that is tough but full of flavor when cooked properly. This is not coq au vin. An old rooster is essentially impossible to come by in an American market, and if you happen to live on a farm, […]
Chicken Braised with Apples, Bacon, and Cider
Every once in a while someone asks me what my favorite chicken thigh dish is. I should probably say “well, that’s hard” but it’s not. This is it. This is my favorite chicken thigh dish. Sure, it’s something you could make with skin on breasts, or even an airline breast […]
Poulet Allemande – Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Cream
Mushrooms can be a divisive ingredient. You either love them or hate them – a dichotomy I’ve always suspected has much to do with the texture of the white button mushrooms that many people associate with the word ‘mushroom’. I love them. Even the insipid white button mushrooms can add […]
Chicken á la Creme
It’s suddenly gotten cold again across much of the U.S. We’re all stuck inside, and falling into a rut. Also everyone’s suddenly taken up making sourdough bread. So … this seems like a great time to post a dish that’s both a perfect cold weather warmer, feels sort of decadent, […]
Chicken Pastis
Given the state of my social media feeds and food sites the last few weeks, I should have written about sourdough bread baking instead of chicken. Folks would be flocking here. Get it? Flocking, you know, like chickens. I’ll be here all week folks. And the week after that, and […]
Chicken Thigh Piperade
Chicken Piperade originates in the Pays Basque, the predominantly Basque region of Southwestern France, whose culture straddles the border between France and Spain. The flavors and preparations are at once French, Spanish, and of course, Basque. This simple combination of dried hot pepper, red onions, fresh sweet peppers, and tomatoes […]
Wine Braised Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
This dish is an evolution of the classic Duck with 40 cloves of garlic in which slow roasting converts the piquant garlic into a luxurious sweet sauce. However, instead of roasting, this is an open braise – and can even be a easy weeknight meal. Here, you simply brown the […]