Gluten-free lemon bars

Recipe and photos by Autumn.

My mother got this recipe from one of her favorite websites The Joy Of Baking and then translated it into gluten-free.  There isn't alot of flour in this recipe so it is pretty easy.

If you love lemon then this is the perfect recipe.  Our neigbors down the street have a lemon tree in their front yard and every day that we drove by it, my mom would say that she wanted to rescue the lemons and make some sweet and savory dishes with them.  And if nothing else she was just going to zest and squeeze them, and put them in the freezer for dishes down the road.  So my dad and I finally went over and asked the neighbors if we could have some.  It was so funny because they said they had picked a bunch and made lemonade with them but had no clue what else they could do with the lemons.  Everyone in our house, minus my dad, love lemons and tart things.  This recipe is actually a fine balance between buttery, sweet, and tart.  The zest is the best part of the lemons.  

CRUST:


1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar

1 cup all purpose flour - Featherlight flour (see recipe below)

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/8 teaspoon salt

FILLING:


1 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately two large lemons)

1 tablespoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour-Featherlight flour

TOPPING:

Confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar

Lemon Zest - The yellow outer rind of the lemon that contains the fruit's flavor and perfume.

These smelled so delicious and so we cut them way too early. If you wait until they are completely cooled they will have a better cut line to them.  Either way they are yummy!

TIP: Always remove the zest first before halving and squeezing the lemon. Use a fine strainer to remove the seeds from the juice.

Autumn's Gluten Free Chicken Divan

Gluten-free Chicken Divan is one of my children's favorites.  We used to make this dish prior to being gluten-free and once we were diagnosed were able to change the recipe to fit our needs.  This is one of those dishes that I love becasue I can make it the day before, or in the morning while Autumn is at school and my husbnad is at work.  It is a healthy casserole.  I just cook up my chicken and then cut it into slices and I like to use fresh brocolli instead of frozen.  It is relatively inexpensive and makes for great leftovers and packable lunches.  I tend to double the recipe so that we can freeze some and eat the rest.  My recipe is from one of my personal favorite cook books of all times Fanny Farmer.  My Fanny Farmer cookbook was given to me by my sister Joyce, at my wedding shower in 1982; and I have been using it ever since.  Although I will say, that since I have only ever owned a paperback version of it, I have gone through at least 4 copies.  Each time it gets updated so be careful that all of the original recipes are still there.  Hopefully I will get the hardback copy of it for Christmas this year.  One can only hope!

This particular time my 12 year old daughter, Autumn is making the recipe all by herself.  She is pretty adept in the kitchen and loves to cook, and it is is now one of her weekly duties in our home to cook a meal of her choosing.  She did a fantastic job with this recipe.

Gluten-Free Chicken Divan

3cups broccoli, chopped

4 chicken breast, cooked and sliced into bite size pieces

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cups White Sauce (see recipe below)

1/4 cup dry cooking sherry

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup freshlyy grate Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 9 x 13 pan.  Lay the chopped broccoli over the bottom of the baking pan.  Saute the onion in a little olive oil until translucent.  Add the sliced chicken and saute it until cooked through.  Layer the cooked chicken and onion on top of the broccoli.  Make white sauce and add the sherry.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over the chicken and broccoli, sprinkly with the grated cheese, and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Simple Gluten-free Turkey Gravy

1/4 cup unsalted butter or butter substitute
1/4 cup sweet rice flour or Featherlight flour mix
2 cups chicken stock (or juices from the roasted turkey)
salt and pepper to taste



Melt the butter in a pan on low to medium-low heat. When it has completely melted, sprinkle in the rice flour in small handfuls. Stir and stir. When you have added all the flour and the mixture has become cohesive let it cook in the pan for two to three minutes, stirring all the while. When it has cooked, it will be solidified and have a tinge of brown. Take the roux off the heat and let it rest for a moment.



Put the roux back on low to medium heat. Slowly, in small amounts, add the chicken stock (or turkey juices), whisking the mixture vigorously until all the liquid has been absorbed in the roux. Continue to do this, in small drizzles, until the roux has expanded and liquified into gravy. This will take awhile, perhaps ten minutes or so. Be patient. When you have reached the consistency you desire for the gravy, add salt and pepper. Taste the gravy, and season according to your taste. Take it off the burner and serve it, immediately.



*Note: Bette Hagman's Featherlight Rice Mix
1 part white rice flour (or brown)
1 part tapioca flour
1 part cornstarch
3 teaspoons potato flour (not starch)

For Extra Gravy:  This can be made up to 3 days ahead.  If you would like extra turkey gravy make sure to buy extra turkey parts (drumsticks, wings, and legs) season the turkey parts just as you would the turkey, lay on a bed of fresh garlic cloves and one rouch chopped onion. Roast for 1 1/2 hour.  Then boil in filtered water with 1 more chopped onion,  garlic, and poultry herbs for 1 hour.  Strain the broth and set aside for turkey gravy.

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie

Gluten-free chicken pot pie is another one of our family's ultimate comfort foods.  And if you do not feel like making your pie dough from scratch, you can always use an uncooked gluten-free pie shell from Whole Foods.  That is exactly what I did here.  I know what you are thinking, Whole Foods does not make a lattice pie shell, and you are completely right, they don't.  So what I did was take the extra pie shell since they come in pairs, and I rolled it out on a piece of parchment and gingerly sliced the lattice pieces.  It was not as easy as when I have cut wheat pie dough in my distant past, and it was far from perfect, yet it sure was pleasing to the eye; even better it tasted scrumptious! 

Whole Foods pie shells are pretty decent and they are excellent in a pinch.  I will use them often for Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, when I am thoroughly exhausted and I do not want to make one more thing from scratch.  They are light and not gritty, and do not have a funny after taste.  This is a quick and simple idea to get dinner on your table in under an hour.  But if you would like to make your pie shell from scratch see the recipe at the bottom.  Another idea would be to make the pie shells over the weekend and then freeeze them already rolled out and in the pan, completely rolled out flat with parchment paper in between, and in a zip lock and frozen, or just after all ingredients are combined and it is in the ball stage, and ready to be rolled out,  flatten it, and wrap .  Whichever way is more convenient for you. 

The aroma of freshly baked chicken pot pie will drive you wild.  I am not sure what it is about sauteeing onions, carrots and celery that just fills your home with that feeling of comfort and warmth.  Adding the fresh herbs tickles the senses, and the combination of chicken, vegetables, herbs and a light cream sauce is the perfect marriage.  Make sure to allow the chicken, vegetable, herb and cream sauce mixture to cool off before placing into the pie shell, or it will crack your pie bottom and make it next to impossible to cut the slices of pot pie. 

 

Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie  

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 stalk celery, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup Featherlight flour mix
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
2 teaspoons chives, snipped
2  teaspoons fresh parsley, minced

salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the butter and vegetable oil.

Saute the onion and when it is translucent add in the chicken.  Saute chicken for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned but not cooked through.

With slotted spoon, remove chicken to bowl. In the same pan over medium-high heat saute the carrots, celery for 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove vegetables to another bowl. Stir thawed peas into vegetables.

Prepare the sauce: In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is bubbling and smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in stock, cream, and thyme. Return skillet to heat, bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes until sauce has thickened and is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in reserved chicken and vegetables. Set aside to cool for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spoon cooled chicken and vegetable mixture into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.

For top of pot pie take the second pie shell and on a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a circle 11-inches in diameter. Place pastry on top of chicken mixture. Trim pastry edge, fold overhang under and press gently all around baking dish to make a decorative edge. Reroll any trimmings and cut out to make a decorative design for top of pie. Brush pastry with beaten eggwash.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown, chicken and vegetables are tender and filling is heated through.

Yield: 6 servings





Fabulous Gluten-Free Pie Crust
This recipe is based on one of the recipes in the Chez Panisse cookbooks and converted to gluten-free by Amy Radbill.  Amy is a dear frined, my first introduction to gluten-free baking and she is currently teaching gluten-free baking classes at the Davis Food Co-op.

2 1/2 cups Featherlight Rice flour mix
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3 sticks (24 tablespoons) very cold butter or Earth's Balance Buttery Sticks, or Spectrum Butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup ice cold water

Mix the flours and the xanthan gum together.  Cut the butter into the flour just until it all turns into a coarsecrumb.  Add the water 1/4 cup at a time, and combine just until you can gather the mixture roughly into a ball.  Flatten the ball, wrap it in plastic wrap or waxed paper, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before using it.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface, using Featherlight flour mix.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Enough cannot be said about Chicken Cordon Bleu.  I enjoy serving dishes that appear to be fancy, but are still budget friendly.  Once again this is a relatively inexpensive dish and yet utterly scrumptious.  Once you have your gluten-free bread crumbs (see recipe in prior posts) your dish is a snap to create.

My husband, Michael adores cheese, any cheese. Therefore anything with cheese in the recipe is a definite hit for him. As our 14 year wedding anniversary date creeps up on us, I dedicate this dish for Michael. This is a cooler weather meal that you can serve with pasta, potatoes, or with rice pilaf. You can drizzle a little creamy, wine sauce over the top or just eat the roulades as they are. Any way you serve them you will be enthralled with the crispness on the the exterior and the warm gooey texture on the inside that together makes a perfect compliment.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts skinless and boneless

• 6 thin slices Black Forest Ham

• 1/2 pound Swiss Cheese slices

• 1/4 cup Featherlight flour (see recipe in prior posts)

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 cups seasoned gluten-free bread crumbs (see recipe in prior posts)

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only

• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

• 2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil (to drizzle on top)

• 2 eggs

• Extra-virgin olive oil (to coat the baking dish with)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

.

Lay the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

Remove the plastic wrap and lay 1 slice of ham neatly over the top to cover the breast and lay a slice of Swiss cheese over the ham. Squeeze the log gently to seal and twist both ends tight to form a nice log.  Place a toothpick in the end to keep the roll tight. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Season the flour with thyme, salt and pepper. Place the bread crumbs on a plate.  Beat together the eggs and season so the flour, the eggs and the crumbs are all seasoned. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and gently coat in the bread crumbs.

Lightly coat a baking pan with olive oil and carefully transfer the chicken rolls or roulades onto it.

Drizzle the tops of the roulades with olive oil to help to make the exterior become brown with a light crispness.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through.  Make sure the chicken juices are clear.

Slice into pinwheels and serve.

Harvest Time Equals Baking Time With Pears and Apples

I love this time of year in Sacramento. We get tons pf produce year round but in September it is the best time for apples from Apple Hill, just above Placerville, California, and pears from Courtland, California. Although the weather here has been in the upper 90's and often times triple digits I found that I could not resist when I went to the Farmers Market this weekend. The apples and pears were abundant and all I could think of was baking with them. The aroma of cinnamon, brown sugar together with butter and pears and apples is enough to make me completely wild! I purchased so many pears and apples that I was forced to create two dishes with the majority of them. First I made pear and apple muffins for the next morning's breakfast and then I made pear and apple crisp for tonight's dessert.  Although I will say that both Michael and Autumn could not wait for breakfast the next morning to sample the muffins.  The aroma that wafted through our home was absolutely incredible!!

Gluten-Free Harvest Pear and Apple Spice Muffins

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

3 cups diced pears and apples

3 cups Amy's cake flour mix (see recipe below)

1 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1.2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Whick together eggs, milk, and butter until blended completely.  Stir in diced fruit.  Combine remaining ingredients in separate bowl.  Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until blended.  Do not over mix.  Let batter sit for 20 minutes in order for the batter to soak up the pear and apple flavor.  Pour batter between 19 and 20 greased muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on top.  Serve warm with cinnamon-sugar butter.

PEAR AND APPLE CRISP

FILLING

3 pears, peeled and chopped into bit-size pieces

3 apples, peeled,and chopped into bit-size pieces

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice

4 Tablespoons to 1/4 c. white sugar or turbinado sugar (to taste)

2 Tablespoons to 1/8 c. brown sugar (to taste)

2 Tablespoons (more or less) GF Flour mix - depending on juiciness of the apples

CRISP TOPPING

6 Tablespoons butter, slightly softened

1/2 c. GF quick oats, roughly ground almonds, walnuts, or quinoa flakes

1/4 c. Featherlight flour mix 

2 Tablespoons white sugar (to taste)

2 Tablespoons brown sugar (to taste)

optional: ground cinnamon (1 tsp) and freshly ground nutmeg (1 tsp)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375*F. Peel and chop pears and apples into small pieces.  Put into a medium bowl and sprinkly with lemon juice. Mix. Add sugars, flour and cinnamon. Mix together very well. Pour into medium (for thin) or small (for deep) baking dish. Put softened butter into the same bowl where you mixed the apples. Add oats (or other option), flour and sugars and “squish” together well until crumbly. Pour and crumble over apples in baking dish evenly. Bake for 23-30 minutes. Cool slightly before serving (5-10 minutes).  Serve over all natural GF vanilla ice cream.

Amy's Gluten-Free Cake Flour

This is simply a slightly altered version of Bette Hagman's Featherlight Rice Mix-with less tapioca, to prevent a bouncy texture when baking cakes.

For 9 cups:

3 cups rice flour

3 cups cornstarch or arrowroot

2 cups potato starch

1 cup tapioca starch

3 tablespoons potato flour

Bette Hagman's Featherlight Rice Mix

1 part white rice flour (or brown)

1 part tapioca flour

1 part cornstarch

Potato flour (not starch), 1 teaspoon for each cup of other flour

For Nine Cups

3 cups white rice flour (or brown) If 3 cups tapioca flour

3 cup cornstarch

3 tablespoons potato flour

Cinnamon Sugar Butter

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teasppons sugar

Who Needs the State Fair?

Well even if we did go to the State Fair, as Celiacs, we could not purchase any of their fried foods, which as far as the State Fair goes, is one of the biggest reasons people attend.  No matter where you are at the fair you can smell the aroma of corn dogs, French firies, and a whole wide assortment of fried veggies.  I swear that they pipe the aroma in just to tempt you.  Normally we do not fry any of our food, but there is just something about going to the fair that makes you crave it.  It's in the air, and so much a part of the fair experience.  So this year when my daughter cried because she wanted fried corn dogs, I decided I was going to give it a shot.  For me, just knowing that I can recreate a recipe if I want to or need to is enough to stop me from feeling helpless and hopeless when it comes to our lifelong gluten-free diet.  This is just another step in empowering myself and my daughter.

So I set off to make the perfect homemade corn dog.  Unfortuantely I feel as though I have not found the best recipe yet, but this is all part of the exploration and experimentation process.  I gather up recipes and mix and match them together until I find the right balance for me.

While making the corn dog batter was not too difficult it proved to be quite a challenge to get it to stick onto the hot dog itself.  I tried many tricks that I had seen from other corn dog recipes (putting the corn dog batter into a long cylinder, making sure the hot dogs were dried off, keeping the batter cold and the oil hot, etc.) but try as we might none seemed to work.  If you ask me it was too much labor for a simple corn dog.  The recipe I did use, once on the hot dog and fried was very yummy hot off the frier.  For now I think we are cured from the craving of homemade corn dogs for awhile.  Until the next craving comes around I will continue my quest for  the best corn dog batter recipe.  If anyone has any ideas please let me know.  We also fried up some hush puppies with leftover batter, which are a Southern treat that I had experienced while in Tennessee.

CORN DOG BATTER

2/3 cup cornmeal
1 cup Featherlight flour mix
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/4  c. buttermilk
2 1/2 c. water
2 eggs

In large mixing bowl mix all dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and water. Beat in eggs and mix well. If batter gets stiff add small amount of water. Roll prepared hot dog in batter and fry in deep hot oil until browned.
To prepare corn dog, use wieners right out of the package; insert stick and coat wiener by rolling it in the batter. Hold on to stick. Leftover batter may be kept a few days in the refrigerator. Can be made into cornbread by adding a little more liquid or drop spoonfuls into hot oil for hush puppies.

Julia Child's Coq au Vin

About a month ago, I had the pleasure of seeing a fantastic movie entitled "Julie and Julia".  This movie was based on the lives of JuliaChild and a blogger, Julie Powell, that took on the project of making EVERY recipe from the Julia Child's cook book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", 565 recipes in 365 days.  Who-o-o!  Even I need to take a day off now and again.  The movie was very witty, insightful, and for a fellow foodie, extremely inspirational.  I dare to say that it was absolutely yummy!  The two women made me proud to be a foodie, and validated my own journey with food.  Who better to understand a foodie then another foodie?  It also gave me a much better picture of who Julia Child really was and why she became such an important American icon.  She was well traveled, intelligent, charming, and oh so funny.  She had a great outlook not only on cooking but on life itself, and I admire her perserverance.  Fellow Blogger, Julie Powell was also funny and showed great perseverance as well.  I myself look at the many dishes that Julie tried to create from the cook book and would not have even bothered.  But she was on a mission.  As for aspics, enough horrible things cannot be said about them.  I am pretty confident that I would have skipped that chapter all together, but not Julie.

Growing up I remember Julia Child as this hugely tall lady who performed a cooking show on t.v.  She seemed to me to have a strangely pitched voice, but appeared to have a great sense of humor, especially in the kitchen.  I loved Dan Akeroids imitation of her on Saturday Night Live, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of Julia Child.  My mother never used cook books, and she rarely if ever watched cooking shows on t.v.  The t.v. was reserved for her novellas (soap operas), and who could teach a pro (my mom) what she needed to know about cooking Puerto Rican food anyway?

 

I must tell you that in order to view this movie, please make sure that you do it on a full tummy.  If nothing else, it is sure to make you crave French Food, or at the very least, food in general.  After viewing the movie I had this strong desire to go home immediately and start cooking and baking.  Unfortunately it was about 10:00 p.m. in the evening and it was hotter than hot here in Sacramento so this was completely out of the question.  Oh dreadt!  What to do, what to do?!  I had to wait.  Unfortunately, patience is certainly not one of my virtues.

While I admit that I knew Julia Child had wrtitten cook books, I had never seen any of them.  Nevertheless, ever since I saw the movie I have wanted to delve into Julia Child's first cook book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", but can't seem to find a copy on the shelves at the library and I am on a waiting list and am about 100th in line for my request of said book.  My strict policy is that I never purchase a cook book unless I have viewed it from the library first or gotten personal receommendations of it from family or friends.  No sense in purchasing a cook book one will never use.  God forbid! 

The two recipes from the movie that stood out for me were:  Coq au Vin, and the other is Boeuf Burginguon.  At the time it was too hot in Sacramento to even consider making those dishes, so I decided to wait until the weather cooled off a bit.  Today is quite pleasant and I am settling in to my fall stews, soups, and roasting.  Nothing says cozy and home than the succulent aromas of a nice roast, roasting in the oven or a stew or soup simmering on the stove.  Those are the fond memories that I have of my childhood home, and I want to recreate that for my family.

As I was researching information on this dish I happened upon a bit of history on it.  I discovered that the word coq literally translated means rooster in French.  So this recipe is rooster in wine?  This dish was originally considered peasant food because the farmers would take a rooster that was too old to do much of anything else on the farm and cook it.  In the old days they would use whatever was on hand, you know the old addage of making due with what you have?  Because the rooster was old, chances are that the meat would be very tough, therefore they would cook it long and slow in wine and herbs to help make it nice and tender, not to mask its flavor.  The red wine in the recipe was used mainly to allow the acids to help break down the old meat of the rooster.  Since I couldn't find a rooster, of course I really didn't try looking, I used some organic free range chicken parts.

I must admit that 3/4 of the way through this recipe I had my doubts that this recipe was worth its lengthy and drawn out effort.  I will say that I felt great admiration for Julia Child because I knew in her day that each of the steps she requires in the recipe were an absolute must, as they did not have the advantage of frozen pearl onions (already peeled), There was no air conditioning, or microwaves, etc.  She laboriously worked at each dish she created and her only reward was her husband's fond remarks.  Making this dish helped me to feel one with Julia, even if just for a moment. 

Once we tasted that tender, succulent and heady flavor I knew it was worth every step.  From the braised onions to the sauteed mushrooms.  Fortunately I did not have to kill the rooster or even have to cut a whole chicken into parts.  The sauce was thick, and rich, and the chicken just melted in your mouth.  Even my husband who is not much of an onion person loved the braised pearl onions.  The mushrooms were absolutely perfect!  The meat, the mushrooms, the onions and the sauce just skated across the entire surface of our tongues teasing each and every taste buds and delighting them!!  The coq au vin went very nicely served over Tinkyada fettucine noodles.  Traditionally it is served over egg wide noodles and I am as of yet still on the search for the perfect tasting and textured gluten-free egg wide noodles.  I also slightly altered this recipe to make it gluten-free by using the Featherlight flour mix in place of the all purpose flour called for in the recipe.  Mixing it with the butter to make a paste worked out exquisitely.  No lumps in this sauce!  I also had the benefit of using a store bought chicken broth, rather than having had to make it from scratch.  And I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that as a Puerto Rican I had to add more garlic to this recipe, a whole lot more.  But you can be the judge of how much garlic you want to go into this dish!  As always have fun and let your creativity guide you.

Julia Child's Coq au Vin

From the kitchen of Julia Child
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Moderate
Cook Time: 30-60 min
Legendary chef Julia Child appeared on "Good Morning America" on May 11, 1995, with her Ragout of Chicken and Coq au Vin recipes.
Coq au Vin is chicken in red wine with small braised onions, mushrooms, and lardons of pork - an elaboration on the far more elementary preceding ragout, coq au vin involves more hand work since you have lardons of bacon to prepare for the special flavor they give to the sauce. Then there is the traditional garnish of small braised onions and sautéed mushrooms. This combination makes a wonderfully satisfying dish, and a fine one for company.

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup lardons (4 ounces -- 1-by-1/4-inch strips of blanched slab bacon or salt pork - see Special Note below)
• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds frying chicken parts
• 2 tbs. butter
• 1 tbs. olive oil (or good cooking oil)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 or 2 large cloves of garlic, pureed
• 1 imported bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp or so thyme
• 1 large ripe red unpeeled tomato, chopped, (or 1/3 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes)
• 3 cups young red wine (Zinfandel, Macon or Chianti type)
• 1 cup chicken stock (or more)
• Beurre manie, for the sauce (1 1/2 tbs. each Featherlight flour mix softened butter blended to a paste)
• Fresh parsley sprigs (or chopped parsley)
• 1/3 cup good brandy (optional)
• 12 to 16 small brown-braised white onions
• 3 cups fresh mushrooms, trimmed, quartered and sautéed

Cooking Directions

Before browning the chicken, sauté the blanched bacon or salt pork and remove to a side dish, leaving the fat in the pan. Brown the chicken in the pork fat, adding a little olive oil, if needed. Flame the chicken with the brandy, if you wish -- it does give its own special flavor, besides being fun to do. After browning the chicken, uncover pan, pour in the cognac. Flambé by igniting with a lighted match. Let flame a minute, swirling pan by its handle to burn off alcohol; extinguish with pan cover. Then proceed to simmer the chicken in the wine, stock, tomatoes and seasoning as directed in the master recipe.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Brown-Braised Onions and the Mushrooms.

Brown-Braised Onions:

12 to 24 small white onions, peeled (or double the amount if you want to use tiny frozen peeled raw onions)*

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

* If neither frozen nor fresh pearl onions are available, substitute one large onion cut into 1/2-inch pieces. (Do not use jarred pearl onions, which will turn mushy and disintegrate into the sauce.)
If peeling your own pearl onions drop onions into boiling water, bring water back to the boil, and let boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and drain. Cool onions in ice water. Shave off the two ends (root and stem ends) of each onion, peel carefully, and pierce a deep cross in the root end with a small knife (to keep onions whole during cooking).

In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, add parboiled onions, and toss for several minutes until lightly browned (this will be a patchy brown). Add water to halfway up onions and add 1/4 to1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover pan and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes or until onions are tender when pierce with a knife.

NOTE: Onions may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

Mushrooms:
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Prepare mushrooms. In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat butter and olive oil; when bubbling hot, toss in mushrooms and saute over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat.

NOTE: Mushrooms may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

Finishing the dish. Strain, degrease, and finish the sauce, also as described. Strew the braised onions and sautéed mushrooms over the chicken, baste with the sauce, and simmer a few minutes, basting, to rewarm the chicken and to blend flavors.

Special note: To blanch bacon or salt pork: When you use bacon or salt pork in cooking, you want to remove its salt as well as its smoky flavor, which would permeate the rest of the food. To do so, you blanch it -- meaning, you drop it into a saucepan of cold water to cover it by 2 to 3 inches, bring it to the boil, and simmer 5 to 8 minutes; the drain, refresh in cold water, and pat dry in paper towels.