Bon Appetit, French Style!

Since yesterday would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday, I was inspired to make a French themed dinner.  Now that the dinner is over and my belly is still warm, I can say it was delicious! However, it took forever to make.  Granted, I had to go to the gym and the grocery store before the cooking could even start.  I even had to rope Mr. Bear into the action.  His mission was to find three large zucchinis and frozen pearl onions. My grocery store stop left me empty handed on those two essential items.  We didn't sit down for dinner till 10:00.  It was all worth it though!  I even broke out our wedding china and turned on French music. Voila!  We were transformed to a cafe in Paris!

 I bought Julia's book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and Ina Garten's book, "Barefoot in Paris" and started planning my meal.  There were so many delicious options.  A lot of the recipes called for things I didn't have or didn't want to buy. And others I knew would take me all night to make.  Turns out I was going to be in the kitchen for a while anyway. Oh well.  It was totally worth it!

I decided on the following:

Appetizer:
Peppered salami
Triple creme brie on a crostini
Kalamata olives

Dinner:
Coq au vin
Vegetable tian

 

Coq Au Vin

Recipe by: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Serves: 3

Ingredients

·        

•  2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 4 ounces good bacon or pancetta, diced
• 1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut in 8ths*
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup Cognac or good brandy
• 1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine such as Burgundy or Pinot Noir
• 1 cup good chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 10 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pound frozen small whole onions
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.

Add the carrots, onions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.

Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot. 

*I already had two large boneless skinless chicken breasts so I used that instead of a whole chicken.  I  just cut the breasts into smaller pieces. I think it turned out just fine.

Vegetable Tian

Recipe by: Ina Garten, Barefoot in Paris

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• Good olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound medium round potatoes, unpeeled
• 3/4 pound zucchini
• 1 1/4 pounds medium tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
• 2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes* until browned. Serve warm.

*Since my potatoes were already fork tender, I added the cheese and put the dish under the broiler for about 3 minutes.