Coq au Vin

For my dinner party last night, I had the brilliant idea of making coq au vin. How hard can it be, chicken in wine sauce, right? Ok, lesson learned.
Coq au vin is NOT a weeknight dish... 30 steps later, and I remembered why I never attempted it before. Literally more work for one bird than preparation of an entire Thanksgiving dinner. First- there's the marinade. No wine in a baggie for this bird- the wine was simmered for 10 minutes with celery, carrot, onion, and peppercorn. Sufficiently aromatic, it is then acceptable for the bird to meet the wine (for the first time). In the fridge it goes for two days, until it's time to fry more bacon than I wish to think about, brown the chicken, separate the marinade (usually mine hits the disposal, much less getting separated for use). After sufficient chicken browning, then the veggies are browned, mixed with flour for a roux, and combined with the liquid marinade, chicken stock, shallots, and garlic. Do not burn the flour.... quickest way to ruin a coq au vin. Chicken returns to pot for a little swim, while a pound of mushrooms are fried in as much butter (yum). After 45 minutes, call the chicken done- then separate the sauce AGAIN, but make sure to keep the liquid not the solids. Boil sauce for the last time, add the mushrooms, spoon over the cooked bird and voila- coq au vin. At this point, I was sweating... but damn, it was worth it. As with any piece of meat, the French cooking has a way of making it more tender, more flavorful, and more juicy than simply baking, grilling, frying, or poaching. Seriously, if they can make chicken, the most bland and dry of all meats, taste like a delicacy... imagine the wild game (mwahaha).