Leeks With Chardonnay And Creme Fraiche Food

CHARDONNAY POACHED LEEKS AND CREME FRAICHE DRESSING

Steps:

• Wash the leeks thoroughly and trim of the very tough green tops and the woody base.
• Make sure you have some of the green as well as the white of the leeks.
• Cut the leeks into 1" diagonal slices.
• Put into a large saucepan and add the Chardonnay or white wine.
• Add the sugar and stir around.
• Bring to the boil, without a lid.
• Turn the heat right down, put the lid on and simmer very gently for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the leeks still hold their shape & colour, but are soft. (Cooking times vary on whether the slices are 1" or smaller/larger!).
• Add the creme fraiche, pepper & salt and mix gently.
• Serve with some chopped parsley as a garnish, making sure everyone gets some of the wine & cream sauce!
• N.B. Grated lemon is also very nice as a finishing touch, especially if you are serving it with fish.

LEEKS AND CARROTS IN CHARDONNAY CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Using bacon drippings, sauté leeks, carrots and rosemary until leeks are opaque. About 15 minute.
• Deglaze pan with half of the wine and simmer until reduced and cooked into the leeks(about 10 minutes).
• Add the cream and simmer, covered, until leeks and carrots are tender.
• Add the remaining wine and bacon that had been set aside and simmer until reduced to desired consistency and tenderness.
• This takes me about 20 minutes as we like our leeks really tender, but the carrots turn out al-dente.
• **NOTE: If you prefer carrots that are softer, then parboil them prior to sautéing.
• The timing is an estimate as I really wasn't planning on posting this, but after we ate it I figured it deserved a place on here :-). ENJOY!

LEEKS WITH CREAMY WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Clean the leeks using your tried & true method or trim off the root end and about 1/4 inch of the white base. Remove any ragged, coarse outer leaves and discard. Trim each of the darkest portion of the leaves down to the light green, more tender portion, leaving about 2 inches of green. Slice the leeks down the center and rinse under cold running water to remove all dirt and sand, being careful to get in between the leaves. Drain on paper towels and proceed with recipe.
• Cut leeks in half lengthwise then cut into thin half moon slices. Place in a colander & rinse again. (leeks seem to be sand magnets).
• Melt butter in a saucepan or large frying pan. Add leeks, wine, salt & garlic. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
• Add chicken stock & continue cooking until leeks are soft, another 10-15 minutes.
• Remove from heat & stir in the creme fraiche, parsley, lemon juice & Tabasco.

WINE-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the black pepper. Finely grate, pass through a press or mince 2 garlic cloves. Set aside half the grated garlic for finishing the dish. Rub the rest all over the chicken pieces. Set aside the chicken while preparing the other ingredients.
• In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, combine 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When the butter melts, add chicken in batches and cook until browned on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If the pan dries out, add a little more oil as needed. Transfer browned chicken to a plate.
• Add remaining tablespoon each oil and butter to the pan. Once the butter melts, add mushrooms and cook undisturbed until well browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir and cook for 1 minute longer.
• Thinly slice 2 garlic cloves. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in sliced garlic, leeks and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender and golden brown, 7 minutes. Add rosemary and wine to the pot and let simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until liquid reduces by half, about 1 minute.
• Nestle chicken, skin side up, into the pan and pour in any accumulated juices from the plate. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Pluck the rosemary sprigs from the pot. If the sauce looks thin, turn the heat to medium-high and let simmer until it thickens slightly, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining grated garlic, the crème fraîche, chives and lemon zest. Taste sauce and add more salt if needed. Spoon sauce over the chicken and top with parsley, more lemon zest and a dollop of crème fraîche, if you like, and serve.

CHICKEN & LEEKS WITH CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter and oil in a large sauté pan or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just bubbling.
• Add chicken skin sides down; cook, turning once, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken pieces to a plate and remove pot from heat; let cool slightly.
• Drain oil leaving a light coating on the bottom of the pan (enough to saute leeks.).
• Return pot to medium-low heat, and add leeks. Cook, stirring frequently, until leeks begin to soften and are pale golden, about 3 minutes.
• Add hard cider and thyme. Move leeks to edges of pot, and add all the chicken pieces to pot, skin sides down. Arrange leeks over chicken. Cover, and cook 15 minutes (if liquid is bubbling rapidly, reduce heat to low). Turn chicken pieces, and cook until breasts are cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
• Transfer the chicken to the serving dishes leaving the juices behind. Remove leeks from pot, and arrange the leeks around the chicken.
• Return pot to medium heat. Cook, uncovered, until liquid has reduced by about half (to about 1/2 cup), 8 to 10 minutes. (If the liquid is already cooked down, skip this step and add a few tablespoons of cider so that there is about ½ cup of liquid in the pan and warm).
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in the crème fraîche and optional parsley. Ladle pan sauce over chicken and leeks.
• Serve immediately.

NORMANDY-STYLE CHICKEN AND LEEKS WITH CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter with the oil in a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just bubbling. Add half the chicken pieces, skin sides down; cook, turning once, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken pieces to a plate; set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces; add to plate. Remove pot from heat; let cool slightly.
• Return pot to medium-low heat, and add leeks. Cook, stirring frequently, until leeks begin to soften and are pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add hard cider and thyme. Move leeks to edges of pot, and add all the chicken pieces to pot, skin sides down. Arrange leeks over chicken. Cover, and cook 15 minutes (if liquid is bubbling rapidly, reduce heat to low). Turn chicken pieces, and cook until breasts are cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
• Transfer chicken breasts to a plate, and cover to keep warm. Adjust leeks so they are submerged in liquid. Cook, uncovered, until the remaining chicken pieces are tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer all of the chicken to a warm serving platter. Remove leeks from pot, and arrange the leeks around chicken. Cover with foil, and set aside. Return pot to medium heat. Cook, uncovered, until liquid has reduced by about half (to a scant 2/3 cup), 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in the crème fraîche and parsley. Ladle pan sauce over chicken and leeks. Serve immediately.
• Crème Fraîche
• Stir together cream and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature, partially covered, until thick, about 12 hours. Stir; cover, and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

LEEKS BRAISED IN CREAM WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

Steps:

• Trim leeks about 2 inches beyond the point where the leaves start to darken.
• Trim the root end and cut the leeks in half length-wise and then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Place the leek pieces in a large bowl filled with cold water and rinse thoroughly.
• Lift the leeks out of the water (the soil will have sunk to the bottom) and into a colander to drain.
• Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks start to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cream, broth and zest.
• Cover and simmer until the leeks are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the lid and cook until the braising liquid thickens, about 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle with parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately.