The original recipe is for frogs legs and it’s in honour of Jabba the Hut’s preference for eating them in brandy (see Christmas Party 2015 for further explanation).
But frog’s legs are somewhat hard to come by in Newfoundland, let alone in the middle of winter, so I subbed chicken wings for one batch and scallops for another. Both worked just fine. Seems as though you can toss just about anything in butter and brandy, light it on fire (optional, but awesome) and have it taste pretty great.
You can either do multiple batches with different proteins (double the recipe), or try one a week until you decide which you prefer. That bottle should go a long way, unless you’re the type to sip while you cook, which could be dangerous with all that flambé-ing…
Frog’s Legs or Chicken Wings in Brandy
Here’s the version with chicken or frog. Scallops are below.
Serves 4
20 chicken wings or frog’s legs
3 tbsp vegan or regular butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp chopped parsley
4 tbsp chopped tarragon
1/2 cup Calvados (apple brandy)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of freshly crushed peppercorns, optional
4 tsp capers
If you’re going to flambé, pour brandy into a sauce pan and warm it over low heat.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the frog’s legs, chicken wings or scallops along with the garlic. Cook until brown on each side (about a minute or two) and then press the awkward tips of the chicken wings into the butter to brown those too.
Add the herbs. Add the warm brandy, then use a barbecue lighter (a match is risky) to light the pan on fire. Hurray!
Shake the pan to burn off some of the alcohol and then add the white wine. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer for 4 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Add the salt, peppercorns and capers. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Scallops in Brandy
Serves 2-4
1 lb scallops, washed and patted dry (use 2 lbs if you’ve got the money and use an extra tbsp of butter)
2 tbsp vegan or regular butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp chopped parsley
4 tbsp chopped tarragon
1/2 cup Calvados (apple brandy)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of freshly crushed peppercorns, optional
4 tsp capers
If you’re going to flambé, pour the brandy into a sauce pan and warm it over low heat.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the scallops along with the garlic. Cook for 45 seconds on each side (1.5 minutes total!).
Stir in the herbs. Add the warm brandy, then use a barbecue lighter (a match is risky) to light the pan on fire. Hurray!
Shake the pan to burn off some of the alcohol and then add the white wine. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes (1 for smaller scallops. 2 for big Digby ones, unless you like them creamy and half-cooked and they’re super fresh – then just cook for 1 minute).
Add the salt, peppercorns and capers. Remove from heat immediately. Taste and adjust seasonings.
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