It's cold in them dere mountains

It's still pretty damn cold here in Montana...and rainy. Really, really rainy. We finally saw the sun yesterday but I've resorted to fall type stews and braises to keep everyone here warm from the inside out. It's amazing how something with such humble ingredients can be so satisfying to the soul. A hearty serving of Chicken Thighs braised with Prunes (recipe below) served over Whole Wheat Couscous speckled with Toasted Almonds and just a hint of fresh ground Cinnamon did a world of good.

Since the weather has been wet, lots of indoor activities have been required and one of my favorites is bread baking. This is a simple fougasse, topped with chopped nicoise olives, fresh garlic, parsley and thyme. Perfect for sopping up that last bit of juice from our chicken braise.


Dessert! Another warm dish, Raspberry Clafouti (recipe below). Delicious and fun to say, baked in individual ramekins and topped with Sour Cream Ice Cream (not in the picture). Hopefully we'll have better luck with the weather and we can set our sights on lighter fare and warmer weather.


Prune Braised Chicken
Yields-6 servings (can easily be doubled or tripled)

3 pounds of boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs, each thigh cut into 3-4 pieces (Feel free to use any boneless, skinless chicken parts you like, but dark meat holds up so much better in a braise. If you decide to use white meat, cut the cooking time dine by about 1/2.)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup (maybe less) all purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick coins
2 onions, peeled and cut into large dice
2 stalks celery, peeled and cut into large dice
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 large stems thyme
1 large stem rosemary
1 cup prunes
1 cup white wine or brandy
4 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade or at the very least a "low sodium" store brand)
1/2 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

In a small bowl, soak the prunes in the white wine or brandy, 20-30 minutes. In a large bowl toss prepared chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Once coated evenly with S&P toss with enough flour to coat. Heat a large, deep saute pan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, and when hot, brown the chicken pieces in batches, transferring the browned chicken to the side. Once all chicken in browned and set to the side, add the prepared vegetables to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium. You should have enough oil left from browning the chicken but if you need to add more, do it now. Cook the vegetables till just soft, keep them from browning if you can. Transfer the cooked veggies to the browned chicken pan with the slotted spoon. Drain any remaining oil from the pan. Remove the pan from heat, add the prunes with the brandy or white wine, return to the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. (It's VERY important to move the pan off the heat while adding the prunes-especially if they are in brandy-eyebrows are a very important part of your face-watch for flaming alcohol.) Add the chicken stock and herbs, bring to a boil and then add the chicken and veggies that were set to the side. Cook for 45 minutes at a slow simmer, covered. At the very end fold in the chopped parsley, taste for salt and pepper and serve hot over rice, noodles or couscous. Sliced, toasted almonds make for a great textural garnish! Need a little more flavor, try adding a teaspoon or two of Dijon or Whole Grain Mustard at the end to finish the sauce without extra salt.

Raspberry Pecan Clafouti
Yields-8 individual desserts

1/2 cup Pecans (don't like pecans, switch it out for any other nut-hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds etc.)
2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
pinch Salt
1/2 cup granulated Sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 pints Raspberries (again, don't like raspberries, try blues, blacks, currants, halved cherries even sliced stone fruits are delicious-apricots!)

In a food processor combine the pecans, flour, salt and sugar. Process till pecans are finely ground, but take care not to over process the nuts, they will eventually turn to paste. Once well ground, add the remaining wet ingredients and process till smooth. That's it! Really, this is a great, 5 minute prep time recipe. The best part is that the batter can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Great for a dinner party, when you serve your entree, pop these in the oven and by the time dinner is over you'll have a hot and delicious dessert.

About the cooking....to bake prepare 8, 4-6 ounce ramekins by lightly spraying with Pam and then dusting with sugar to coat. Place on a sheet pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, divide the fruit among the ramekins, divide the batter amongst the fruited ramekins and bake for 15-20 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream to serve.