2022 Tour de France - Stage 8: Dole to Lausanne.
Do you know how many countries border France? The reason I ask is because, while they started in Denmark (not a bordering country), and rode through Belgium, today they actually finish the stage in Switzerland. The answer is 6, by the way. I was fortunate enough to spend a day or two in Switzerland when I was in high school. It is stunningly beautiful and calming for the mind and body. The riders end across Lac Léman from the capital of Geneva, in a town called Lausanne. Lausanne also lends its name to today’s stage-specific dish: Lausanne Poulet à la Cancoillotte.
The meal is quite similar to Chicken Fricassée. Unfortunately, though, I couldn’t find the runny cancoillotte cheese here in the states. So, I made this with a thinned out mornay sauce, a delicious béchamel which I infuse with the also regional comté cheese. It’s pretty cool that as I’m typing this, the bikers went through Jura (home to comté), and then directly into Mornay (the name of the sauce). I am not kidding when I say each of these meals are hyperlocal to the race! Getting a good photo with a béchamel sauce is tricky and I had to use a light application. Feel free to use as much as you want on your actual serving dish, and you can thin it out with additional stock to get it closer to the cancoillotte consistency. This meal is absolutely scrumptious!
Chicken Lausanne a la Cancoillotte
6-8 chicken thighs
Half stick of butter
Olive oil
2.5 cups chicken stock
Onion, petite dice
12 oz white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1/2 cup chardonnay
AP flour
1.5 cups whole milk
Nutmeg
White pepper
¼ cup grated comté cheese
Season the chicken pieces with kosher salt and black pepper. Melt 2 tbsp butter, along with 1 tbsp oil, in a large dutch oven, over medium heat, and lightly brown the chicken all over, about 6 minutes per each side, rotating the chicken pieces to ensure even browning. Add the stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer - cooking for about 25 minutes.
While the chicken simmers, heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet and sauté the onion and mushrooms, with a pinch of salt over medium-high heat, until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to brown. Add in the wine, stirring frequently, until almost fully absorbed. Remove the skillet from the heat and reserve.
Once the chicken has cooked, transfer it to a platter and loosely tent with foil. Stir the mushrooms and onions into the pot and reduce the liquid in the uncovered pot.
In a clean saucepan, over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. When the butter begins to foam, whisk in 2 tbsp of flour until it turns golden and smells toasty and leaves a slight film on the bottom of the skillet. Then, whisk in the milk until the flour has dissolved. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened.
When the sauce reaches your desired consistency, season with some freshly grated nutmeg, salt & white pepper. Stir in the cheese, one handful at a time until fully melted. Cover and turn off the heat.
To serve, place the chicken in a platter and pour the mushroom sauce all over. Serve the sauce in a heated small creamer pitcher, or apply some along the edge of the plate smearing with the back of a large spoon. Add a garnish of fresh cut herbs.
______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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