Monsieur Bergerand doesn’t stuff his partridge with C Rations today, nor does Monsieur Huré base his superb potages on peanut butter, but you may be sure that they are using equal ingenuity to make the utmost of the generous bounty which comes from their Burgundian soil.
Now for a quarter of good Burgundian recipes, adapted for your American kitchen. There are varied schools of thought on the preparation of the classic coq au vin. Some cook the bird in red wine, some in white. Some allow the meat to become impregnated with the wine. Others add the wine sauce late in the game. The latter method, which is employed at the Hôtel de l’Etoile in Chablis, is delineated below.
Le Coq à la Mode de Bourgogne (Coq au Vin)
Cut up a good, meaty roasting chicken as for a fricassee. Put 1/8 pound butter in a heavy pot and, when it is melted, add about the same amount of diced lean bacon. Let this brown lightly in the butter, remove, and put to one side. Lightly brown the chicken pieces on all sides in the fat. Remove them, with some of the fat, to another casserole. Cover and continue cooking in a slow oven (300° F.) for about an hour, or until the chicken is tender.
To make the sauce, put the bacon bits back in the original pan, add 6 onions, allowing them to brown a little, a bouquet garni, 1/2 pound mushroom caps, 1 truffle, chopped, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour in 3 cups good red wine and 1 cup chicken stock. Simmer all together for about 1 hour, or until reduced to 1/2 the original quantity. Stir in 1 generous tablespoon beurre manié, made by blending 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon flour, to thicken the sauce a bit. One or two tablespoons Madeira enhance the flavor. Pour all over the chicken, allow to simmer together for 5 minutes, and serve.
Boeuf à la Mode en Terrine
This is a good cold meat to serve in hot weather. It is made by placing in the bottom of a deep pot 2 calf’s feet and 1 pig’s foot, cut or broken into manageable pieces. On this place alternate layers of sliced chuck beef and sliced pork in the proportion of 2 1/2 pounds beef to 1 1/2 pounds pork. Salt and pepper plentifully between the layers and add 2 medium-sized onions, 3 carrots, all sliced, 2 cloves garlic, 3 sprigs parsley, 3 bay leaves, 6 or 7 cloves, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Cover with a few pieces bacon rind or pork rind. Pour in 3/4 cup white wine and 3 tablespoons brandy, cover closely, and simmer for 5 or 6 hours. Remove the meat only and chop it coarsely or leave it in pieces as desired. Strain the juice over the meat through a fine cloth. Allow to cool and jell before serving.
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