Poulet Vallée d’Auge, Devon style

On holiday in Devon a friend boasted that I would appreciate his cooking skills if he made a famous Normandy chicken dish from the Vallée d’Auge, which incorporates cream, cider, apples and Calvados, the apple brandy. Devon, with its bounty of cream, cider and apples, seemed the perfect place to recreate it. But my friend couldn’t remember the exact recipe, so we cooked it together and I added some shallots for the wonderful sweetness they impart. It may not have been quite a classic dish b