Tarragon And White Wine Granita Food

APPLE TARRAGON GRANITA

Steps:

• Place the sugar and tarragon in a food processor or blender and pulse until the tarragon is finely ground and the sugar is green. Transfer the tarragon sugar to a medium bowl; add the apple juice and lemon juice and whisk to combine. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, stirring it occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
• Pour the mixture into a 9-inch-square nonreactive metal baking pan and place it in the freezer. Stir the mixture, pulling a fork back and forth through it, every 45 minutes or so for 4 hours, or until frozen. The mixture will become a fluffy, icy concoction.
• To serve the granita, spoon it into chilled dishes.

FRENCH CHICKEN TARRAGON

Steps:

• Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature.
• Heat the oven to 400°F. Put an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter and shallots and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chopped tarragon and cook for 1 minute (be careful not to let the garlic brown). Arrange the chicken thighs in the pot in one layer, add the broth and wine, and bring to a simmer.
• Put the lid on and place the pot on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F and continue baking for 45 minutes, or until the thighs are tender. Put the thighs on a platter, cover loosely, and keep warm.
• Strain the pan juices through a fine sieve into a saucepan and spoon off any rising fat. Place the pan over medium-high heat, add the crème fraîche and lemon zest, and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Spoon the sauce over the chicken, garnish with tarragon leaves, and serve.

CHICKEN WITH TARRAGON AND WHITE WINE

Steps:

• For the chicken: In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste, and dust with flour. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.
• For the sauce: Heat the same pan used for the chicken over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Add 3 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of tarragon and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook, turning the chicken pieces over every 10 minutes, until cooked through, about 30 minutes total for the breasts and wings and 40 minutes total for the legs and thighs. Transfer the chicken to a platter and loosely tent with foil while finishing the sauce.
• To finish the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/3 cup chicken broth and flour. Whisk the flour mixture into the sauce until smooth. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of tarragon.

TARRAGON AND WHITE WINE GRANITA

Steps:

• Rinse the tarragon and bruise it with the back of a spoon. Place it in a medium saucepan with the sugar, and 3 cups water. Simmer until sugar dissolves.
• Remove from heat and add the wine and lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature to infuse for one hour, or refrigerate up to overnight.
• Strain into a wide shallow nonreactive dish, leaving in a few sprigs or leaves. Cover with a lid, plastic wrap, or foil.
• Transfer to freezer until frozen around the edges. Remove from freezer, and scrape the ice with a fork, mixing it from the edge into the center. Return to freezer. Repeat scraping and mixing process every 30 minutes or so (at least 3 times) until the entire mixture has turned into small, sequined ice flakes.
• Best eaten immediately. If leaving in freezer overnight or longer, let sit at room temperature until it softens a little, then scrape it again with a fork to lighten the texture.

RED WINE GRANITA

Steps:

• Combine the frozen berries, sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Puree in a food processor and strain through a fine wire-mesh strainer, pressing the fruit with a wooden spoon to release the juices. Let cool. (Or place over an ice water bath to cool quickly.)
• Combine the syrup with the wine in a bowl. Pour into a 9-inch square metal pan. Freeze, scraping the mixture occasionally with a fork to create ice crystals, until firm, 4 to 6 hours. Spoon the granita into serving glasses and garnish with mint and fresh berries.

WINE, HONEYDEW, AND TARRAGON GRANITA

Steps:

• 1. Combine the wine and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then cool.
• 2. Puree the honeydew and tarragon in a blender, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a mixing bowl. Combine the wine, honeydew juice, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt, then transfer to a square baking dish. Put in the freezer until firm, scraping and stirring with a fork every 30 minutes until the mixture is slushy, about 2 hours. Serve garnished with tarragon leaves or sprigs.

ZUCCHINI, TOMATO, TARRAGON AND WHITE WINE SALAD

Steps:

• Combine zucchini, tomatoes, onion and tarragon in a bowl and mix.
• Combine remaining ingredients and whisk to blend, then toss with the vegetable mixture to coat.

SKILLET TARRAGON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Set aside remaining flour.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in large skillet and brown chicken on both sides. Remove chicken and keep warm.
• Saute onion in same skillet until it begins to become clear.
• Add wine and cook until liquid is almost evaporated, stirring to loosen browned bits (deglaze) on bottom of skillet. Watch closely- this happens fast!
• Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in reserved flour until it becomes a thick paste.
• Add tarragon, chicken broth and the cooked chicken. Cover and cook until tender.
• Place chicken on a warm platter.
• Add remaining butter and heavy cream to the liquid that is in the skillet and heat through.
• Pour sauce over the chicken and garnish with a little more tarragon or some chopped fresh parsley or green onion if desired.

TARRAGON GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add shallot; cook, stirring constantly, until soft and translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beans, and gently toss to coat with shallot mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.
• Add wine. Raise heat to medium-high; cook, stirring often, 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until beans are tender, 3 to 5 minutes more. Stir in tarragon, and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with tarragon sprigs.