Sparkling Wine - Dinner

Along with some lovely french cheeses, we savored the following dishes at our Sparkling Wine Tasting 12 08 09. Enjoy!

Coq au Vin (Meghan Style!)

3 oz bacon, cut into 1/4" strips

1 bag of frozen pearl onions, defrosted

4 chicken breasts, cut in half (result in 8 pieces)

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp brandy

1 bottle red Burgundy

3 fresh thyme sprigs

3 fresh parsley sprigs

2 bay leaves

1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped

butter

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large, deep pan, gently sauté the bacon until the fat is rendered and the pieces are crispy. Remove from pan. Add the onions to the pan and sauté until lightly browned. Remove from pan.
2. Add butter to the pan, as needed. Once foam from butter subsides, add chicken, covered in salt and pepper, to pan, cooking, as needed, until chicken begins to brown (10 minutes). Sprinkle flour over chicken and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Pour the brandy over the chicken, ignite with a long match, and let the flames subside. Return the bacon and onions to the pan. Pour in a little wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Pour in the remaining wine and add the thyme, parsley and bay leaf.
3. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through (60 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium heat, melt butter. When it foams, add the mushrooms and sauté until lightly golden. 15 minutes before the chicken is done, add the mushrooms to the deep pan.
5. Serve with sliced bread or buttered noodles.

Serves 6-8

* Is even better reheated the next day.

Gateau de Mûre

1/3 cup unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp melted and cooled

2 cups granulated sugar

1 pint blackberries

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the 1/3 cup butter in a 9 or 10" round baking dish (with sides at least 2 1/2" high) and place in the oven to melt for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and add 1 cup of the sugar. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, stir once or twice, remove and add the blackberries in a layer on the bottom.
2. Separate the eggs, putting the whites into a large bowl and the yolks into a smaller one. Whisk the 1 tbsp of melted butter into the egg yolks and set aside. In another bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. With an electric beater, beat the egg whites until they form firm peaks. Fold the remaining 1 cup of sugar into the egg whites. Once incorporated, add the egg yolk mixture, followed by the flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Pour the batter over the berries and spread to cover evenly.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before inverting and serving.

Serves 6-8

* Both recipes are adapted from "Savoring France" by Georgeanne Brennan