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A Bastille Day (July 14) Menu (cont.)

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La Belle Cuisine

"Allons enfants de la Patrie
Le jour de gloire est arrivé!"
~ 'La Marseillaise'

A Bastille Day Menu (cont.)

Recipe Source:

Simply French
© 1991 by Patricia Wells and Joël Robuchon
William Morrow/HarperCollins

Equipment: One baking dish just slightly larger than the
monkfish (about 9 x 13 inches)

3 medium onions, sliced into thin rounds
12 shallots, halved
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 imported bay leaves
Large bunch of fresh thyme sprigs
Sea salt to taste
2 pounds fresh monkfish, membrane removed,
rinsed and patted dry, cut into 4 equal pieces
4 medium tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced
4 small zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 lemon, scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 cups dry white wine, preferably a Chardonnay

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Layer the onions and shallots on the bottom of the baking dish.
Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the bay leaves, half of
the thyme, and salt. Place the fish on top. Arrange the tomatoes,
zucchini and lemon on top of and around the fish. Add the wine to
cover halfway. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and thyme.
3. Place in the oven and bake, uncovered, until the fish is opaque
throughout, but still resilient, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on
the thickness of the fish. Remove and discard the thyme and
bay leaves. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Wine suggestion: A fragrant intense white, such as the
Rhône Valley’s Château Grillet

Charcoal-Broiled Halved Chicken
with Hot Mustard
(Poulet Grillé en Crapaudine)

“This is one of the quickest methods of cooking a whole chicken, and
one of the most flavorful. It’s faster than roasting, and as long as you
are careful not to overcook it, or to pierce the skin while cooking,
you’ll have moist, juicy poultry. Note that broiling and grilling require
special attention because the food is exposed to very intense and drying
heat. The surface is seared quickly, keeping the interior meat very moist,
with concentrated juices. Poultry takes particularly well to this kind of
cooking, making for crispy brown skin and juice meat, with the white
and dark portions evenly cooked. ‘En crapaudine’, by the way, is the
French name given to any bird that is split in half and flattened to look
like a toad, or ‘crapaud’… “

1. Prepare the chicken: Place the chicken, breast side down, on a flat
surface. With a pair of poultry shears, split the bird lengthwise
along the backbone. Open it flat, and press down with the heel
of your hand to flatten completely. With a sharp knife, make slits
in the skin near the tail, and tuck the wing tips in to secure them.
The bird should be as flat as possible, to ensure even cooking.
2. Place the chicken in a deep dish, and add the lemon juice and oil.
Cover, and marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat the broiler for about 15 minutes. (Or prepare a wood or
charcoal fire. The fire is ready when the coals glow red and are
covered with ash.)
4. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. With the skin
side toward the heat, place the chicken beneath the broiler or on the
grill, about 5 inches from the heat so that the poultry cooks evenly
without burning. Cook until the skin is evenly browned, basting oc-
casionally, about 15 minutes. Using tongs so you do not pierce the
meat, turn and cook the other side, basting occasionally, about 15
minutes more. To test for doneness, pierce the thigh with a skewer.
The chicken is done when the juice run clear.
5. Remove the chicken from the heat and coat the skin side with the
mustard. Season again with salt and pepper. Return it to the heat
to brown, 1 to 2 minutes more.
6. To serve, quarter the chicken and slice the breast meat, arranging
it on a serving platter.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Wine suggestion: A young and fruity red, such as a rich Beaujolais
Cru Morgon.

NOTE: If you broil the chicken, you can prepare a sauce with the drippings:
Place the broiler pan over moderate heat, scraping up any bits that cling to
the bottom. Cook for several minutes, continuing to scrape and stir until the
liquid is almost caramelized but not burned. Spoon off any excess fat, and
deglaze with several tablespoons of cold water (hot water would cloud the
sauce). Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve and transfer to a sauceboat.
Serve immediately with the chicken.

Endless Variations
While this mustard-coated version of broiled or grilled chicken is a classic,
the variations are unlimited: Marinate the poultry with plenty of lemon
juice, olive oil, and freshly ground black pepper; or with a blend of olive
oil, garlic, lemon juice and fresh herbs. For a bit of spice, mix cayenne
pepper in with the mustard before coating. Or rather than coating with
mustard after broiling, combine herbs, grated Parmesan, and butter, and
coat the chicken for a final warm-up.
 

A Bastille Day Menu, page 1
A Bastille Day Menu, page 3

Suggestions from our Archives:
Artichokes (and/or other vegetables)
with Anchoïade
Goat Cheese with Herbed Olive Oil
and/or
Goat Cheese with Bell Pepper Dressing
Pâté d'Aubergine Provençale
Ratatouille Dip
Beef Tenderloin Roasted in an
Herb-Infused Salt Crust
Salmon en Papillote  (Julia & Jacques)
Pork Tenderloin with Sautéed Onion,
Fennel and Fennel Cream
Herb-Roasted Chicken (Alain Ducasse)
French Potato Salad (Jacques Pépin)
Tarragon Green Bean Salad (Patricia Wells)
Oven-Roasted Vegetable Casserole
(Daniel Boulud)
Clafoutis aux Cerises Mulot
Gâteau Basque (François Payard)
Tarte au Citron Nézard
(World's Best Lemon Tart)
Madeleines (Chocolatier)
Trao-Mad with Peach Compote
(Daniel Boulud)
Tuiles aux Amandes (Julia Child)