Here are some recipes from Jacques Pepin's "Today's Gourmet: Light and Healthy Cooking for the 90s."

Chicken in Tarragon Sauce

Makes 4 servings.

6 pieces of skinless chicken (2 drumsticks and 2 thighs with bones left in and 2 boneless breasts)
1/2 cup dry, fruity white wine
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chicken stock (I use "Better than Bouillon Organic")
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon potato starch (or cornstarch) dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon for garnish

Place the chicken drumsticks, thighs, wine, onion, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and boil gently for about 10 minutes. Add the breast meat, cover and boil gently for another 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a dish and keep warm. Measure the cooking liquid. There should be about 1 cup. If there is more, boil it in the pan to reduce it to 1 cup. Stir in the dissolved potato starch and bring it to a boil, stirring. Add the cream and return to a boil. Put the chicken pieces in the pan and heat them through. Remove from the heat, and sprinkle with the tarragon, and serve.

Jacques called me back and said you should be sure to notice that the dark meat is cooked for about 20 minutes, and the breast meat for about 10 minutes. Delaying the addition of the white meat prevents it from becoming overcooked and stringy.

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Jacques uses dark meat for this next recipe because chicken breasts tend to dry out and get stringy. He called me and told me this. How would I know this otherwise?

Chicken Legs with Wine and Yams
Makes 4 servings.

4 chicken legs (about 3 pounds total), cut into thighs and drumsticks
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 large shallots, peeled
8 medium mushrooms
4 yams, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 cup dry white wine
8 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish

Remove the skin from the chicken pieces, using a kitchen towel to hep pull it off. Heat the oil in one large or two small skillets and brown the chicken pieces (partially covered to prevent spattering) on all sides in about 10 minutes.

Add the onion and cook for 1 minute, then add the shallots, mushrooms, yams, wine, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and boil very gently for 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.


Ratatouille

4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 large ripe tomato, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet or saucepan heat the oil and saute the onion for 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and saute for 2 minutes, then add the green pepper and zucchini and saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper. Lover the heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Drizzle this tarragon oil over fish or chicken, or whatever.

Tarragon Oil

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons fresh chives, snipped
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

Process in one of those mini choppers until liquified.