Sing To The Lord

Chicken Fricassee

Fricassee De Poulet A L'ancienne is halfway between a saute and a stew. A French comfort food of many variations is cooked in a single pot using humble ingredients. I have never eaten chicken fricassee but I must say my first attempt in making this is a success.Martha Stewart's Living recipes are pretty reliable and this dish caught my eyes as I was browsing the October issue in the library.
I did not use whole chicken because I prefer more thighs and drumsticks. I bought 4 thighs,4 drumsticks and 1 large breast which were chopped into 16 pieces for 6 people,the family and a guest. I served this dish with choice of mashed potatoes or farfalle.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (31/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 11 pieces (reserve back and wing tips for another use, such as stock)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice (1 cup)
1 carrot, cut into 1/4 inch dice (1/2 cup)
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/4 inch dice (1/2 cup)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 large egg yolks,room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method

BROWN CHICKEN
Season chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Preheat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and oil to pot. When butter melts and foam subsides, add half the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer; do not crowd pot. (if butter begins to blacken, lower heat.) Fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
SAUTE MIREPOIX
Reduce heat to medium, and add mirepoix (onion,carrot, and celery) to pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spooon. Saute mirepoix, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes.
COOK MUSHROOMS AND FLOUR
Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken, become glossy, and begin to release liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until flour is absorbed by vegetables and is no longer visible, about 1 minute.
POUR IN WINE AND BROTH
Add wine to pot, and bring to a boil, stirring until liquid just thickens, about 45 seconds. Add broth, and stir.
SIMMER CHICKEN
Place chicken, skin side up, in a single layer on vegetables; pour juices that have accumulated on plate into pot. The parsley sprigs,thyme sprigs and bay leaf together with kitchen twine, add to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook until internal temperature of thickest part registers 165, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Simmer liquid, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs.
MAKE AND ADD LIAISON
To make the liaison (sauce thickener), whisk together egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, pour 1/2 cup cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, into liaison to temper it. Stir tempered liaison into pot.
FINISH WITH TARRAGON, LEMON, AND BUTTER
Return chicken to pot. Add tarragon, lemon juice, and the remaining butter. Bring to a simmer, stir gently to combine and serve.

My portion

The Imperatives of Worship

Psalm 96
'Sing to the Lord a new song;sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.'
That was the sermon outline on Lord's Day yesterday. God cares how we worship him. Psalm 96 teaches us how to worship and we do worship and not attend worship. We are to sing to the Lord, we are motivated, are encouraged and in worship, we declare his greatness, and his glory. We are also to expect his coming in vv 10-13. We are to love,work for and obey the Lord, for he will come to the earth and will be a great and fair judge.