ChezCindy: Chicken Dijonnaise

Our favorite local French restaurant served a pheasant dish with a Pommery mustard sauce that was so delicious, it was hard not to order it every time we dined there.  Sad to say, the chef retired, and the pheasant is just a memory.  In one of my French recipe cookbooks, I discovered a chicken recipe that meets the memory of that wonderful pheasant meal.  Here is my tribute to Chef Dale, thanks for the delicious memories.


Chicken Dijonnaise
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper to season

2 shallots, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 heaping teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard, such as Maille
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of white pepper
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Season  the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken breasts to the hot pan; sauté turning only once, until golden brown on each side - about 3-4 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate; set aside.

Add the remaining butter and olive oil to the sauté pan, heat until foamy.  Add the chopped shallots, cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the white wine, cooking for 3-4 minutes.  Add the chicken stock, garlic and bring to a boil.  Boil until the liquid is reduced by half - this should take about 3-5 minutes.  Lower the heat, whisk in the cream and the mustard, cooking until the sauce is slightly thickened.  Whisk in the tarragon, thyme, salt and white pepper. 

Return the chicken breasts, and any collected juice, to the pan.  Cook until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. 

To serve:  Arrange the chicken breast on a serving plate, spooning the sauce over the chicken.  Garnish with chopped parsley.  We serve this with creamy mashed potatoes and a vegetable. 

Wine pairing:  French red Burgundy or a light bodied Pinot Noir 

ChezCindy: Veal Stew with Sauteed Vegetables

This veal stew recipe has been added to my list of "must make each winter season".  I make a big pan of it on the weekend and serve it throughout the week.  It is hearty, delicious and reheats well for a quick mid-week dinner.  Pictured above, it is served with gnocchi.  But we also like it with egg noodles or spooned over mashed potatoes.  Yum. 

My recipe is derived from a recipe for veal Marengo, a French veal stew said to be made for Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous French general.  The traditional basic ingredients for veal Marengo include veal, tomatoes, onion and white wine.  Modern day cooks expand on that list by adding additional vegetables to make a more complete stew.  I have added mushrooms, carrots and pearl onions (I use frozen pearl onions straight from the freezer).   If you are not a fan of veal, I am excited to make this same recipe using boneless chicken thighs.  I think that will be delicious too! 

Veal Stew with Sautéed Vegetables  

2 pounds boneless veal shoulder

4 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup unsalted chicken stock

bouquet of herbs*

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the sautéed vegetables

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup pearl onions

6-8 ounces mushrooms, cremini or white button

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

kosher salt

black pepper

chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in the center of the oven.  Use a large Dutch-oven pan, or a heavy bottomed pan with a tight fitting lid.  Cut a parchment paper into a large circle to fit into the pan as a cover. 

Cut the veal shoulder into 2-inch cubes.  Season the veal cubes with salt and pepper.  Dredge the veal cubes with the flour to lightly cover all sides, shaking off the excess flour. 

Place the pan over medium-high heat.  Add the 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter.  When the oil and butter are hot, add about a third of the floured veal cubes to the pan.  It is important to not over crowd the pan, as the meat will not brown properly.  Brown the veal in 2- 3 batches, browning on all sides, removing each completed batch to rest on a plate.  This will create a good amount of brown bits in the bottom of the pan.  Taking your time on this step will yield great color and flavor to your stew. 

Once all of the veal has been browned, add in the chopped onion, cooking until lightly browned and wilted, about 3-5 minutes (if the pan looks to dry add a tablespoon of oil).  Stir in the tomato paste, cook for 2 minutes.  Carefully add the white wine, stir to bring up some of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan; cook for 5 minutes.  Add in the drained chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and the bouquet of herbs.  Add the veal back into the pan, including any juices that may have accumulated, stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil.  Turn off the burner heat.  Place the parchment paper circle onto of the stew - this will keep the liquids from evaporating - and cover with the lid.  Place the pan into the preheated oven.  Cook for 30 minutes. 

To make the sautéed vegetables: 

Working with a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the unsalted butter.  Once melted, add the pearl onions; stir to coat with the melted butter, cooking for about 5 minutes to lightly brown.  Chop the mushrooms into quarters or halves, add to the pan, stir to combine.  Allow the mushrooms to brown with minimal stirring at this point. 

Meanwhile, cut the carrots into thin diagonal slices. 





Once the mushrooms are nicely browned, add the thin sliced carrots.  Stirring occasionally, continue cooking on the stovetop until the carrots are tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside until the stew is ready to come out of the oven. 

After 30 minutes, remove the stew from the oven.  Carefully, remove the parchment paper cover and the bouquet of herbs, discarding both.  Add the sautéed vegetables to the stew, stirring to combine.  Taste for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper as necessary.  Garnish with chopped parsley.  Serve warm and enjoy.  

 *Bouquet of herbs, known as a Bouquet Garni in French cooking, is a variety of herbs tied together wrapped in cheesecloth.  This allows your stew to have the flavor of the herbs without the stems and leaves released into the dish.  When the stew is done you simply remove the bundle of herbs and discard. I used 2 thyme sprigs, 2 parsley sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig, and 1 bay leaf.

ChezCindy: Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

There are numerous squash soup recipes available, but this one has become our "house favorite". 
It is requested by family and friends from Thanksgiving to Easter.  The apples give the soup just a hint of sweetness.  Finishing the soup with a touch of half-and-half yields a delicate, silky texture.  I often serve this as a first course for dinner parties. 


Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 butternut squash, roughly 2 pounds
2 Granny Smith apples
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
scant 1/8 teaspoon white pepper



Working with a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add the chopped onions and shallots; cook until softened, but not brown, about 4 minutes. 

Peel the squash, remove the seeds; cut into 2-inch pieces.  Peel and core the apples; cut into 2-inch pieces.  Add the squash and apples to the pan.  Stir to combine with the onions.  Add the finely chopped rosemary and thyme; stir in the chicken stock.



Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes until the squash and apples are very soft. 
Remove from the heat and allow to slightly cool.  Using a hand-held blender or a standing blender, puree the soup until smooth.  Stir in the salt, pepper and half-and-half.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  If the soup seems to thick, stir in an additional  1/2 cup of chicken stock. 

Perfect Wine Pairing:  pictured with the soup - Gentil "Hugel" Aslace from France

ChezCindy: Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Pie

Making pie crust from scratch can be tricky.  But once you find the perfect recipe that works for you, it tastes so much better than the "already made" crusts bought from the grocery store.  My sister is actually the better pie crust maker in the family.  Which is why she usually makes the pies for each holiday gathering.

I used to struggle with making crust from scratch.  At times the crust would come out too tough or it would fall apart when I rolled it out and tried to transfer it to the pie pan.  But now, I have found my go-to recipe for pie crust, and it works every time.  You will find the recipe with my quiche post.  savory quiche pie crust

When I made this Tollhouse Chocolate Chip pie yesterday, I felt it was time to capture my pie crust recipe here on my blog.  Each time I make a pie, I search through my box of recipes.  Now that sounds like I have a neatly organized box of recipes.  But not...  My box of recipes is full of photocopies, pages torn out of magazines, hand-written notes, all somewhat organized.  My fear of misplacing the recipe has prompted me to add it to the blog site.  My husband tells a story that his mother used to make the best pie crust.  But no one has the recipe.  In her last years, even she could not remember her recipe.  So here is my perfect dessert pie crust.   I hope it works well for you.  Practice will lead you to mastering this technique.

Double Pie Dough for 2 Crusts

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup cold butter-flavored Crisco shortening
1/2 cup ice water

makes two 9"-11" crusts

Cut the butter into 1/2-inch dice.  Return to the refrigerator if you have delay before preparing the flour mixture.

Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Add the butter and shortening to the flour mixture, pulsing for 8-10 times, until the butter is the size of pearls.  With the machine running, pour the cold water down the feed tube, pulsing until the dough begins to form a ball.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.  Gather the dough, divide in half to form 2 disks.  Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, working with 1 disk at a time.  Roll out the disk into a circle about 2 inches larger than the pie pan, rolling from the center of the disk to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin and counter.  When the dough is the size needed, carefully fold the dough in half, placing it into the pie pan.  Unfold the dough draping it over the edges of the pan.  Cut off the excess dough at the edges, crimping to form the edge.  Fill or bake as desired.  

Prepared pie dough can be shaped into a disk, wrapped, and stored in the refrigerator for a day or in the freezer for 2 months.  

Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Pie

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup Nestle semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts

1 disk of pie dough, homemade preferred, or storebought

Roll out the single disk of pie dough, fitting into a 9-inch pie pan, glass or ceramic is best, crimp the edges.  Place the pie pan in the refrigerator while you make the filling. 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugars and salt until combined. Set aside

Working with the stand mixer, beat the 2 eggs on high speed until foamy, about 3 minutes.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the eggs, mixing until combined.  Add the butter beating on high until combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator.  Transfer the pie filling to the pie shell, spreading it out evenly.  

Bake for 55-60 minutes.  Test the pie by inserting a knife into the center of the filling.  The knife should come out clean.  If necessary, bake for an additional 5 minute and test again.  The top of the pie should be deeply browned.  Allow the pie to cool for 2 hours on a wire rack before slicing.