Good Morning.
We begin with a simple but delicious hors d'oeuvre, RASPBERRY BRIE TARTLETS. This recipe will serve 4 people almost 4 each.
Someone gets only 3.
1 package of 15 frozen phyllo tartlets
1 8 oz. Brie
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1 tsp. Chambord
Remove the rind from the Brie and cut it into 1 inch pieces.
In a small bowl combine the preserves and Chambord. Place
the tartlets in miniature muffin tins or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Put a piece of Brie in each tartlet and top with just a dab of the raspberry mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes until the Brie has started to melt. Watch these things carefully; you don't want soup, you want warmish melt. Serve the tartlets with the wine of your choice.
Dinner starts with a salad of fresh mixed greens and ROQUEFORT DRESSING.
1/4 cup Roquefort cheese
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. Half and Half
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine these ingredients in a bowl, stir well to combine, and refrigerate for several hours. If it seems a bit too thick after sitting for awhile, add some more cream. Nothing else is needed on this salad, but add other vegetables if desired.
Now we have CHAMPAGNE CHICKEN.
4 meaty chicken thighs
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 bottle champagne
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried tarragon
8 oz. white button mushrooms
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Melt half the butter in a large skillet. Add the shallots and saute until slightly brown. Add the rest of the butter and the chicken thighs and cook on both sides over medium heat until nicely brown. Pour in the champagne and chicken broth and 1/2 tsp. of the tarragon. Reduce to simmer, cover the skillet, and cook the chicken another 35 minutes. Remove the chicken and keep warm under aluminum foil. Add the whipping cream to the pan, the rest of the tarragon, and the pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat, and reduce the sauce by about half. In a separate skillet, melt the butter and saute the mushrooms for 4 or 5 minutes. When the sauce in the large skillet has reduced, add the mushrooms, return the chicken to the pan, warm up a bit, and coat with the sauce. Serves 4 people.
Friends used to take me to a quaint French restaurant in Connecticut where there were checkered tablecloths, plenty of
candles, and a resident dog who greeted the patrons when they entered the establishment but never begged at the tables. I think he/she had kitchen privileges and nobody alerted the health department or did anything else to disrupt the incredible atmosphere.
For an accompaniment we have GREEN BEANS with a French twist. Serve the chicken with any kind of potatoes if you like, but anytime I can muster the courage to forego a starch, I do it, especially if I'm having dessert, and I am.
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
Salt
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
1 cup sliced almonds
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. granulated chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
Drop the beans into a big pan of boiling, salted water. As soon as the water returns to the boil, turn off the heat, and leave the beans for maybe five minutes. While they sit, remove the leaves from the parsley and place them with the almonds in a food processor or blender. Add the minced garlic, bouillon, and pepper. Process until the mixture is well blended, then slowly add the olive oil through the top. Remove the beans, drain them, and place back in the pan or a bowl. Stir the almond mixture through the beans until they are nicely coated. Serve them at warmish temperature to 4 people. You may have some left over or maybe not.
And for dessert, we have CHARLOTTE RUSSE, made here with an apricot sauce.
6 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk
2 envelopes Knox gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. sherry
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
12 ladyfingers, split in half
More whipped cream
Apricot sauce:
1 16 oz. can peeled apricot halves, drained
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. Cointreau
Blend the egg yolks, sugar, and milk in a double boiler over hot water, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Not the time for a phone call. Soften the gelatin in the cold water for 5 minutes. Stir into the warm custard until completely dissolved, let stand until cool, then stir in vanilla and sherry. Fold in the whipped cream carefully. Cool until partially set. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan with the split ladyfingers. Pour in the cooled custard and chill until set, at least 6 hours. To make the sauce, puree the apricot halves in a blender. Add the cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice and blend well. Pour this mixture into a double boiler over simmering hot water and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the Cointreau, and keep the sauce warm. When ready to serve, remove the sides of the pan and cut the Charlotte into slices. Pour the warm sauce over the cold dessert. Top with whipped cream.
This isn't as fussy as it sounds unless you feel compelled to use fresh apricots and make your own ladyfingers. I do not. Several items in this dinner can be made ahead, including the dessert and the apricot sauce that can be warmed up at serving time. The Roquefort dressing should be done ahead, and the pesto for the beans can be made an hour beforehand and kept warm somewhere. As your friends are walking in the door, the chicken is cooking away, the beans take only a few minutes just before you head for the table, and the tartlets can be assembled an hour before and popped in the oven. L'hiver est fini. Winter is over.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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