Like seriously.
I made a lemon-provence roast chicken, beet and apple salad with goat cheese mousse, caramelized onions and green beans, and freshly baked baguettes. And everything was surprisingly simple!
I've been on this French kick for a bit. Reading all the French fashion blogs, dreaming about an apartment in Paris, and imagining Sophie prancing around cobblestone streets in a designer leather collar. Clearly, I need some help. With my new library card (like omg I haven't had one since 2000), I checked out Rachel Khoo's "My Little Paris Kitchen" and got to work. I had to do a bit of modifying, because of Jason's vegetarian tendencies (so bacon was out, damn him) and my mom was against turning on the oven in 85 degree heat. So how did I do it? The secrets are below:
Lemon/Herbs de Provence Roast Chicken:
- quality, organic, roast chicken -> rinse and pat dry
- make compound butter: 3-4 tablespoons butter (preferably organic), sea salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a hearty helping of herbs de provence. (Save some for the green beans).
- cut slits into chicken chicken and throw in pats of butters
- put salt and pepper in the cavity with leftover lemon remains
- then rub salt and pepper and herbs into skin
- let sit for an hour
- THE SECRET: the NuWave oven. Put chicken breast side down, and cook for 15 mins on high. Turn over and cook for 20 mins on high. Make sure juices run clear, then let rest for ten mins before serving.
Beet and Apple Salad with Goat Cheese Mousse:
- Goat Cheese mousse: 3.5 oz herbed goat cheese softened and blent with 2-3 tbsp milk until smooth; should be like pancake batter. Whip up 3-4 tbsp heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks. Fold milk mixture into whipping cream. Put in sandwich bag and chill in fridge until ready to use.
- roast a big beet (peeled and chopped) with salt, pepper and olive oil; let cool
- chop dessert apple
- throw those two ingredients with a herb salad
- make a vinaigrette [blend one clove garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and one heavy tbsp of whole grain Dijon)
- drizzle that over salad
- Take out sandwich bag, clip off corner, and make little goat cheese poufs on salad.
Green Beans and Caramelized Onions:
- blanch a couple of cups of green beans (boiling water 2-3 minutes, ice water bath)
- caramelize an onion in olive oil
- throw in green beans
- THE SECRET: throw in compound butter from the chicken
- cook for about 15 minutes until flavors have melted into each other
French bread:
I did this recipe, but made smaller baguettes. THE SECRET: Then I threw it into our mini toaster over, for about 18 minutes. Everyone got a baby baguette (even Sophie)!
Overall, the meal was AMAZING, despite the fact I burned myself on a baguette. The flavors were so light. I realized that I tend to rely heavily on garlic as my flavor base. It was refreshing to have these light and delicate fragrances, which were new to my cooking, with our traditional Sunday roast. Most definitely making all these things again.
I made a lemon-provence roast chicken, beet and apple salad with goat cheese mousse, caramelized onions and green beans, and freshly baked baguettes. And everything was surprisingly simple!
Lemon/Herbs de Provence Roast Chicken:
- quality, organic, roast chicken -> rinse and pat dry
- make compound butter: 3-4 tablespoons butter (preferably organic), sea salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a hearty helping of herbs de provence. (Save some for the green beans).
- cut slits into chicken chicken and throw in pats of butters
- put salt and pepper in the cavity with leftover lemon remains
- then rub salt and pepper and herbs into skin
- let sit for an hour
- THE SECRET: the NuWave oven. Put chicken breast side down, and cook for 15 mins on high. Turn over and cook for 20 mins on high. Make sure juices run clear, then let rest for ten mins before serving.
Beet and Apple Salad with Goat Cheese Mousse:
- Goat Cheese mousse: 3.5 oz herbed goat cheese softened and blent with 2-3 tbsp milk until smooth; should be like pancake batter. Whip up 3-4 tbsp heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks. Fold milk mixture into whipping cream. Put in sandwich bag and chill in fridge until ready to use.
- roast a big beet (peeled and chopped) with salt, pepper and olive oil; let cool
- chop dessert apple
- throw those two ingredients with a herb salad
- make a vinaigrette [blend one clove garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and one heavy tbsp of whole grain Dijon)
- drizzle that over salad
- Take out sandwich bag, clip off corner, and make little goat cheese poufs on salad.Green Beans and Caramelized Onions:
- blanch a couple of cups of green beans (boiling water 2-3 minutes, ice water bath)
- caramelize an onion in olive oil
- throw in green beans
- THE SECRET: throw in compound butter from the chicken
- cook for about 15 minutes until flavors have melted into each other
French bread:
I did this recipe, but made smaller baguettes. THE SECRET: Then I threw it into our mini toaster over, for about 18 minutes. Everyone got a baby baguette (even Sophie)!
Overall, the meal was AMAZING, despite the fact I burned myself on a baguette. The flavors were so light. I realized that I tend to rely heavily on garlic as my flavor base. It was refreshing to have these light and delicate fragrances, which were new to my cooking, with our traditional Sunday roast. Most definitely making all these things again.
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