Dinner and a Movie: MOULIN ROUGE
The weekend is here! If you’re working from home, that means it’s time to change from your week-day-Zoom-meeting lounge pants to your weekend lounge pants. We are here to help you make the most of your weekend at home.
Tonight, we suggest watching Moulin Rouge, a spectacle of a romantic musical set in Paris starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. Click the video above to watch the trailer! We’re pairing that with Chef Tootie Morrison’s recipe for Coq au Vin and Abby Singer’s Mixologist Allison Hollis’ special French 75. Bon Appetit!
Where you can find Moulin Rouge
HBO Now or HBO Go (free with subscription)
Rent on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video ($3.99)
Chef Tootie’s Coq au Vin (Serves 4)
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
4 slices thick cut bacon (cut into pieces)
1 medium white onion (sliced)
8 garlic cloves
8 chicken breasts (I prefer dark meat)
2 tbsp cognac or brandy
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups of your favorite red wine
2 tbsp cream of mushroom soup (shhh, my little secret)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
Cooking Steps
Preheat oven to 350º
Pat chicken dry with paper towel and season liberally with salt and pepper.
In a large pot (cast iron, preferably) on medium high heat, place olive oil and bacon pieces. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pot with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.
Add chicken pieces and 1 tablespoon of butter to bacon fat and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove chicken from pot and place on plate with bacon pieces.
Add onion and garlic to pot with bacon fat, cook until onion is soft and garlic is brown and tender (be careful not to burn the garlic).
Add cognac or brandy to onion and garlic mixture. Add soup, wine and broth to pot. Stir together and bring to a simmer or rough boil.
Add chicken and bacon along with juice from chicken back into pot, cover with lid and place in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, mash together with a fork the remaining butter and flower.
Remove pot from oven and add butter and flour mixture. Cook on stovetop an additional 10 minutes until sauce is thickened and the chicken is fork tender but not falling off the bone.
Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty French bread. Bon Appétit!
Allison’s French 75
Mix Together
2 oz champagne
1 ½ oz gin
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup*
*To make your own simple syrup, combine 1 part sugar to 1 part water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. To add a twist to your French 75, add a spring of rosemary or mint while heating.
