food-and-wine-pairing-a-sensory-experience-robert-harrington

The White Oak Experience 75
Food Item: Sweet and Spicy Chicken Étouffée (courtesy Chef John Folse)
Yield: 6 servings
In many cultures, sweet and spicy go hand in hand, like sweet and sour. In south Louisiana, where sugar and
cayenne pepper are found together in so many recipes, it is obvious how this dish evolved.
Ingredients
One 3-lb (1.5 kg) fryer, cut into 8 serving
pieces
1 /4 c (60 ml) Worcestershire sauce
4 tsp (19 g) salt
3 tsp (14 g) cayenne pepper
1 /4 tsp (1 g) black pepper
1 tbsp (14 g) granulated garlic
3 /4 c (170 g) flour
1 /2 c (120 ml) vegetable oil
3 c (680 g) sliced Bermuda onions
1 c (225 g) diced celery
1 c (225 g) sliced red bell peppers
1 c (225 g) sliced yellow bell peppers
2 c (470 ml) chicken stock
1 /4 c (57 g) brown sugar
Preparation
In a mixing bowl, combine chicken with Worcestershire,
salt, cayenne, black pepper and garlic. Marinate
chicken in seasonings 1 hour at room temperature. (It
is acceptable to leave chicken at room temperature
for this length of time, but it must be cooked
immediately following marinating.) Place chicken on
a large cookie sheet and reserve marinating liquid.
Dust meat with flour and set aside. In a cast-iron
Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high. Carefully
brown chicken without scorching. Remove and set
aside. Sauté onions, celery, and bell peppers 2–3
minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add chicken
stock, reserved marinade, and brown sugar. Bring to
a rolling boil, then return chicken to pot. Reduce heat
to simmer, cover, and cook 45 minutes or until
chicken is tender. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Serve over steamed white rice.
Sweet and spicy foods can be more difficult to match with wine. An off-dry white or fruit-forward red are
probably your best bets. Off-dry white possibilities include Moscato d’Asti, Riesling, or Gewürztraminer. Red
wine possibilities include Syrah (Shiraz), Côtes du Rhône, Spanish Rioja, or Zinfandel.