Coq au Vin

I attempted Julia Child’s Coq au Vin, local style. (Not to be confused with Cocoa Vin).

I got a capon from Kandew Acres in Roxbury (via Holbrook). A capon, it turns out, is a castrated rooster. It’s likely lots of my fellow locavores already knew that. I didn’t. I’m constantly learning with this local food thing.

I was doing fine until:

Uncover and pour in the cognac. Averting your face, ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside.

I used a fireplace match to put an extra foot of distance between me and the conflagration. Shaking the casserole did not extinguish the flames. Replacing the cover worked.

Voilà:

I sourced the remaining ingredients as follows:

• bacon from Greyledge Farm
• onions from Cherry Grove, Newtown, CT
• butter from Ronnybrook Farms (via Halas Farm Market, Danbury)
• Salmon River Red wine from Priam Vineyards
• parsley from Newtown Cedar Hill Farm
• flour from Wild Hive Farm and Micro Mill
• tomato paste from dried tomatoes from Waldingfield Farm
• garlic is my own
• cognac from France

C’est bon!