Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew with Couscous (Chez Omar Style)

Ever since my meal at Chez Omar in Paris I’ve been dreaming about couscous with vegetable stew.  So of course I spent a while trying to find something to replicate it.

The closest I came was this recipe over at Smitten Kitchen. Interestingly enough their quest for a couscous recipe was triggered by a visit to Chez Omar too. I’m telling you, that place is magical!

I made a ton of changes to this recipe to bring it closer to my Chez Omar experience and to account for things that I wasn’t particularly interested in.  I scrapped the olives, preserved lemons and all the garnishes.  I added sweet potato, carrots, zucchini and celery.  I forgot to buy saffron so I didn’t use it.  To spice things up I added some paprika and some cayenne pepper.

This might be my new favourite dish.  It’s a great way to eat a ton of vegetables and still having a filling meal.  I can tell already that this might be the type of thing I make every other week. Loved it!

Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew

Serves 6 to 8

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound butternut squash, large dice
3/4 pound red potatoes, large dice
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
Pinch saffron threads (optional)
1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 cup brined green olives
Steamed couscous, for serving
Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, for garnish
Toasted slivered almonds, for garnish
Plain yogurt, for garnish
Hot sauce of your choice (for serving)

Heat butter and olive oil in a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onion, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are aromatic and onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add squash and potatoes, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir to coat, and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add broth, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juices, and saffron, if using. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until squash is fork tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in preserved lemon and olives. Serve over couscous garnished with cilantro, almonds, and yogurt.

(Recipe via Smitten Kitchen which is an adaptation of this recipe)

On The Town: 7 Days in Paris

I just got back from a fabulous week in Paris (France).  Paris isn’t new to me, I spent almost 6 months studying there while in university about 6 years ago.  It was time for another visit.  While living there on zero income I didn’t get to take full advantage of all the food the city has to offer so this time I did a bunch of research to figure out where I should eat.  My main sources were David Lebovtiz, Clotilde of Chocolat et Zucchini, Dorie Greenspan and Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks (she just came back from Paris!) – links to their blogs are at the end.  How did people travel before the interwebs and having fellow bloggers to learn from?  Did people just go around eating mediocre foods or did the rely on travel guides?  I can’t even imagine.  I ate well and paid very little attention to how much I was eating.  2 or 3 desserts a day was not unusual.  Enjoy and feel free to leave comments if you have any questions about these places or have anything to add! There will be a few more Paris posts so do check throughout the week…

Day 1

(Photo borrowed from Bridge and Tunnel Club)

Bistrot Victoires
6 rue de la Vrillière (1st)
noon-3pm, 7-11pm daily

This came as a pick from the NY Times and got high marks from Time Out Paris so I figured why not.  It’s none for decent food at low prices, sign me up! We got there and it was a cute spot and central enough to things, which is always nice.  I ordered the “entrecote” which was essentially steak that came with a flaming thyme sprig (ok) and fries all for the low price of 11,50!  The food was… ok.  You kind of get what you pay for.  It wasn’t the greatest cut of meat, it lacked a certain something… or as the French would say “je ne sais quoi” and the fries were aight.  I was hoping it would be cheap AND amazing so that we’d return but this one is definitely off the list.  NY Time picks were on probation for a minute after this one.

Day 2

Boulangerie Patisserie Beaumarchais

28, Blvd Beaumarchais (11th)
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays

I heart David Lebovitz’ blog and had a bunch of picks from him on my Paris food list.  Luckily the place that he claims has the best croissants in Paris is down the street from my apartment.  I must say they are pretty darn good.    I had croissants from there every day of my stay (except Tuesday and Wednesday when they are closed).  They are buttery, flaky and just delicious.  They also have a bunch of other treats that looked delicious.  I only managed to make it through the pain au chocolat and chausson aux pommes… both wonderful.

Le Pain Quotidien
18, place du Marche St. Honore
75001 Paris

Ok, I know we have these in Canada and the U.S. but like many things they are just better in Europe!  The look is the same, lots of light wood, long communal tables, but the food is delish!  I had a tartine (open faced sandwich) with smoked salmon and avocado.  As garnishes it came with dill, lettuce, tomato, lemon and likely some other goodness.  The smoked salmon was pure buttery, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. I kind of want to eat there all the time.  Also, the prices were right.  My tartine was 11,50 and I left super full.  They also have some great menus (soup + tartine + salad) for 10,50. Loved it.

(Photo via Hoosta Magazine)

Pink Flamingo
105, rue Vieille du Temple (3rd)
01 42 71 28 20
http://www.pinkflamingopizza.com/pink_marais/pink_flamingo.html
Tues-Sun 7-11

Ok, I know I swore of NY Times recos but we gave in and tried this place because we were tired and wanted takeout.  This place happened to be about a 5 minute walk from the apartment.  It’s a pizza place started by a New Yorker and a few other people.  The pizzas have fun names and have eclectic toppings like sag paneer, cuban pork, figs etc.  Totally fun! We had the La Dante (tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) and the La Marcello (arugula, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and parmesan) which were both good.  Not the best pizzas I’ve ever had but yummy nonetheless.

Day 3

(Photo via Fée Clopinette)

L’As du Fallafel
23, rue des Rosiers
33-1-42-71-53-72

So I’ve blogged before about this place and how it’s pretty much the best falafels EVER so of course it was on my to-do list.  This place did NOT disappoint. Sure, some things were different like there was a guy who would take your orders and money while you were in line so that the only thing you had to do at the window was present your ticket (I of course thought it was a scam, but it wasn’t).  Also I remember there being eggplant slices on top rather than dices and spread them throughout.  But all changes were for the better!  For 5 euros you get a huge falafel filled with total goodness… possibly the best 5 euros spent during my trip.  We went back a second time and ate inside.  Unlike on Sundays when it is PURE MADNESS it was super calm.  I had a falafel, fries and a Macabee (Israeli beer) and was in heaven.

(Photo via Mr. Lung)

Chez Omar
47,rue de Bretagne (3rd)
Phone:  01 42 72 36 26
Mon-Sun 12-11:30

Couscous is kind of a big thing in Paris.  Generally it’s made by Algerians or Moroccans who have a fairly significant presence in Paris.  I don’t remember having couscous when I lived in Paris but put it on my list for this trip.  This entire meal was jokes.  From the time we walked in the entire staff was calling us “cousins” (since they are African and we’re black) and were super friendly.  We ordered the couscous with merguez sausage and one with chicken.  You get a platter of couscous, a vegetable stew (with carrots, celery, chickpeas, potatoes etc.) and then whatever meat you order.  Um, kind of fantastic.  So flavourful and pure comfort food.  I have to figure out how to make that for sure.

Day 4

(Photo via iTaste)

Cafe des Musees
49 rue du Turenne (3rd)
01 42 72 96 17

So this night we were feeling lazy and wanted to have dinner in our ‘hood.  I didn’t have any ‘hood picks so I did a quick search and came up with this place.  We didn’t have a reservation so they told us we’d have to sit in the sous-sol (basement).  Um, okay.  Turns out the basement is GORGEOUS! Really spacious with really neat design.  The word on the street was that this place had great fries so we ordered the entrecote (steak) and fries.  The steak was great and came with a delicious sauce… might have been a bernaise but I can’t remember and the fries were indeed perfect.  I ate them embarrassingly quickly.  I also have to add that we had the most adorable waitress ever.

Day 5

(Photo via Au Gout Dujour)

Au Gout Dujour
12, rue Beaugrenelle
01 45 71 68 36

I LOVED THIS PLACE!  I’m not sure what it was but the whole experience but I had a lovely time and the food was great.  It’s a small spot in the 15th and from what I’ve read the chef bases his menu on what’s available in the markets so the menu changes frequently.  I had a roasted duck with ratatouille.  Now, I don’t ever order duck but something about duck just sounded right.  The flavours were amazing and blended together so perfectly.  For dessert I ordered a montblanc with chestnut cream and meringue.  I’m pretty sure I heard angels singing with every bite.  Our waitress was also pretty awesome here.  I could figure out most of the menu in French but then asked her if she spoke english.  Her response: what do i look like a french girl or something?  Loves it!  I’m a fan of cross-cultural sarcasm.  This place pretty much stole my heart.

Day 6

(Photo via iTaste)

La Briciola
14, Rue Normandie
01 42 77 34 10

This was another pick that I saw on David Lebovitz’ site and it was confirmed by the often fabulous Heidi Swanson at 101Cookbooks.  I know, pizza TWICE while in Paris? Alas, a girl cannot live by Steak Frites and Macarons alone!  This place is a great sit down restaurant which was probably a 5-10 minute walk from our apartment in the 3rd.  When we got there it was clear that it is totally a hotspot, the place was packed and everyone looked so happy eating their pizzas. I opted for a pizza with ham, mushrooms, olive, artichokes… and likely some other things too. The pizza was just the way I like it: thin crust with plenty of blisters.  The ingredients were very fresh and flavourful making for a great pizza.  For dessert we split the tiramisu three ways.  It was decent.  You could definitely taste the quality of the ingredients used (high… of course!).

Day 7

Le Pain Quotidien
18-20, rue de Archives
75004 Paris

We were tired.  It was late. I was out of local restaurant picks.  So we ended up back at LPQ.  This time I had the Madagascar Salad which included shrimp, mango, avocado, mixed lettuce, tomatoes, radishes and cucumbers with a crazy salsa type salad dressing.  Maybe it was my lack of vegetables recently but this was AMAZING.  It was many of my favourite foods in one bowl of goodness.  A decent way to end our time in Paris.  My favourite part of the meal was when a guy further down the table asked to share my bread basket.  WTF?  I let him… I admired him for even asking.

Places I wanted to visit but didn’t make it to…

There are only so many meals one can consume and only so many ways to conveniently plan to be in the right neighbourhood come lunch or dinner time.  Here are a few places that I wanted to try but didn’t get to:

Le Bar à Soupes (11th)
33, rue de Charonne
(33-1) 4357-5379
www.lebarasoupes.com

Rose Bakery (9th)
46 rue des Martyrs
01 42 82 12 80

Les Papilles (5th)
30, rue Gay-Lussac
01 43 25 20 79

A l’Etoile d’Or
30, rue Fontaine (9th)
Métro: Blanche
01 48 74 59 55

Berthillion
29-31 rue saint Louis en l’ile
75004 Paris

Top Picks

Au Gout Dujour – this place will be the place that i talk about for years when I remember this trip.
Chez Omar – The food was great at decent prices and the service was great!
La Briciola – Pizza in Paris? Totally worth skipping another night of cassoulet or steak frites.
L’As de Fallafel – Seriously, the best falafels I’ve had. Ever… and I’ve had a lot of falafels.

Resources

Here are some of the sites that I used to help make my picks:

David Lebovitz
Clotilde from Chocolate & Zucchini
Dorie Greenspan
Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks

Barefoot Bloggers: Blue Cheese Souffle

Yay!  I think I’m officially on track with my Barefoot Blogging. Hopefully this means that my hiatus is over.

This week’s pick comes courtesy of Summer of Sexy Apartment. I was a bit hesitant at first when I saw that she chose souffle.  I mean who choses souffle??  I was annoyed initially because it meant that I had to acquire a souffle dish.  This was a particularly sore point since I had bought one when I lived in NYC to make a souffle (once) and then gave it away before moving to Toronto.  Plus, I have issues with eggs and a souffle is basically baked egg.  BARF.

But I soldiered on.  I went to Dollarama and bought a 4-cup souffle dish (so I could halve the recipe) and decided to temporarily put my egg issues to the side.  This was not an easy task considering that the third egg I cracked had a double yolk. DOUBLE BARF.  But somehow I managed to make it through.

The end product was good.  I had read comments that this dish lacked flavour but I guess I used a flavourful blue chese because I did not have those issues.  It wasn’t terribly egg-y which worked for me.  The souffle didn’t reach great heights but it did rise enough.

Would I make this again? I probably not but I would pass along the recipe to souffle loving friends.  I’m not the best judge in how this stacks up to other souffle recipes but given that this is Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten approved I’m sure it’s probably good.

Be sure to head over to Barefoot Bloggers to see what others had to say about this one.

BLUE CHEESE SOUFFLE

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup scalded milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
• 5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don’t peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Things I Want: Filio Teapot

(Photo from the MOMA Store)

Every once in a while a love to browse the MOMA Store’s website.  They alwsys have brilliantly designed pieces that actually seem functional and worthy of integrating into your day to day life.

I’m in LOVE with this teapot!  First of all it’s adorable!  Second it is so functional.  The design allows the water to really circulate around the tea leaves.  And who doesn’t love the candle at the bottom to keep the tea warm?  Seriously, there need to be more teapots with that feature.

This teapot doesn’t come cheap at $185 but it’s the perfect give for a tea lover (like me!).

Click Here for the full details and how to order.

Folly Island Shrimp and Grits

I love me some shrimp and grits.  If you type in “grits” into the search field on this plug about 4 different recipes for shrimp and grits.  There’s just something about shrimp on top of creamy grits.  While I love the recipes that I normally use I’m constantly on the lookout for new recipes to try.

I found this recipe via Epicurious (as usual).   What drew me to it was the addition of cream cheese to the grits and cooking the grits in chicken broth.  It immediately sounded like a great recipe for creamy and flavourful grits.  Perfecto!  I was a bit nervous about the shrimp portion of the recipe since you literally just sautee the shrimp and the toss with lime juice.  I couldn’t handle the simplicity and added salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

In the end the concoction was delicious!  These might be my fave creamy grits yet.  The chicken broth really makes this dish delish.  AND the green onions didn’t taste that onion-y despite not being cooked.

I served these with oven-roasted plum tomatoes… my fave side dish of the moment.
Folly Island Shrimp and Grits
2 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cup quick-cooking white grits
3 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons half and half
1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Combine chicken broth and 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Stir in grits. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix cream cheese and half and half into grits. Cover and simmer mixture until almost all liquid has evaporated and grits are tender, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Stir in green onions. Remove mixture from heat.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sauté just until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Remove skillet from heat. Spoon grits onto center of plate. Top with shrimp and drizzle with lime butter from skillet.

Bon Appétit
October 1994
by Paula Keener-Chavis: Folly Beach, South Carolina

Sweet-pepper and butternut-squash soup

Butternut squash soup is quite possibly my favourite type of soup.  I love the creaminess (without cream), the sweetness and the fact that it just seems so healthy!  Over the years I’ve played with various recipes.  Some were all squash, some involved apples or apple juice, some were spiced with ginger etc.  I was flipping through a donated (to me!) copy of Chatelaine when I saw this recipe.  I liked that it was a mix of roasted peppers and roasted squash.

I made this on a weeknight and was thrilled.  The depth of flavour from roasting the vegetables adds a great smokiness and sweetness to the soup.  The addition of cayenne pepper (I put a bit extra) gave it a nice kick.

This is definitely my fave butternut squash soup recipe of the moment!

Preheat over to 450F.  Cut a peeled large butternut squash into 1/2-in. slices.  Cut 2 orange peppers into quarters.  Spread squash and peppers over 2 large baking sheets.  Drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat.  Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp each dried rosemary and thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme leaves.  Add 1/4 tsp salt and pinch of cayenne.  Toss to coat.  Roast in oven, stirring halfway through, until tender, 30 min.  When almost cooked, saute 1 coarsely chopped large onion and 2 minced garlic cloves in an oiled frying pan over medium until tender, 5 min.  Stir in roasted vegetables and 4 cups chicken broth.  Ladle half into a food processor.  Puree until smooth.  Turn into a bowl.  Repeat with second half.  Return all to the pan and heat.  Thin if necessary with broth or water.

(From Chatelaine October 2009)

Things I Want: Banana Bunker

(Image from the MOMA Store)

A few months ago I blogged about the Banana Protector which I bought and totally love.  My bananas really do arrive at work unbruised and in perfect condition.  Well lo and behold I was on the MOMA site and found the Banana Bunker!

Leave it to the folks at the MOMA to stock the more sophisticated cousin to the Banana Proctector  I love that it’s clear! I love the grips around the edge!  I love that it is even more phallic than my beloved Banana Proctector!

At $12 for a set of two the price is totally right.

Barefoot Bloggers: Cheddar Corn Chowder

I’ll be the first to admit that I have been slacking on my Barefoot Bloggers duties.  This summer wasn’t conducive to cooking and blogging all that much and then I couldn’t muster the energy to participate in September with the double dose of cake recipes.  I don’t even really like cake all that much so to make two cakes in one month? Not.Going.To.Happen.  So I decided that October would be my month!  But then October crept up on me and didn’t look at this month’s recipes until this past Thursday and realized that that was when the first posting was due.  Le sigh.  I’m back in the game!

This recipe came in good time.  It is FREEZING in Toronto.  As I write this it is 5C.  I don’t know what that is in Fahrenheit but it’s likely in the 30s.  There couldn’t be a better day for some soup.  And I love chowder.  Give me clam chowder, corn chowder, it doesn’t matter.

I followed this recipe to a tee (well, I halved it) and was in love with the results.  I mean soup topped with bacon? bring it on!  One thing that I didn’t love was the amount of oil visible on the surface of the soup.   think next time I’d puree a some of the soup to make it creamy without the use of cream.  I don’t think I’d forgo sauteeing the onions in bacon fat and butter though.  A girl must have standards.

Shouts to Jill from My Next Life for picking such a fab and seasonal appropriate recipe!

Cheddar Corn Chowder

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 12 cups chicken stock
• 6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
• 10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

(From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten via The Food Network)

On The Town: Hot Doug’s (Chicago)

Hot Doug’s
3324 North California
Chicago, IL 60618
Phone: (773) 279-9550

Alas, this is my last post from my most recent Chicago visit.  I was in Chicago to attend a taping of the “Oprah Winfrey Show” (episode airs on Monday!) with som friends and made sure to eat up a storm!  After the taping we decided to make a trek out to the very famous Hot Doug’s.

If you love hot dogs you have to hit up Hot Doug’s the next time you’re in Chicago.  Their menu is kind of insane. They have about 13 kinds of sausages on offer per day PLUS any number of daily specials.  The regular offerings include regular hot dogs, Bratwurst, veggie dogs, chicken dogs, Italian sausage etc.  The specials are usually another type of sausage loaded with a ton of toppings.  Love it!

Choosing what kind of sausage you want is half the battle because then you move onto condiments.  They have the usual ketchup, mustard, relish and onions but then take it up a notch (for FREE) with toppings like caramelized onions, sauerkraut, celery salt, pickles and tomatoes.  Genius.  I didn’t know this before but apparently a “Chicago-Style” hot dog has mustard, relish, onions, pickles, tomatoes and celery salt.  I had no clue!

You have one more choice to make… how you want your hot dog cooked.  You can opt for grilled, steamed, deep fried and I think there is another option that is escaping me.

I stole this photo from my dining companion but those were my hot dog picks.  I had grilled regular hot dog with caramelized onions and sauerkraut and then a regular hot dog, deep fried (holla!) Chicago-style.  Truth be told I really couldn’t tell the difference between the grilled and deep fried, but I do know they were both delicious.  I kind of loved the Chicago-style one that was so loaded with toppings.  It was like a hamburger-style hot dog.  Kind of like heaven.

Hot Doug’s is known for their fries fried in duck fat but alas they only have them on Fridays and Saturdays and we were there on a Thursday.  The regular fries were still good to say the least.

One thing to note this place has long lines.  We were there at about 2PM on a Thursday and the line was down the block (at least 20 people in line).  Word on the street is that the lines are even longer on Fridays and Saturdays when they have the duck fat fries.  Is it worth the line?  If you love hot dogs, then yes.  This place is a keeper.

Julia Child’s Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme or Chicken with Bacon, Onions and Potatoes

For the past maybe 5 or 6 years I’ve put Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1 on my Christmas wish list. For some reason no one has EVER bought it for me.  I was ordering books from Amazon a few weeks ago and decided to finally make my own Christmas and finally buy the book myself (cue: sister’s are doing it for themselves…).

BEST.DECISION.EVER.

I’m kind of obsessed with this book.  I’ve made crepes and quiche so far and they have been great.  The quiche recipe is going to be my standard base.  I love how Julia Child uses tons of butter and cream.  She was a woman after my own heart really.  I’ve been pouring over the recipes and have all sorts of things marked that I would like to make.  When I came upon this recipe for a chicken sauteed in bacon fat and roasted with bacon, onions and potatoes I couldn’t resist.

This recipe is definitely not a weekday meal (unless your weekdays allow you time for involved recipes) but it is perfect for a Sunday dinner.  It’s not that the recipe is difficult to follow it just involves a few intense steps.  The most intense step is sauteeing an ENTIRE CHICKEN in bacon and butter.  You’re supposed to sautee the bird until it’s golden… I couldn’t make that happen.  AND you’re not supposed to break the skin while turning the chicken.  I failed at that epically.  I think I just have to be more patient and really let each side brown.  Plus it would make the final outcome more attractive if the bird was browned.

This turned out so great!  I mean, what’s NOT to love about eat potatoes cooked in chicken and bacon fat? Seriously.  Plus the chicken was really flavourful and delicious.  It would never occur to me to cook a chicken in one of my Le Creusets!  But it turned out perfectly.  I wouldn’t make this every week given all that is required to make it happen but as a special occasion or once in a while dish – this is perfect.

Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme

• 1/2-pound piece bacon
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3-pound roasting chicken, trussed and buttered
• 15 to 25 peeled white onions (about 1-inch diameter)
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Herb bouquet made with 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, and 1/4 teaspoon thyme tied in washed cheesecloth

1. Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons (strips 1/2 inch wide and 1 1/2 inches long). In 2 quarts water, simmer the bacon for 10 minutes. Rinse in cold water and dry. In a fire-proof casserole, saute the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes in 1 tablespoon of the butter until lightly browned. Transfer to a dish.

2. Brown the chicken in the hot fat, breast side down. Brown for 2 minutes, regulating heat so the butter is always very hot but not burning. Turn the chicken on another side using 2 wooden spoons or a towel. Continue browning and turning the chicken until it is a nice golden color almost all over, particularly on the breast and legs. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. Add more oil, if necessary, to keep the bottom of the casserole filmed.

3. Remove the chicken from the pan. Pour the fat out of the casserole. Set the oven at 325 degrees.

4. Drop the onions into boiling, salted water and boil slowly for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

5. Peel the potatoes and trim them into uniform ovals about 2 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Drain immediately.

6. In the casserole, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter until foaming. Add the potatoes and roll them around over moderate heat for 2 minutes to evaporate their moisture; this will prevent their sticking to the casserole. Spread them in the pan. Salt the chicken and place it breast up in the casserole. Place the bacon and onions on the potatoes and add the herb bouquet. Baste all the ingredients with the butter in the casserole, lay a piece of foil over the chicken, and cover the casserole.

7. Heat the casserole on top of the stove until the contents are sizzling. Transfer to the oven and roast for 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes or until the chicken leg registers 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Baste once or twice with the juices in the pan.

Adapted from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” Volume One, printed in the Boston Globe.

(Recipe found on She’s Becoming DoughMessTic)