Julia Child once said, “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” I reminded myself of that when I cooked her dish of Sautéed Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream. Definitely not a diet dish. But what the heck, it’s Julia Week (Day 6, in fact) and we’re here to celebrate some of her delicious creations! What’s a little cream gonna hurt?

I’ve included a link to the recipe below, but one of the things I love about Julia is how she instructs us to follow our culinary instincts. There’s really no need to measure out each and every ingredient (unless of course you’re baking), but instead follow your senses.  In fact, in her cookbook The Way to Cook her recipe basically goes like this, “While the chicken is cooking, sauté the mushrooms in butter, season with salt and pepper….deglaze the pan with wine….add the cream (never does she say how much)….add the mushrooms….put the chicken back in….baste, simmer and serve.”

I’m sure she would have had a few sips of wine in there too. Love her.

So that is precisely what I did. I sautéed the chicken in a bit of butter and olive oil in one pan, and the mushrooms in another. Then, I removed the chicken from the pan, dumped nearly all the fat, and deglazed the pan with some dry white wine. (I actually just dumped the contents of my wine glass in, then gave myself a refill. It’s what Julia would have done, right?) Back in went the mushrooms along with a good splash of cream – swirl, swirl, swirl – then the chicken was tossed in.

The result: creamy, rich, mushroomy goodness. No need to even open a cookbook. But it’s nice to see Julia’s face on the pages right there next to you.

For the complete recipe:

Possibly Related Posts:

• What Celebrity Chefs Are Making for Thanksgiving
• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken

Julia Child’s birthday is right around the corner, as is the much-anticipated (at least to us food lovers) new film Julie & Julia. To take part in celebrating Julia’s life and her contributions to the culinary world, we thought it apropos to have a “Week of Julia” here on the Foodista blog. We’ll highlight some of our favorite Julia dishes, as well as some we think are just simply great dishes to cook at home – even if you don’t have a lot of time.

Oh, Julia taught us so much (and continues to do so through her books)! She began by showing us how to master the art of French cooking at home, which became the title of her first book aptly named Mastering The Art of French Cooking. She taught us that the more we know about food, the less mysterious it is, and the easier cooking becomes. As we all became more health conscious and more interested in knowing where our food comes from she continued to teach us the principles of good cooking. If you knew nothing about cooking, she’d teach you the basics to get you on your way; if you were a seasoned cook, she always had new ideas and ways of approaching a recipe. She taught us how to build on our culinary experiences, how to plan an excellent meal in half an hour, how eat in moderation (yes, a chef told us that!), and how to not fear food (try those escargot!)

So here’s to Julia, and here’s to a lovely week of wonderfully French recipes!

Possibly Related Posts:

• What Celebrity Chefs Are Making for Thanksgiving
• Perfect Scrambled Eggs
• 10 Fall Dishes We Cant Wait For
• Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
• Mussels Marinated in Oil and Herbs

Bastille Day could also be known as the restaurant tribute day- a true foodie celebration! Restaurants in simpler forms have been around for ages, but restaurants as we know them now partially exist due to the French Revolution. When the monarchy was forced out, so were their chefs, or catering guilds, which led to several chefs setting up restaurants all over Paris. The word “restaurant” comes from the French word restaurer- or to restore, referring to a place where one goes to regain health. Therefore it only makes sense that Bastille Day in Paris brings people out into the streets to visit boulangeries, cafes, bistros and street vendors to celebrate French Revolution.

If you are not storming the streets in your town searching for French restaurants, crepe stands or beignet street vendors, you can celebrate the food of France at home with a couple French-inspired recipes from Foodista.

Bon Appetit!

or

Possibly Related Posts:

• 10 Fall Dishes We Cant Wait For
• Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
• Mussels Marinated in Oil and Herbs
• Sauteed Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream
• Roquefort Cheese Balls

I am constantly buying fresh herbs in those expensive plastic clam shell packs, especially in the winter. And, unfortunately, I usually end up throwing most of them away because I don’t use them quickly enough. At $2.50 – $4.00 or more a pack that’s a huge waste of money! Then, I was recently introduced to Daregal, a French company that has specialized in herbs since 1887.  What’s special about their herbs is that they are all-natural – no preservatives or salt – and frozen fresh within 3 hours of picking. Since herbs lose 75% of their flavor within 24 hours, then sit on the supermarket shelves losing even more flavor, it’s great to have a fresh-from-the-garden option.

Fresh Frozen From France – say that ten times fast!

We have a selection of both Greens and Blends and have loved them all, tasting and smelling as if I just picked them from my yard. The herbs come in convenient shakers that fit perfectly two-deep in your freezer door. Thawing isn’t necessary, you just toss (or shake) the already washed and stemmed chopped bits into your dishes. They are ever-so-lightly (you can’t even tell) coated with vegetable oil to preserve freshness and so the leaves won’t stick together. We’ve used them all: the basil and oregano in countless Italian dishes, the parsley sprinkled in soups, the cilantro in Vietnamese salad rolls (even frozen, as it quickly thaws!), and I mix the Blends with yogurt to make delicious herb dips and sauces (delicious on chicken or meats!).

Leave it to the French to come up with an awesome culinary idea! Since my herb garden failed miserably last year here in Seattle I’m making sure my freezer is well stocked year-round with these herbs. They certainly have saved me money, too! No more tossing out those wilted, slimy store bought ones.

I haven’t found them in any stores here in Seattle, but you can order them online.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist
• Waiting by the River at Dawn

I respect the ocean, and long ago we made a deal that basically went like this:

ME: “Ocean, you’re pretty and all, but sometimes you can be really dark and mean, so I think it’s best if I just hang out with Land more.”

OCEAN: “That’s cool. I got lots of friends.”

ME: “Occasionally though, when you’re in a good mood and all clear and blue, I’d like to take a dip.”

OCEAN: “That would be nice. And in return, I promise not to swallow you up and spit you out.”

ME: “Are those your fingers crossed behind you?”

OCEAN: <smirk>

So the short of it is I tend to steer clear, as apparently I am the only one willing to keep my end of the deal. But I have to say, I think I fared pretty well on this particular sail, despite my old friend’s best efforts at scaring the bejesus out of me during our night sailing. She kept the winds at about 20 knots (not too bad), but kept flinging frequent large waves at us so that we’d smack down, the mast and rigging clanging and shaking violently.

Barnaby looks at me when my face goes sheet white and says, “Don’t worry, we are not going down. This is nothing.” Yeah, that’s what they said about the Titanic, I thought, white knuckling the rail.

Since it was too difficult most times to go down to the galley and prepare a meal, our diet for 3 of the 4 days consisted mainly of Cheez-Its, string cheese, and Pria bars. When we entered the glassy smooth waters of the Straight of Juan de Fuca (between Canada and the U.S.) I was finally able to cook us a nice hot meal. I sautéed chicken with lots of ginger (ginger is great for seasickness and aching bellies), broccoli, and Trader Joe’s Thai Coconut Lime Rice. The rice was precooked and vacuum sealed, sous-vide style (pronounced su-veed), in plastic bags.

That’s when the light bulb went off. All meals on the boat should be sous-vide style!

Sous-vide, French for “under vacuum” or, according to my translation, “how to cook on the rolling high seas without vomiting in the sink,” is a technique that involves cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags over low heat for a long period of time, maintaining the integrity of the ingredients. But it can easily be done quickly if the food is pre-cooked, then sealed like the yummy Trader Joe’s rice. Perfect for sailing: keep a pot of water on the stove (which rocks with the waves so nothing will spill – brilliant!), turn the heat on, pop the food in and let it boil for a few minutes, slice bag open and voila! you have a nice hot meal.

This type of cooking is not only good for boating and camping, but for delicious meals at home. Another great way to save those left-overs.

We’ll be testing some sous-vide recipes and will share our favorites with you soon!

Photo: Our beautiful boat, Miss Eulie, a Hunter 356, on her way from San Francisco back to the Puget Sound waters she loves the most.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist
• Waiting by the River at Dawn

I stepped into Bakery Nouveau and, as I wiped the drool from my chin, my eyes fell upon them – gasp, mon dieu! – les macarons. These are not coconut macaroons, mon cher. While I adore a good coconut macaroon, Parisian macaroons are in another cookie league altogether. They are quite hard to find in U.S. bakeries, so you can imagine my excitement over them. Pink, yellow, purple, green, white. Clapping my hands and hopping up and down like I’m five, I declared, “One of each color please!” (Actually, I did restrain myself a bit, but such passion makes for better confection fiction, non?)

Bakery Nouveau

Typically, Parisian macaroons are two meringue-like cookies (crispy and wafer-thin on the outside with moist insides) sandwiched together with pastry cream or ganache. The meringue melts in your mouth followed by its creamy filling. C’est bon!

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Paris use Sally Peabody’s Your Great Days in Paris as a guide to finding macaroons and other patisseries.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Ultimate Holiday Cookie Contest!
• Pumpkin Pie vs. Pecan Pie
• What to Wear to Your Next Dinner Party
• Macarons are the new cupcakes
• The Importance of Pie Crust