In my previous post I promised another recipe from Julia Child.  This time it’s her Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream.  As with the bruschetta, I first got the idea for the chicken from the great food porno Julie & Julia.  In the movie, Julie Powell has made it her mission to create all the recipes in Julia Child’s cook book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  While we don’t see her create every single recipe in the film, we do see her create this one. 

Watching Amy Adams stir those mushrooms while she poured in the cream and Bordeaux made me desperately want to try this recipe.  So, I searched online and found it.  I bought all the ingredients including a nice bottle of dry Marsala wine and was ready to cook.  But I hit a small snag, after I sauteed the mushrooms and shallots in the butter and added the chicken, I discovered I had to cook the chicken in the oven in the mushroom/butter mixture. 

I don’t own any Le Creuset products and I wasn’t about to run out and buy one no matter how much I wanted to make this dish.  But I do own several All-Clad products, including a wonderful saute pan.  I remembered reading somewhere that they could go in the oven.  So, I called the company just to confirm, and the wonderful people in All-Clad’s customer service told me that yes, all their products, are oven and broiler safe. (Their nonstick cookware isn’t broiler safe, but can be put in the oven up to 500°F. )  I was thrilled.  I had no idea I could put my All-Clad in the oven.  But now that I know that I can, believe me, I’m going to start doing it more often. 

There is just one thing to remember, though.  Metal is a serious heat conductor.  So, if you do put your stainless steel All-Clad pan in the oven, remember to use oven mitts once it’s back on the stove.  While I obviously used an oven mitt to pull the pan out of the oven, I forgot it takes awhile for the metal to cool off and grabbed the handle with my bare hand.  Yes, I got a serious burn.  So, please, let my pain be a lesson to you  – remember to always wear your oven mitts from the moment the pan comes out of the oven, until your done cooking.

Making the sauce

Even though I burned my hand, I was able to finish cooking the chicken and the result was amazing.  Yes, butter and cream may be bad for us, but sometimes, nothing else will do.  Trust me, this recipe would not have been nearly as good if I had used skim milk and margarine.  Sometimes you just have to use the fatty stuff.  This is one of those times.  Thanks to the heavy cream and butter, the sauce was so damn good, I was tempted to drink it straight out of the pan.  And if you make this dish, I’m sure you’ll be faced with the same temptation.

Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream

Makes 4 servings

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 5 Tbsp of butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/4 pound of shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• pinch of ground black pepper

For the sauce

• 1/4 cup of chicken stock
• 1/4 cup of dry wine, like Marsala, Chardonnay on Bordeaux
• 1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Rub the chicken with lemon juice and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Heat the butter in a heavy oven proof saute pan or casserole dish (I used my All-Clad) until it’s foaming.  Stir in the minced shallots and saute for about a minute.  Add the sliced mushrooms and saute for another minute or two.

Quickly roll the chicken breasts in the butter mixture.  Cover the pan or casserole dish, place in the oven, and cook the chicken and mushrooms for 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and place on the stove.  Transfer the chicken to a warm platter (leave the mushrooms in the pan for the sauce) and cover. 

For the sauce: pour the stock and wine into the pan with the mushrooms, shallots and butter.  Boil down quickly over high heat, the sauce will start to look like a syrup.  Stir in the cream and boil down again over high heat until the sauce has thickened slightly.  Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts and serve immediately.

Like a lot of people, I saw Julie & Julia when it came out in the theater last summer.  I enjoyed it, but wouldn’t rate it as one of the best movies of all time.  It was cute, but what really turned me on was the food.  This movie and others like it, I don’t watch for the actors, directors or story.  These movies I watch for the food.  I call them food porn.  Why? Because I always want to eat afterwards, I want to try and make everything in the movie, and I usually spend the next few days searching the Internet for recipes of entrees or desserts that are similar to those I saw on screen.  Which movies qualify as food porn, you ask?  Here are some of my favorites: Big Night, Waitress, and Like Water For Chocolate.  I walked out of each and every one of those movies craving Italian food, pie, and Mexican.  So Julie & Julia definitely qualifies as one of these movies. 

The other night it was on TV and I just had to watch.  And just like before, when the movie ended all I wanted was something that had been soaked in butter and at least a cup of cream.  So I made a decision.  Rather than run to my local French restaurant and spend a mint, why not just make a couple of the recipes at home?

The two that I wanted to try immediately were the Bruschetta that Julie Powell makes early on in the film before she starts her blog and of course Julia Child’s Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons or for those out there that don’t speak French, Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream.  And so I did.  I went out, bought the ingredients for both and made each dish. 

As you can see from the title of this post, this is the bruschetta.  (The chicken with mushrooms and cream will come later this week.)  Now, I’ve made bruschetta several times before for many reasons.  First, I love it.  Second, it’s always a great appetizer that looks like you put way more effort in than you actually did and finally, it’s even better when made with heirloom tomatoes, which happen to be in season now. 

So, you’re probably wondering why, if I’ve made bruschetta so many times before, did I suddenly have the urge to make it again after seeing this movie?  What is it that makes this recipe so special?  Well I’ll tell you.  The bread is fried in olive oil.  That’s right.  It’s not toasted, it’s fried right on top of the stove in a skillet.  And it’s amazing what a difference frying the bread in olive oil makes.  The bread is moist and gives the whole appetizer a nice, subtle taste.  It was so good, I’ve already made it twice.  As a matter of fact, I think I’ll make it with my fry pan from now on.

Bruschetta

Makes 4 servings

• 1/2 loaf of good crusty bread, sliced
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 clove of garlic sliced in half
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. kosher salt

Toss the tomatoes, basil, and minced garlic together in a bowl with 1 Tbsp of olive oil.  Chill for at least an hour.

Slice the bread into 1/2 inch slices and fry over medium heat in 2 Tbsp of olive oil until the slices are light brown and crispy on both sides.  About 2 minutes per side.

While the bread is frying, add the salt to the tomato mixture and give another quick toss.

Once the bread is fried, rub the sliced garlic clove over each slice of bread.  The bread will act as a grater.

Spoon the tomato mixture onto the fried slices of bread and serve with plenty of napkins.

Even though it’s been one of the coldest summers I can remember in Los Angeles, I still have to have ice cream.  Come to think of it, even if it were January and the dead of winter, I’d still want ice cream.  And while I could make chocolate, or vanilla, or even coffee chocolate chip (which I have here), I couldn’t make any of the fruit ice creams I’ve been making.  All right, I could.  But I wouldn’t be able to make them with the fresh fruit I’ve been able to get thanks to the summer season and our wonderful farmer’s market.  And last week… I bought the most wonderfully amazing, sweet cherries. 

While they’re very good on their own, I thought I’d try them in some ice cream.  And as luck would have it, a friend gave me a recipe for black cherry sherbet.  I whipped some up and discovered… it was just okay.  Probably had something to do with the 5 bottles of black cherry soda the recipe called for.  Anyway, it made me think that while the cherries didn’t work as a sherbet, maybe they’d work as a nice creamy ice cream.  So, I did what any amateur chef would do and gave it a shot.  The result – pure heaven.  It was rich and creamy and oh so good.  I’m definitely going to be making more.  And if you’re a fan of cherries and ice cream, you should too.

Black Cherry Ice Cream

• 3 cups of cherries (pitted and sliced)
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2  cup of sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, cook cherries and 1 cup of sugar for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.  Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.  Refrigerate until chilled.

While the cherries are chilling, in another medium sauce pan, combine the milk, cream and vanilla.  Bring the mixture to a slow boil over medium heat.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the milk, cream, vanilla mixture is simmering, combine the eggs, egg yolks, and the rest of the sugar in a medium bowl.  Beat with a mixer on medium speed until the mixture is thick, smooth and pale yellow in color, about 2 minutes.

Pour out 1 cup of the hot milk, cream, vanilla mixture.  With the mixer on low speed, add the cup of hot milk/cream to the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream.  When thouroughly combined, pour the mixture back into the sauce pan and stir to combine.  Pour in the juice from the cherries.  Cook, stirring constantly, over medium low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. 

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and fold in the cherries.  Once folded, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, put in the refrigerator and chill completely, about 3-4 hours.

Once chilled, pour into your ice cream maker and follow your machine’s instructions.  Five minutes before it’s done churning, add in the chocolate chips.  Once finished mixing, pour the ice cream in an air tight container in the freezer for at least 2 hours and serve.

I love quiche.  Sometimes there’s nothing better than a slice of hot cheesy goodness.  And I don’t care if it’s totally vegetarian or heavy with meat.  As long as it’s got cheese and eggs, I’m happy.  One of my favorite quiches is Trader Joe’s Broccoli and Cheddar.  It’s sooooo yummy. 

Well one night a few weeks ago, I was out of my emergency supply of Trader Joe’s quiches and I thought, how hard could it be to make one of my very own?  I got online and found so many recipes it made my head swim.  They all sounded delicious, the only drawback was every recipe had a crust. 

I know, I know, quiche comes with crust.  It’s actually one of my favorite parts of this delicacy, especially if it’s light and buttery.  But while I love eating quiche (or pie) crusts, I’m not a big fan of making them.  Maybe it’s because it usually takes so much extra time.  Or maybe it’s because mine don’t usually turn out well unless they’re made of meringue.  Well, someone out there must feel the same way I do, because I found a recipe on Epicurious for one without the crust.  I was so excited, I had to try it.

As with all recipes I find online, I make my own tweaks depending on what ingredients I have in the house and/or what I like to eat.  This recipe called for ham and frozen onions.  I like to use fresh ingredients whenever I can and I happened to have some shallots in the fridge.  I also really wanted to try this pancetta I found at… you guess it, Trader Joe’s, so that’s what I substituted.  But if you like ham and onions, feel free to use those ingredients instead.  As with all my recipes, I invite you to make any tweaks you like, after all, that’s what makes cooking so much fun.  But if you do substitute one ingredient for another, please, let me know how it turns out.  It might sound so good, I’ll have to try it.

Crustless Quiche

Makes 8 servings

• 1 1/2 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs
• 2 shallots chopped
• 1 cup diced pancetta
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch pie plate and sprinkle all over with the bread crumbs.

Saute the shallots and pancetta in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Spread in the pie plate, then sprinkle the cheese on top.

Whisk together the eggs, cream and milk and pour over the cheese. 

Bake until the top is golden brown and custard is set, 25-30 minutes.  Cool slightly, cut into wedges and serve.