Right, so I know it's been a while. Like, almost a year? I'll give a quick life update just in case you were wondering why I've been so neglectful these past few months.
I have:
Run a half marathon
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| will be running another in TX in February! |
Gotten engaged
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| it's even prettier in person |
Moved to Texas
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| A view of our fantastic new kitchen |
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| this is what I look like at my job |
Gone to Burning Man
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| PAM aka BUSTADON aka where all of my time and money went this summer. Wouldn't take it back for anything <3 <3 <3 |
It's certainly been a challenging year, but all in all life is great. Especially since I got to eat this dish last night (and play with fire while cooking - see video below for demonstration). Apologies in advance for the shoddy pictures. I couldn't find my camera cord so I used my phone. I realize now that this was a terrible idea because my phone is not a camera.
Don't let the pictures fool you - the food was fantastic. We shared a French Foodie night with some awesome friends here in Austin. The dish was served with a fresh endive and roquefort salad, baguette (for sopping up all the sauce), a fantastic French wine, and a delicious dessert that involved chèvre, strawberries, wine, and all sorts of tasty things. I was a little too excited to eat so there are no pictures of the rest of the dishes, but my camera wouldn't have done them justice anyways so I'm not too concerned.
As for the film: it was a pretty easy selection. We did French food, and I've been meaning to see Holy Motors for quite some time, so there we go! Review follows after the recipe.
That being said, I started with the onions, because they take 50 minutes. They can be made ahead of time and then stirred into the hot dish. Nobody will know. Time constraints aside, the onions are pretty simple. Bundle up the parsley, 1 bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon of the thyme into the cheesecloth. Heat 1.5 tbsp butter and 1.5 tbsp oil on medium high heat until bubbling. Saute the onions for about 10 minutes. Try to get them evenly browned on all sides. Pour in 1/2 cup of the stock and add the herbs in cheesecloth. Cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Discard the herbs.
Now let's get to the good stuff. In a large pot (I used a cast iron dutch oven - go get one now if you don't have one), chop the pork into 1" chunks and saute in 2 tbsp butter until it is lightly browned. Move to a side dish. Dry the chicken and brown in the same pan. I did this in batches of two so I could give each piece some room to get a good color. When all of the chicken has browned, return each piece along with the pork back to the pan. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, turning the chicken once.
BEST PART: pour in the cognac. Ignite with a match or lighter. I guess I should tell you to be careful here. Shake the casserole vigorously (but carefully I guess) until the flames go out. Pour the wine, tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and just enough stock to cover the chicken. Cover and simmer slowly for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, do the mushrooms. These are much quicker thank the onions (thankfully). I just used the same pan for the mushrooms that I used for the onions (a cast iron skillet). Heat 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil on high heat until the butter foam has subsided. Add the mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes. Toss the shallots with the mushrooms and saute for another 2 minutes. Set aside.
Ok we're almost done here. Remove the chicken from the liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid to about 2.5 cups (figure that out somehow). Blend the remaining 2 tablespoons of softened butter with the flour together into a smooth paste. Beat it into the liquid with a whisk. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes.
Arrange the chicken in a serving dish and pour the sauce over it. Throw on those mushrooms and onions. Garnish with parsley. Serve with a nice crusty bread to sop up all that sauce (that was my favorite part).
Recipe: Coq AuVin (I think it means braised chicken or something)
I got the recipe from Deb's blog here, but the original recipe is a Julia Childs classic.
Ingredients:
One 3-4 oz chunk bacon, cut into chunks (we used a smoked ham chunk)
7 1/2 tbsp butter (yeah I know, it's French)
3 lbs chicken thighs, skin-on (this was 4 large pieces for me)
1/4 cup cognac (we used brandy and it worked perfectly - see video below)
3 cups young, full bodied wine (aka cheap)
Up to 3 cups chicken stock
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp flour
cheesecloth
24 pearl onions (plus or minus epsilon)
3 1/2 tbsp oil
3 parsley sprigs (use the rest of the bunch as garnish)
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot
salt and pepper
Directions:
First, set aside a lot of time. This recipe is not easy. I also went around and pre-measured and prepped all of my ingredients. I would highly recommend doing this, as it majorly cuts down on stress levels.
That being said, I started with the onions, because they take 50 minutes. They can be made ahead of time and then stirred into the hot dish. Nobody will know. Time constraints aside, the onions are pretty simple. Bundle up the parsley, 1 bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon of the thyme into the cheesecloth. Heat 1.5 tbsp butter and 1.5 tbsp oil on medium high heat until bubbling. Saute the onions for about 10 minutes. Try to get them evenly browned on all sides. Pour in 1/2 cup of the stock and add the herbs in cheesecloth. Cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Discard the herbs.
Now let's get to the good stuff. In a large pot (I used a cast iron dutch oven - go get one now if you don't have one), chop the pork into 1" chunks and saute in 2 tbsp butter until it is lightly browned. Move to a side dish. Dry the chicken and brown in the same pan. I did this in batches of two so I could give each piece some room to get a good color. When all of the chicken has browned, return each piece along with the pork back to the pan. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, turning the chicken once.
BEST PART: pour in the cognac. Ignite with a match or lighter. I guess I should tell you to be careful here. Shake the casserole vigorously (but carefully I guess) until the flames go out. Pour the wine, tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and just enough stock to cover the chicken. Cover and simmer slowly for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, do the mushrooms. These are much quicker thank the onions (thankfully). I just used the same pan for the mushrooms that I used for the onions (a cast iron skillet). Heat 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil on high heat until the butter foam has subsided. Add the mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes. Toss the shallots with the mushrooms and saute for another 2 minutes. Set aside.
Ok we're almost done here. Remove the chicken from the liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid to about 2.5 cups (figure that out somehow). Blend the remaining 2 tablespoons of softened butter with the flour together into a smooth paste. Beat it into the liquid with a whisk. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes.
Arrange the chicken in a serving dish and pour the sauce over it. Throw on those mushrooms and onions. Garnish with parsley. Serve with a nice crusty bread to sop up all that sauce (that was my favorite part).
Step-by-Step Directions
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| In cast iron skillet, saute the onions in 1.5 tbsp of both oil and butter until browned. Add a bouquet of 1 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp of thyme, and 3 sprigs of parsley in cheesecloth. Pour 1/2 cup broth over everything, cover, and simmer for 40-50 minutes. |
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| Set aside and try not to eat them all. |
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| In a large dutch oven, chop and saute the pork in 2 tbsp butter until browned. Set aside. |
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| Brown the chicken in the same fat. Be sure to work in batches if your chicken is larger than the pan. |
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| Return the chicken and pork to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning the chicken once. |
PLAY WITH FIRE: pour in the cognac, ignite, shake the pan
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| Pour the wine, tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and just enough stock to cover the chicken. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes |
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| While the chicken is simmering, prep the mushrooms. Add mushrooms to a hot 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms are starting to brown |
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| Add the shallots and saute for another 2 minutes. Set aside. |
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| Remove the chicken. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to 2.5 cups. Stir in 2 tbsp butter that has been blended with the flour. Beat it into the liquid with a whisk and simmer for a few minutes |
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Top the chicken with the sauce, mushrooms, and onions. Garnish with remaining parsley. Enjoy con pan.Review: Holy Motors
Well damn. I always pick the weirdest movies to review here. I was thinking "oh, it's French night. You've seen that movie Tokyo and liked the short that the director of Holy Motors did. Let's watch that!". I could have picked La Vie En Rose, Amelie, Paris, Je T'aime, or literally anything else. Nope, I pick one of the strangest yet most interesting movies I've ever seen. I don't recommend this movie for everyone, but if you're up for something weird, you should go for it.
Holy Motors revolves around Oscar (if that is really his name), who travels around in a limo, dressing up and playing different characters as he goes about his day. There is really no explanation, no flashbacks, no narration - the interpretation is left to the viewer. An over-arching theme is the discontent with films and art and how everything needs to be bigger, better, more realistic. At certain points, the viewer is left debating whether a certain scene in the movie is part of Oscar's real life, or if he is just playing another role.
The film is fast paced, and it was easy enough for me to watch in two installments (I don't always have time for a full length film on weekdays). There are some lighter parts mixed in with the confusion, including a rocking accordion interlude. I say just go watch it and then we can talk about it later. Instead of the trailer, I'm going to post part of the short that inspired one of the characters that Oscar plays in the film. I love this scene.
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