Classic chicken fricassee from Erken's Stor kokebok (1914): hens are soaked, blanched, and boiled tender for 3–5 hours, cut up, and served in a butter-thickened sauce of chicken stock with cayenne, sugar, and sherry, optionally enriched with egg yolk and cream.
Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 285 (falt i det fri)
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About the dish
From the chapter "Poultry and game" in Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914). Chicken fricassee was a classic way to use older hens, where the long cooking gave both tender meat and a rich stock for the sauce.
How to make it
1
Preparation
Pluck the hens, draw and clean them well. Place them in cold water overnight.
2
Blanching
Place the hens in boiling water for 5 minutes, take them up, and place them in cold water.
3
Cooking
Set the hens over again in boiling water with 1 tbsp salt. Skim well, put the lid on, and let them cook slowly until tender, 3–5 hours.
4
Cutting up
Place the hens in cold water, remove the outer skin, and cut them into neat pieces.
5
Sauce
Melt 60 g butter, stir in the flour, and thin with about 7.5 dl of the stock. Let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes.
6
Seasoning
Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp sugar, and the sherry. The sauce can be enriched with egg yolk stirred into 1 dl cream – it must then not boil afterward.
7
Serving
Warm the chicken pieces in the sauce and serve. Boiled celeriac, cauliflower, green peas, or macaroni can be added to the sauce.
Changes from the original
Amounts have been converted to modern measures (dl, tsp, tbsp) and grams. "Stock" is interpreted as the chicken stock from the cooking. The cookbook's "knife-tip" is given as a pinch of cayenne pepper. The ingredient amount for hens is set at 2, as the recipe's plural reference implies. The language of the method has been modernized.
📖1914
Original 1914 recipe
Verbatim from the first edition of the Big Cookbook.
Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket
ProofreadPage 285
2 høns
salt
60 gr. smør
50 gr. mel
ca. 3/4 l. kraft
en knivsod cayenne
1/2 teske sukker
1 glas sherry
(1 eggeblomme og 1 del. fløte)
Hønsene plukkes, aapnes, rengjøres og lægges i vand natten over. Sættes over ilden i kokende vand i 5 minutter, lægges i koldt vand, sættes igjen over ilden i kokende vand med en ske salt. Skummes, koker under lok, til de er møre, 3—5 timers kok; lægges i koldt vand; det ytterste skind fratages, og hønsene deles op.
Saus: 60 gr. smør smeltes, irøres 50 gr. mel, spædes med kraften, ca. 3/4 l., smaakoker 15 minutter, tilsættes en knivsod cayenne, 1/2 teske sukker samt et glas sherry. — Sausen kan jevnes med 1 eggeblomme, utrørt med 1 del. fløte. Kokt selleri, blomkaal, grønne erter eller makaroni kan serveres i sausen.
📖1949
Revised 1949 recipe
From the revised edition of the Big Cookbook.
Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket
ProofreadPage 316
Hønsene plukkes, åpnes, rengjøres og legges i vann natten over. Settes over varmen i kokende vann i 5 minutter, legges i koldt vann, settes igjen over varmen i kokende vann med en skje salt. Skummes, småkoker under lokk til de er møre, 3—5 timers kok; legges i koldt vann; det ytterste skinn fratas, og hønsene deles op.
Saus: 60 gr. smør smeltes, irøres 50 gr. mel, spes med kraften ca. ¾ l., småkoker 15 minutter, tilsettes en knivsodd kajenne, ⅜ teskje sukker samt et glass sherry.
In stores now
Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.
1949 (proofread, p. 316) → 1914 (proofread, p. 285)~65% of the text changedremovedadded
2 høns salt 60 gr. smør 50 gr. mel ca. 3/4 l. kraft en knivsod cayenne 1/2 teske sukker 1 glas sherry (1 eggeblomme og 1 del. fløte) Hønsene plukkes, åpnes, aapnes, rengjøres og legges lægges i vann vand natten over. Settes Sættes over varmen ilden i kokende vann vand i 5 minutter, legges lægges i koldt vann, settes vand, sættes igjen over varmen ilden i kokende vann vand med en skje ske salt. Skummes, småkoker koker under lokk lok, til de er møre, 3—5 timers kok; legges lægges i koldt vann; vand; det ytterste skinn fratas, skind fratages, og hønsene deles op. Saus: 60 gr. smør smeltes, irøres 50 gr. mel, spes spædes med kraften kraften, ca. ¾ 3/4 l., småkoker smaakoker 15 minutter, tilsettes tilsættes en knivsodd kajenne, ⅜ teskje knivsod cayenne, 1/2 teske sukker samt et glass glas sherry. — Sausen kan jevnes med 1 eggeblomme, utrørt med 1 del. fløte. Kokt selleri, blomkaal, grønne erter eller makaroni kan serveres i sausen.
The hens are cooked covered until tender – allow 3–5 hours, depending on how old and tough they are. With soaking and pre-cooking, the total time is around 5.5 hours.
Why are the hens placed in water overnight and pre-cooked?
Soaking in cold water overnight draws out blood and gives cleaner stock. They are then cooked 5 minutes in boiling water, placed in cold water, and set over again in boiling water with a spoonful of salt – the stock is skimmed so it becomes clear.
How is the sauce made?
60 g butter is melted, 50 g flour stirred in and thinned with about 3/4 l of the chicken stock. The sauce simmers 15 minutes and is seasoned with a pinch of cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and a glass of sherry. It can be enriched with 1 egg yolk stirred into 1 dl cream.
What is served with it?
The recipe mentions boiled celeriac as a side for the fricassee. The skin is removed after cooking, and the hens are cut up before they are placed in the sauce.
