Ah, charcuterie… the art of turning raw meat into edible goodness. I love proscuitto and pancetta and all types of sausages and hams. I never thought about making my own, until I realized that a lot of other people already are:
Is this on the Apartment Farm to do list? You bet it is, this fall when it is the proper season for such things. I’m thinking pancetta, or maybe bacon… they’re both so good!
There is almost nothing better (and yes, I know I say this all the time) than chicken and mushrooms in a red wine reduction in the winter. I’ve got to warn you – done properly, this dish will take two + hours (depending on how proficient you are with a butcher knife) to prepare. But the flavor and elegance of the dish are well worth it, especially if you have someone special to share it with. Oh, and did I mention that you get to flambé?
1 whole chicken
5 slices thick, center-cut bacon
20 red pearl onions
1 clove garlic
1 fresh bouquet garni (several sprigs each of thyme, rosemary and parsley)
1 package dried morels
¼ cup brandy
2 cups red wine (a Chambertin or a Macon are recommended from that culinary bible, Larousse Gastronomique, but a good-quality burgundy will serve you well also)
For the Beurre Manie (yes I will tell you what this is if it’s not obvious):
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
For a perfectly timed dish, you need to follow the steps in the order presented. Trust me. Read through them once, and take a deep breath. Classical French cooking is nothing to fear- do it once, and you can do it again. Steps one and two must be done in tandem- rinse the morels, cut a few pieces of chicken, rinse the morels again, back to chicken, and so on, until both the chicken and morels are ready. After that, follow the recipe as normal… ok, go!
1.) Put the dried morels to soak in a cup of cold water. You will need to change the water and rinse the morels up to six times before they are clean enough for cooking. In between rinses, lift the morels out of the water with a sieve, being careful not to disturb the sediment that has settled to the bottom. When the water is clear, they are ready to use. Gently squeeze out excess water and put them on a clean towel to drip dry.
2.) You need to section your chicken into pieces- two legs, two breasts, two thighs, two wings. If you have never done this before, I really recommend you open your copy of Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques now, but I will try my best to describe this process to you… it’s not that hard. But please use the sharpest butcher knife you own- you should be able to cut a piece of paper cleanly with it. It needs to be this sharp, otherwise you will absolutely cut yourself badly (fortunately I speak from near-misses, and not first hand experience). First, remove the wings from the bird by slicing through the skin and the meat around the joint with the body, then wiggle the wing away from the body until you can feel the space in between the joints with your knife. Cut the wing free through the joint, then cut the wing tips off and set those aside for stock. Next, remove the legs, using the same method. Then you need to remove the breasts and thighs from the chicken by running your knife along both sides of the backbone. Lay it flat on your cutting board, and remove the thigh from the breast by cutting through the joint (this will look obvious to you). Clean up your pieces by trimming away any loose skin and meat. Save all of the bones and trimmings in the freezer to make stock with. Again, Jacques Pepin’s book has much better instructions, complete with step-by-step photos, so please consult it if this part seems daunting to you.
3.) To prep the onions, cut the ends off and peel away the skins. Peel and dice your garlic.
4.) Okay, now that the chicken, morels and onions are prepped, the hard part (and probably a half hour) is over. Let’s start cooking. Cut your bacon slices in one-inch pieces and put them to fry in the largest sauté pan or stock pot you have (one that will hold eight pieces of chicken- if you don’t have one, use two pans and equally divide all of the ingredients between the two. Crowding the chicken will ruin the dish, so this is important).
5.) Once the bacon is nearly cooked (just a few minutes), add your pearl onions and sauté for a few more minutes, until everything is starting to look golden-brown.
6.) Add your chicken pieces, skin side down. When they have browned nicely (5-6 minutes), flip them over. Sprinkle the morels and diced garlic on top, and top everything with the bouquet garni. Cover and sauté over a brisk heat until the chicken is golden-brown on the second side.
7.) Remove the lid and skim off any fat that has risen to the surface. Now comes the fun part- you get to flambé! But, flambé responsibly—have your red wine measured out and handy (the wine will extinguish the flames) and for god’s sake, do not lean over the pot as you light the brandy—it will ignite with quite a flare. Pour the brandy evenly over the chicken, and ignite it with a long-handled lighter or match. Let the flame burn for just 10-15 seconds, and then pour the wine over the chicken to extinguish the flames. Let the chicken cook in the wine for a little over an hour, until everything is tender and smells so good you can hardly stand it.
8.) While the chicken is cooking, make your beurre manie. A beurre manie is simply equal parts of flour and butter mixed together and used as a thickener. All you have to do is use a fork to smash the flour into the butter until well combined. (You can even make up a whole stick of butter this way and freeze it on a baking sheet in little individual clumps. Once they’re frozen, put them in a freezer container, and then you will always have pre-made beurre manie to thicken your reductions, sauces and stews with).
9.) At the end of your cooking time, remove the bouquet garni and discard, then remove the chicken to a serving platter. One small piece at a time, whisk the beurre manie into the red wine still in the pan. Stir constantly to prevent any clumps from forming. You are looking for a loose sauce- you may you use all the beurre manie, or just a portion- this is your individual preference. Once the sauce is suited to your liking, pour over the chicken, and voila! Tres bien!
Okay, a couple of notes:
You might have noticed that this recipe does not call for any salt or pepper. As a salt-addicted American, I was skeptical of this fact at first as well. But it doesn’t need it—the saltiness of the bacon is more than enough, and there are so many flavors at play here—the woodsy, smoky flavor of the morels, the warmth of the brandy, the richness of the wine, the freshness of the herbs, well you can see it just doesn’t need it. If you don’t believe me and you add it anyway, you will ruin this dish. And if you don’t think you’ve ruined it, you’ve burned off you taste buds ages ago and… well let’s just say I feel sorry for you.
Fresh herbs. I’m sorry, but you cannot use dried herbs in this dish. It just won’t taste the same. You should be growing these three very basic herbs with absolutely no hassle in your kitchen window already. And this is the dish you will use them in. It called a bouquet garni for a reason.
Morels, yes they are expensive… to be perfectly honest, you will likely spend $15-$20 dollars on an ounce. Yes, I know this is three times the cost of the chicken, but it’s worth it. Morels are my favorite mushroom, and they are worth every penny (especially for a dish like this). Treat them like the luxury they are – it would be preposterous to have them on the table every day, but once in awhile we need a treat. If you can’t obtain morels, or really don’t have the cash or (gasp!) you don’t like them, you can use button mushrooms instead. But believe me when I say you will be missing the soul of this dish if you do.
I know a few of you are going to groan and cry at the prospect of jointing an entire chicken. But if you read this blog often enough, you know I’m going to tell you this—if you’re going to cook, cook. Take the time and enjoy it—joint that chicken! It’s an easy skill to learn (easier with Pepin’s instructions rather than mine J) and it will serve you well. And you’ll gain kitchen confidence- truth be told, the first time I jointed a chicken with a knife was the first time I made this recipe. It took me a little longer then I expected, but I did it correctly (and if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well), didn’t injure or maim myself and I felt amazing when I was done. I had always thought it was impossible to do (I grew up in a pre-packaged chicken pieces household too) but it’s all about the knife skills, folks. If I can learn it, so can you. And what’s better than a dish you put your effort and love into? (Okay enough of me waxing poetic over cutting up poultry).
It goes without saying that you should purchase and use the best ingredients you can afford—organic, healthy, top-quality stuff. This is especially true for the brandy and the wine. Go for the top shelf brandy- yes it’s expensive, but every grown adult should have a good bottle of brandy in the house anyway, so it’s high time you got a bottle. And the wine? I’m all about locally produced wines (because I’m a go-local fanatic) but I also believe in sustainable trade, so treat yourself to the luxury of a great French wine (or Italian olive oil, Spanish cured ham, fair trade coffee, etc.- whatever the case may be) every once in a while. If you’re going to go all out with classical French cuisine, get the wine to go with it. You’re going to taste it. (And drink what’s left at the table!).
I think that coq au vin stands well all by itself, but you can serve it with a wild mushroom couscous or crusty French bread (that goes so well with so many things) if you are so inclined. Both are nice accompaniments to the sauce. Oh, and I recommend serving it on a Saturday. Spend the afternoon cooking, have a long, leisurely, candlelit meal with someone you love and then… relax.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The Prairie Traveler: the 1859 Handbook for Westbound Pioneers by Randolph B. Marcy
The Modern Pagan by Brian Day
The Concise Guide to Self-Sufficiency The Concise Guide to Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour
It’s a Long Road to a Tomato by Keith Stewart
Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende
The New Farmer’s Market
Heirloom Vegetables: A Home Gardener’s Guide to Finding & Growing Vegetables From the Past by Sue Strickland
Living at Nature’s Pace: Farming & the American Dream by Gene Logsdon
Mmm honey. It’s golden color and rich flavor are enticing- much more interesting and flavorful than plain refined sugar. And heathier too. I’ve been drinking honey in my tea for nearly a year now, and I won’t go back to sugar. It’s just as easy to make your baked goods with honey. You’ll benefit from a more developed flavor and the health benefits by doing so. Honey is an antioxident as well as antiseptic, and contains many vitamins and minerals.
The National Honey Board has a useful recipes section, and here are a few of my favorite recipes from their site:
A favorite cookbook of mine, “Garden Way Publishing’s Bread Book: A Baker’s Almanac” by Ellen Foscue Johnson is full of recipes where honey is the sweetener, including such standbys as Sourdough Bagels, Swedish Caraway Bread, and Batter Brown Bread. I don’t believe a single recipe in the book contains refined sugar. Starting with one of the two quick breads above will be a good primer if you are new to baking with honey, but once you try it I’m sure you’ll be a convert!
It’s late January, and the garden catalogs are beginning to pile up. They have become dog-eared and highlighted. And through all the thousands of options available, I’ve finally decided what I’ll grow this year at Apartment Farm. I’m thinking simply this year.
- Lollo Rossa Lettuce
- Tennis Ball Lettuce
- Tom Thumb Peas
- Martino’s Roma Tomato
- Silvery Fir Tree Tomato
- Rose Finn Apple Fingerling Potatoes
- Strawberries
- Herbs: Thyme, Rosemary, Flat-Leaf Parsley
The lettuces will be grown in wooden wine crates. The peas are a dwarf variety well suited to containers, so I’ll have a few pots of those. I’ve haven’t decided which pots yet, but there are quite a few options—enamelware soup pots will likely be what I choose, if I can find a few affordably second hand. I’ll probably do two or three plants of the roma tomatoes in enamelware also. The Silvery Fir Tree tomato is suited to hanging baskets, so I’ll have four of those. I’d like to find some whimsical cast-iron branch pot hangers for those. The potatoes are this year’s experiment. I’m going to try them in white metal trashcan right here in the living room. We’ll find out together whether it’s possible to grow potatoes indoors. The strawberries will go in a strawberry pot of course, and I’ll have another strawberry pot devoted to herbs.
I’ll likely place my order this week and dust off the seed trays for seed starting in mid-February—have got to give those tomatoes the head start they’ll need! And early lettuce certainly won’t be a bad thing either. Stay tuned!
Yep, that’s where I am. In front of the fireplace with my knitting, my latte, and my blog. 
Unfortunately, it’s not my very own fireplace, but since the internet situation still hasn’t been solved at the home place, I trekked ALL the way across town to the one place I know of that has chai lattes with soy, a fireplace, and free wireless interent. Just because I missed all of you so much!
Not much exciting going on at Apartment Farm lately. The influx of 2008 seed catalogs is in full swing, and we purchased our first oil lamp from Lehmans after Christmas. It’s a small $10 model, but it’s enough to the light the table during dinner, reading or knitting. I like it quite a bit, and hope to add more. It’s a nice change from candles, with a much longer burn time, and you can control the intensity of light, so that’s another plus. I’ve also made good progress on the scarf I’m knitting for husband– finally a completed knitting project in the works! I hope to have it done by this weekend.
So that’s it for the time being here at Apartment Farm… enjoying the coziness that cold weather brings. Stay tuned for more crafty goodness, plans for the 2008 Apartment Farm proper, and books books books! I’ve added much to the library to share with you all as soon as I can compile a list. And remember, winter is a time to settle in and slow down! Take some time to enjoy the season– sledding and hot cocoa, perhaps?
You can do more with china than let it collect dust in a cabinet in between annual Christmas dinners. Even better, you can rescue china that has seen better days by transforming it into something entirely new—how about a vanity set for your dressing table or bathroom counter? A mirror, jewelry dish, and tray can be fashioned out of vintage china, glue and a little love.
To craft this set, you’ll need 1 dinner plate with a decorative edge (transferware is perfect), 1 teacup with saucer, 1 platter with a decorative edge, Alene’s Glass & Bead glue (or other similar glass/china glue), 1 small round mirror (probably about 6 inches, but this will depend on the size of your plate. Various sizes can be had at craft stores.), 1 medium round or oval mirror (probably about 10-12 inches, but again the size and shape will depend on the size of the platter.), 1 table-top plate stand (wood or decorative metal are prettiest, but the utilitarian plastic or wire ones will do.).
The first thing you want to do is wash all of the dishes in hot, soapy water, and let them air dry. We’ll assemble the tray first. Place beads of glue around the perimeter of the back side of the larger mirror, and fill in the center with glue dots also. Centering the mirror on the platter, press it down firmly and set aside for several hours to dry. Repeat this process with the smaller mirror and plate.
To create the jewelry dish, turn the tea cup upside down on the table. Put beads of glue around the bottom of the cup. Affix the saucer, right side up, to the bottom of the teacup (so bottom sides are touching). Set it aside for the glue to dry.
As an optional way to further customize your set, you can either etch the mirrors with glass etching cream, paint words or sayings onto the plates with china paint, affix a charm or monogram to the teacup handle, or swap out the mirror on the tray for clear glass under which you could put photos or a collage.
Once the glue is dry, use window cleaner or a little vinegar to wipe the smudges and fingerprints off of the mirrors. Place the small mirrored plate in the plate rack, and arrange the set in your chosen location. It’s as easy as that—now you have a stylish place to show off your rings and perfume bottles! (Oh, one other thing—while the glue bond is permanent, you’ll want to hand-wash your set when it needs a cleaning, and avoid the dishwasher. Just too harsh for our nice things!).
I really enjoy the ambience that candles lend, but I really hesitate to use candles made of paraffin since they are a petroleum by-product. I love beeswax candles, and over the past year I have become equally as enamored with soy candles as well.
Soy wax has a clean, odorless burn, a smooth texture, takes added scents and colors very well and is very easy to work with. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a three-pound tub of soy wax flakes at my local independently-owned craft store for only $10! I also picked up some tabbed votive wicks (the pre-waxed short wicks attached to little metal circles), some candle putty (for securing the wicks into the candle containers) and vanilla candle scent. When you are purchasing your soy wax, it’s important to note what grade you’re purchasing—there is container wax (obviously, for making candles directly in their holders) and pillar wax (for making free-standing candles that you take out of a mold). For my vanilla candles, I decided to make them in 3 ounce tins that I picked up at the Container Store. I think tinned candles are great because they’re travel-friendly—you can throw them in your travel pack and have them handy in your motel room or at your campsite for ambiance, relaxation and as way to improve the smell of your surroundings. You can also re-use the tins by making another candle when the original one burns down.
You never want to melt your wax over direct heat, so you’ll need to use either a double-boiler or your microwave. I think the microwave is the easiest, low-mess way to make candles, so that’s what I prefer. You’ll need microwave-safe glass bowl, a spoon, a small ladle, tabbed wicks, candle containers, candle putty, an old rimmed metal baking pan, your chosen candle scent and color (if using), and of course you soy wax flakes.
Assemble your work area first. Soy wax cleans up with soap and water, but it takes some scrubbing and several rinses, so working on top of a metal tray will contain spills and is easier to clean. First, prep your containers. Make sure they are washed and dried. Affix one wick into the center of each container with a small ball of candle putty. Line them up on one side of your tray. On the other side of your tray, put the bowl. Measure your soy wax flakes into the bowl. I found that around ½ to ¾ of a cup of wax filled each tin. If you melt too much wax, don’t worry about it—once it cools completely in the bowl you can chip it out and use it again another time. And if you don’t melt enough, just do another batch. Have your scent and color handy, but don’t add them yet. To melt the wax, microwave it at one-minute intervals until it becomes liquid, stirring it periodically. Once the wax is liquid, remove the bowl from the microwave and place it on your work tray. Be careful and use a potholder—the bowl will be very hot! If you’re adding color, add it now and stir until completely combined. Using your small ladle, carefully ladle wax into each holder, leaving a little headroom in each container. If you are adding scent, add a few drops (I add 5-7 drops per container for a strong scent) to each tin. Once each tin is done, walk and way and let them sit until hardened—this will take several hours, but I usually leave them overnight.
I also don’t do my cleanup until the next morning—cleaning up hardened wax is much easier then liquid! Since everything is on the tray, the mess is contained, and you can set it in an out of the way spot once the wax has started to harden. The next morning, clean up your containers—use a wet cloth to remove and spilled or dripped wax. Cap the tins with their lids and affix a label, ribbon or other embellishment. To clean up your work supplies, scrape and chip any remaining wax into your wax container to use next time. You can make it even easier to remove from freezing your supplies until the wax is even harder. Once you have removed as much wax as possible, wash your supplies in hot soapy water. It will take some scrubbing and a few good rinses to remove all of the residue.
And that’s it, you’re done! Beautiful candles perfect for accenting your home or giving as gifts. You can personalize them by using any type of glass or metal container, natural scents, natural dyes or packaging. For giving, I packaged two candles in a kraft coffee bag (with the metal tab closure at the top), punched to holes at the top of bag where I strung a red and white baker’s twine bow and gift tag, and it was ready to go!
Christmas was a great success at Apartment Farm this past year. I didn’t do everything I set out to do (the Wild West gingerbread façade, for example) but we had a great holiday and enjoyed the time with family. I put a lot of thought into gifts this year; giving things that were handmade, hand-assembled and purchased responsibly. I made a few sets of crocheted potholders that were well-received and the preserve gift baskets I assembled were a great success—I picked out a selection of jams and preserves from Stovers Farm, threw in some Wisconsin-produced mustard and maple syrup and packaged it all in a raffia-lined shallow red peck basket. To contain it all and get a nice finished look, I used shrink wrap plastic and tied a bow with red chenille ribbon with a handmade tag and a wire ornament. For gift wrapping this year, I used brown kraft paper and red chenille ribbon or red and white baker’s twine to tie up the packages. I recycled candy cane Christmas cards into gift tags with my 3-inch circle hole punch. The look was quite fetching under the tree.
Cooking and baking pretty much came out as planned. The weekend before Christmas, I baked hundreds of cookies—green spritz trees, plain spritz stars, snickerdoodles and Russian teacakes. I didn’t get to do the rosettes or springerle this year, but that will give us something to look forward to next Christmas. For Christmas dinner, we did roasted duck, Norwegian meatballs, mashed potatoes with truffle oil, dark rye stuffing, wilted kale with bacon and cranberries. Everything turned out except for the duck—it looked gorgeous, but wasn’t nearly as done as it should’ve been on the inside, and when trying to correct the error, we overcooked it to an inedible degree… so learning how to cook duck properly will be the task at hand for the coming year. Maybe we’ll get our technique perfected in time for Christmas dinner this year. But dinner was salvaged anyway with the always-delicious meatballs and plenty of sides. I also made home made glogg (with Aquavit and red wine) but it came out only so-so, but only because I forgot to add the sugar! Sugar and spice are certainly what makes a great glogg! But it smelled fantastic while it was simmering on the back of the stove before dinner, and was drinkable.
The weekend prior to Christmas was spent at my sister’s house, and that was a great time as always. She made roasted Cornish hens and cranberry stuffing for our holiday meal, and it was a joy to experience our first Christmas gift opening with my niece. Christmas Eve with spent with my husband’s family and then we had a quiet Christmas Day at home, as is our tradition for the past several years. We woke up at a leisurely hour, had brunch together, opened gifts (he got me the book “The New Farmer’s Market”, among other things!) and had a nice, relaxing afternoon spending time and cooking our Christmas dinner together.
So all in all, Christmas was a great success. I always enjoy this magical time of the year where we can slow down and spend time with those we love. I hope your holidays were just as memorable and wonderful as mine.
