WOOD FIRED CRUST
BUTTER SAUCE
WINE MARINATED ROAST CHICKEN
ROASTED CRIMINI MUSHROOM
PEARL ONIONS
BACON
RED WINE REDUCTION
MOZZARELLA & PROVOLONE
FRESH THYME
In 1987 I would get off the bus from a long morning of kindergarten, run inside and turn the dial that was behind our big wooden TV to rotate the TV antenna on the roof. It had to point toward Madison to get PBS so I could watch Mr. Rogers, followed by a Julia Child rerun, which was followed by a Galloping Gourmet rerun. I'd eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwich while Julia wrestled a giant fish or whatever. She was the first person to teach tiny me about Coq au Vin (at a time when the only wine I new about was in church and nobody was cooking their chickens in it). I would finally make it myself 30 years later in culinary school, just to understand what all the fuss was about.
Some people think a dish is formally created when it's named, but just like its beefy twin brother, Beef Bourguinon, Coq au Vin has existed in some form almost as long as wine has. It settled on it's current chicken, wine, bacon, mushroom, onion format a couple hundred years ago. For this pizza version I deconstructed the dish completely, and then made the best version of each of its individual ingredients, finally recombobulating them together as toppings. I hope you love it!
