My Top Five Julia Child Dishes! {Happy Birthday, Julia!}

 

We would hardly be where we are in the food community without Julia Child. She brought life to the world of cooking and made it what it is today. August 15th is Julia's birthday and it just feels right to share my most favorite Julia Child recipes with you!

Biftek Hache a La Lyonnaise/Ground Beef Burgers with Onions and Herbs If you make one Julia Child recipe, make this one! Not only is it one of her easiest recipes, but it is surprisingly delicious. Julia says this is how the French eat burgers - without the bun! The burger patties get dredged in flour which creates a crispy crust and the sauce is so flavorful. These burgers are rich, flavorful, and buttery delicious. In her book, Julia has various ways to change up the sauce and I highly suggest them all. We have these on regular rotation!

Supremes De Volaille A L'Ecossaise/Chicken Breasts with Diced Aromatic Vegetables and Cream I think the picture says it all. This is a stunning chicken dish and one that is so intoxicating as it cooks. The aroma and flavor of the onions, celery, and carrots in this dish are reminiscent of a chicken pot pie. It is so aromatic and comforting. It's one of those dishes that everyone would love!

Julia's Roast Chicken Okay, over the years I've made a lot of roast chicken: Tyler Florence's, Giada's, Yotam Ottolenghi's, and Ina Garten's. Trust me when I say that Julia Child's is THE BEST. Is it easy? No. Is it time consuming? Yes. Julia's method involves lots of butter and rotating and basting the chicken with butter on 5-10-15 minute intervals but it is oh so worth it! If you're looking to try a new Roast Chicken recipe this fall, please try this one! You won't be sorry. The end result is so buttery and delicious - a step above all the rest!

Supremes De Volaille Aux Champignons/Chicken Breasts with Mushroom and Cream We loved the first recipe with chicken breasts and aromatic veggies so much we tried Julia's Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream and it was equally delicious, especially for those who absolutely love mushrooms! You simply can't go wrong with any of Julia's variations on chicken breasts!

Jacques & Julia's Garlic Mashed Potatoes If you're looking for a side dish for any of these dishes, look no further than Jacques & Julia's Garlic Mashed Potatoes. You can't go wrong here, especially when you've got potatoes, butter, cream, and 10-15 cloves of garlic! This is an amazing recipes that is a people pleaser each and every single time!

Tessa Kiros' Milky Way Ice Cream Sundae {5 Minutes or Less}

Three ingredients and five minutes and you can have the ice cream sundae of your dreams! It's as close to instant gratification you can get in the dessert world.

All you need is Milky Way bars, cream, and vanilla ice cream. You are halfway to bliss!

All you need to do is melt the Milky Way with some cream in a pan and pour it over the vanilla ice cream. It's as simple as can be, but the resulting sauce is rather complex. It's kind of a cross between a hot fudge and a caramel sauce and when you pour the warm sauce over the cold vanilla ice cream the caramel sets up lightly and all those chewy bits are just the best!

My husband was so impressed with this one and declared it one of his new favorites. I highly suggest it if you're a Milky Way lover, or an ice cream lover, or just someone in need of a quick dessert. It is a winner!

Milky Way Bar Sauce

Adapted from Apples for Jam

by Tessa Kiros

Makes 2 cups

1 cup heavy whipping cream

5 (2 ounce) Milky Way Midnight Bars*

Notes: The only difference between a regular Milky Way bar and a Milky Way Midnight bar is that a Milky Way is made with milk chocolate and a Midnight bar is made with dark chocolate. I used regular Milky Way because we are milk chocolate lovers, but you do you! I also think a Snickers would work just as well, or maybe even better if Snickers is your jam. *I didn't need 2 cups of Milky Way Sauce so I made about 1/4 of the recipe, using a King Size Milky Way bar and about 1/4 cups of heavy cream.

Pour half the cream into a heavy-bottomed pan and heat gently. Coarsely chop the Milky Way bars and add to the pan, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon, until they are completely melted. Make sure that the cream is not too hot and that they are completely melted. Make sure that the cream is not too hot and that nothing gets stuck on the bottom of the pan, which would ruin your chocolate. When everything is nearly all melted together, add the rest of the cream, and whisk to break up the soft lumps. Remove from the heat and carry on whisking until the sauce is completely smooth. Cover when it has cooled a bit. Serve warm or even at room temperature, but store in the fridge if you don't finish it all. Even a teaspoon of it cold or at room temperature is great for lifting the spirits.

Ovens Off @ IHCC

Summer of Salads #10: Jacques Pepin's Zucchini and Olive Salad

 

This summer I turned up the notch on my veggie consumption. I was drinking green smoothies, making salads, and having meals consisting of nothing but veggies. Of course, I haven also reasoned that eating lots of veggies makes it okay to eat them with cheese. If a chef didn't write cheese into the recipe, well let's just say I did it for them!

For example, this week I chose a Jacques Pepin Zucchini and Olive Salad that was a very simple recipe consisting of zucchini, white wine vinegar, olive oil, olives, chives, salt and pepper. But to my horror, I feel like Pepin missed a perfectly good opportunity to adorn the top of this salad with crumbles of goat cheese. Right? I mean they pair so well together why wouldn't you?

And, take your time in the cheese section of your market because goat cheese has come A LONG WAY since it was first brought to market. I really like the Orange Blossom Honey Goat Cheese, but my newest obsession is the Everything Bagel Goat Cheese. Either of those version would be good here.

Pepin says to cut the zucchini into 1/4" rounds, dust it with salt and bake it for about 5-7 minutes to firm up the zucchini and heat up/cook some of the moisture out. This salad can be served warm or cold, but I enjoyed it best served warm. The zucchini pair so well with the briney olives and the creamy goat cheese. I also sprinkled my salad with a little red pepper flakes because I like things a little spicy. This was a really good salad that would make for a pretty appetizer when entertaining and/or served next to fish and/or chicken. I would definitely make it again, with cheese- of course!

Zucchini and Olive Salad

Adapted from Essential Pepin

by Jacques Pepin

Serves 6

2 zucchini (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pitted oil-cured black olives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Optional: sprinkle of red pepper flakes and/or goat cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the zucchini, trim off the ends, and cut into 1/4" thick rounds. Arrange the rounds in one layer on a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with the salt. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until the zucchini renders some of its moisture and softens slightly.

Transfer the zucchini rounds to a bowl and toss them gently with the pepper, vinegar, and oil. Serve immediately, garnished with the black olives and chives. 

The Three Sisters @ IHCC