It’s fourth and long, only seconds remain, and I am three posts down. What do I do, you ask? Well, I run the Triad play. The old three-for-one ploy. The sneaky trinity gambit of food writing. The result? Well that’s up to you.
My dilemma started when I was behind two posts for French Fridays with Dorie, and had a third pending. No time to do three separate posts. Plus I had writer’s block induced by large doses of panic and peer pressure, to say nothing of Sous Chef’s constant reminders about maximizing the utility of, and investment in, my new website, christymajors.com. So I decided to do an all-in-one post to catch up.
It turns out writing about the Triad was pretty easy since all three of the French Fridays with Dorie challenges are winners in my book. First there was the Caramelized Almond Tarte, followed by the Cheese Soufflé, and finally the ever-classic and comforting Hurry Up and Wait Roast Chicken.
The Caramelized Almond Tarte was delicious and ticked all of my boxes. It was light, luscious, and had two of my favorite ingredients – caramel and almonds. It is entertaining worthy and most definitely will be making another appearance at our house. And since I love tartes of all kinds, and Sous Chef says he does as well (what did his wink and lascivious grin mean?), I looked forward to meeting this challenge.
The Cheese Soufflé was another matter, however. Kind of like housework. You know it must be done but you put it off as long as possible. Sous Chef opined that soufflés should be sweet, not savoury. To an extent I share his viewpoint because we adore Grand Marnier Soufflés, followed closely in order by Lemon (I get migraine headaches from anything but the finest, most expensive chocolate, so Chocolate Soufflé does not make my list). And there is no shortage of delectable sweet soufflé creations. Why just recently we tried a Banana Rum Soufflé at Circo in Las Vegas that was out of this world. So Cheese Soufflé just didn’t sound all that intriguing, exciting, mysterious, or appetizing to us. Not to mention, if I’m in the mood for a Cheese Soufflé, a favorite restaurant in the desert, Cuistot, has one on its lunch menu that is absolute perfection. And you know what they say about perfection : why mess with it?
But I had a challenge to meet, I had the ingredients at hand, I had no inspiration whatsoever for dinner one night, and Sous Chef was not moving since USC football was on TV. Pre-Kiffin firing I could count on him to go out for an early dinner while the game was taping, but not now. He does not want to miss any of the live action. So I grabbed some Gruyere and Baby Swiss cheeses from the refrigerator, combined them with eggs and, voilà, a perfectly edible and delightful Cheese Soufflé sprang forth from the oven. Served with a simple salad, the result was perfect for watching USC plod to victory over Utah (just how did that team beat Stanford?). But if you are in the Greater Palm Springs area and have a craving for Cheese Soufflé, just go to Cuistot in Palm Desert and tell Bernard, the chef/owner, and Fred, the master sommelier, The Culinary Diva sent you.
That brings us to the Hurry Up and Wait Roast Chicken. For me, the gold stand for roast chicken is Poulet Bleu cooked the Joel Robuchon way. The Poulet Bleu I have gotten through D’Artagnan is always superb. And if you follow the directions, the Joel Robuchon method for roasting chicken, be it Poulet Bleu or something from your local fowlmonger, is foolproof. Or as Sous Chef says: “If The Culinary Diva can follow directions from a Frenchman and make consistently great chicken, everyone can.”
Dorie’s method differs from Robuchon’s in several particulars: the cooking temperatures and cooking times are slightly different (Joel’s being lower and slower); Dorie flips the chicken twice while Joel does it three times to ensure all four sides of the chicken are fully exposed during cooking; Dorie makes her chicken stand at attention after roasting while Joel acknowledges the chicken’s efforts and lets it rest in a recumbent position; and Joel slavers much more butter over his chicken. Whatever the reason, Joel’s method makes for the juiciest, most tender chicken I have ever tasted.
Dorie’s approach is straightforward and the simple seasoning of butter, salt, and pepper lets the chicken’s true taste shine through. Joel uses the exact same seasonings, so the difference in result comes from the cooking temperatures, exposing all four sides of the chicken during roasting, and the amount of butter used. And to be truthful, I’m not sure if the little stand-up act at the end of cooking the Hurry Up and Wait Roast Chicken way actually made a difference. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the roast chicken made Dorie’s way. But Sous Chef and I each remarked we thought the Joel Robuchon method resulted in a juicer, more tender chicken that had more flavor. Both methods are effective and beat the pre-prepared roast chicken you will find in your local market.
Make sure to check out what all the other Dorista’s are doing this week www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com.
Whoa, you were busy this week…but lots of yumminess on your table. Thanks for sharing Robuchon’s tips; now I’m dying to try his method.
PS…not sure I’d want to deal with a chicken with the head on!!!d But fun to see 🙂
What a great trifecta – well done.
Christy, Great post! I agree with Liz…I would not want to deal with the head and feet of that chicken.
Beautiful trifecta! Your tart looks simply beautiful, gorgeous souffle and delicious looking chicken!! Thanks for sharing Robuchon’s cooking method….I would love to give it a try!
My first question is, what do you DO with the head and the feet of the chicken? Is there something to be done or do you just toss them to the winds. Your tart and cheese soufflé both looked delicious and I commend you for getting them done. I passed on the soufflé because it can’t be done at 8600′ altitude so I’ll wait until I’m in Callie for the Winter and will catch up then. But, let’s talk chicken. I thought we were doing Robuchon’s technique primarily with a few tweaks from Dorie. Now I am curious to look at Robuchon’s real recipe. I think all of us thought this was one tasty roast chicken. But, I have easier methods that don’t keep me hanging around the kitchen that are just as cook……..I think. Nice Posts, Christy, all three.
Great post with a 3-fer! Great tart and souffle! The roast is perfectly presented in that last picture
Dear Christy, what a catch-up indeed! It all looks wonderful – what an amazing chicken you cooked – I do not think that it comes any fresher than this, I am amazed to say the least! And your Caramel Almond Tart makes me wnat to run in the kitchen a.s.a.p. and bake this beauty again and the Cheese Soufflé looks wonderfully risen. Perfect!
Have a fantastic weekend and a big fat thanks for all your wonderful and supportive comments!
Andrea
You made me laugh with your soufflé/housework analogy. Lemon soufflé needs to make an appearance in my kitchen soon. If you want to add another to your repertoire, the bread pudding soufflé from Commander’s Palace in New Orleans is to die for. The recipe can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/foodnation-with-bobby-flay/bread-pudding-souffle-with-whiskey-sauce-recipe/index.html
It’s been fun following you on Instagram too! You are a girl after my own heart.
Wow wow wow. For each ! Hilarious and wonderful post. Triple kudos to you for doing all three this week and yes, they were three winners in our house too – which helped the cause. I thought I was pretty brave until I saw the head and feet on that chicken. My own Nana used to go to her back yard with a knife or ax or such to select the dinner bird so I imagine she is frowning upon me from above that the claws made me squeamish 🙂 Luckily my organic Costco chicken only required me to remove the gizzards and such that were already in paper. The color you got on that bird is fabulous. So glad you enjoyed it. I am so ready to make that soufflé again this week- it was amazing. And great new site!
Nice triad, Christy! Your last picture of the chicken has me chuckling. It looks like the squash mash are the chicken’s ears (with earmuffs) and the rosemary is a shaggy beard. And the poulet bleu is fascinating.
Fun post! I like catch-up posts, it’s fun to hear opinions on a few things at once. You’ve made me want to order a Poulet Blue, just to compare to the chicken I usually buy. I can’t believe it comes with the head and claws! Also, thanks for mentioning Robuchon’s method. It’s now on my (too long) list of things to try.
I am still slightly hyperventilating from the sight of the footed bird (brings back some traumatic memories of a dinner in Shanghai). Bless your soul for tackling that one.
Claws aside, lovely catch up!
Wow!!! That headstand! The blue feet!! The crust on that souffle!!! I am a jumble of emotions right now, but mostly very impressed w/your efforts this/last (now I’m the one behind!) week. Amazing job.
Great catch up! I still have to make the caramel almond tart (hopefully soon!). Your chicken looks perfectly browned and delicious!
Nice catch up! I’ve only managed to make one of the three, myself. The chicken was well-worth the fuss of turning it – so tender and delicious. You had such a great bird to work with, too.
Your post is making me think I need to find an excuse to catch up on the caramel almond tart soon – yours looks beautiful.