The Gossetts were the hosts for a Julia - inpsired Pot Luck last Friday. It was hilarious. The Girls wore pearls and the Men brought wine.
We each contributed a dish that was either a Julia recipe or inspired by a Julia recipe.
We started with lovely Cheesie Things and Champagne - and opened up a bottle of our Portland Home Brew that we made with the Powells a few Summers back. It was a surprisingly warm, inviting and cozy Red; an auspicious start to the evening.
Linda made a luscious creamy Potato Soup that we garnished with White Truffle Oil - superb.
I made a Chicken Fricasee with caramelized Fennel, Onions & Mushrooms with a dash of Pernod and finished with Cream. And a Green Bean Gratin that FAILED.
Sharon made individual Cheesy Potato Souffles - deelish.
Kat made Roasted Asparagus - yum.
Deb made a Fresh Berry Pavlova - heaven.
Unfortunately, this is the only pic with posting:
We drank a lot of wine. It was rather scandalous. And terribly fun.
As Julia says, "Above all, have a good time".
Here's the recipe for the chicken:
Chicken Fricassee with Pernod Cream Sauce
Serves 4
8 Chicken thighs - bone in, skin on, trimmed of excess fat
Olive Oil & Butter - it's French
1 onion - sliced thin-ish
1 fennel bulb - sliced in 1/4" wedges, core intact
8 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms - halved
2 cloves of garlic smashed and chopped well.
couple sprigs of fresh thyme and a bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock
1 c heavy cream - it's French
2 T Pernod
Bring 2 T each olive oil & butter in a large (oven proof!) saute' pan to med-high heat. Lightly dredge thighs in seasoned flour. Carefully place skin side down in hot pan and cook for 5-7 minutes til a nice golden crust has formed on the skin; turn over for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan, set aside.
Add sliced onions and thyme to the pan with all it's juices and such and cook 'til onions soften and caramelize - adjust heat and add more oil/butter, if necessary - about 15 minutes. Add Fennel and get a nice sear on the wedges. Season with S&P. Remove onion and fennel from pan, set aside.
Add 1-2 T butter & O.O. to pan and toss in your mushrooms. Cook until you get a nice sear on all the sides and juices have mostly evaporated. S&P. Add Garlic, toss around quickly for about 30 seconds. Add onion/fennel mixture to pan along with bay leaf, chicken stock and Pernod. Bring to a boil and reduce a bit. Add cream, reduce a bit more, taste and adjust seasonings. (You can add a bit more Pernod here if you wanna!)
Heat oven to 325.
Add chicken to stock mixture, skin side up and nestled in on top of vegies and liquid. Place in preheated oven for approx 1 hour.
Garnish with fresh chopped Tarragon and Parsley and serve with smashed potatoes, egg noodles or soft polenta.
Bon Appetit!!
