“That is chicken supreme”, said Mr R about this dish, and he also pointed out that there’s no need to panic about it, if you have left it overnight in your fire escape.
I shall explain. I made this on a Saturday as I had 5 guests coming for dinner on Sunday and I wanted to be fully prepared. I still get myself in a tizzy when cooking for a crowd, so when I can, I cook something the day before and so alleviate stress on the day.
So I made a massive pot of Vincent’s Coq Au Vin. My fridge is tiny and I couldn’t fit the Coq in there, so I popped it out into the fire escape of my building, which is effectively an open air pantry. Well, at least it is as far as I am concerned. It’s not quite as cold as a fridge, but almost.
Like a bunch of dominos, my guests all cancelled, so me & Mr R had chicken for 6 for two… 
I was actually pleased that no guests were there to see my face when I took the lid off the casserole dish. The whole thing had solidified into a jelly-fied mass with a thick layer of chicken fat on top. It did not look at all appealing, however, I had moral support in the shape of Mr R who assured me that once hot, the jelly would melt and it would be delicious. He was of course right.
I knew from Lee Grant’s Malibu Chicken recipe, that when leaving something overnight like this, you can skim the chicken fat off the top, which I did. The resulting chicken dish was very good indeed. Once I’d blitzed two portions in the oven. The rest was consumed over the course of the week. Mmmm chicken!
Coq au Vin Rouge A L’Avergnate (Chicken in Red Wine)
Vincent & Mary say: “This is a classic French dish, and one of those things that each chef does a little differently. Basically, chicken, bacon, onions and red wine go into the dish, but from there on you’re swinging on your own. We liked this coq au vin from the Amstel* enough to adapt it as our own favorite. The trick of adding beef stock and the masterly use of herbs sets it apart as a superior coq au vin.”
* This recipe was gleaned from the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam. One of the places I have ticked off the list of my Treasury Pilgrimage – trying to visit as many of the places mentioned in the Treasury as I can!
Where’s the recipe?
Hi Curtis – in the early days of the blog I didn’t post the recipes as I didn’t think anyone would be interested. I will dig it out for you and add it to the post. Thanks for dropping by – Jenny
Hi Curtis – I’ve popped the recipe into the blog post for you. I do hope it turns out well if you decide to make it – best wishes – Jenny x