Birthday Dinner

My husband is having a birthday on December 6^th and I am cooking with my friend in North Carolina to prepare him a nice meal. My friend Alice (a friend of 35 years) will do half of the menu and I will do the other half. My husband chose a French menu with 6 dishes to prepare and actually all the dishes can be semi-prepared in advance.

I am doing the appetizer called gougѐres, which are little delicate cheese puffs. They are easy to do but taste so good and impress everyone. I have noticed since I started working on this menu that these little cheese puffs have been in several magazines. They would be great for an appetizer for your Christmas meal or for a cocktail bite for New Year’s Eve.

Alice will be doing a French onion soup with the wonderful cheese Comté. Our main course will be a chicken with apples and apple brandy. A potato cake and a leek dish will be the side dishes for the chicken. I will be doing the chicken dish and have spent some time finding the Calvados (apple brandy) but finally got some in a liquor store in New Orleans. Dessert is a Gâteau of apples which are caramelized before being baked.  YUM!

Recipes taken from ‘bon appétit’ October 2013 issue.

Gougѐres

Makes about 50

6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

¾ tsp. kosher salt

Pinch of nutmeg

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

6 oz. (1 ½ cups) grated Comté cheese or Gruyѐre

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 400°. Bring butter, salt, nutmeg, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat, add flour, and stir to combine.

Cook mixture over low heat, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring vigorously, until a dry film forms on bottom and sides of pan and dough is no longer sticky, about 2 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat and let dough cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole eggs one at a time, incorporating fully between additions. Mix in cheese and pepper.

Scrape dough into a piping bag fitted with a ½” round tip (alternatively, use a plastic bag with a ½” opening cut diagonally from 1 corner whichî is what I did). Pipe 1” rounds about 2” apart onto 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Whisk egg yolk and 1 tsp. water in a small bowl: brush rounds with egg wash.

Bake gougѐres until puffed and golden and dry in the center (they should sound hollow when tapped) 20-25 minutes.

Do Ahead: Dough can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Gougѐres can be baked 2 hours ahead; reheat before serving.

Poulet Vallée d’Auge

Named for a region in Normandy known for its apples (and Calvados), the traditional recipe combines both in a rich, creamy sauce.

6 servings

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

3 firm, tart apples (such as Pink Lady or Braeburn; about 1 lb.) peeled, cored, quartered

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 3 ½ -4lb. chickens, quartered

Kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper

1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise ¼ “ thick

2 shallots, finely chopped

½ cup Calvados (apple brandy)

¾ cup apple cider

4 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

½ lb. crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, trimmed, halved

½ cup crѐme fraÎche

1 large egg yolk

Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add apples and cook, turning occasionally, until golden in spots, 10-12 minutes. Transfer apples to a plate and set aside.

Increase heat to medium-high and add oil and 1 Tbsp. butter to pot. Season chicken with salt and pepper and, working in batches, cook until browned about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to another plate; set aside.

Add leek and shallots to pot; cook, stirring often, until softened about 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat, add Calvados, and ignite with a long match or lighter. After flames die down, return pot to heat and add cider. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

Return reserved chicken to pot and add thyme, bay leaves, and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer, adding reserved apples back to pot halfway through, until chicken is cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned and softened, 6-8 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mushrooms to a plate.

Whisk crème fraîche and egg yolk in a small bowl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and apples to a baking sheet and remove pot from heat. Whisk crème fraîche mixture into cooking liquid in pot. Gently mix in chicken, apples, and mushrooms.

Do Ahead: Chicken and apples can be cooked 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Cook mushrooms and finish sauce just before serving.