You should make these recipes

I saw Julie and Julia.  I love Nora Ephron movies, even if they make my husband roll his eyes at me (sidenote: When Harry Met Sally is hands down my favorite rom com).  After seeing it I needed to make a Julia Child recipe.  I immediately got a copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking from the library (I highly recommend cookbooks from the library).

I decided to try two recipes out of the book two nights ago for dinner.  I made gratin dauphinois (scalloped potatoes with milk, cheese and a pinch of garlic) and supremes de volaille aux champignons (chicken breasts with mushrooms and cream). 

I was a bit nervous about making them but they both turned out perfectly.  Plus, they were really easy and reasonably priced!

I made the gratin first:

Here's the recipe, though I recommend picking up the book at the library because Child lists numerous variations to this base recipe:

2 lbs "boiling" potatoes (I used red)
1/2 clove unpeeled garlic
4 tbsps butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tp pepper (I think I used a bit more)
1 c (4 ozs) grated Swiss cheese
1 cup boiling milk(I used skim and it was fine but I think whole milk or cream would be even better)


Preheat oven to 425F. Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8 inch thick (I used a mandolin and it was a snap). Place slices in cold water so they don't discolor (Brian and I call it "potato oxide"). Drain when ready to use.  Rub the baking dish with the cut garlic. Smear the dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Drain the potatoes and dry them in a towel. Spread half of them in the bottom of the dish. Divide over them half the salt, pepper, cheese, and butter. Arrange the remaining potatoes over the first layer and season. Spread on the rest of the cheese and divide the butter over it. Pour on the boiling milk. Set the baking dish in upper third of preheated oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, the milk is absorbed, and the top is a golden brown. 

It was delicious.

The second recipe I made was the chicken:

Don't you want to eat that?  I wish I could have it again right now.  That is how good it was.  The mushroom were one of the variations to the master recipe of chicken with cream.  It was so good that I will have to try other variations.  Here is the recipe:

5 tbsp. Butter
1 tbsp. minced shallot or green onion (I used shallot)
¼ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced or diced
4 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless
1/2 tsp Lemon juice
3/8ths tsp. salt, divided
pinch of pepper
¼ c. white or brown stock or canned beef bouillon (I used Emeril's Beef Stock)
¼ c. port, Madiera or dry white vermouth(I used the latter)
1 c. whipping cream
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste
Minced fresh parsley to garnish

Preheat oven to 400F.

Rub the chicken breasts with the lemon juice and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Heat the butter in a casserole (I used my dutch oven) over moderate heat until foaming.  Stir in the minced shallots or green onions and sauté a moment without browning.  Then stir in the mushrooms and sauté lightly for a minute or two without browning.  Sprinkle with salt. 

Place chicken breasts in the casserole and turn in the butter, coating both sides. Cover the pan and place in oven.

Child says to cook the chicken for 6 – 8 minutes and then return to the oven if the chicken is still soft.  I had to leave the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes total because my chicken breasts were insanely large. When they are done, remove the pan from the oven and remove the chicken, covering them on the serving platter to keep them warm.  Leave the mushrooms in the pan to make the sauce. 

Place pan on stove and turn heat on high.  Add the stock  (or bouillon) and the vermouth to the pan and boil down quickly until the liquid is syrupy.  Stir in the cream and boil down again over high heat until the cream has thickened slightly.  Off heat, taste carefully for seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste.  Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve at once.

Here's a picture taken while I made the sauce:

Mmmmm... creamy goodness.  I am going to dream of that sauce.  It is by far the best sauce I have ever made.  Who knew it could be so simple?!

Here is Brian's "action shot" of the dish:

It was seriously good.  You need to make this.  Trust me.