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Friday, August 14, 2009

Flashback and Foodie Friday ~Happy Birthday Julia



In honor of Julia Child's birthday which is tomorrow August 15th I flashback to 2008 when a group of my online buddies and I had a Chicken Cook-off. Several of them had purchased really cute chicken shaped roasters by Revol, so roasted chicken was somewhat of a theme although there were surprises in those roasters :-) I had never roasted a chicken before...shocking I know! So I was a bit nervous...how do you know when it's done? I had recently come into possession of an old copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and I figured if anyone could teach me how to roast a chicken it would be Julia. I selected Poulet Roti a la Normande. Julia suggested stuffing the bird and I did but not with the stuffing in the book. The roasting directions I did follow with the exception of adding a bit more seasoning to the bird itself..she only calls for salt. I had seen a beautifully browned bird not long before that had been seasoned with paprika, so I added that as well and slathered the chicken in side and out with the mixture along with a little more than the 1 Tablespoon of butter called for. The clincher to the "a la Normande" part is the fact that in the last 10 minutes of cooking you baste the chicken with heavy cream, then use the cream infused drippings to make a sauce. The result was a delicious crispy skinned beautifully browned chicken! I couldn't believe how easy it was to make something so pretty and flavorful. Julia knew what she was doing!



Poulet Roti a la Normande

Ingredients
3 lb. roasting chicken
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. butter

Herb and Giblet Stuffing:
1 chicken gizzard, peeled and minced
1 tbsp. butter
1/8 tsp. oil
1 chicken heart, chopped
1 to 4 chicken livers, chopped
1 tbsp. minced shallots or green onions
2/3 cup coarse breadcrumbs
4 tbsp. cream cheese
2 tbsp. softened butter
3 tbsp. minced parsely
1/8 tsp. tarragon or thyme
1/8 tsp. salt
1 pinch pepper

Roasting:
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp. salt

Sauce:
3 tbsp. strong brown chicken stock or 3 tbsp. canned beef bouillon
3 to 4 tbsp. whipping cream
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice, to taste

First, prepare the stuffing. Saute the gizzard in hot butter and oil for 2 minutes. Then stir in the heart, liver and shallots or onions. Saute for 2 minutes more, or until the liver has stiffened but is still rosy inside. Scrape into a mixing bowl.

Blend in the rest of the ingredients and taste carefully for seasoning. Let stuffing cool.

Sprinkly salt inside the chicken, and loosely fill with the stuffing. Sew or skewer the vent. Truss and dry the chicken, and rub its skin with butter.

Roast the chicken in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. After roasting 1 hour, remove all but 1 spoonful of fat from the pan. Baste chicken with 2 to 3 tbsp. whipping cream every 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is done. The cream will probably look curdled in the pan, but this will be corrected later.

Remove the chicken to a hot platter and sprinkle with salt.

Add the stock or bouillon to the cream in the roasting pan and boil rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping up coagulated chicken roasting juices.

Just before serving, remove from heat and stir in additional cream by spoonfuls to smooth out the sauce. Correct seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste.

Spoon a bit of sauce over the chicken and send the rest to the table in a warmed sauceboat.

I served it with the stuffing, new roasted potatoes, carrots and the delicious sauce.



We also had stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer




and Cupcakes with a Heart in the Middle for dessert


There aren't any garden photos from the day because I think it was still pretty chilly...



If you have a Flashback you'd like to share please put your link below!


I'm also participating in Foodie Friday...go check out all of the aweseome posts at Designs by Gollum

8 comments:

Kathleen said...

That looks like a wonderful dinner!
I never realized when we did the chicken cook off that you never had roasted chicken before!
Growing up we didn't have it much, I don't think anyone liked dark meat, and 2 chickens would be needed for 6 people. We had baked chicken breasts on a regular basis though!
I haven't used that revol in a long time. I really don't think the chicken tasted any different in that than when I did it in a pan!
Peer Pressure..:)

Linda said...

We are fall victim to the pressure of buying the gadgets!!
This chicken looks very good. Saw Julie & Julia last night...vry cute movie.

imjacobsmom said...

The pix of your chicken and meal had my mouth watering. It looks fantastic - like a pro - not a newbie chicken roaster! We never roasted chicken much growing up either, but we sure fried our share. Mmmm! I think I need to go to the grocery store. ~ Robyn

Cynthia said...

Suzy, that's a great looking chicken. I remember when you showed us the first time, but not all the details. I didn't even remember that it was a Julia recipe.

The sauce sounds fabulous, and your entire dinner looks wonderful. BUT, I'm so craving cupcakes. I think I could eat 3-4 of them without batting an eye.

I bet Frosty the Snowman would have been a welcome addition a few weeks ago.

Anonymous said...

Suzy--that chicken looks like you got the recipe down pat. I love baked chicken, one of my favs. The chicken cook off was fun for everyone. Miss that.
Dahlianut

Carol said...

Now that's a meal worth repeating! Looks amazing, Suzy! We love roast chicken and that sauce sounds so good!
LOL, Kathleen!

Poppedijne said...

This chicken does look very appetizing! My brother, hiw wife ,son and our mom are in Normandy for the moment. WOnder if they eat any chicken grilled like this.

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

You did a beautiful job with the poulet roti, Suzy! It's funny, I just had poulet roti at a new French cafe in our area last night and now I'm anxious to try it too - especially that wonderful sauce!

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