Chicken With Calvados And Cream Food

CHICKEN WITH CREAM, APPLES AND CALVADOS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown the bacon in oil. Drain on absorbing paper. Set aside.
• In the same skillet, brown the chicken on each side. Add oil if needed. Add salt and pepper. Set aside on a plate.
• In the same skillet, brown the apples and shallots at high heat. Add salt and pepper. Deglaze with calvados. Let reduce 1 minute. Add chicken, cream and sage. Bring to boil. Cover and let simmer slowly about 1 hour at low heat, stirring frequently. Adjust seasoning. Serve on pasta and sprinkle with bacon.

POULET à LA NORMANDE

Steps:

• Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels, and season well with salt and pepper. Heat the fat in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Brown the chicken, in batches if necessary, skin side down until deep golden, 6 to 8 minutes, then flip, and sear the other side until golden, another 3 minutes.
• If flambéing: Make sure there is nothing flammable near or above your stove. Gently warm the Calvados in a saucepan over medium heat. When the chicken is well browned, protect your hand, and use a long kitchen match to light the liquor on fire, then carefully pour it into the chicken pan. The flame can shoot over 2 feet high, so be careful. Cook until the flame subsides. If not flambéing: Once the chicken is browned, turn off the heat, and add the Calvados. When the sizzling subsides, turn the heat on to medium low, bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
• Add the cider and onions, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer. Quickly peel and core the apples, and cut them into 1 1/2-inch chunks, and place them on top of the chicken. Cover the pan, and cook, checking occasionally to ensure the liquid is maintaining a gentle simmer, not boiling, until the chicken is just cooked through, 35-40 minutes.
• Remove the chicken, onions and apples to a platter, and cover. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of cold water. Stir this into the braising liquid, and bring to a simmer for 1 minute, until thickened. Stir in the crème fraîche, and season the sauce with salt to taste, replace the chicken, onions and apples in the sauce and serve with crusty bread and a salad.

CHICKEN WITH CALVADOS AND CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400º.
• Cook onions in 1 T oil and 1 T butter until soft. Remove and set aside.
• Increase heat to medium-high and add 1 T oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken pieces in two batches until golden on all sides. Remove to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add 2 T butter and apples. Cook until lightly golden and soft, about 5 minutes. Add Calvados, cream, chicken stock and thyme. Return onions and chicken to pan, mixing gently. Add bay leaf.
• Bake skillet in oven for 20 minutes. Turn chicken and cook 20 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper.

POULET VALLéE D'AUGE

Steps:

• Quarter and core the apples and cut into smallish dice - a bit smaller than canned pineapple cubes. Put half the butter in a frying pan (you will need a lid for it later), heat until foaming, then tip in the apples. Fry for 7-10 minutes, turning more or less constantly, until golden brown all over and just tender when prodded with a knife. Lift out and set aside.
• Melt the remaining butter in the pan and fry the chopped shallots for 2-3 minutes. Move them to the sides of the pan so they don't start to burn, then put the chicken in, skin side down. Cook the chicken, without moving it, for 3-4 minutes until browned, then turn it over and cook in the same way for another 3-4 minutes.
• Heat about one third of the calvados in a ladle or small pan. Remove from the heat and set light to it with a match, then pour it over the chicken in the pan, stirring to burn off the fat. Repeat with the remaining calvados, in two batches.
• Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer very gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and tender. Lift the chicken on to a board and set aside to rest for a few minutes.
• Vigorously bubble the remaining juices in the uncovered pan for a couple of minutes, to reduce, then stir in the apples and crème fraîche and keep the pan over a low heat.
• Carve each breast thickly into 6 or 7 diagonal slices and transfer them to warmed plates, keeping the slices together by lifting them with a fish slice or wide palette knife. Check the seasoning of the sauce and spike with a touch of lemon juice, then spoon over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and eat.