Alsatian Chicken With Beer Food

ALSATIAN CHOUCROUTE

Steps:

• Wash sauerkraut thoroughly, put aside. In a rondeau melt the duck fat and saute the onion until tender, add garlic bay leaves, juniper berries and thyme. Saute until golden brown, deglaze with Reisling wine. Add 1/2 of the sauerkraut, place bacon slab and ham shanks in the middle and then top with remaining sauerkraut. Pour chicken stock over making sure it covers the sauerkraut (if not enough, add water). Cover the pan with foil and place in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 1 1/2 hours. Wash red bliss potatoes and steam whole for 30 to 40 minutes. Peel potatoes and set aside. Cut sausages in half and warm in boiling water. Place pork chops in oven to warm. Take sauerkraut out of the oven and remove bacon and ham shanks. Slice the bacon in half. Remove pork chops out of oven. Place sauerkraut in the center of a large oval tray, place all meats around sauerkraut, place bacon and ham shanks, on top of sauerkraut. Place warm potatoes around with the meat, Serve Dijon mustard on the side.

ALSATIAN CHICKEN WITH BEER

Steps:

• Rinse chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 T. butter and the oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned on all sides, 15-18 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to plate; pour any fat on plate back into skillet.
• Add mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to small plate.
• Pour off fat from skillet, leaving thin film of fat and browned bits. Add shallots to skillet and cook until slightly softened, 30-60 seconds. Pour in beef and 1/4 cup cream. Heat to boiling, scraping sides and bottom of skillet with wooden spoon.
• Return chicken to skillet, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer, turning pieces once, until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to warm serving platter, cover, and keep warm. (Recipe can be prepared in advance up to this point.).
• Skim fat from surface of sauce. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup cream and the mushrooms. Heat to boiling and boil vigorously until sauce is reduce by half. Skim off excess fat if necessary. Stir in mustard, black and cayenne peppers, and any juice from chicken. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove sauce from heat and whisk in remaining 1 T. butter. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot over buttered noodles.

COQ à LA BIèRE (CHICKEN WITH BEER)

Steps:

• Combine first 3 ingredients and sprinkle evenly over both sides of chicken.
• Heat butter and oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and sauté 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pan from heat.
• Pour gin over chicken; return pan to heat. Carefully ignite gin with a long match then let flames die down. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
• Add celery, carrot, green onions, and juniper berries to pan and sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms.
• Place thyme, parsley, and bay leaf on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together and tie securely. Add cheesecloth bag to pan.
• Return chicken to pan, nestling into vegetable mixture. Stir in beer and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty parts of chicken registers 160F
• Discard cheesecloth bag. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Place pan over medium heat and stir in yogurt. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Do not boil, as the yogurt may curdle. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.
• Place 1 chicken breast half or 1 drumstick and 1 thigh on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 3/4 cup vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

BEER CAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Light a lidded barbecue. Let the flames die down and the coals turn ashen, then mound the coal up on one side. If using a small barbecue, you will have to remove the grills and place a sturdy roasting tin on the floor of the barbecue, next to the coals - this will give you space to close the lid once the chicken is in. If you have a large barbecue, the chicken can sit directly on the grills (or on a tray on the grills, so that it doesn't topple over.)
• To make the rub, mix all the ingredients together with a good grinding of black pepper. Drizzle the chicken with the oil, sprinkle over the rub and massage it into the skin, making sure you get into all the nooks and crannies, even inside the cavity.
• Use a can opener to take off the top of the can of beer. Pour out half the beer (tip into a glass to drink!) and leave the rest in the can, as it will keep the chicken moist while it cooks. Pop the chicken onto the can, legs down, so that it looks like it is sitting upright with the can in its cavity. Stand the chicken and can upright on the barbecue, either in the roasting tin or directly on the grill, on the side with no coals. Close the lid and cook for 1 hr 20 mins until the chicken is browned, the meat tender and the juices run clear. If the juices aren't clear, cook for a further 10 mins, then check again. (To cook in the oven, heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Sit the chicken on a baking tray, place in the bottom of the oven, and follow the same cooking time.)
• Remove the chicken from the barbecue, cover lightly with foil and leave to rest for 20 mins before serving.

ALSACE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over high heat and add the chicken thighs skin side down. Cook for about 6-7 minutes until golden brown and turn over and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
• Using a metal ladle, warm the brandy quickly and ignite the surface of the brandy using a lighter. Pour the brandy slowly and evenly over the chicken and wait for the flames subside. Be careful not to boil the brandy in the ladle as this boils off the alcohol. Pouring slowly and evenly will avoid "Flare-up"
• Remove chicken and place in a casserole dish. Keep warm.
• Reduce heat to medium and add onions to skillet and cook gently for about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms to pan and cook for a further 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions and mushrooms and place in casserole dish with Chicken.
• Add wine to the pan, bring to a boil and add the mixture to the casserole dish.
• Cook the casserole in the oven uncovered for about an hour and 15 minutes.
• Pour off the liquid into a skillet and keep chicken warm. Reduce the liquid down to about 2 cups. Add cream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Pour mixture over chicken and serve.