Grand Mere Recipes

POULET DE GRAND-MERE

Steps:

• For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt. In a large saute pan, heat enough clarified butter to coat the pan over medium-high heat. Add half the thyme and continue to heat. Place 2 of the chicken breasts in the pan skin-side down and sear until golden brown, basting the flesh side with fat from the pan. Flip the breasts, brown on the other side and baste. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet. Cook the other 2 breasts in the same manner, adding in the remaining thyme sprigs.
• Place the baking sheet with the seared breasts in the oven and bake until the chicken is firm to the touch, 7 to 8 minutes. Allow to rest before slicing.
• For the just: While the chicken is in the oven, pour off any excess fat in the saute pan and place over medium-high heat. Add enough clarified butter to coat the bottom of the pan and add the bacon lardons. Cook until crispy, and then remove to a plate and reserve. Remove any excess fat from the pan if necessary. Add in the onions and sweat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat, add in the mushrooms and season with salt. Cook the mushrooms until golden brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add in the white wine and scrap up all the brown bits that have collected on the bottom of the pan. Cook down until the wine has reduced by half. Add in half of the chicken stock and let simmer about 5 minutes. Add in the remaining chicken stock and reduce until slightly thickened Remove from the heat and swirl in the butter. Taste and season if necessary.
• Serve the sliced chicken with the jus and garnish with chopped parsley.

ROAST TURKEY GRAND-MèRE

Steps:

• The night before, pat the turkey dry with paper towels and rub 2 tablespoons of kosher salt into the skin and inside the cavity. Place the turkey on a rack over a rimmed tray, and refrigerate uncovered overnight.Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting, to allow the turkey to come to room temperature.
• Finely chop the parsley leaves. Pick off the rosemary and thyme leaves, add to the parsley, and chop together. Peel and smash 4 cloves of garlic, and coarsely chop. Add the garlic to the herbs and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Chop the herbs and garlic together into a coarse paste. Place the herb mixture in a small mixing bowl.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the chopped herbs, and stir to combine.Pull the skin from the meat of the bird (a spoon can be helpful) and slide the paste under the skin, across the breasts and over the thighs.
• Smear the softened butter over the outside and inside of the bird with your hands. Season the outside with a pinch of salt and pepper.Cut the onion in half, the celery and carrot into chunks, and stuff the vegetables inside the cavity.Remove excess paper from head of garlic and cut in half horizontally; place both halves in the bottom of the roasting pan. Cut the lemon into eighths and add to bottom of the roasting pan, along with the few extra branches of rosemary and thyme.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the prepared turkey on the cutting board, fold the wing tips under the bird, and truss it with butcher's twine. Return the turkey to the roasting pan, and add a cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Drizzle a few teaspoons of olive oil over the bird.Slide the turkey into the oven, and set a timer for 25 minutes.
• After 25 minutes, remove the turkey from the oven and baste with juices over the breast. Return the turkey to the oven and bake at 450 degrees F for an additional 25 minutes.
• After another 25 minutes at 450 degrees F, lower the temperature to 325 degrees F. After an additional 15 minutes at 325 degrees F, begin checking the internal temperature of the thigh with an instant-read thermometer.
• Continue to baste the turkey and check the temperature periodically, until an internal temperature of 160 degrees F is reached.
• Remove the turkey from the oven, and remove and discard the twine. Let the turkey rest for a minimum of 25 minutes before slicing and serving.
• After the turkey has rested, transfer it to a serving platter and drizzle with the pan juices. Carve and serve.

CHICKEN GRAND-MERE

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 T. butter and the oil in Dutch oven or deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add several pieces chicken and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and repeat with remaining pieces.
• Reduce heat to medium; add onion, garlic, and thyme. Saute until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Pour off all but 1 T. fat. Carefully pour Cognac into pan and scrape bottom of pan to loosen browned bits. Return chicken to pan, placing breasts on top. Pour in wine and broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered until chicken is tender, 30-40 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to warmed serving platter; cover with foil and keep warm. Cook sauce over medium-high heat until reduced by almost half, 12-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fry bacon in separate large skillet over medium heat, until golden, about 8 minutes.
• While bacon is cooking, cut potatoes into 3/4-inch dice and add to bacon in skillet. Fry, stirring frequently, until golden, 5-7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove bacon and potatoes to bowl.
• Add mushrooms to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms to potatoes.
• Spoon off fat from sauce. Add mushrooms, potatoes, and bacon and stir to coat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until hot, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in half the parsley and the remaining 2 T. butter. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve hot.

GRAND MERE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and return to a boil. Add pearl onions and cook about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Increase heat and add onions and mushrooms; continue cooking until vegetables are browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm until serving.

POTATOES GRANDMERE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Layer sliced potatoes in a 9x13-inch glass baking dish and season with salt and white pepper.
• Combine cream, mustard, garlic,** parmesan cheese and butter in a heavy saucepan and heat just to the boiling point.
• Pour over potatoes. **Add some of the reserved cheese, if using).