Behind the French Menu

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Behind tnhe French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
bryangnewman@gmail.com

Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin began as a large meal prepared for holidays or family celebrations, and it would have been enough for ten or more diners. The cockerel used for the traditional Coq au Vin was a big, old bird (a rooster in the USA) that had ceased to make the ladies happy. In the 19^th century those birds would have weighed at least five kilos (11 lbs.’). Today, a French restaurant serving "Coq au Vin Traditionnel," the traditional version of the dish, may have to settle for a somewhat smaller bird today, but it will still be enough for six or more diners.

Out-of-work cockerels headed for the pot are large birds. Even today, most mature French cockerels weigh over two and a half kilos (over five pounds), with some weighing up to 50% more. These are free-range birds and while they are very flavorful, they require a long cooking time. (In the absence of a true farmyard cockerel, a large, free-range hen, retired from her egg-laying days, serves as the closest replacement. Age and size provide the deep, savory character that defines a classic Coq au Vin.)

Preparing a cockerel for the pot requires marinating the bird in red wine (or a flavorful alternative), often with an added eau-de-vie chosen for its particular taste, for at least 24 hours. Once the marinade has done its work, the dish is cooked very slowly with more red wine, herbs, and chicken broth. When the meat is nearly falling off the bone, the vegetables, mushrooms, and bacon are added; after the flavors have been allowed to meld, the dish may be served.

Coq au Vin comes with many distinctive regional variations:

Coq à la Bière – A cockerel marinated in beer rather than wine; traditionally, this dish is prepared with a bière brune (brown beer). A local eau-de-vie and crème fraîche are often added to the sauce to provide richness and depth. While the use of beer suggests a Belgian influence, the dish is a staple in the regions of Alsace and Lorraine, which together produce over 50% of France's beer.

Coq au Champagne – In the Champagne region, local restaurants serve their own version of Coq au Vin. If an eau-de-vie is used in the marinade alongside the Champagne, it is typically a Marc de Champagne (the French counterpart to Italian Grappa). Outside of Champagne, similar dishes appear on menus using local Crémant sparkling wines. However, locally, the only wine served to accompany this dish is Champagne.

Coq au Riesling – This is the Coq au Vin of Alsace. The use of a crisp, dry, and fruity Alsatian Riesling AOP transforms the dish into a bright, aromatic, and unique experience. Unlike the deep reds of the south, this version highlights the delicate, floral notes of the white wine and is often finished with a touch of cream.

Coq au Vin de Bourgogne – The region of Burgundy, home to world-renowned vineyards and the classic à la bourguignonne style, has always featured a local version of Coq au Vin for festivities. Chefs have an array of excellent red wines from which to choose. Likewise, the wine chosen to accompany a traditional Coq au Vin de Bourgogne should also be a local red. However, for those who prefer a white wine, a Crémant de Bourgogne, the region’s wonderful sparkling white, serves as a celebratory alternative.

Coq au Vin
Photograph courtesy of Neeta Lind
https://www.flickr.com/photos/neeta_lind/2048138042/

Coq au Vin de Chanturgue or Coq au Vin Auvergnat – Coq au Vin de Chanturgue is almost universally accepted as the first restaurant version of the dish. This version originated in the mid-19th century in the Auvergne (now part of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), in central France. The wine used is Chanturgue, a medium-bodied red wine from the volcanic slopes overlooking the city of Clermont-Ferrand. Visit a restaurant in the Auvergne today that offers Coq au Vin de Chanturgue, and you should have a meal close to the original.

Until the late 1800s, the Auvergne was France's third most prestigious wine-growing region after the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Then came phylloxera, a root-eating aphid that attacked and destroyed untold numbers of the best vines all over France and descimated the Auvergne wine industry. Much of the French wine industry was saved by importing from the USA and the Middle East phylloxera-resistant rootstock; however, in the Auvergne, many vintners gave up. A few carried on, and you can visit and try their traditional wines, including the Vin de Chanturgue, and newer wines added in the last fifty years.

If you are planning a trip to the Auvergne view their English language website:

https://www.france-voyage.com/travel-guide/auvergne-territoire.htm

Then, compare the maps for the Route des Vins d’Auvergne, the wine road of the Auvergne and the Route des Fromages de Auvergne, the cheese trails of the five famous cheeses of the Auvergne. There are places where the routes are close to each other and you can visit a winery in the morning and a farm that produces cheese in the afternoon. There are plenty of well-recommended restaurants on both maps. (The five famous cheeses of the Auvergne are: Saint-Nectaire, Bleu d’Auvergene, Fourme d’Ambert, Cantal and Salers.)

Coq au Vin Jaune – This special version of Coq au Vin is made with the famous Vin Jaune (yellow wine) from the Jura (a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region bordering Switzerland). Vin Jaune is made using the Savagnin grape and aged for a minimum of six years and three months. The wine tastes somewhat like a dry Fino sherry after it ages under a naturally formed yeast in oak barrels. Unlike sherry, Vin Jaune is not fortified with added alcohol, though most still have 13-15% alcohol.

Vin Jaune from the Jura.
Photograph courtesy of Dominic Lockyer
https://www.flickr.com/photos/farehamwine/14874763437/

The requirements for a genuine Coq au Vin.

With Coq Au Vin so much in demand, there are problems for those who wish to keep to the original recipe. Two hundred year ago all chickens were raised free-range, and to maintain order in a flock a cockerel (rooster) was usually in charge. Today, there are far fewer flocks of free-range hens, creating a collateral shortage of suitable old cockerels.

The meat of a free-range cockerel has a much stronger flavor than any chicken. That, along with the wine chosen, is the secret behind the taste of a real Coq Au Vin. When Coq au Vin left the farms and homes and began to be served in restaurants, it quickly became very popular and has remained so for close to 200 years.

A cockerel strutting his stuff to impress the ladies.
Photograph courtesy of svklimkin
https://www.flickr.com/photos/svklimkin/35655283910/

Ordering Coq Au Vin or chicken stew.

If you order coq au vin and are served a bowl with a small chicken, about enough for a meal for four, then it may be an excellent stew, but I am sorry, that is not a traditional Coq Au Vin. It will just be a tasty chicken stew prepared in the style of a Coq au Vin. In France, there are self-confident chefs who keep to the traditions and offer a large chicken as a Fricassée de Poularde, Façon Coq au Vin, a chicken stew prepared in the manner of Coq Au Vin. These chefs are not embarrassed to tell it like it is, and the price charged will be that of a well-prepared chicken stew but not a traditional Coq Au Vin.

Recipe for a chicken in the style of Coq au Vin.
Recipe and photograph courtesy of Cookipedia

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Behind the French Menu

Bryan G. Newman

bryangnewman@gmail.com

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