Feral Cooks

Good food shouldn't be tame

Guest cook: Peter makes Poulet à la Moutarde et à l’Estragon (Mustard and Tarragon Chicken)

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This recipe and these photos are from my friend, Peter, who puts people to sleep for surgery and wakes up peoples’ taste buds with food like this. Besides being an accomplished cook, outstanding photographer and one of the few people in the country who repairs and rebuilds vintage Bang & Olufsen components, he and his wife have Miles, the coolest cat, ever.

Mustard and tarragon chicken is a rustic French dish that originated in the Bourgogne region. The ingredient list is simple, but do try to use as high-quality ingredients for the most delicious results. Fresh tarragon is critical to this recipe.

The freshest tarragon possible.
Chopping those herbs. Note the beautiful knife blade.
Giving the chicken a good sear on each side.
Sautéing the herbs.
With the pan deglazed, adding the mustard.
Heavy cream mixed in and ready to reintroduce the chicken.
Just a few minutes from being able to serve.
Ready to serve.

What you’ll need

  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (debone but leave the skin, if you want)
  • 1T each of butter and olive oil
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 0.5 cups white wine—dry, if possible
  • 0.5 cups chicken stock
  • 1T Dijon mustard
  • 0.5 cups heavy cream
  • 0.25 cups fresh tarragon, roughly chopped
  • Black pepper and salt, to taste

What to do

Salt and pepper the chicken pieces on each side.  Set aside. Heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large frypan. When the pan has heated, sear the chicken on each side for about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Over the same heat setting add the shallots to the frypan and sauté them until softened—2 – 3 minutes. Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan from searing the chicken. Simmer the wine until it’s reduced by half.

Whisk in the chicken stock and Dijon mustard, then stir in the heavy cream, letting it simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened.

For the last step, set the heat at just a simmer and reintroduce the chicken to the frypan. Let the chicken and sauce simmer for about 12 – 15 minutes, while regularly spooning the sauce over the chicken until it’s cooked through. Be careful not over overcook it; that would dry it out.

Serve hot over rice or home-made mashed potatoes.

One of many of Peter’s Bang & Olufsen systems: a 6500 in white–very cool and rare.

Babi Kecap (Kecap Manis-braised Pork)

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This is a wonderful Indonesian braise. “Wait a minute. Indonesia is a Muslim country, and Muslims don’t eat pork,” you may say, and you’d be correct. The thing is, this recipe is from Bali, which is predominantly Hindu.

With that behind us, I love that different cultures have variations on the same foods, such as marinated and starch-dredged fried chicken, and in this case, cut up meat braised in soy sauce. The Japanese have a similar dish, though it has a different flavor profile.

There’s no real trick to making babi kecap, but keep in mind that kecap manis is thicker than sweet soy sauce and substituting the latter for the former will render a different outcome.

What you’ll need

  • 2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder
  • 3T and 1t neutral oil
  • 10 small, red Asian shallots, peeled and sliced
  • 10 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 50g (2 oz.) ginger, peeled and minced
  • 0.33 cups kecap manis
  • 2T soy sauce
  • 1.5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2T mushroom powder (optional)
  • 2 star anise
  • 3 Thai chilies
  • 2 large red chilis

What to do

Cut the pork into 1.5-inch cubes. You can trim off excessive fat, but whatever fat there is will render as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a large casserole or braising pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, cooking until they take on a little color. Make sure not to scorch the garlic. Add the ginger and pork and cook until the pork takes on a bit of color.

Add the kecap manis and soy sauce to the pan, mixing it in well.

If you’re using the mushroom powder, whisk it into the stock before adding the stock to the braising pan. If the liquid doesn’t cover the meat, add more stock or water until it’s just covered. Add the star anise and chilis.

Bring to a simmer and skim off any scum that rises to the top. Reduce the heat to a very light simmer and cover the braising pan. Cook for 1.5 or so hours. Check the pan every 20 minutes or so to ensure the simmer is at the right level. Add water, if for some reason it has evaporated from the pan.

When the pork is cooked, the sauce should be glossy and slightly sticky—like kecap manis. If it’s too watery, remove the pork from the braising pan with a slotted spoon and, over high heat, boil off the excess liquid. Return the meat to the pan.

If the meat was fatty, there will be a layer of rendered fat floating on the surface. You could skim it off, or if you have time, let the dish cool on the counter before refrigerating it until the fat cools and solidifies, making it easy to remove. Serve hot with rice and crunchy stir-fried vegetables.

Crispy Shrimp with Peanut Sauce

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The effort-to-delicious ratio for this dish is ridiculous. The shrimp are so easy to make, and the peanut sauce just puts them over the top.

Note that you can use just about any type of starch in which to dredge the shrimp. I wanted a shatteringly crisp exterior, so I went with sweet potato starch; it worked perfectly.

What you’ll need for the shrimp

  • 1 pound giant shrimp or prawns—about 10 – 12 per pound, peeled and deveined
  • 1T kosher salt
  • Up to 1 cup sweet potato starch
  • Enough neutral oil for frying

What you’ll need for the peanut sauce

  • 2 cups full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream
  • 0.5 cups curry paste (red is most common, but others work in a pinch)
  • 1 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
  • 0.33 cups palm sugar (light brown sugar works in a pinch)
  • 0.25 cups tamarind concentrate
  • 0.5T fish sauce

What to do for the peanut sauce

Combine the curry paste and 3T of the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the paste is dissolved. It will give off a wonderful aroma.

Add the chopped peanuts and remaining coconut milk. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in the sugar, tamarind and fish sauce. Turn up the heat to medium-high and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. It can be served hot or at room temperature.

What to do for the shrimp

About an hour before cooking, salt the shrimp and let them sit in a bowl in the refrigerator. This will keep them plump when cooking.

When you’re ready to cook, heat up about 3 inches of neutral oil to 350 degrees F in whatever vessel you’re using.

When the oil reaches temperature, in turn, dredge each shrimp in the starch by the tail, shake off the extra starch and put them on a plate. Maybe dredge at a time enough for a batch—5 or 6?

Carefully lower each shrimp into the oil by the tail and let them cook for about 2 – 3 minutes. Don’t crowd the oil. The shrimp will turn pink and curl up when done—it doesn’t take long at that temperature. Remove the shrimp with a metal spider and let them drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. When they’re all cooked, serve hot with the peanut sauce for dipping.