Rustic Apricot and Date Chicken Stew with Cous Cous and Brown Sugar Creme Fraiche

In the winter, I always crave rustic hearty food to warm up to.  I like things that can be made in big batches, then warmed up for a quick meal when you come in from a snowy day.  I think the dried fruit adds a nice sweetness to this dish.  The dates give the stew a nice rich colour, and the dried apricots re-hydrate to give the stew a beautiful texture.  The creme fraiche was Greg's idea, and I think adds very nicely to the dish.  We made this stew after seeing an afternoon showing of Tron (I definately didn't fall asleep...), followed by Greg killing me in air hockey.

Ingredients 

For Stew
-1 onion, diced
-fresh thyme, leaves picked
-1 clove of garlic, chopped
-4 or 5 chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces and seasoned well with salt and pepper
-1/2 cup red wine
-1/2 cup dried apricot, roughly chopped
-1/2 cup dried date, roughly chopped
-1 large can diced tomatoes
-1 cinnamon stick
-2 bay leaves
-salt and pepper


Creme Fraiche
-1 small individual sized plain yogurt
-2 tbsp brown sugar
-1/2 lemon, juice and zest
-salt and pepper


Cous Cous
-1 cup instant  cous cous
-1/2 lemon, juice and zest
-1 1/2 cup boiling chicken stock
-salt and pepper



Method


Mix the ingredients for the creme fraiche, and set aside.  In a large pot, saute the onion, garlic, and thyme in a generous amount of butter. Add the chicken and dried fruit and saute until golden brown.  Deglaze the pan with the red wine, and cook out until the wine is reduced to half.  Add the canned tomato, with the cinnamon and bay leaves.  Season with salt and pepper, and bring pot to a slow boil.  Once the stew has boiled, reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes or so.

Put the cous cous in a large bowl and add boiling chicken stock, lemon, and salt and pepper and cover tightly with seran wrap.

When everything is ready to go, serve the stew in bowls over a generous bed of cous cous.  Garnish it with a nice spoonful of creme fraiche, enjoy!!  :)

(Greg and I picked up these bowls from the West End Zehrs for 2.99... I am in love with them!!)