[noramouse]

I work in a non-denominational Christian church. Because I love to cook and have done some cooking for the church, (women's bible study events) I have been asked to do a cooking demo for a special "Evening in Paris" women's night. I have decided to do a simple "How to Saute Chicken" and I was going to do a white wine caper sauce to nappe. Well, I've been told "NO WINE". I generally use dry vermouth when I do this type of a sauce, but obviously I can't even attempt to smuggle in a bit of the ol' Holland House cooking wine (I would never use that, it was a joke). So, my question is, do I just deglaze the pan with chicken stock? Or do I need to come up with a different type of sauce? I want to have something flavorful, not just a watery nothing. HELP, PLEASE!! Any suggestions or recommendations (new ideas) would be greatly welcommed!!

Noramouse

 

[suzanne]

Hi, Noramouse! Welcome. Glad to help you out.

Verjus or verjuice is the juice of unripened grapes. It is somewhat acidic, and can be used to deglaze instead of wine. It has many similar taste characteristics of wine, but would be acceptable for you to use since it is unfermented and therefore non-alcoholic. I would not recommend using non-alcoholic wine: from what I've tasted of it, it is just plain vile and would ruin your dish! Since you're in an area with some pretty sophisticated folks, there's probably a "gourmet" store that carries it. Try "Doris" (that's the name of the store) on Yamato Road in Boca -- they might have it.

If you can't find verjus, you could always use reduced chicken stock and a splash of fresh lemon juice to brighten it up. Then it becomes more like "Chicken Francaise" anyway.

 

[noramouse]

Thanks so much for your help!! I really didn't expect to get such a quick response. I think that this sounds like an excellent alternative to a wine being used for deglazing. I was able to call Carmine's Gourmet Market which is just down the street and they have it!! I will probably get some this week and experiment prior to the event (June 21st) and I will post a comment here to let you know how it turns out.

Thanks again, by the way, are you a chef at a restaurant in New York? I was just there 2 weekends ago, and plan to go back very soon. I had dinner at Asia de Cuba on Madison and it was quite good.

Noramouse

 

[isa]

Would it be ok to use red or white wine vinegar?

 

[noramouse]

Yes, I never actually thought to use this, would I think reduce as usual and then add stock?

Let me know what method you have in mind and how to "finish" the sauce.

Thanks!!

Noramouse

 

[isa]

Honestly Nora it's all I use. You could finish the sauce as you want though.