RCP: AlexR's blanquette

The WLDG chatroom is a great place to learn new stuff. This morning, I asked how to make a traditional French blanquette dish, and was given some succinct instructions from Alex. That was at 6am. By 8am, I'd bought a free range chicken, some mushrooms, and cream. (No amount of finagling, begging or wheedling would convince Pete to let me buy a rabbit. He says they're too gamey).

Alex's instructions were as follows : White wine, cream, mushrooms, onion and stock. Fry onions and mushrooms. Remove. Brown rabbit (chicken) pieces in same pan. Deglaze with white wine. Cook for 1.5 hours. Add cream and fried vegetables at the end.

Which is what I did. I cut up a whole chicken, skinned everything but the wings and drumsticks. Deglazed with a half bottle of 98 Ashton Hills riesling (which was superb, by the way). Topped up with about a cup and a half of stock, then put the whole pot in the oven for an hour and a bit. Then I continued to cook it for another half an hour with the lid off until it had reduced, then added the cream and fried veges, and heated it through. (We could have used more cream, I guess, but I was being good).

There was just one wing tip left at the end of dinner.

Thanks, Alex!

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