By Joyce Appelman
Download the article as seen in F&B Magazine
When you walked into a restaurant 40 years ago, Coq au vin was on every menu.
Though the haute French restaurants like Lutece, La Caravelle, and La Cote Basque in New York, and Ma Maison in Los Angeles are gone, the elaborate cuisine that was popular in America when all things French ruled the restaurant kitchen is now being reinvented. Coq au vin endures as the anchor for classic French cuisine and to diners’ delight is popping up in restaurants and bistros across the country.
Chefs all over the country are embracing this traditional (and affordable) comfort food as they consider their diners’ pocketbooks, as well as their own. Ashley Charles James, Executive Chef, Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles is a strong supporter of classic and authentic dishes. “Coq au vin is a great wholesome tasty dish, full of flavor, the epitome of the slow cooked, old style, saucy classical French cuisine.”
The earliest French versions of this dish came from the Loire Valley, where the French kings lived, and the wines used in the dish were locally produced Bourgueil and Chinon. Coq au vin, a recipe originally designed to make a rooster (coq) tender enough to eat, is a contemporary twist on an old culinary theme. Tenderizing tough meat by simmering it slowly “en casserole” with wine or broth was a practice familiar to ancient cooks; the technique was generally regarded as peasant fare because the wealthy could afford more tender cuts of meat.
Classic Coq au vin recipes call for the chicken to be flamed with Cognac though many of today’s chefs omit this step from the recipe, finding it adds little to the final flavor. Instead, a modern Coq au vin is made with tender chicken in place of the firmer-fleshed rooster and many full-bodied wines are available to use, producing a succulent masterpiece. Another practice that has changed is how chefs approach the sauce; originally, when this dish was made with a tough rooster, its blood was saved, diluted with a little vinegar to prevent coagulation, and the blood was used to thicken the sauce. Most chefs today use flour to thicken the sauce in a more contemporary version.
While James and his fellow chefs appreciate the old school way of preparing this dish many have come to experiment a bit, tweaking the preparation to modernize the classic dish so it appeals to today’s dining styles.
James notes that his diners are getting away from the formality of fine dining. "They want to maintain the casual California lifestyle, and eat more simply, without too many complicated flavors. Guests at the Hotel's renowned Gardens restaurant generally order grilled meats and fish. They do enjoy uncomplicated presentations full of flavor.”
The flavorful chicken dish periodically lands on the menu at Bistro M, a 50 seat, intimate fine dining restaurant serving local, seasonal food in Glen Head, NY. Chef/Owner Mitchell SuDock likes to introduce the cost effective dish as a special or during Restaurant Week when he knows he can sell a lot of it. He notes, “It’s easy to prepare and it’s good for the bottom line to prepare this dish in large batches using 4-lb chickens.”
James suggests finding the best quality wine for the price point, “any good quality red wine will do. The fruity and light Pinot Noir resembles wines from the Loire Valley and should be considered for this dish. The cost of preparing this dish is low to moderate and provides a good profit margin.”
SuDock offers another non-traditional menu option that captures the flavors of the original dish at an even lower price point. He suggests, “Try creating an appetizer item by using chicken wings with a rutabaga puree.”
Budget considerations aside, this dish only helps the bottom line if it diners feel they can count on this dish tasting as it should. Or better. "International travel has increased the sophistication of diners' palates," says James. "People travel all over the world,experiencing regional cuisine first hand. They know how real Italian, French, and Asian food tastes, and when they dine they want the real thing, prepared with the right ingredients in the original style."
This doesn’t mean chefs can’t play with the dish a little bit, there’s still some leeway for creativity, as long as the flavors remain true. SuDock and James both reach for various wines, and recommend marinating as a way to create a distinctively flavorful dish.
James offers Coq au vin on his lunch menu as a Traditional French Style Red-Wine Braised Organic Chicken with Glazed Pearl Onions, Sautéed Bacon Lardoons & Mushrooms. He pairs the dish with rice pilaf, boiled/steamed potatoes, plain buttered gnocchi, polenta or tagliatelle. He insists that the key to creating his signature dish is to marinate the chicken in red wine with mire poix for a minimum of 24 hours, maximum 3 days. This preparation, which is taught this way by French chefs, absorbs redness into the chicken and helps tenderize it.
According to SuDock, his version is dependent on Berkshire Farms Double Smoked Slab Bacon to enhance the depth of flavor and complement the Cabernet wine selection. The crispy breast, because it’s roasted, combined with braised legs, creates the depth of flavors. He uses a Cabernet that’s not too oaky and insists, “The wine shouldn’t be too overpowering for the flavors, and should complement the bacon.”
Whether your dining room is large or small, on the east coast or west coast, serves American or French cuisine, take a note from Chefs James and SuDock who whole-heartedly agree that pairing Coq au vin with a nice crusty French baguette keeps this oldie a goodie.
Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
