One recipe that had caught my eye when I first received the book was “Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic”…whew. As Ina says, “I know it sounds outrageous to cook chicken with forty cloves of garlic, but the garlic becomes very sweet and tender when it’s cooked for a long time”. I took her at her word and forged ahead.
Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 ½ lb.) chickens, cut into eighths
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbl. unsalted butter
2 Tbl. good olive oil
3 Tbl. Cognac, divided
1 ½ cups dry white wine
1 Tbl. fresh thyme leaves
2 Tbl. flour
2 Tbl. heavy cream
Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.
Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, sauté the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3-5 min. on each side. Turn with tongs or spatula (so you don’t pierce the skin). If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer to a plate and continue with remaining chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and sauté for 5-10 min, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 min., until all the chicken is done.
Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the sauce and flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 min. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce and garlic over the chicken and serve hot.
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Ina was true to her word…the garlic was subtle and perfect tucked up next to the chicken. The sauce was incredibly rich, despite the fact that the recipe only called for 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. I would consider this a company-worthy entreé, served with a nice rice-combo type mix (Trader Joe’s has several mixed rice varieties that are nice), a light salad, some crunchy French bread and a nice bottle of wine (French on Bastille Day, of course).
We ended the meal with an interesting dessert. Having recently returned from a trip to the coast of Maine, we made the “required” stop at Stonewall Kitchen to ponder over the extensive selection of jams, chutneys, sauces, rubs, and so forth. Snatching up a jar of Kir Royale Jam and their recipe card for “Kir Royale Sorbet”, it seemed the perfect light, refreshing summer conclusion to our meal.
Kir Royale Sorbet *recipe from Stonewall Kitchen
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Kir Royale Jam
Make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Place 1 jar of Kir Royale Jam in a food processor. Using a metal blade, process jam until currants are fine pieces. Add puréed jam to the simple syrup and mix until uniform. Chill for at least 1 hour in refrigerator.
Place chilled mixture in an ice cream maker. Process for 30-35 min. until the sorbet is thick and creamy. Freeze for 8 hours or overnight before serving. Can be kept frozen for one week.
I served the sorbet in chilled martini glasses with a sprig of mint and a small plate of dark chocolate truffles. For one evening, my husband and I felt like we had traveled to Paris…just without the jet lag.
--The Mother
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