Coq Au Vin

Ingredients

3/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped
4 ounces bacon
3/4 cup finely chopped onions
3/4 cup finely chopped carrots
3/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions

1. Combine wine, salt, pepper, bay leaf and chicken in large shallow bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Add onions, carrots and mushrooms to pan and cook over medium heat, stirring browned bits from bottom, about 15 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan.

3. Remove chicken from marinade; drain well, reserving marinade. Discard bay leaf. Toss chicken lightly in flour. Add 11/2 tablespoons oil to pan. Working in batches, add chicken to pan and cook over medium heat until brown. Add remaining oil if needed.

4. Add broth, tomato paste and reserved marinade. Bring to boil; add vegetables. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 45 minutes. Crumble bacon on top of each serving.

Source

Beef Bourguinon

This is the classic French dish that Julia Childs made and Amy Adams in Julie and Julia makes also. The original recipe can take as long as seven hours! This recipe I got from the newspaper and it is a healthier spin on the original and does not take as long to make. It was really easy to make, just the chopping was annoying.

In this recipe we do a fancy technique called beurre manie which is a mixture of butter and flour that thickens the sauce. Julia Child's says it enrobes the other ingredients. Her word choice is just so perfect when it comes to cooking.

This is my second classic French dish I made, the first being chicken cordon bleu. With making the classic dished and get such a rush because these recipes are timeless and the best and can impress anyone.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat
2 cups vertically sliced onions
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup diced green or red bell pepper
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (12 oz.) package button mushrooms, quartered
1 (14 oz.) can reduced sodium beef broth
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tbs. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 tbs. all purpose flour
2 tbs. butter, softened
chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pan Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef in batches and cook until brown. Remove to a plate.

2. Add onion, carrot, mushrooms and bell pepper to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Return beef and any juices to pan. Add tomatoes and next 8 ingredients ( tomatoes through black pepper). Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook 2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf.

3. Combine flour and butter in a small bowl. Mix with your fingers or a fork until mixture becomes a paste. Ladle about 1/2 cup pan juices into flour mixture. Whisk until smooth. Add to pan. Stir well.

Source