France

Culinary adventures in Burgundy & site seeing and more food in Paris

By Hilton Luke

Château de Voudenay

Seven nights in the château—a centuries old, grand estate home in the middle of nowhere. Nine bedrooms, ten bathrooms and set amongst lush green surrounds.

Lush green surrounds, perfect for a leisurely walk in the crisp autumn air.

Coq avec vin pour 9 personnes

English? Rooster with wine, for 9 people.

Ingredients used:

350g diced bacon
12 chicken pieces (skin on, bone in)
3 onions (big, roughly diced)
500g carrots (cut into 2cm pieces)
7 cloves garlic (thinly diced, or minced)
500ml red wine (we used Merlot but probably should've used Burgundy)
2 cups low-salt chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
500g mushrooms (thickly sliced)
Plus salt, pepper, olive oil.

Method (loosely followed):

Preheat the oven to 175°C.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook until crispy (about 8 to 10 minutes). Transfer bacon to a plate.
Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken pieces in batches of two to the leftover bacon grease (skin side down for chicken thighs). Sear for about 5 minutes each side, until skin is rendered, crispy and browned. Transfer chicken to the plate with the bacon. Set aside.
Add the onions, carrots, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally, until the onions are transparent and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
Pour in the wine and chicken stock; stir to combine. Add the thyme, bacon, chicken, and any juices leftover from the plate into the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid or foil and transfer to the oven for 20-30, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
While chicken is in the oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and browned. Set aside.
Remove casserole from oven and place on stove. Mash the remaining butter with the flour and stir into the casserole (the heat will cook any lumps out). Bring the casserole to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes, until sauce has thickened.