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Sauteed Chicken With Calvados And Cream Sauce
(Paulet Saute Vallee d'Auge)
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| What You Need: |
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2½-to 3-pound frying chicken, cut up
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
White pepper
1/3 cup Calvados or applejack
½ cup chicken stock, fresh or canned
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or scallions
¼ cup finely chopped celery
1 cup peeled, cored and coarsely chopped tart apples
½ teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
2 egg yolks
½ cup heavy cream
Watercress or parsley sprigs
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Following the directions in the recipe for Poulet Saute a la Bordelaise,brown the chicken in 4 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a heavy 8- to 10-inch skillet or saute pan. Pour off all but a thin film of fat, return the browned chicken to the skillet and season it with salt and pepper. The next step is to flame the chicken-off the heat-with the Calvados or with applejack.
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2. Experts pour the Calvados over the chicken and set it alight. A more reliable technique is to warm the Calvados first in a small saucepan over low heat, ignite it with a match and pour it flaming over the chicken a little at a time, shaking the skillet gently back and forth until the flame dies. Then pour in the stock and, with a wooden spoon, scrape in any browned bits clinging to the skillet. Set aside.
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3. In a separate small saucepan or skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat and in it cook the shallots, celery, apples and thyme, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes, or until they are soft but not brown. Spread them over the chicken, return it to high heat and bring the stock to a boil. Tightly cover the skillet, reduce the heat and simmer the chicken, basting it with pan juices every 7 or 8 minutes.
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4. After about 30 minutes, or when the chicken is tender, remove it from the skillet and arrange the pieces attractively on a large, heated ovenproof platter. Cover the chicken loosely with foil and keep it warm in a 250 oven while you make the sauce.
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5. Strain the contents of the skillet through a fine sieve set over a small saucepan, pressing down hard on the vegetables and the apples with the back of a spoon to squeeze out all their juices. Let the sauce settle a minute, then skim off as much of the surface fat as possible. Boil the sauce over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 or 3 minutes, or until it is reduced to about ½ cup.
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6. With a wire whisk, blend the egg yolks and cream in a bowl and gradually beat in all of the hot sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time. Pour back into the saucepan and cook over moderately low heat for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens to a heavy cream.
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7. Do not allow it to boil or it will curdle; if it seems to be getting too hot,lift the pan off the heat for a few seconds to cool it, stirring all the while.Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and white pepper.
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8. To serve, mask each piece of chicken with the sauce, and decorate theplatter with bouquets of watercress or parsley sprigs.
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