A perfect afternoon in a French cafe in Miami last weekend rekindled my desire to make it back to France as soon as possible. Paris is one of the only cities other than New York City that I ever miss and it’s been 7 years since I’ve been. I mentioned to two friends that I wanted to go sometime in May and they jumped at the chance. So this weekend we booked our flights because we found a deal. The six-month countdown begins! Now we just need to figure out where we are eating. 🙂
I thought Ina’s Chicken Bouillabaisse was the perfect dish to kick off the planning. I usually skip making this because it calls for Pernod and I didn’t want to spend over $30 on a bottle to only use 3 tablespoons. I finally decided to make it and just skip the Pernod and it was still amazing.
You sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and rosemary, before browning them in batches. You then simmer the garlic, saffron, wine, tomatoes, fennel, chicken stock (and Pernod) for 40 minutes. Once the garlic is tender, you puree the mixture and return to the dutch oven. Add the chicken and potatoes to the dish, stir, and place in 300-degree oven for 45 minutes.
While it was baking, I made the rouille. I forgot to set an egg out, so I place an egg in a bowl of warm water to quickly bring it to room temperature. I place the yolk in the food processor with garlic, salt, and saffron and pureed. I slowly poured in the olive oil and to my disappointment, it didn’t come together – it was pure liquid. I thought it was ruined, but decided to try and save it. I let two egg yolks come to room temperature and whisked them with salt until it thickened. I then slowly poured the split rouille into the whisked eggs and it worked!
The rouille was amazing smeared on toasted bread and even better dipped in the garlicky tomato sauce. I usually not a fan of chicken stews, but I will be making this again. SO GOOD!
Book: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Episode:Chicken All the Time
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Advanced
Store Bought Is Fine: Pernod, Crusty bread
Good Ingredients: Olive oil
Recipe on Food Network online.
