The Heart of Cooking: Supremes De Volaille A Brun & Beurre Noisette

(Chicken Breasts Sauteed in Butter & Brown Butter Sauce)

Haricots Verts A L'Anglaise

(Buttered Green Beans)

Pommes De Terre Sautees En Des

(Diced Potatoes Sauteed in Butter)

Tuesday night's dinner was incredible. Very simple ingredients turned into dishes that tasted like heaven. If you did not notice ~ Every dish has the word Butter in the Title. I came home from work, decided on the main course and two side dishes and headed to the grocery store. While I love my local grocery store, it always turns out, that when I need a specific ingredient, they don't have it. So, I had to make a trip to the other (more pricey) local grocery store to pick up fresh chives.

I now have all the ingredients I need. I put everything on the counter and re-read the recipes... again.

I knew the dishes I was making were simple, so there was no need to stress. Unfortunately, I'm still getting used to this cookbook. Each dish, as I have stated before, is very detailed. Looking at the pages makes it seem as though there are a million steps that I shouldn't forget! On top of that, the recipes are for 4-6 people. I'm only cooking for two, so changing the quantities is just another step I need to remember. I took a deep breath and started on the potatoes.

As I'm picking up my knife to form perfect 1/4 inch cubes of potato, I hear, "Is it done yet?" I answered with a quick, "Nope." I feel that the stress is starting to surface. So, I opened a bottle of wine and it was smooth sailing after that.

I diced the potatoes beautifully. I blanched French green beans, which I had never done before. I know it is simply boiling the green beans, but I've never been a fan of green beans (and therefore, have never really cooked them). Also, I had to clarify butter - which I had never done before. For those of you who may not know, clarifying the butter is simply melting the butter, skimming off the milky foam on top and then straining the yellow liquid into a bowl. The clarified butter burns less easily and what a difference it made! For the chicken, I sliced one chicken breast in half (lengthwise). The chicken breasts that I buy from Costco are very large. Slicing the breasts in half saves us money and also saves our waistlines. The butter sauce was very fast ~ no need to place the chicken in aluminum foil while the sauce was prepared.

I was a little worried about the timing. With any new recipe, it is difficult to know how long each dish will take. Surprisingly, everything was done at the same time. I pretty much rocked this dinner. Every part looked amazing. But, did it taste as good as it looked?

Yes!

I'll start with the potatoes... They were crispy on the outside but also silky from the butter and herbs and the inside was creamy and smooth. The flavor was outstanding. Simple, fresh ingredients created into something magnificent. Using the clarified butter for the chicken and the brown butter sauce made such a difference in the final product. I have sauteed chicken breasts many times, but not with clarified butter. The chicken browned beautifully without the butter becoming too hot which causes the butter to brown to quickly and thus burn. It made the chicken, not only look better, but also taste better. The sauce was quick and easy. I simply added more clarified butter, of course!, let it brown a bit, then took it off the heat and added parsley and lemon juice. Delicious. For the green beans, I blanched the beans and then tossed them in butter in a saucepan (w/ salt & pepper). Again, simple, but oh so yummy! I am now a green bean fan!

Julia recommended a red wine with the dish. So, I enjoyed a glass or two. I made small portions for us, because, well, did you see how many times the word butter came up? I instantly regretted not making more after my first bit.