Perusing the Recipe

Remy (with cell phone at the ready to call her grandmother in case anything goes awry)

My mom told me she had the great pleasure of meeting chef and author, Dorie Greenspan last spring on a cruise she and dad took. Ms. Greenspan was the guest chef/lecturer on the ship and mom found her to be an absolutely delightful, approachable lady. Because of this happy meeting, I am now the proud owner of Ms. Greenspan's new cookbook "Around My French Table". It's a beautiful book - full of gorgeous photos, stories, anecdotes and, of course, recipes that seem elegant and ~very French~, but as my daughter demonstrated tonight, are really quite straight-forward...and...dare I say...easy! The end result? A simply, superbly delicious dish!

Chicken, Apples & Cream a la Normande

After a few delicious bites.
Remy served this over egg noodles with a side of roasted asparagus - oh, and she doubled the sauce ingredients.

We Blystone's love our sauces!

From Ms. Greenspan's cookbook (you can also view the recipe here):

"'Apples and cream often signal that a dish is from Normandy', Dorie Greenspan says in her new cookbook, “Around My French Table”(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010). The west-of-Paris region is known for its apples and for its dairy products, including butter, cream, Camembert and creme fraiche. Pork also works well in this recipe."

Chicken, Apples & Cream á la Normande

Start to finish: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

All-purpose flour, for dredging

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 Tbsp.olive oil

1 large apple (Rem used a macoun), peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

8 mushrooms, stemmed, wiped clean, thinly sliced

1/3 C. chicken broth

2 Tbsp.++ calvados

2/3 C. heavy cream

parsley, fresh and chopped (this is our addition)

egg noodles, cooked according to package directions, tossed with a bit of butter

roasted asparagus (method emailed to you if you want)

In a shallow bowl, mix the flour with some salt and pepper. With a paper towel, pat dry the chicken breasts dry, then dredge them through the flour, coating both sides lightly and shaking off the excess flour.

In a large, deep skillet over medium-high, heat the butter and oil. When the butter melts, add the chicken breasts, in batches if necessary. Cook for 3 minutes, or until browned on the bottom, then turn and cook an additional 3 minutes.

Add the apple, onion and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and stir lightly. Cook for 1 minute.

Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, until the chicken is nearly cooked through.

Turn the heat to medium-high and add the calvados, boiling until it is almost evaporated (about 1 minute). Add the cream and cook until the cream reduces by a quarter. Season with salt and pepper and add parsley. Stir to combine.

For plating: Spoon egg noodles onto plate. Place chicken breast on top and spoon sauce over all. Place asparagus spears on side of chicken & noodles. Serve and listen to the mmmmmm's....

(and do remember to double that sauce!)

~~~

xoabb

expect good eating at times!