poulet frites

Poulet Frites

If you remember from a previous post, I talked about a cafe near the Sacre-Coeur Cathedral that I visited during one of my trips to Paris. The cafe had a drool-worthy chocolate mousse that I often dream about and went on a recipe hunt to recreate (which I successfully did here). It also had one of the best poulet frites dishes I’ve ever enjoyed in Paris. Now, everyone and their maman believes they’ve got the recipe for the best roast chicken, and I won’t argue that they don’t. Roast chicken can be enjoyed in so many different ways, and I’ve experienced tasty roast chicken many times in many different places. But there was something unique about the roast chicken I had at this cafe near the Cathedral; it had been lightly coated in a gravy-like sauce that seemed to make the chicken all the more juicy and flavorful. 

coq au vin

Coq au Vin with Quince

One of my favorite aspects of French country cooking is the ability to seamlessly adapt recipes to incorporate pretty much any fresh fruit and vegetable that you like. Take a galette, for example. It’s a classic dessert made with pastry dough and a fruit of your choice. You could use apples, pears, berries – whatever your heart desires, because the simple fact is that with a touch of sugar, any fruit would bake beautifully on a buttery round of pastry. In the case of this coq au vin, I was able to incorporate the delectable quince I picked up at my local farmer’s market and make this dish feel like it had always been made with this seemingly “exotic” fruit.