So, when we added in the dessert, this happened to turn into a meal inspired by the French countryside. (Bill knows these things. I just know that it's good food.)
You may think that French cooking is rather difficult - my only exposure to the style is watching Julie & Julia, as I suppose it is for many of you - but this is one of the easiest and most delicious meals I've ever made.
The Meal: Herb-Roasted Chicken with Asparagus Gratin
The Chicken: Small whole chicken (4-5 lbs.)
Fresh thyme (15-20 sprigs)
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
I let kitchen master Bill do the tutorial on how to roast a chicken. It's really not that difficult after all!
The Directions: Preheat oven to 475 degrees, as well as an oven-safe skillet with olive oil on the stove top. Remove chicken from plastic bag and discard giblets. (That term and the actual giblets have always grossed me out. BLECH.)
There are two large flaps of fat on either side of the cavity of the chicken. Be sure to remove these, or else they will burn.
Gently stuff rosemary and thyme between the skin and flesh of the chicken. Be careful not to tear the skin, like Bill did. (Sorry! You said it yourself, and I can't let everyone go on thinking that you're the perfect cook!) Season liberally with salt and pepper all over, including the cavity.
Place the chicken breast side up in the preheated skillet. The goal here is just to brown the skin to a nice caramel color. You don't want to cook the chicken here - that's what the roasting is for! This should just take a few minutes to sear on high heat.
Once browned, place in the oven for 30 minutes. Check often to make sure none of the fat is burning. The chicken will steam this way, and that is not what you want. Turn oven down to 450 degrees after 30 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Flip again and cook for a final 10 minutes.
Allow the chicken to rest for about 5 minutes, letting the juices redistribute. When removed from the oven, the temperature of the thickest part of the breast should be at 165 degrees and juices should run clear.
The Asparagus Gratin: 20 spears asparagus
4 tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup creme fraiche
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Handful fresh chopped parsley
RUN. Don't walk. RUN to the kitchen and make this. You will absolutely not believe how delicious it is.
Also, I don't know of any grocery store around here that carries creme fraiche. Bill's secret (you've been redeemed, Mr. Clark!) is to whisk together a few tablespoons of heavy cream with sour cream to equal the 1 cup called for in this recipe. Brilliance!
The Directions: Rinse asparagus and trim, breaking off the woody ends at its natural breaking point. Cut the spears in half on an angle. Brush the gratin dishes with melted butter and place asparagus in the buttered dishes.
In a small saucepan, combine the creme fraiche, dijon mustard, salt and pepper and allow to heat through, reducing just a bit. This requires a watchful eye, because you don't want to scald the mixture. While this is reducing, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley in a small bowl. Pour the dijon mixture evenly over the asparagus and top with the breadcrumb mixture. Drizzle remaining butter on top.
Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown on top. If you are making this with the chicken, put it in the oven after the last rotation of the bird, and the gratin will be ready when you are ready to carve the bird.
And the bird is carved:
The table is set, with fresh-cut flowers:
And now, we're ready to chow down in the French countryside:
The Dessert: Plum Tatin
The Ingredients: 2/3 cups sugar
3 tbsp. water
3 tbsp. butter
6 plums, pitted and halved
The Directions: In non-stick oven-safe pan, swirl sugar and water together (but don't stir) until it just begins to caramelize. If needed, brush the sides of the pan down with water. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Place plums face down into the sugar mixture.
The Pie Crust: From Smitten Kitchen
You really only need half of this recipe, since you're only placing dough on top. So, you can either make the whole thing and freeze half for later, or halve the recipe to get only what you need. Roll out the crust and place on top of the plums. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling.
You'll need to flip the tatin onto a plate. Place a plate (larger than the skillet) on top of the skillet and flip quickly. It can be a bit messy, so be careful!
Top with fresh whipped cream (with which Bill whisked in some grape liqueur to make grapa chantilly cream - YUM.)
Hopefully, you get to enjoy this meal outside on a mild spring evening, like we did. I'm actually spoiled - good weather, good food, good friends.
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