Julia Child Week: Mustard-Herb Baked Chicken

Today's Julia Child tribute is more in keeping with what most people associate with her style, thanks to a generous helping of butter. But really, not that much butter! Most of the flavor in this amazing dish actually comes from a sauce that's brushed onto the chicken, coupled with crisp, toasty bread crumbs.

Poulets Grillés à la Diable [pooh-LAY gree-YAY ah lah dee-AH-bluh] - Chicken Grilled in the Style of the Devil, with a good dose of zest - is a truly fabulous dish!  It smells so amazing while it bakes, and meets every tidbit of anticipation by tasting just as exceptional as you expect it to after you've been tormented by the tempting aroma.

This dish is sublime when it's served hot from the oven; but it's just as delicious served cold, for a light supper or a picnic ... or, in my case, a breakfast of beloved leftovers. Mustard, green onions, and herbs all work together to provide a complex, vibrant flavor while the chicken remains consummate comfort food despite its sophistication.

Gotta love Julia Child, and the French!





Poulets Grilles à la Diable (Mustard-Herb Chicken)
(slightly adapted from Julia Child's recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I)

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-1/2 pounds chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced green onion
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (I used basil and parsley; tarragon would be lovely)
• 3 cups fresh white bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 450F. Grease a 9"x13" casserole dish.

In a small saucepan, melt together butter and oil; brush onto chicken, then place chicken skin-side down into the prepared dish. Bake for 10 minutes per side, basting every 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.

In a small bowl, combine mustard, peppers, green onion, and herbs; mix with 2 tablespoons basting juices to make a sauce with a mayonnaise-like consistency. Schmear the mustard sauce onto the chicken skin.

Place the bread crumbs onto a plate and roll chicken in them. Place chicken back into the baking dish, skin-side up, and bake for 10 more minutes, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

Serves 6 ... well, really 2-3 'cause everyone will want seconds.

Gluten-Free Pasta with a Gremolata Gratin

Pasta ... and pasta with a bread crumb topping, no less.  Heartbreaking, torturous temptation to someone who needs to eat a gluten-free diet.

And yet, this dish is entirely without gluten, thanks to nuts, garlic, cheese, parsley, and a couple of specialty ingredients from the thoughtful folks at Mishpacha and Manischewitz!  Manischewitz is now offering spiral- and shell-shaped gluten-free pastas, which were certified kosher for Passover and will also be available year-round; and Mishpacha, distributed by Manischewitz, has over a dozen new products including gluten-free bread crumbs.

I was very happy to receive an incredibly generous box of goodies to play with recently, a lovely marketing gift from the Bender Hammerling Group which handles public relations and marketing for a number of food producers.  And so, I decided that my first recipe showcasing these items should be a dish to offer comfort in a meal which is often verboten to many.  That items such as pasta and bread crumbs can be both gluten-free and delicious is a fabulous thing!

A gremolata is a topping of garlic, parsley, and lemon zest; a gratin is a dish topped with a browned bread crumb crust.  Combine them, and the bread crumbs and pistachios offer crunch while the parsley, garlic and lemon provide tremendous flavor.

So whether you need to be careful in eating a specialized diet, or you're trying to use up Passover products now that the holiday has ended, or you're just looking for a fabulous new way to prepare pasta, this recipe has it all!

Gluten-Free Pasta with a Gremolata Gratin

1 12-ounce package Manischewitz gluten-free pasta shells
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 very large garlic cloves, minced
zest of 1 lemon, finely minced
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped
1/4 cup Mishpacha gluten-free coating crumbs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving

Bring 5 quarts of water to boil; add the shells and cook for 7-8 minutes until just done.

While pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet.  Add the garlic, lemon zest, pistachios, coating crumbs, and salt; cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.  Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the saucepan; stir in the remaining oil.  Place onto a serving platter and top with the pistachio mixture.  Serve with Parmesan.

Serves 4-6.

Creamy Macaroni & Cheese

Sometimes, a girl just needs some food for her soul.

Long days (and extra days) at work during the busy season, illness in the family, too many deadlines and obligations, a few crises thrown in to keep from getting bored ... it takes a toll. We've all been there. I know everyone is nodding in agreement.

So a dish like macaroni and cheese is precisely what is needed. Warm, rich, gooey, soothing - consummate comfort.

The seasoned bread crumbs add some texture and a boost of flavor; though really, when you're using an entire pound of cheese to make your sauce, you hardly need much more to make a dish great!

While we all have a perverse affection for the mac 'n' cheese in the famous blue box, it's so easy to make a homemade version that there's just no need to resort to dehydrated stuff. Just be sure not to bake this, as that dries it out; the key to its creaminess is to simply immerse the pasta in the sauce and let the two dance happily together without any further intervention.

Creamy Macaroni & Cheese

1 pound penne
4 tablespoons + 3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons unbleached flour
2 cups 2% milk
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
4 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash or other seasoning
1/2 cup whole grain crackers, crushed

Prepare penne according to package directions; drain.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until sauce is thickening. Slowly whisk in all of the cheese until sauce is smooth, then whisk in the mustard.

Combine penne and cheese; place into a 9"x13" serving dish.

In a small skillet, melt remaining butter; remove from heat. Add seasoning and cracker crumbs; combine well. Sprinkle crumbs over the macaroni and cheese, and serve immediately.

Baked Tilapia with Smoked Salmon Spread

At the grocery store recently, I found a container of Cajun-spiced smoked salmon spread that was on Manager's Special: it was nearing its "do not sell" date, so the store was trying to banish it from the premises by discounting it and luring sale shoppers. Well, it worked! It cost only $1.29; and I could see significant potential for this product, so I took it home with me.

For one thing, it made a lovely evening snack with crudites or even extra-large croutons dipped into it. When I was up late, insomniac that I tend to be, and needed "a little something" (as Winnie-the-Pooh would say), this was just perfection.

It would also have been excellent shmeared onto a toasted bagel, with some lettuce and tomato and red onion tossed into the mix, if I'd had everything I needed for such a sandwich all at the same time rather than perpetually lacking one of the key ingredients.

But even better, my serendipitous purchase contributed to a supremely delicious dinner one evening, spread over some tilapia and baked just until the fish was moist and flaky.

There was a twinge of spice from the Cajun seasoning, and sweetness from both the fish and the mayonnaise base of the smoked salmon spread. The toasted crumbs on top provided the ideal crispness to complement the tender tilapia.

Some things are just meant to be ....

Baked Tilapia with Smoked Salmon Spread

4 4-ounce tilapia filets
3/4 cup smoked salmon spread
half of 1 whole wheat hamburger bun, ground into fresh breadcrumbs
sprinkling of seasoned salt
sprinkling of lemon pepper

Preheat oven to 425F. Grease a 9" pie pan.

Place the tilapia into the pie pan. Spread each filet with salmon spread, then sprinkle the bread crumbs over everything. Sprinkle lightly with the seasoned salt and lemon pepper.

Bake for 15 minutes, in the top 1/3 of the oven, until the bread crumbs are toasted.

Serves 4.