OK ... I admit it ... I just love ... Love ... LOVE Julia Child. So when HBO MAX began Julia ... a series about her making The French Chef TV show ... I ate up every episode.
Truth be told ... like a lot of young marrieds my age ... Julia taught me how to cook. Which was even more special as my mother was terrible at it. And whatever little culinary expertise I had came from random visits to my aunt ... who made everything from scratch except the wine.
So when I got married and actually had to cook (I think I made two things then ... spaghetti and ... I can't remember) for my husband, I had to do something!
I bought two things ... the Time-Life Foods of the World series (I still have all the gorgeous books and the little recipe books; the series is now out-of-print) and Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
The book was then in the 34th printing ... a paperback that is now fast falling apart. I'm sure it's still in print to this day ... over 60 years later. And enjoying a resurgence with the TV show.
The book sat on my shelf next to my broken-backed Larousse Gastronomique, the cooking encyclopedia only available in French in Julia's day. Inspired by the series, I pulled it out and ate it up yet again!
I had some chicken breasts in my freezer from my Butcherbox.com order (I now spend a little more and choose my own organic cuts ... Gluten Free chicken nuggets coming in the next order). So I decided to improvise a recipe using Julia's Pollo au Porto (Chicken with Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms) as a base.
For the sauce ... first I followed the Mastering recipe but then did my own easier thing with it. Then ... instead of the whole chicken ... I pounded some breasts, dredged them in Paleo-friendly almond flour, and sauteed them.
Instead of cream, I used Paleo-friendly Nut Pods original. The rest is history ... and became one of the easiest things I've ever made.
And the tastiest. That's the actual result in the picture ... I should have picked a different-color plate however. But it was devoured right after I took this picture.
I paired it with some asparagus oven roasted with a little olive oil. Eat it up ... FOR REAL!
AuthorJill PlaceJulia Child-inspired sauteed breasts gone Paleo with almond-flour coating and plant-based creamer. Eat up Chicken Breasts with Port and Mushroom Sauce!
Whisk cornstarch or other thickener into creamer until dissolved. Set aside.
Wash mushrooms, cut off browned stems if necessary, and halve or quarter if large.
Heat butter in skillet or saucepan over medium heat until sizzling. Add mushrooms and shallots and saute until mushrooms begin to render their liquid, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in port and simmer rapidly until reduced by about a third. Add the creamer mixture and whisk until thickened and beginning to boil, about 2 to 3 more minutes. Adjust seasonings. Set aside.
Wash the chicken breasts and pat them dry. Flatten to 1/2" thickness by pounding with the flat end of a meat mallet or other heavy kitchen item between two sheets of plastic wrap, waxed paper, or parchment paper.
Dredge breasts in almond flour and set aside. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add fat.
Saute chicken breasts in fat 3 to 4 minutes until the bottom is browned slightly; turn with tongs and saute the other side. Test with instant-read thermometer and chicken should be done when temperature reads 165 degrees F.
Plate each breast and top with sauce. Serve immediately.
Ingredients
Directions
Whisk cornstarch or other thickener into creamer until dissolved. Set aside.
Wash mushrooms, cut off browned stems if necessary, and halve or quarter if large.
Heat butter in skillet or saucepan over medium heat until sizzling. Add mushrooms and shallots and saute until mushrooms begin to render their liquid, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in port and simmer rapidly until reduced by about a third. Add the creamer mixture and whisk until thickened and beginning to boil, about 2 to 3 more minutes. Adjust seasonings. Set aside.
Wash the chicken breasts and pat them dry. Flatten to 1/2" thickness by pounding with the flat end of a meat mallet or other heavy kitchen item between two sheets of plastic wrap, waxed paper, or parchment paper.
Dredge breasts in almond flour and set aside. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add fat.
Saute chicken breasts in fat 3 to 4 minutes until the bottom is browned slightly; turn with tongs and saute the other side. Test with instant-read thermometer and chicken should be done when temperature reads 165 degrees F.
Plate each breast and top with sauce. Serve immediately.
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