I checked out his book at our local library, My Paris Kitchen (I will probably buy it). I made the Chicken with Mustard and it was excellent, a big hit with the family. One of the side dishes he recommended in his book was celery root (celeriac) puree. I could not find celery root anywhere. I was told in one store that is tends to be seasonal, more common around Thanksgiving and Christmas. I made a rice side dish, but I don't think it was a good fit. I will probably try the black pepper mashed potatoes mentioned in the comments. Polenta might work as well (something to sop up the sauce). I also made a mixed vegetable saute that I prepare on a large cast iron pan.
Thanks for the various comments. I agree with Greenstuff, when I read the recipe I thought, that's a lot of mustard. But I am a mustard freak so what did I care. But the end result really is not particularly mustardy. Anyway I loved the results and wanted to share it with family. I ended up serving asparagus and parsley potatoes.
For menu choices, if I consults an outside source be it cookbook, friends, website or market I think my goal is to think outside my own personal little box, perhaps expand horizons a bit. Green beans where my first thought but not something one of my guests enjoys much. Frankly if I had no interested in recipes or what ideas other people have regarding food I would not be spending time on this web site. If not for Food52 I probably would have still not tried quinoa or have a jar of Sumac on the shelf.
Where is this recipe? I searched this site by the above name and also just Chicken with mustard and couldn't find it. Could someone provide a link? Thanks.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/chicken-mustard-poulet-la-moutarde/14048/
If the link doesn't work, just google David lebovitz mustard chicken
It's from a cookbook, My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz. He's a Chez Panisse alum who has lived for quite a while now in Paris and has a very successful blog. Mostly known for ice creams and other desserts, this book is a more general look at how he cooks. I recommend all his books, but if you just want a peek at this recipe, it is, with minor tweaks, available on the web, e.g., at http://leitesculinaria.com/96645/recipes-chicken-with-mustard.html
I think i would like it on some smashed yukon gold potatoes and some sauteed spinach or rainbow swiss chard. I would like to know what you go with. Good luck
That recipe is great! I made it thinking "what on earth am I doing following a recipe for chicken with mustard, I make that with my eyes closed," but was reminded that sometimes it's a good idea to re-ground yourself with someone else's ideas.
Anyway--you definitely want to serve it with something to sop up the sauce--take you pick. Pasta, rice, polenta, or potatoes would all be grat choices. If you want a vegetable side, I'd keep it green and really simple, as others have mentioned. Green beans, asparagus, or whatever is fresh where you live or inviting for you. I'd keep the salad to a separate course, but if your crowd likes it with the meal, keep it really simple. You don't want to clash with the main course, which has plenty of flavor. Hope you're pouring a nice wine, and have a nice time--this is a great recipe to share with friends.
I actually served it with this Black Pepper Mashed Potato recipe, that I found on Leite's Culinaria. http://leitesculinaria.com/101319/recipes-black-pepper-mashed-potatoes.html I have a lot of mashed potato lovers in my house. I think I also served either green beans tossed in olive oil or a spring mixed salad with a light vinaigrette. This is one of my favorite recipes. I have not tried the homemade pasta recipe which the author recommends, but I imagine it would be fabulous.
CV- I neither asked for a specific recipe, nor do I see any indication that I intent to serve "gutbusters". And I think most here are quite aware that no matter what they serve the menu police will not make an appearance.
Curiously, I've seen a lot of similar questions like "will A go with B" not just here at Food52, but pretty much all food-related bboards.
Clearly, there are some people who want some sort of guidance/inspiration on what they think others would do, and yes, a lot of them seem to lean to combining multiple heavy dishes. Heck, much of the restaurant industry's menu offerings are focused on these people who want tons of sugar, salt, and fat in each dish. There is no menu police based on what I see restaurants offering.
Anyhow, I provided some suggestions that work for items that are available right now in my neck of the woods as well as a framework of how I go about choosing vegetable accompaniments based on my own interests and taste.
Personally, I expect most people here to roundly ignore the advice I provided in this thread since it does not align with their recipe-driven cooking styles.
But like I said earlier, it's ultimately your call based on what you think this particular group of dinner guests would like. No one here can answer that since we don't know who they are.
I think this is a valid question, not in terms of "what would others do". I think it's legitimate to consider what flavors, textures and ingredients enhance each other. Also, cv, it's not that we have no farms here in the Northeast, caninechef's page mentions the Hudson Valley as home, certainly a wonderful place for farming. We have plenty of beautiful local produce in the New York area (think Jersey tomatoes in late summer, ramps, green garlic onions, potatoes, herbs, greens) but our season is different from California's (which is where I'm from but not where I currently live). We here also feel lucky to live where we do, and we don't envy Californians. Both areas have beautiful produce and foraged items (ramps!!) but different timings. Here we've had a very cool season so things have been slower.
That said, I agree with many, I would go with a lighter springy green side; perhaps fresh pea(pods) if you can get them and/or radishes, maybe both, perhaps combined with a bright dressing. Maybe one of the shaved salads from the recent contest. Green lettuces would also be a lovely contrast with a sharp but rich chicken dish.
Well, I'm not sure how to address an upstate New Yorker as I don't understand what is currently available to that person. That's why my initial recommendation was to simply go to the local farmers market for whatever was fresh. I don't even mention that I am in NorCal in my original response. The point I was making was to look at available resources.
If I want to pick the "right" veggie sides for this upcoming weekend, I simply visit my town's farmers market (open all year long), look at what's available and buy what I think looks good (at a price I'm willing to pay).
I know I buy stuff at my market that others aren't willing to pay. I know there's stuff that others will buy that I'm not willing to pay. I'm aware that there's stuff that people who don't live near me don't even have the opportunity to acquire because it doesn't exist.
Not much I can do about the latter point, just answering the question.
Well the author's own suggestion is: "This dish is best served with a tangle of herbed fresh pasta, which is exactly the right vehicle for sopping up the delicious sauce."
Personally, I would also add another vegetable dish, something very seasonal. My game plan would be to find some at my farmers market that looks appealing and use that as inspiration rather than following a recipe.
At least in my area, this is the high season for beans and peas: blue lakes, yellow wax, favas, English peas, sugar snap peas, snow peas. I would handle them very simply to provide a fresh contrast to the strong cooked flavors of the chicken, likely just toss lightly in some butter.
The asparagus season is just about over in my area, but that would be a possible last hurrah.
Another option would be a simple salad with a couple of additions. I would probably add something crunchy like chopped nuts or radishes to provide a textural contrast to the undoubtedly ultra soft chicken and pasta.
Thanks for info on pasta, I did consider asparagus. I do not have access to farmers market of any size, our little local one is probably still honey, baked goods and 5 kinds of lettuce. I do frequent an excellent produce store but still local produce is basically lettuce and maybe New Jersey asparagus.
We Californians are admittedly spoiled by having access to great seasonal locally grown produce.
I approach vegetables with a different mindset than many here. I go to my farmers market with an open mind and whatever that looks great provides the inspiration, not words on a screen or a recipe in a cookbook. I'd say 98% of my cooking is without a recipe. Even if I'm looking at a recipe, I never follow it 100% word-for-word.
All of my produce comes from my farmers market, and because of its freshness and superb flavor, I am a strong proponent of keeping things simple, without heavy sauce and spices to mask the item's inherent flavor.
I'm not a fan of pairing a rich and unctuous main course with multiple rich and heavy side dishes. I just see those as gutbusters, but hey, it's your dinner party, do what you want. At the end of the day, it's about whether or not the people sitting at your dinner table will enjoy what you set out in front of them and you are really the best judge of those people whom you've invited.
At this point, you should probably just cook whatever you like or what you think your guests would enjoy from whatever produce is available at your local sources.
For sure, you won't get a recipe from me. I don't operate that way. :-)
16 Comments
For menu choices, if I consults an outside source be it cookbook, friends, website or market I think my goal is to think outside my own personal little box, perhaps expand horizons a bit. Green beans where my first thought but not something one of my guests enjoys much. Frankly if I had no interested in recipes or what ideas other people have regarding food I would not be spending time on this web site. If not for Food52 I probably would have still not tried quinoa or have a jar of Sumac on the shelf.
If the link doesn't work, just google David lebovitz mustard chicken
Anyway--you definitely want to serve it with something to sop up the sauce--take you pick. Pasta, rice, polenta, or potatoes would all be grat choices. If you want a vegetable side, I'd keep it green and really simple, as others have mentioned. Green beans, asparagus, or whatever is fresh where you live or inviting for you. I'd keep the salad to a separate course, but if your crowd likes it with the meal, keep it really simple. You don't want to clash with the main course, which has plenty of flavor. Hope you're pouring a nice wine, and have a nice time--this is a great recipe to share with friends.
Clearly, there are some people who want some sort of guidance/inspiration on what they think others would do, and yes, a lot of them seem to lean to combining multiple heavy dishes. Heck, much of the restaurant industry's menu offerings are focused on these people who want tons of sugar, salt, and fat in each dish. There is no menu police based on what I see restaurants offering.
Anyhow, I provided some suggestions that work for items that are available right now in my neck of the woods as well as a framework of how I go about choosing vegetable accompaniments based on my own interests and taste.
Personally, I expect most people here to roundly ignore the advice I provided in this thread since it does not align with their recipe-driven cooking styles.
But like I said earlier, it's ultimately your call based on what you think this particular group of dinner guests would like. No one here can answer that since we don't know who they are.
Anyhow, good luck with your dinner party!
Voted the Best Reply!
That said, I agree with many, I would go with a lighter springy green side; perhaps fresh pea(pods) if you can get them and/or radishes, maybe both, perhaps combined with a bright dressing. Maybe one of the shaved salads from the recent contest. Green lettuces would also be a lovely contrast with a sharp but rich chicken dish.
Well, I'm not sure how to address an upstate New Yorker as I don't understand what is currently available to that person. That's why my initial recommendation was to simply go to the local farmers market for whatever was fresh. I don't even mention that I am in NorCal in my original response. The point I was making was to look at available resources.
If I want to pick the "right" veggie sides for this upcoming weekend, I simply visit my town's farmers market (open all year long), look at what's available and buy what I think looks good (at a price I'm willing to pay).
I know I buy stuff at my market that others aren't willing to pay. I know there's stuff that others will buy that I'm not willing to pay. I'm aware that there's stuff that people who don't live near me don't even have the opportunity to acquire because it doesn't exist.
Not much I can do about the latter point, just answering the question.
Personally, I would also add another vegetable dish, something very seasonal. My game plan would be to find some at my farmers market that looks appealing and use that as inspiration rather than following a recipe.
At least in my area, this is the high season for beans and peas: blue lakes, yellow wax, favas, English peas, sugar snap peas, snow peas. I would handle them very simply to provide a fresh contrast to the strong cooked flavors of the chicken, likely just toss lightly in some butter.
The asparagus season is just about over in my area, but that would be a possible last hurrah.
Another option would be a simple salad with a couple of additions. I would probably add something crunchy like chopped nuts or radishes to provide a textural contrast to the undoubtedly ultra soft chicken and pasta.
Good luck.
I approach vegetables with a different mindset than many here. I go to my farmers market with an open mind and whatever that looks great provides the inspiration, not words on a screen or a recipe in a cookbook. I'd say 98% of my cooking is without a recipe. Even if I'm looking at a recipe, I never follow it 100% word-for-word.
All of my produce comes from my farmers market, and because of its freshness and superb flavor, I am a strong proponent of keeping things simple, without heavy sauce and spices to mask the item's inherent flavor.
I'm not a fan of pairing a rich and unctuous main course with multiple rich and heavy side dishes. I just see those as gutbusters, but hey, it's your dinner party, do what you want. At the end of the day, it's about whether or not the people sitting at your dinner table will enjoy what you set out in front of them and you are really the best judge of those people whom you've invited.
At this point, you should probably just cook whatever you like or what you think your guests would enjoy from whatever produce is available at your local sources.
For sure, you won't get a recipe from me. I don't operate that way. :-)