CHICKEN CUSTARD

This is a very old fashioned and rarely seen now. Highly recommended.

Pearl onions are not absolutely essential. This is how to prepare them: Drop pearl onions into boiling water to cover. Return to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Pour off the water. When the onions are cool enough to handle just slip off the skins and trim off the root ends. This only takes a minute. Finish for the dish as described, they will be "glazed". Doing pearl onions this way is how the little onions for coq au vin is done.
This recipe teaches several basic things and is a good exercise for the careful cook. The onion stuck with a whole clove is a wonderful flavor that reminds me of the flavor of the old Campbell’s beef consumme-this is how they got that flavor.
1 chicken (about 3 ½ pounds), cut into 8 pieces as for frying.
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
Dash of ground mace
8 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
1 tsp oil
½ cup freshly chopped cooked ham
2 big carrots, peeled and chpped
1 clove
1 medium yellow onion
3 parsley sprigs
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
12 small "pearl" onions peeled and trimmed
½ tsp sugar
1/4 cup dry vermouth
½ cup chopped green onions-about 1 bunch
1 Tbsp. Chopped parsley
4 eggs
6 Tbsp. Flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
½ cup heavy cream
　
Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, pepper and mace; let stand at least 30 minutes or overnight. Heat 3 Tbsp butter and 1 tsp. Oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.

Add ham and carrots; cook until carrots soften, about 5 minutes. Transfer mix to bowl and set aside.

Melt another 3 Tbsp butter in the same skillet, medium heat. Arrange as many chicken pieces as will fit in one layer in skillet, skin side down. Saute until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Turn pieces and repeat 5 to 6 minutes for other side. Put aside; brown remaining pieces and remove. Put in ham and carrot. Stick clove into middle of yellow onion. Add parsley sprigs and pour in stock, scraping pot.

Remember: scraping the pot "deglazes" it-all those bits of flavor remaining in it are loosened to become part of your dish-very important!

Return chicken to skillet. Heat over medium till boiling, reduce to simmer, and cook covered 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 2-inch deep, 2-quart baking dish. Melt remaining butter in skillet and add pearl onions; sprinkle with sugar. Saute, stirring often, till onions are golden. Carefully pour vermouth into skillet; go on cooking onions uncovered, shaking skillet occasionally till liquid is absorbed and onions tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Put chicken in baking dish, skin side up. With a slotted spoon, add ham and carrots to baking dish and then pour remaining liquid and onions over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and parsley. Remove parsley sprigs and yellow onion with clove.

In a blender, blend eggs, then add flour, baking powder, cream and reserved pan juices and mix till smooth. Pour this custard mixture evenly over chicken; bake till custard is golden brown and puffed, about 30 minutes. Serve at once.

NOTE: No blender? Just whisk the egg/flour baking powder and reserved pan juices together until there are no lumps. Push through a fine wire mesh strainer to remove lumps if any dare show themselves.