These recipes were in the NY Times recently. I shared them with my listening audience.
cocktail:
The Normandy9 fresh cranberries
2 thin slices green apple
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp simple syrup
1/4 C Calvados
Ice Cubes
In a cocktail shaker, muddle 6 cranberries, 1 apple slice, the brown sugar and lemon juice. Add the simple syrup, Calvados and a few ice cubes. Cover, shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Top with the remaining apple slice and 3 cranberries. Serves 1
Poulet à la Normande1 3.5lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 Tbsps butter
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 C Calvados
1 C apple cider
1 C chicken stock
30 pearl onions
3 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges (ea)
1 C crème fraîche
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 Tbsps of the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Pour off most of the fat; add the onions, carrots, thyme and bay leaf and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the Calvados, warm slightly, then stand back and ignite. Once the flames die, add the cider, scraping up the brown bits. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add the stock and return the chicken to the pan. Simmer covered, for 20 minutes. Transfer the breast pieces to a bowl. Cook the legs and thighs for 10 more minutes and add to the bowl. Keep warm. Meanwhile, soak the pearl onions in warm water before peeling. Melt 2 Tbsps butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and a pnch of salt, cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Uncover, add 1 Tbsp butter and increase heat to medium-high. Place the apples in the center of the pan. Sear on each side for 10-15 minutes, until caramelized. Strain the Calvados sauce and return it to the pan. Add the juices from the chicken. Whisk in the crème fraîche. Simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season. Add the chicken pieces and warm through. Serves 4.
Calvados Custard Apples1 Tbsp butter
10 Tbsps sugar
2 large eggs
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (preserve pod)
1/3 C sifted flour
1.5 C heavy cream
1/2 C whole milk
3 Tbsp Calvados
1.5 lbs firm apples
Confectioners' sugar
Place a rack in the top of the oven and preheat to 350º. Butter an 8.5 x 11.5" gratin dish. Sprinkle in 2 Tbsps sugar and shake to coat. In a bowl, whisk eggs, 6 Tbsps sugar and vanilla seeds for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, 1/2 C cream, milk, vanilla pods and 2 Tbsps Calvados. Peel, quarter and core apples. Cut each quarter lengthwise in 4 and overlap in a spiral in the dish. Cover with batter and bake 45 minutes, until set. Whip the remaining C of cream until thickened slightly. Add 2 Tbsps sugar and 1 Tbsp Calvados and whip until peaks form. Sprinkle cooled custard with confectioners' sugar and serve with whipped cream. Serves 6.
Enjoy!
