Think Like a Chef

Well, it's officially fall, and the rainiest September in recent memory has ushered in a chilly and gray October. Our new autumn weather has put me in the mood for changing leaves, fresh apples, and pumpkin spice lattes. I have this Bath & Body Works soap in my bathroom that smells like Macintosh apples and every time I use it, my taste buds go crazy for some crisp apples.

When I bought the chicken thighs to make the Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers while Jacob was visiting, I could only find a family pack, so I stuck half of them in the freezer for the next time I made that recipe. But the idea of braised chicken thighs had my mouth watering (I don't think I eat enough protein regularly).

I caught sight of a cookbook on my shelf, Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef, which my brother had gotten me for Christmas. I hadn't really used it much (just drooled over it) because it features a lot of ingredients not readily available to me: morels, ramps, sorrel, etc. But I remembered that the main premise of the book is teaching universal cooking techniques and leaving the ingredients up to the "chef." Immediately, I fixated on the idea of braising chicken in hard cider.

But then I remembered the popular gastropub dish of moules frites, or mussels and fries which Chicago restaurants have modified to use Belgian white ales, celery, and bay leaf instead of the classic white wine and garlic version. I cast my net out on facebook taking a poll on which - Belgian white or hard cider - would taste better with chicken and I got pretty mixed results. But by asking the question I had given myself the "right" answer: my favorite beer, Unibroue Ephemere!

Ephemere is a Belgian white ale made with apples, but doesn't have the intense cider flavor. Instead, it is delicate and floral, with all the usual orange peel and coriander notes usually found in a Belgian white.

Once that was settled, I just had to wait until I found time to work on my culinary "experiment." In the mean time, I read Stephanie Izard's cookbook and found extra inspiration to combine unusual ingredients and marry the savory and the sweet. That's when I decided that ordinary mashed potatoes to accompany such a dish would be a wasted opportunity to do something really fun! And thus, a recipe was born!

Ephemere Braised Chicken with Sweet Potato-Celery Root Puree

For the Chicken:

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 oz. prosciutto, coarsely chopped
4 chicken thighs
1 leek, sliced about 1/8 inch wide (white and light green parts only)
2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 12 oz. bottle Unibroue Ephemere
1-2 cups chicken stock (enough to surround, but not cover chicken)
2 bay leaves
bunch of fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper just before ready to brown.

Heat oil in Dutch oven and cook prosciutto until browned. Remove the prosciutto and set aside.

Place the seasoned chicken skin-side down in the same pot and brown 5-6 minutes a side over medium heat. When brown on both sides, remove and set aside.

Add leeks, carrots, and celery to the rendered chicken juices and sautee until beginning to become tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the Ephemere (minus a swig), bay leaf, and prosciutto and simmer until reduced by about half, about 7 minutes.

Place the chicken skin-side up on top of the vegetables and pour in the chicken stock to surround but not cover the chicken. Season with salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Nestle the thyme in the center. (If you don't have kitchen string to tie the thyme in a bundle for easy removal, find a long piece of thyme and carefully tie it around the rest of the bunch. It should hold.)

Bring to a boil on the stovetop and then place in the oven uncovered. Let it braise for 1.5 hours, keeping an eye on how much liquid is left. You may have to place the lid on it and/or add some more chicken stock.

For the Sweet Potato-Celery Root Puree:

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 celery root, peeled and large diced
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup apple cider
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter
1/4-1/2 cup half and half

Directions:

Place first 6 ingredients in large pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. (Cut celery root into smaller pieces because it usually takes longer to cook).

Drain and mash immediately. Add butter, half and half, and season with black pepper.

Assemble your dish!