March 3rd, 2009

coq

Coq-Au-Vin with Parsnip Cream

Coq-au-vin is an old classic and one of my favourites. The beauty about this  dish is that it can be cooked in so many ways and  presented in various styles ranging from a  fine dining extravaganza  through to a homely winter warming dish.

I have cooked the chicken legs and the parsnips in the water bath. The flavours are unbelievably intense. I have chosen free range chicken legs for this Coq-au-vin dish, as the brown meat carries a lot of flavour. Cooking the legs in the water bath ensures the meat becomes  tender,melt in the mouth, with a incredible amount of flavour.

This recipe might seem to be fairly complicated but once tried you will be hooked for life.

  • 2 free range chicken legs
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig of each rosemary and thyme
  • 30ml olive oil
  • 10 crushed coriander seeds
  • 100ml red wine
  • 10ml balsamic vinegar
  • 40g grated banana shallot
  • course sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat the water bath to 82°C.

Use a clean vacuum pack bag and make sure you wear clean disposable gloves.

Wash the chicken legs and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Rub salt and fresh cracked black pepper into the chicken legs and place the legs in the bag. Add the rest of the ingredients and seal the bags on a hard vacuum.

Place the bags in the water bath and cook for 8 hours. Once cooked, cool them in ice water.

Parsnip Cream

  • 400g parsnips, peeled and cut in very small pieces
  • 20g butter
  • 20g double cream
  • 50g full fat milk
  • pinch of caster sugar
  • salt

Place the peeled and cut parsnips in a clean vacuum bag with the butter, sugar and salt.

Hard vacuum and cook the parsnips at 82°C for 25 minutes.

Press the parsnips and if they are soft they are done but if they are still slightly firm, cook them for longer. It’s important that the parsnips arevery soft.

Once the parsnips are cooked place them in the thermomix and puree for 1 minute at speed 10.

Scrape the sides down, add the cream and milk and puree for another minute at speed 10. Cool the puree until needed.

To Complete The Dish

  • 6 small round onions
  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 100g smoked pancetta lardons
  • 6 small chestnut mushrooms
  • 1tsp flat leaf parsley
  • toasted croutons

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the small round onions on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes in their skins.

Once they are soft, pop the cooked onions out of their skins. Heat a small frying pan and sauté the onions with the pancetta lardons and mushrooms( cut in half )until golden brown with 20g of the butter.

Remove the chicken legs from the vacuum bag and pour the sauce through a sieve into a small saucepan. Place the chicken legs on a roasting tray in a preheated oven for 20 minutes to heat through. Place them under the grill for a further 3 – 4 minutes to crisp the skin.

While the chicken is in the oven heat the parsnip cream in a small saucepan, if the puree is too thick let it down with milk.

Bring the sauce to the boil, cook for 5 minutes monte the remaining 40g of cold butter in the sauce.

Spoon the Parsnip Cream on to the plate, arrange the chicken and the rest of the ingredients and finish the dish with a spoon of the sauce and a sprinkle of the flat leaf parsley and the croutons.

Serves 2


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3 Comments to “Coq-Au-Vin with Parsnip Cream”

  1. Mithi says:

    Love the way u guys r heading ur passion for food .Inspirational i must say i would love to see a gr8 paella dish coming up from u guys.

  2. zymurgymaster says:

    Made your version side by side with TK’s version and yours was hands down the winner. Have you ever frozen them for any length of time after they have chilled.

  3. Madalene says:

    Hi,

    You can freeze it for up to three months.

    Happy Cooking,

    Madalene

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