Today is Julia Child’s birthday. She is an American icon. The impact she had on cooking, food, wine and the enjoyment of cooking, wine and food lives on in the food bloggers around the world. As a young girl I remember hearing about her shows. Then as I got older I got to watch her on PBS. My favorite show was with Jacques (Pepin) and Julia. Their show was Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. A companion cookbook to that show was published and my wonderful Mom bought me an autographed copy. It’s that cookbook I used to find this recipe for Julia’s chicken. A recipe all of use thoroughly enjoyed.
Earlier this year we were in Washington, DC and I got to fulfill an bucket list item by visiting the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. It was beautiful. Even my family enjoyed seeing her entire kitchen displayed. We marveled at all her copper pots and pans and how the things she used in her kitchen were not different at all from the things I use in mine.
We eat a lot of chicken and our Sunday meal is often whole roast chicken. This was an easy pick. Roast chicken with lemon and herbs is a more sophisticated version of the roast chicken I normally make. A few notes about how I changed her recipe up. I did not roast any vegetables with it. I used herbs de provence because it’s what I had and we like it best. I also did not truss the bird. It’s not something I ever do and in the interest of time I decided to forego it. I actually made two roast chickens this particular night. I have teenage boys, need I say more?
Ingredients
- 1 fresh 3 1/2 pound chicken
- Salt and pepper
- 6 fresh sage leaves (or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence)
- 1 large lemon, cut in 1/4-inch slices
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
Instructions
- Preparing the chicken:
- Set the rack on the lower middle level and preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Rinse the chicken thoroughly, inside and out, under hot water, then dry it with paper towels. Remove any lumps of fat from inside the cavity near the tail opening.
- To make carving easier, remove the wishbone. Lift the flap of neck skin and insert a thin, sharp knife into each end of the breast; then slice diagonally along both sides of the wishbone. Use your finger and thumb to loose the bone, pry it out at the top, and pull it down. If it breaks, carefully wiggle out the pieces.
- Fold the wings up against the breast, where they will be held in place by the V-rack.
- Salt and pepper the cavity and stuff it with the sage leaves and 3 or 4 thick slices of lemon; give the slices a squeeze as you put them in. Massage the butter over the entire chicken skin, including undersides, then salt generously.
- Arrange the chicken breast-up on the rack in the roasting pan. Squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon pieces over the top.
- Roasting the chicken:
- Set the roasting pan in the oven. After 15 minutes, lower heat to 350°F. When the chicken is beginning to brown rapidly, baste with accumulated pan juices. Roast for an hour. Very carefully test for doneness, checking for easy movement in the leg joint and clear color in the juices. Return it to the oven if there is any sign of pinkness. (A small chicken will roast in about 1 1/4 hours, a larger one may take 1 1/2 hours or more.) When done, remove the chicken from the rack and set it on a board to rest for 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to retreat back into the flesh.
Notes
A roasting pan 2 inches deep; a V-shaped roasting rack A board or platter for resting and carving
Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs a la Julia by Family Around The Table
Petits Pains by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Crepes Suzette by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
Coq Au Vin by Monica’s Table
Julia Child’s Roast Chicken by Feeding Big
Homemade Puff Pastry by Amy’s Cooking Adventure
Cherry Clafouti by The Freshman Cook
Creme Brûlée by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Cauliflower Gratin by A Day In The Life on The Farm
I’m excited for my first post with a new group of bloggers. This fun group focuses on wine and food pairings, a passion of mine! Many know that my husband and I have been in the wine business for nearly 30 years. Need less to say I was happy to find a group of like-minded bloggers. For today I’ve paired a hassleback chicken Cordon Bleu with 2013 Vergelegen Chardonnay Reserve from South Africa.
Blueberry muffins are a favorite in our house. Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of blueberries by themselves but I do love them in things like muffins, pancakes and bread. So, when I found this recipe for Jumbo Blueberry Muffins on the Taste of Home website I had to make them. Blueberry muffins are a fond memory from my youth. My Mom made them often. I think they were a favorite of hers. Or maybe my Dad’s.
My most treasured recipes in my collection are the ones that belonged to my Mom. She was a fantastic cook and baker. I always remember her being in the kitchen. I loved being int he kitchen with her. She was my biggest fan and enjoyed just about everything I made for her. Three years ago I lost my Mom on the day after Mother’s Day. It was May 12, 2014 and while it was sudden it was not unexpected. I still miss her everyday. I regularly peruse her clippings, recipe boxes (there are a few) and mostly her hand written recipes, because she had such a beautiful handwriting. It’s makes me feel close to her and I always seem to find something I’ve not seen before. Her Southwest Georgia Pound Cake was hand written on a piece of paper. You may be wondering why it’s called Southwest Georgia Pound Cake. Well…I honestly do not know. I can’t even shed light on the name.
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