{Poulet à la française avec sa sauce au vin blanc}

Saturday afternoon.

I am standing by my stove, admiring the new oven I've so dearly longed and prayed for. Compared to its predecessor, this new one is an absolute dream.

I've come to consider it an early birthday gift.

After returning to Norway, life has caught up with me rather quickly. Slowly, I've begun to realise that it is 2011. Where did 2010 go? It flew by, like a leaf in a rainstorm. So fast.

But there you go.

{French Chicken in White Wine Sauce}
From Jamie Oliver 

*Ingredients*

2 tbsp butter

1,8 kg chicken, cut into six pieces

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

½ celery rib, finely chopped

57g prosciutto or country ham, finely chopped

¾ cup dry white wine

¾ cup chicken stock*

3 tbsp heavy cream, at room temperature

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional; I didn't bother)

*If you'd rather remove the bones from the chicken and use the filets, you can use the remaning chicken bones to make the chicken stock. The bones are simply too good to waste, without making stock. Simply place all the remaining chicken in a large casserolle, before adding water. Let it cook; then add 1,5 tsp salt. After twenty – thirty minutes (if you've use quality meat), you should be left with a fantastic chicken stock. You can freeze the remaining stock.

1.Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook it in the skillet on the skin side to brown it and to render the fat from the skin, about 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook on the bone side for about five minutes. Remove and reserve the chicken.

2.Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the fat from the pan . Add the onion, carrot, celery, and prosciutto or ham and sauté until the onion is browned and the vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minute Add the wine and chicken stock to the pan and stir to combine with vegetables. Put the chicken back into the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the skillet with a lid, and simmer the chicken in the sauce until cooked through, 20 to 25 minute.

3.Remove the chicken from the pan, turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the volume of liquid by half, about 5 minute (or 6 to 7 minute if you want a thicker sauce). Add the cream, stir to combine, and remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the chicken to wide soup plates; taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper if necessary and spoon it over the chicken. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.