A coquelet is a small cock. See, I wasn't trying to be funny. Basically, think a male poussin. Larousse Gastronomique says they taste of nothing, pretty much, and therefore need a strong-flavoured marinade or sauce to make them interesting. 'En crapaudine' is the French term for spatchcocking.
I have no idea if baby roosters are sold in Australia--it's hard enough to find mature roosters--and nothing Larousse Gastronomique said about them made me want to go looking for them. I considered using a whole chicken instead (I'm not flush enough to buy poussins at the moment) but I find that whole spatchcocked chickens don't barbecue so well. I bought chicken thighs instead.
The suggested spice rub is fairly similar to what I normally use when barbecuing chickens and rabbits: a bit of oil, garlic, salt, pepper, chilli powder and powdered ginger.
Despite my plans to barbecue the thighs, I ended up lighting the grill (broiler) instead. Weber kettles are nice but there's a lot of mucking about. When I move I'm going to go to Kmart or Bunnings and buy a cheap gas barbecue. I want to be able to hit the switch and start cooking, just like I do with a stove or oven.
The marinade is okay. I regret not having some lemons or limes kicking around the place: it could really do with that hit of freshness.
95. Potato cocotte
Out of all the potato dishes I've done, this has to have the most elaborate cooking process. Not hard. Just a bit odd. I'm sure there's a logic behind the cooking method.
You trim potatoes into 4-5 cm long fingers then put them in water. Bring the water to the boil and then drain the potatoes. Saute them for 15 minutes. Roast them for 45 minutes: the first 25 of those minutes at 200 degrees, the remaining 20 at 180 degrees.
Was all that messing around worth it? Not really. Not for what amounts to oven fries. My recipe for potato wedges produces superior results for a fraction of the effort.
96. Tomato salad with mozzarella
Slice tomatoes. Top said tomato slices with slices of mozzarella. Dress with vinegar and olive oil and garnish with basil leaves.
97. Chiffonnade of raw lettuce
A chiffonnade is a 'preparation of sorrel, chicory, lettuce and other leaves'. To prepare a chiffonnade, roll up a few lettuce (or sorrel or chicory ...) leaves and cut into thin strips. Dress with a vinaigrette.
The lettuce is to serve as a garnish and to provide a nice textural contrast to the chicken thighs.
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