Inspired by the French Coq au Vin dish, this recipe made with Sauvignon Blanc wine is a sublime and easy-to-make winter meal made with a little twist in a Snowy Foodie way!
This traditional French braised dish is a variation of the Boeuf Bourguignon and typically made with red wine. All regions of France have their speciality with different wines so I thought I’d try something with a popular French white wine variety cultivated in Australia and New Zealand, the Sauvignon Blanc. Aussies love nicknames and call this “Sauv Blanc”, pronouncing it like “Sav Blonk”. They love French cuisine and many restaurants celebrate Bastille Day on July 14th. This happens to be in the middle of winter here so special menus and events feature warm and comforting French traditional dishes and desserts. While developing this recipe, it has become my favourite Coq au Vin and I much prefer the dry white wine with chicken. Traditionally, this is made with Coq (rooster) but it can be made with any good chicken your can find. A small ethical and sustainable meat farm in this region sells limited pastured poultry in season only (cooler months). They let their roosters have a good life until the majority has to go and the meat has much more colour and taste compared to commercial chicken. I made this Coq au “Sav” with their Maryland* cut for my food photo and final recipe testing. This was a very challenging photo session that I was finally pleased with and the best Coq au vin my hubbie and I ever had. And while we live in a cold climate wine region, why not cook with and/or pair with some delicious local vin blanc!
*In Australia the term "Chicken Maryland" refers to a butcher's cut for a whole leg consisting of the thigh and drumstick (which is the same as the full thigh cut in Québec).
LOCAL PRODUCE FEATURES: For this presentation, I used 4 Maryland cuts of pasture raised chicken roosters from Highfield Farm and Woodland. This also features the Sauvignon Blanc of Tumbarumba’s Courabyra Wines, the first local cellar door I went to for tasting when I was just visiting the region. Back then, I had no idea I’d be living in Tumbarumba some day!
RECIPE
This recipe is available to purchase as a card at our local points of sale, or by enquiry.
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