麻豆约拍

from The Contented Cook by Xanthe Clay (Kyle Books)

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Possibly the best chicken recipe in the world, certainly one that's stood the test of time. The faint aniseed flavour of tarragon, like star anise with beef & fennel seed with fish, intensifies the flavour of the poultry, making it both fresh tasting & intensely savoury.听 But beware if you grow your own tarragon, it may be mild Russian tarragon, rather than the true French tarragon, in which case you鈥檒l need to add three or four times as much.听 The gorgeous juices are on the thin side, so you could thicken them with a little beurre mani茅 (equal parts of soft butter & flour mashed together) but I prefer to leave them as they are, & serve it in deep dishes (soup plates).

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Serves 4

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Prep time:听 5 mins

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Cooking time:听 40 mins

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Ingredients

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1 tbsp olive oil

4 chicken leg portions

10 x 15cm sprigs of French tarragon (or, at a pinch 1tbsp freeze-dried tarragon)

250ml white wine

3 tbsp cr猫me fra卯che

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Method

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Preheat the oven to 200掳C/gas mark 6.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan & fry the chicken until browned on both sides.

Transfer the pieces to an ovenproof dish (one that will accommodate them in a single layer).

Tip the fat out of the frying pan & pour in the wine. Bring to the boil, stirring well to release all the brown bits from the base of the pan. Pour over the chicken, & tuck in 4 of the tarragon sprigs.

Transfer the dish to the oven & cook uncovered for 30 mins. Remove the chicken from the dish & keep warm.

Tip the juices into a small pan, & spoon off the fat from the top if there seems to be a lot. Bring the juices to simmering point. Stir in the cr猫me fra卯che & the rest of the tarragon. Taste & adjust the seasoning & pour over the chicken.

Serve with new potatoes & green beans.

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Top Tips

A note on dried herbs: in general, I find dried herbs vile, in particular the 'soft' herbs like parsley, dill, basil & mint. But I'll make an exception for tarragon, which keeps something of its pungency when dried. If there is no fresh tarragon then a tablespoonful of papery flakes from a jar, added before the chicken goes in the oven, will suffice. Even the classic dried 'herbes de Provence' can taste dusty unless they are excellent quality. I do keep a jar of freeze-dried tarragon. The papery flakes keep something of their pungency, as long as they are cooked.