Auge Valley Chicken Stew



INGREDIENTS:

1 lg Chicken, quartered

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 Shallot, sliced

4 Pippin apples**

1 lb White mushrooms, washed and minced

1/2 c butter

1/4 c Oil

2 onions - one sliced, one studded with cloves

1 c Dry white wine

1 Clove garlic

Thyme leaves

Bay leaves

salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 c Creme fraiche or whipping cream**

1 Shot glass (1 Tablespoon) Calvados**

3 Egg yolks

DIRECTIONS:

** For the apples I used Granny Smith's. For the creme
fraiche or whipping cream, I used the whipping cream.
For the Calvados - which would have been too expensive
to use, even if I had located it over here, I
substituted an apple flavored liqueur and just added a
little brandy. 


1. In a cast iron casserole, lightly brown the chicken
in half the butter and 2 Tablespoons oil. When all the
pieces are nice and golden. add the carrots, shallots
and the sliced onion and cook for a few minutes. Pour
the white wine and 1 cup of water over the chicken,
then add the clove studded onion and the garlic. Add
some thyme leaves and bay leaves and season with salt
and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for 40
minutes. (While this was cooking the 40 minutes, I
peeled and minced the mushrooms - I know everyone tells
me there is no need to peel the mushrooms, but I always
do) Remove the chicken from the heat, arrange the
pieces of chicken in an ovenproof serving dish and keep
warm. Pass the cooking liquid through a sieve. Set the
vegetables aside and keep warm. Meanwhile melt the
remaining butter in a skillet with the oil, add the
apples and cook until just lightly brown on all sides.
Remove the apples from the skillet and arrange them
around the chicken. Keep the dish warm in the oven.
Saute the mushrooms until they have lost all their
juices. Set aside to add to the sauce. To make the
sauce: Pour the strained cooking liquid into a saucepan
and set over medium heat. With a whisk, beat in the
cream, the calvados and the egg yolks in that order.
Simmer in a double boiler until it has thickened to a
light cream. Stir in the mushrooms and the vegetables,
discarding the clove-studded onion. Adjust seasoning.
Remove the dish from the oven, spoon some of the sauce
over the chicken and pour the remaining sauce into a
sauceboat and serve.



Auge Valley Chicken Stew