For this weekend's party themed post, I've gone with a French dish that is cooked in butter, cream and calvados. Calvados is an apple brandy made in the Calvados region of Normandy. Sometimes, cider is added to the recipe, but we opted to drink it with our Sunday dinner meal. I've listed the ingredients as best I can, but there was a 'bit' of this and a 'bit' of that... This is a gorgeous hearty meal for the winter months and was absolutely perfect on a rainy Sunday like today.
INGREDIENTS
4 chicken legs, without skin
Olive oil
Butter
4 medium carrots, sliced into rings
1 large leek, sliced
3 large shallots
2 large handfuls button mushrooms, sliced
5 tablespoons calvados
4 apples, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon sugar
100ml reduced fat crème fraîche
1/2 chicken stock cube (optional)
1 tablespoon tapioca flour mixed in a tablespoon of water (optional)
Parsley, chopped as a garnish
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat about a tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a casserole dish, then add the chicken legs. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook until it is evenly browned on both sides. Set aide.
3. Add the carrots, leeks and shallots into the same dish that the chicken was cooked in. Cook on high heat for around 3-5 minutes, then reduce the temperature and cook until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the calvados.
6. Return the chicken pieces to the casserole dish, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
7. Whilst the chicken is cooking, heat a small saucepan with a bit of butter. I used Clover's vegetable based 'butter' with buttermilk. Add the mushroom and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until they appear done.
8. In an alternative pan, add butter, the sliced apple wedges and a sprinkling of sugar. Allow to caramelise. Sautee this, as this will be served on the side.like the mushroons.
9. When the chicken is done, drain the stock that you have made into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then add the crème fraîche. If using, add the stock cube and tapioca mixture. Allow to thicken. You can also add a tablespoon of thyme.
10. Serve the chicken and vegetables with the sauteed mushrooms and apples on the side with a generous serving of the delicious sauce. Garnish with parsley. This meal is delicious with boiled rice or potatoes. You could also enjoy it on it's own like we did this evening.
Serves - 4 people
What do you think lovely readers?
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