flipChicken fricassée with verjus
Chicken fricassée with verjus
Why this dish? When she entertained in her salon the wits of the court—her friend La Rochefoucauld, Madame de Sévigné—chicken fricassée was among the most prized entrées of the aristocratic table of the Grand Siècle.
Chicken pieces browned in butter, simmered in a sauce thickened with egg yolk and brightened with verjus and mushrooms. The very elegance of the new French cuisine.
To treat one's guests well, one cuts the chicken into pieces and sautés it in fresh butter without letting it color too much. I add mushrooms and a good dash of verjus, which gives that tangy note so much in fashion today. The sauce is thickened with a beaten egg yolk, off the heat, which must be watched like milk on the fire—otherwise it curdles and one is very sorry before one's guests.
- •Chicken — one, cut up (meat)
- •Fresh butter — a good piece (cooking fat)
- •Mushrooms — a handful (garnish)
- •Verjus — a dash (acidity)
- •Egg yolks — two (thickener)
- •Nutmeg, fine herbs — a little (flavoring)
Chicken fricassée with verjus
Chicken pieces browned in butter, simmered in a sauce thickened with egg yolk and brightened with verjus and mushrooms. The very elegance of the new French cuisine.
Why this dish? When she entertained in her salon the wits of the court—her friend La Rochefoucauld, Madame de Sévigné—chicken fricassée was among the most prized entrées of the aristocratic table of the Grand Siècle.
To treat one's guests well, one cuts the chicken into pieces and sautés it in fresh butter without letting it color too much. I add mushrooms and a good dash of verjus, which gives that tangy note so much in fashion today. The sauce is thickened with a beaten egg yolk, off the heat, which must be watched like milk on the fire—otherwise it curdles and one is very sorry before one's guests.
Ingredients (period version)
- Chicken — one, cut up (meat)
- Fresh butter — a good piece (cooking fat)
- Mushrooms — a handful (garnish)
- Verjus — a dash (acidity)
- Egg yolks — two (thickener)
- Nutmeg, fine herbs — a little (flavoring)
Ingredients
- Free-range chicken, cut into pieces — 1 (1.2 kg) (meat)
- Butter — 50 g (cooking fat)
- Button mushrooms — 250 g (garnish)
- Verjus (or green grape juice or mild vinegar) — 5 cl (acidity)
- Egg yolks — 2 (thickener)
- Grated nutmeg, chopped parsley — 1 pinch + 1 tbsp (flavoring)
- Chicken broth — 30 cl (liquid)
Method
- Melt the butter and brown the chicken pieces without coloring too much; season with salt.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, let sweat for a few minutes.
- Pour in the broth, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken; beat the egg yolks with the verjus.
- Off the heat, stir this mixture into the cooking juices to thicken without boiling.
- Return the chicken to the sauce, sprinkle with nutmeg and parsley, serve immediately.
How it was made : Fricassée—meat browned then simmered in a thickened sauce—is one of the great dishes in La Varenne's repertoire. Verjus, the juice of unripe grapes, was the noble acidulant par excellence, before lemon and vinegar became more common.
The contemporary twist : A "blonde" fricassée served in individual plates, with a napping sauce and raw mushroom shavings on top for textural contrast.
Sources : La Varenne, Le Cuisinier françois, 1651
Madame de La Fayette · Charactorium
