Poulet a la Crème

Stewed hens in a potGeorgeanne Brennan, Special to The Chronicle
Sunday, October 4, 2009

Poulet a la Crème
Serves 4 to 6

This dish is decadently rich and redolent of farmhouse cooking from the north of France, where cows feed on the abundant green grass, and milk and cream are plentiful. Granted, this is not a dish for once a week, but a few times a year it makes for a very special chicken in a pot. Serve this with mashed potatoes and fresh, crusty bread.

•1 chicken, about 3 pounds, cut into serving pieces
•1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
•1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•7 tablespoons butter
•1 1/2 cups heavy cream
•2 tablespoons flour
•-- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
•2 tablespoons minced tarragon (optional)
Instructions: Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and cayenne. Melt 5 tablespoons of the butter in a saute pan or deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, add the chicken pieces and saute until golden, about 10 minutes, turning often.

When chicken is golden, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook until the chicken is tender and the juices of the thighs run clear when pierced with the tines of a fork, about 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a warmed platter and cover lightly with foil. Increase the heat to high, pour in 1/2 cup cream, and bring to a hard simmer, scraping up any food bits clinging to the bottom. After juices have thickened slightly, remove from heat and set aside.

Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the flour in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook slowly, stirring, until well blended and there is no taste of flour, about 1 minute. Pour in the remaining cup of cream and bring to a simmer. Pour the juices from the frying pan into the saucepan, and bring to a simmer again. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as necessary.

To serve, pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with tarragon, if desired.

Per serving: 526 calories, 25 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 46 g fat (25 g saturated), 189 mg cholesterol, 265 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

Variation: For Poulet a la Crème et Champignons, follow the recipe, adding 1/4 pound thinly sliced fresh button mushrooms after the chicken has sauteed for 5 minutes. Substitute parsley for the tarragon.

Wine pairing: A wine with snappy acidity will cut through the cream and butter. A bright Blanc de Blanc sparkler will do just that. A still Chardonnay like the 2007 Cambria Katherine's Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay ($19) will also work.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/04/FD0819QI9U.DTL#recipe1#ixzz0TP4lYRMP