Saturday, February 20, 2010

La Poubelle days and Chicken Crepes....





One of the greatest Christmas gifts I ever received was from my brother-in-law Josh, about five years ago he gave me this Williams Sonoma box filled with a steel crepe pan, a crepe cookbook and crepe mix. I have been making crepes ever since. They are so simple to make the batter consists of flour, egg and water. You can use any skillet but I recommend investing in a crepe pan.

In my twenties I lived in Hollywood by Beachwood Canyon and spent all of my nights at La Poubelle, a french restaurant on Franklin (on the famous Franklin block where you can find, Birds, The Bourgeois Pig & Mayfair Market) yes, right across the street from the Scientology Celebrity Center.

La Poubelle was nightly hang out for all of us actors and artists who lived in the neighborhood, this is when you could smoke in bars. We would drink wine, and eat their famous chicken crepes until the wee hours of the morning while listening to Frank Sinatra and of course Jackie and Francois.....

Here is my favorite recipe for Chicken, Mushroom & Spinach Crepes with a Sherry Cream Sauce...

basic crepe recipe

1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 egg lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups of milk
olive oil or butter for greasing pan

Put flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the egg and some of the milk into the well. Whisk gradually to make a smooth paste, slowly whisk in the rest of the milk. Pour batter into a measuring cup. Heat pan over medium heat and add a little bit of butter or oil, pour a thin layer of batter into the pan tilting until the bottom is covered. Cook 1-2 minutes until golden. Flip crepe and cook other side for about 40 seconds. Crepes should be very thin and golden on both sides. Set crepes aside.

Chicken, Spinach & Mushrooms Crepes with a Sherry Cream Sauce

8 oz white button mushrooms or mixed wild mushrooms if you prefer
2 tlb of butter
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 bunch of spinach, washed and dried
2 chicken breasts, chopped into small pieces
2 tlb of chopped thyme
1/3 cup of chopped parsley
1/3 cup of sherry wine
2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400

Season chicken with salt and pepper add olive oil to a hot pan and cook chicken, set aside. Add butter to the pan and saute onions until soft, then add garlic cook for a few minutes and add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are soft. Add the thyme, parsley, sherry, cream, salt & pepper. Cook for about two minutes and then add the spinach. Cook until wilted and stir in the chicken.



Lightly grease a shallow baking dish. Take the mixture and fill each crepe and fold up on both sides. Place each one in the pan side by side.


Bake for 15 minutes....


Enjoy....

Jamielyn xoxo



Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Bouillabaisse...sounds fancy but easy to do




One of my favorite kitchen tools is my Le Creuset Dutch Oven....



If you don't have one you should really make the investment. Pieces like this will last you a lifetime and are perfect for making soups and stews. What better way to make dinner then throw everything in one pot; it saves you so much time and there is very little to clean up!

I went to the best nutritionist years ago named Hermien Lee who taught me that the best way to stay healthy is to balance your protein and carbs. Never eat one without the other or you will still be hungry and they counter act each other. The problem is that most people eat more carbs then the proteins and vegetables and it should be the opposite.

One of my favorite dishes is Bouillabaisse, now I know this sounds complicated but it is very simple and anyone can make it. The perfect thing about this dish is that you get all of your proteins, vegetables and carbs. Not to mention that it is so flavorful and delicious. Here is a very simple recipe. I always add carrots to mine.




CHICKEN BOUILLABAISSE
recipe by Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

  • 1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
  • Good olive oil
  • 1 large head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
  • 1 teaspoon saffron threads
  • 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
  • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato puree
  • 1 1/2 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 3 tablespoons Pernod
  • 1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved
  • carrots sliced (or any vegetables that you see fit)
  • Crusty French bread, for serving

Directions

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it generously with salt, pepper, and the rosemary. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces in batches until nicely browned all over, about 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned chicken pieces to a plate and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, saffron, fennel seeds, tomato puree, chicken stock, white wine, Pernod, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper to the pot. Stir and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the garlic is very tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Carefully pour the sauce into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the Dutch oven and add the sliced potatoes, carrots and browned chicken pieces with their juices. Stir carefully.

Cover the pot and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is done. Check the seasonings and serve hot in shallow bowls with crusty bread.

Enjoy,

Jamielyn xoxo