First up is Julia Child's Poulet Roti (or Roast Chicken), which comes from Volume 1 of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." I have been unable to find this recipe online, so it's transcribed below. Anyone familiar with "Mastering" will understand that the ingredients and instructions are not laid out as is "normal" in other cookbooks. The recipes, instead, are laid out in two columns, with ingredients when needed listed on the left side and the cooking steps listed on the right-hand side. Therefore, without the capability to divide this blog into two columns, I'm going to do my best to represent the recipe by listing the ingredients and their corresponding directions, step-by-step, instead of providing all of the ingredients upfront. The only (because I think it's a sin to adjust any of Julia's recipes) addition to this I make is more carrots and onions, because I think the resulting vegetables are amazing (they're drenched in butter and oil--how could that not be freakin' awesome?!). I bought a 4.8-pound chicken (see a previous post about prepping a whole chicken for roasting), and total roasting time was approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.
This recipe has been used so many times that the page has become naturally marked in the book and is spattered with butter. Most novice cooks (even some that have been cooking for years) can become intimidated by Julia Child's recipes, but they are surprisingly simple once you start. The key to French food, as they say, is mostly a copious amount of butter. For such a simple ingredient, it yields delicious results if you take the time to follow the recipe.
So, here goes:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
A roasting chicken (at least three pounds, which will take about 1 hour and 10-20 minutes of roasting time)
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. softened butter
-Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with the salt and smear in half the butter. Truss the chicken (there are various sites that illustrate this process; I skip it, and the chicken turns out perfectly just the same). Dry it thoroughly, and rub the skin with the rest of the butter. (It's essential that the butter and the chicken are at room temperature; I know from experience that trying to butter a cold chicken is nearly impossible.)
A shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold the chicken easily
A small sliced carrot and onion
Small saucepan containing 2 Tbsp. melted butter and 1 Tbsp. good cooking oil; a basting brush
-Place the chicken breast up in the roasting pan. Strew the vegetables around it, and set it on a rack in the middle of the preheated oven. Allow the chicken to brown lightly for 15 minutes, turning it on the left side after 5 minutes, on the right side for the last 5 minutes, and basting it with the butter and oil after each turn. Baste rapidly, so oven does not cool off. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Leave the chicken on its side, and baste every 8 to 10 minutes, using the fat in the roasting pan when the butter and oil are exhausted. Regulate oven heat so chicken is making cooking noises, but fat is not burning.
1/4 tsp. salt
-Halfway through estimated roasting time, salt the chicken and turn it on its other side. Continue basting.
1/4 tsp. salt
-Fifteen minutes before end of estimated roasting time, salt again and turn the chicken breast up. Continue basting.
Indications that the chicken is almost done are: a sudden rain of splutters in the oven, a swelling of the breast and slight puff of the skin, the drumstick is tender when pressed and can be moved in its socket. To check further, prick the thickest part of the drumstick with a fork. Its juices should run clear yellow. As a final check, lift the chicken and drain the juices from its vent. If the last drops are clear yellow, the chicken is definitely done. If not, roast another 5 minutes, and test again.
When done, discard trussing strings (if applicable) and set the chicken on a hot platter. It should sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before being carved, so its juices will retreat back into the tissues.
1/2 Tbsp. minced shallot or green onion
1 c. brown chicken stock, canned chicken broth, or beef bouillon
Salt and pepper
1 to 2 Tbsp. softened butter
-Remove all but two tablespoons of fat from the pan. Stir in the minced shallot or onion and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add the stock and boil rapidly over high heat, scraping up coagulated roasting juices with a wooden spoon and letting liquid reduce to about 1/2 cup. Season with salt and pepper. Off heat and just before serving, swirl in the enrichment butter by bits until it has been absorbed. Pour a spoonful of the sauce over the chicken, and send the rest to the table.
Now, I normally serve the roast chicken with either fried potatoes and/or roasted tomatoes. But this night, I decided to go for something a little different. For some reason, I wanted to give beets a shot, so I found a Roasted Beet Salad. And all I can say is...eh. Not a big fan of the beets. If you are, this may be right up your alley.
We finished off the meal with Chocolate-Cherry Smart Heart Cookies. I love to bake (it was my first introduction to cooking overall), but I don't bake as much now as I used to as a single gal, mainly because the husband and I have no willpower, so baked goods tend to disappear quicker than they should. I subbed out dried cranberries for this recipe, and it's not bad. I'm not a big fan of chocolate (yeah, I know, it's practically a cardinal sin to some), but the bittersweet type in this was subtle. A great alternative to chocolate chip cookies.
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