Coq au Vin
(Chicken in red wine)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 6 chicken legs & thighs
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 slices of bacon cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup flour
- salt
- ground pepper
- olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms, quartered, sauteed
- 1 Bouquet garni (bay leaves, sprig of thyme, celery, parsley)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups red wine ( Cabernet, Zinfandel, Syrah)
- 6 fingerling potatos
- 20 pearl onions - peeled
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 TBSP sugar
- water
- Remove skin from legs & thighs
- Sprinkle with salt & pepper and dredge in flour
- Sear the chicken in olive oil
- Remove excess fat
- Add bacon and then chopped onion
- Keep browning for a few minutes
- Add red wine, bring to a boil and reduce to half
- Add chicken stock, bouquet garni, mushrooms
- Bring to boil for a few minutes, cover and simmer for 45 minutes
- Remove the lid and reduce the sauce until it glazes the chicken
- Place the pearl onions in a sauce pan and add water to half-way cover them, add a pinch of salt, ground black pepper and sugar. Cover with a piece of wax paper and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated and lightly browned the onion
- Steam or boil Fingerling potatoes. Peel & slice in half length-wise
- Place Coq au Vin in a 2 inch deep platter, top with fingerling potatoes and Pearl onions
Chef/Owner Didier Dutertre of Bistro Moulin in Monterey California began his culinary career in Europe at the age of 15. His first two years of study were at the Ecole de Cuisine in Tours, working weekends and summer breaks as assistant sommelier at Relais Chateau d'Artigny, a two-star Michelin hotel and restaurant. He completed his formal training with two additional years at the Ecole Hoteliere in Strasbourg where he was required to not only finely tune his skills as a chef, but also complete an intensive study of French wines, hotel and restaurant management, business accounting and all points of fine dining service. From there Dutertre headed for Switzerland and worked two years as a Sous Chef in Montreux, and then on to Meribel in the French Alps. It was in Juan-les-Pins on the the Cotes d'Azure where Dutertre was recruited by Gaston Georis of Casanova Restaurant in Carmel, California where he spent the next 25 years as chef and executive chef.
Dutertre retired from Casanova and joined his fiancé Colleen Manni in search of just the right spot for his own venture. They found an ideal location in Monterey one block above the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row. The concept was simple, to create a small authentic bistro featuring a simple menu of classic European bistro fare. An attached wine & gourmet boutique adds charm and offers a line of house-bottled infused balsamic vinegars and olive oils as well as carefully selected French and California wines for retail.
From his tiny open kitchen, rich aromas waft through the dining room as Dutertre aided by one assistant delights a nightly audience with preparations such as Boeuf Bourguignon, Moules & Frites, Confit de Canard, Escargot, and his signature dish, Spinach Gnocchi au Gratin while Manni handles reservations, wine service and directs a small dining room staff creating an intimate, attentive dining experience.
A native of L'Aigle, a small town in Normandy, a young Dutertre dreamed of one day becoming a pilot, but due to the loss of vision in one eye, his career path led him to become one of the most adored chefs in California. Dutertre lives in Monterey with Colleen and has a 22 year old daughter Jeylan attending the University of Santa Barbara.
Bistro Moulin
Didier Dutertre - Chef/ Owner
Colleen Manni - Director
867 Wave Street
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 333-1200
Website: http://www.bistromoulin.com
