When I first flipped through Bistro: Swinging French Jazz, Favorite Parisian Bistro Recipes, I was really amused to find a section of recipes based on a bistro called Restaurant Marie-Louise. My mom’s name is Marie Louise -- well actually it’s Maria Luisa, but her parents used the French version of the name just as often as the Spanish. A bit Francophilia runs through the family, and it didn’t stop with my mom, or me for that matter, so when she last came to town for a visit, this seemed like the perfect thing to make for a welcome night dinner.
Under regular circumstances this would be great make-ahead dish that could be left set and ready before your guests arrive. That was exactly my plan, except, I ran into a few issues. I had a tight schedule that day in which to run errands, grocery shop, cook, and clean before picking her up at the airport in the evening. It seemed everything was under control and on schedule, right up until I arrived home with a carload of groceries only to discover that I’d left me keys in the apartment and locked myself out. Stressed by the shortage of time and the prospect of spoiling food, I frantically called Greg repeatedly to figure out how to get a key or find out when he’d been home. I found out later that the reason I couldn’t get a hold of him was because he happened to be giving a presentation at work right then. The vibrating phone in his pocket was just a little bit distracting. Oops. When he finally got home and let me in, I was way behind schedule. I did get dinner on the table that night to welcome my mom to town, but it may have been just a little late.
Here’s the recipe:
makes 6 servings
Since I was running so late, I didn’t really change much other than to add a little extra tomato paste for a smoother, more rounded-out flavor. Other than that, I just have a couple of recommendations -- mainly, give yourself a little more time than you think you’ll need. You’ll probably have to brown the chicken pieces in batches, so allot extra time for 2 to 3 batches – you don’t want crowd the pieces in the pan just to get it all done in one round.
Similarly, allow extra time for the sauce to cool before running it though the blender or food processor. In my rush to get dinner out on the table, I just transferred the hot sauce to the blender. It splashed out and splattered on me and created a hot mess. My clumsiness might have been a contributing factor here as well, but if it had been cold, I wouldn’t have gotten burned. Plus, this recipe makes A LOT of sauce, so you’ll probably have to do this batches as well. Next time, I’d also blend it all a little more for a smoother texture.
I served it all over rice to soak up the sauce. Despite all my issues in getting it prepared, the resulting dish was elegant and had complex flavors without being all that heavy.
It also makes a ton of leftovers, and while I didn’t play all that much with the actual recipe, I did have some fun remaking the leftovers . . .but that’s for my next post.
Under regular circumstances this would be great make-ahead dish that could be left set and ready before your guests arrive. That was exactly my plan, except, I ran into a few issues. I had a tight schedule that day in which to run errands, grocery shop, cook, and clean before picking her up at the airport in the evening. It seemed everything was under control and on schedule, right up until I arrived home with a carload of groceries only to discover that I’d left me keys in the apartment and locked myself out. Stressed by the shortage of time and the prospect of spoiling food, I frantically called Greg repeatedly to figure out how to get a key or find out when he’d been home. I found out later that the reason I couldn’t get a hold of him was because he happened to be giving a presentation at work right then. The vibrating phone in his pocket was just a little bit distracting. Oops. When he finally got home and let me in, I was way behind schedule. I did get dinner on the table that night to welcome my mom to town, but it may have been just a little late.
Here’s the recipe:
Poularde Marie-Louise
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1 free range roasting chicken, cut into pieces, or chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
2 lbs/1kg carrots , peeled and sliced
2 lbs/1kg tomatoes, quartered
1 fresh tarragon sprig
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¾ cup (6oz/185 g) crème fraiche
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1 free range roasting chicken, cut into pieces, or chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
2 lbs/1kg carrots , peeled and sliced
2 lbs/1kg tomatoes, quartered
1 fresh tarragon sprig
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¾ cup (6oz/185 g) crème fraiche
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the oil and sauté the chicken and onion until the chicken is golden brown, about 5 min on each side.
Transfer the chicken to a large, heavy pot. Add the carrots, tomatoes, tarragon, wine, and water to cover the chicken. Bring the water to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 min.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Transfer the cooking liquid and vegetables to a blender or food processor and purée. Return the sauce to the pot and stir in the tomato paste and crème fraiche. Add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes.
Arrange a piece of chicken on each of 6 plates, spoon the sauce over and serve.
Transfer the chicken to a large, heavy pot. Add the carrots, tomatoes, tarragon, wine, and water to cover the chicken. Bring the water to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 min.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Transfer the cooking liquid and vegetables to a blender or food processor and purée. Return the sauce to the pot and stir in the tomato paste and crème fraiche. Add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes.
Arrange a piece of chicken on each of 6 plates, spoon the sauce over and serve.
makes 6 servings
Since I was running so late, I didn’t really change much other than to add a little extra tomato paste for a smoother, more rounded-out flavor. Other than that, I just have a couple of recommendations -- mainly, give yourself a little more time than you think you’ll need. You’ll probably have to brown the chicken pieces in batches, so allot extra time for 2 to 3 batches – you don’t want crowd the pieces in the pan just to get it all done in one round.
Similarly, allow extra time for the sauce to cool before running it though the blender or food processor. In my rush to get dinner out on the table, I just transferred the hot sauce to the blender. It splashed out and splattered on me and created a hot mess. My clumsiness might have been a contributing factor here as well, but if it had been cold, I wouldn’t have gotten burned. Plus, this recipe makes A LOT of sauce, so you’ll probably have to do this batches as well. Next time, I’d also blend it all a little more for a smoother texture.
I served it all over rice to soak up the sauce. Despite all my issues in getting it prepared, the resulting dish was elegant and had complex flavors without being all that heavy.
It also makes a ton of leftovers, and while I didn’t play all that much with the actual recipe, I did have some fun remaking the leftovers . . .but that’s for my next post.
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