I Prefer Paris: French Cooking with Wini Moranville: Braising

I am delighted to welcome Wini Moranville and her new monthly column French Cooking with Wini Moranville. Wini is a food writer and cookbook author from the U. S. and has spent the last 15 summers in southern France perfecting her French cooking techniques. I featured her wonderful book The Bonne Femme Cookbook on Eye Prefer Paris in 2011. Every month Wini will share recipe(s) and French cooking tips. Today she writes about braising.

Bonjour! I am thrilled that Richard has asked me to guest post on his fabulous blog on a monthly basis. I’ve been a fan of this blog since before I started blogging myself.

For my first post, I wanted to share a peek into my project this past year: The Braiser Cookbook, an e-book that I created with Richard Swearinger, former senior food editor at Better Homes and Gardens.

But first, the basics: 
1. What Is a Braiser?

Quite simply, a braiser is a low-sided pan with a wide bottom and a tight-fitting lid. It looks like a squat Dutch oven. Most braisers go from stovetop to oven, meaning you can brown the meat, cover, and bake all in the same pan.

2. Why a Braiser?

If you love braising as much as the French do (after all, some of their most famous dishes—such as Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon are braises), it may be worth investing in this pan. Here’s why:

• With their wide bases, braisers allow the meat maximum contact with the heat source, making it easier to get it all nicely browned before it simmers.
• The wide bottom also allows the liquid to spread out in the pan. That means your meat will truly braise (cook with moist steam heat) rather than stew (simmer covered in liquids).

3. What Brand to Buy?

I happen to love Le Creuset for the amazing colors, but other brands, including Staub, All-Clad, Emile Henri, Lodge, and Tromantina, offer much of the same features. Just be sure the one you purchase has a tight-fitting lid.

4. What to Cook in a Braiser?

Conveniently, the best meats to cook in a braiser are also the least expensive meats: Beef chuck, short ribs, lamb blade steaks, pork shoulder, and meaty chicken pieces are just some of the great meats that braise to succulent perfection in a braiser.

5. Do I Have to Buy a Braiser to Braise?

I wrote a blog post with instructions on how to braise in a Dutch oven or in a skillet with a tight-fitting lid. However, I like braisers so much that I wrote a book about them…..which leads me to:

The Braiser Cookbook: 22 Irresistible Recipes Created Just for Your Braiser, Plus Five Fabulous Sides

We just recently published this book, and the response has been gratifying. All reviews on Amazon so far have been five stars, except for one guy who gave it two stars, even though he’s never seen the book (go figure!).
 Click here to read more about the book, including a full list of the contents
Meanwhile, here’s a sample of what you’ll find inside. It’s one of my favorite recipes.

Chicken with 20 Cloves of Garlic
This is a take on Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, a classic French recipe. But why 20 instead of 40? Don’t worry, I’m not stinting on the garlic. The original recipe calls for two chickens. I use one so that the recipe will fit nicely into a 3 1/2-quart braiser so you only need half the garlic.

1 3-1/2- to 4-pound chicken, cut up (or use 2-1/2 to 3-pounds chicken pieces)  

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste  

1 tablespoon unsalted butter  

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil  

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled (about 20 cloves)  

2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence, crushed  

1/2 cup dry white wine  

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth 

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice  

2 tablespoons butter  

1 tablespoon fresh snipped parsley  

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the butter and olive oil in a 3 1/2-quart braiser over medium-high heat; add the chicken and cook, turning often, about 10 to 15 minutes or until brown on all sides. Transfer chicken to a plate and drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.
2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until they’re starting to color (but not brown), about 2 minutes. Add the herbes de Provence, white wine and chicken broth to the pan; bring to a boiling, scraping up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan.
3. Return chicken to braiser, skin side up. Cover the braiser, slide it into the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Baste the chicken with the pan juices. Bake, uncovered until the chicken is tender and no longer pink (170°F for breasts, 180°F for thighs and drumsticks), 20 to 30 minutes more.
4. Remove chicken to a serving platter; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Set the braiser over medium-high heat. If it looks like there’s less than 1/2 cup pan juices in the pan, add enough additional wine to equal about 1/2 cup. Bring the pan juices to a boil while using a fork to mash the garlic cloves, whisking the pulp into the liquid as you work. Add the lemon juice. Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.
5. Divide chicken among four serving plates and top each serving with some of the sauce. Sprinkle the parsley and lemon peel over all.

Wini Moranville is the author of The Bonne Femme Cookbook: Simple, Splendid Food That French Women Cook Every Day (Harvard Common Press; 2011). Follow her on her blog at http://chezbonnefemme.com or on Facebook at Chez Bonne Femme.

Tourslogo4

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

COOKBOOK-LOGO-little New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos. I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.