This has never been one of my favorite Disney movies - although the background art is amazing and I love the music. I think part of it is that I despise Judge Frollo and his evil hypocrisy in the name of religion, so much that I find it difficult to watch.
For some reason though, Bug-A-Boo loved it when she was younger.
I was excited about it though because it takes place in France and any opportunity for me to explore French Cooking is always one I am excited about.
I originally was planning on a Salad Nicoise. Tuna, anchovies, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, hard-boiled eggs, and lettuce are the usual elements for this salad. It is something I had never had or made and it sounded very interesting to me and it looked beautiful in all the pictures I saw. I purchased all the ingredients and was ready to follow Julia Child's recipe.
When the day came I re-read the ingredients list and just kept thinking that Bug-A-Boo would not like it and I would have created this meal for nothing. I decided to make a last minute switch.
I had the potatoes for the French Potato Salad (Julia Child, pg. 541), and the green beans (Julia Child, pg. 443), so I just needed to find an entree. I chose chicken since I already had some in the freezer and tried to find something with ingredients that I already had. I searched Mastering the Art of French Cooking and found the perfect dish.
The menu is set...
Coq Au Vin
Buttered Green Beans
French Potato Salad
French Baquette
COQ AU VIN
(Chicken in Red Wine with Onions, Mushrooms, and Bacon)
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, pg. 263-265
For 4 to 6 people
INGREDIENTS:
4 oz chunk of lean bacon (NOTE: I just used regular bacon strips)
2 Tbsp butter
3lbs cut-up frying chicken (NOTE: I used fryer chicken breasts)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup cognac
3 cups young, full-bodied red wine such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Chianti
(NOTE: I had to use a Pinot Noir - couldn't find the others)
1 to 2 cups brown chicken stock, brown stock or canned beef bouilllon
(NOTE: I used some homemade chicken stock)
1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
12 to 24 brown-braised onions, pg 483 (NOTE: I skipped this because I couldn't find pearl onions)
1/2 lb saute mushrooms, pg. 513
3 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp softened butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles 1/4 inch across and 1 inch long). (NOTE: II cut the bacon strips into the lardons). Simmer for 10 minutes in water. Rinse in cold water. Dry.
2. Sauce the bacon slowly in hot butter until it is very lightly browned. Remove to a side dish.
3. Dry the chicken thoroughly. Brown it in the hot fat in the casserole/pan.
4. Season the chicken. Return the bacon to the pan with the chicken. Cover and cook slowly for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once.
5. Uncover, and pour in the cognac. Averting your face, ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the pan back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside.
6. Pour the wine into the pan. Add just enough stock or bouillon to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Bring to the simmer. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. Remove the chicken to a side dish.
7. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.
8. Simmer the chicken cooking liquid in the pan for a minute or two, skimming off fat. Then raise heat and boil rapidly, receding the liquid to about 2-1/4 cups. Correct seasoning. Remove from heat, and discard bay leaf.
9. Been the butter and flour together into a smooth paste (beurre main). Beat the paste into the hot liquid with a wire whip. Bring to the simmer, stirring, and simmer for a minute or two. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
10. Arrange the chicken in the pan, place the mushrooms and onions around it, and baste with the sauce.
CHAMPIGNONS SAUTES AU BEURRE
(Sautéed Mushrooms)
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, pg. 513
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, slice or quartered if large
Optional: 1 to 2 Tbsp minced shallots or green onions. (NOTE: I used shallots)
Salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the skillet over high heat with the butter and oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4-5 minutes. During their sauté the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will begin to brown. As soon as they have browned lightly remove from heat.
2. Toss the shallots or green onions with the mushrooms. Sauce over moderate heat for 2 minutes.
POMMES DE TERRE A L'HULIE
(French Potato Salad - sliced potatoes in oil and vinegar dressing)
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, pg. 541
For about 6 cups (I cut the recipe in half)
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs. "boiling" potatoes (NOTE: I used petite red potatoes)
4 Tbsp dry white wine, or 2 Tbs dry white vermouth and 2 Tbsp stock or canned bouillon
2 Tbsp wine vinegar, or 1 Tbsp vinegar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp prepared mustard (NOTE: I used Dijon)
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp olive oil or salad oil
pepper
OPTIONAL: 1 to 2 Tbsp minced shallots or green onion (NOTE: I skipped this)
2 to 3 Tbsp chopped mixed green herbs or parsley (NOTE: I used Herbs de Provence)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Scrub the potatoes. Drop them in boiling salted water to cover, and boil until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a small knife. Drain. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel, and cut them into slices about 1/8 inch thick. Place them in a mixing bowl.
2. Pour the wine or vermouth and stock or bouillon over the warm potato slices and toss very gently. Set aside for a few minutes until the potatoes have absorbed the liquids.
3. Beat the vinegar or vinegar and lemon juice, mustard, and salt a small bowl until the salt has dissolved. Then beat in the oil by droplets. Season to taste, and stir in the optional shallots or onions. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and toss gently to blend.
4. Serve them while still warm, or chill. Decorate with herbs before serving.
HARICOTS VERTS A L'ANGLAISE
(Buttered Green Beans I)
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, pg. 443-444
For 6 to 8 people (I cut the recipe in half)
INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs. green beans, trimmed and washed
salt
4 to 8 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces
DIRECTIONS:
1. A handful at a time, drop the beans into the rapidly boiling salted water. Bring the water back to the boil as quickly as possible, and boil the beans slowly, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes; test the beans frequently after 8 minutes by eating one. A well cooked bean should be tender, but still retain the slightest suggestion of crunchiness. Drain the beans as soon as they are done.
2. Toss the beans in a saucepan or skillet over moderately high heat to evaporate their moisture. Toss briefly again with salt and pepper to taste. Our them into a hot serving dish, distribute the butter over them, and serve at once.
Oh my goodness! This was an amazing meal! I am always nervous whenever I try to make something out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and I was extremely nervous making this but I have to say...I'm pretty impressed with myself. This was amazing!
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