CHICKEN BRAISED WITH WHITE WINE & MUSTARD
Chef Raymond Blanc’s new cookbook Simply Raymond is a tribute to his late mother. Here he shares her recipe for a one-pot chicken dish, and recommends two wine styles to match
When I embarked on my latest book, Simply Raymond: Recipes from Home, I had no idea of the path that lay ahead. Originally I had set out to write a book that was a tribute to my mum and the food that she prepared, cooked and served chez Blanc. I wasn’t far into the project when, suddenly, Britain went into lockdown. At home, and away from a professional kitchen, I craved and busily cooked the dishes that whizzed me back to my childhood in Franche-Comté: tartiflette; onion and bacon tart; Maman Blanc’s soups, so easy and rustled up in flash.
Sadly, my mother passed away shortly before the book was completed. Yet many of the recipes seem to reunite me with her. One taste and I smile at the memories.
For this wholesome one-pot chicken dish, you will see that the white wine used in the recipe is first boiled. This isn’t essential, although before cooking with wine – red or white – I boil it for 10-20 seconds, removing most of the alcohol and intensifying the flavours.
When cooking fish, I often use Gewurztraminer as it holds its character and aromas. For this recipe, any dry white wine can be used. However, the Savagnin grape also retains its flavour when cooked, so a white from the Jura, my region of France, is ideal here.
If cooking with reds, I avoid Pinot Noir. It is too elegant for the heat of a pan. Instead I reach for something inexpensive, big, spicy, rich and strong in tannins, such as a red from Languedoc, Rhône or Cahors; or, from further afield, a Syrah. Bon appétit!