Today is a sad day and I will miss Julia Child dearly. I remember watching "The French Chef" as a little kid on a black & white TV. Her funny accent ... the way she would drop food on the floor and then put it back in the pan. She made me laugh but I loved how she made cooking and working around the kitchen seem so easy and fun. I was a tomboy and never had an easy bake oven. I didn't really learn how to cook or come to a food profession till much later in life but I always remembered her style and her gusto and the fact that she liked McDonald's french fries. She was a real human being and she made food accessible. All Food.
"We'd go to the market, and she'd buy Wonder Bread. She had no snobbism about food whatsoever. She loved iceberg lettuce." - Jacques Pepin.
"Bon Apetite!"
Chicken Broiled with Mustard, Herbs, and Bread Crumbs
Poulets Grilles A La Diable
Here is a fine method for broiled chicken which is good either hot or cold. The chicken is partially cooked under the broiler, then smeared with mustard and herbs, rolled in fresh bread crumbs, and returned to the broiler to brown and finish cooking. A practical attribute is that it can be almost entirely cooked ahead of time, set aside or refrigerated, and then finished off in the oven. With the mustard dip, a sauce is not a necessity. But if you want one, serve melted butter mixed with lemon juice and minced herbs, or sauce diable (herbal brown sauce with shallots and wine), Baked, whole tomatoes and green beans would go well with it, and a chilled rose wine.
Serving: 4 to 8 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
Two ready-to-cook, 2 1/2 pound broilers, halved or quartered
Basting fat: 6 tablespoons of melted butter blended with 2 tablespoons oil
Salt
6 tablespoons prepared mustard of the strong Dijon type
3 tablespoons finely minced shallots or green onions
1/2 tsp thyme, basil, or tarragon
1/8 tsp pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
4 cups fresh, white crumbs from homemade-type of bread (make the crumbs in an electric blender, 3 or 4 slices of bread at a time)
Equipment
A saucepan (to make the basting fat)
A pastry brush
A broiling pan minus rack
A broiling pan with rack
1. Preheat oven broiler to moderately hot.
2. Dry the chicken thoroughly, paint it with the butter and oil and arrange it skin side down in the bottom of the broiling pan. Place it so that the surface of the chicken is 5 to 6 inches from the hot broiling element and broil 10 minutes on each side, basting every 5 minutes. The chicken should be very lightly browned. Salt it lightly.
3. Blend the mustard with the shallots or onions, herbs, and seasonings in a bowl. Drop by drop, beat in half the basting fat to make a mayonnaise-like cream. Reserve the rest of the basting fat for later. Paint the chicken pieces with the mustard mixture.
4. Pour the crumbs into a big plate, then roll the chicken in the crumbs, patting them on so they will adhere.
5. Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side down on the rack in the broiling pan and dribble half the remaining basting fat over them. Brown slowly for 10 minutes under a moderately hot broiler. Turn, baste with the last if the fat, and brown 10 minutes more on the other side. The chicken is done when the thickest part of the drumstick is tender, and, when the meat is pricked with a fork, the juices run clear yellow.
Transfer to a hot platter and serve.
Ahead-of-Time Notes: If you wish to do most of the cooking in advance, brown the crumbed chicken under the broiler for 5 minutes only on each side. It then may be finished off several hours later, placed in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not allow it to overcook.
Defrosting Frozen Chicken
The best method for defrosting frozen chicken, according to those in the business, is the slowest: leave it in its transparent wrapper and let it thaw in the refrigerator. It will lose much less of its juice and flavor. The best alternative is to unwrap it and thaw it in a basin of cold, running water, removing the package of giblets from the cavity as soon as it can be pried loose, and pulling the legs and wings away from the body as soon as they will move.
Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
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