Poulet Provencal, Herbs de Provence, Gougere

I love poulet Provencal so much and this recipe is perfect. I wouldn't change a single thing. I never buy herbs de Provence because it is easy to make and I already have the ingredients. A lot of recipes call for lavender, but I didn't have any. If you have some, feel free to add it to the mixture. As for the gougere, they tasted good but they fell flat, so they do not look very appealing. Hopefully, you'll have better luck. :) Enjoy!

Make your own herbs de Provence.

Herbs de Provence Recipe

Original Recipe from Emeril Lagasse

I made enough for 1 recipe, so I reduced everything to about 1/3 of a teaspoon.

• 2 tablespoons of dried savory (I used dried sage instead)
• 2 tablespoons of dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons of dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons of dried basil
• 2 tablespoons of fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons of dried marjoram
• 2 tablespoons of dried thyme

1. Mix and store in an airtight container.

Poulet Provencal Recipe

Original Recipe by S. Wiseman Gourmet, '08

Serving Size = 3

• 3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges (Canned 
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges (leaving end roots intact)
• 1/2 cup drained brine-cured black olives, pitted if desired (I used pitted)
• 4 large garlic cloves, sliced, plus 1 teaspoon minced
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 3-4 chicken breasts (original recipe calls for 1 whole chicken)

1. Preheat oven to 400F and place rack in the middle (I'm not sure moving the rack is necessary).
2. Toss together the tomatoes, onion, olives, sliced garlic, 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste), 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix veggies until coated evenly. Push them aside to make room for the chicken.
3. Stir together the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste, I think I used less), 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, remaining herbs de Provence, and remaining tablespoon of oil. 
4. Remove any fat from the chicken, pat dry, and then rub the chicken with the seasoning mixture. Place into the baking dish. Cook until done. 

I love decorating with pumpkins.

The Cookbook

I haven't made many recipes from this book yet, but what I love so far is that every recipe has step-by-step photographs. Below is an example of what I'm referring to. I made the cheese puff ring and the images show the preparation and final result. Unfortunately, my cheese puff ring didn't turn out as well. It tasted great and we finished all of it, but it fell flat making it look a bit ugly. I wish it looked as good as the photo though. I think it didn't turn out well because I opened the oven a few times. Oops!

Gougere (Cheese Puff Ring)

Recipe From: The French Recipe Cookbook by C. Clements, E. Wolf-Cohen.

Serving Size = 6-8 (In my house, maybe 4)

• 3/4 cup of flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup of water
• 6 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3 ounces of Swiss cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (I used cheddar)
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley (optional)

Take a moment to decide who the physically stronger spouse is. In my case, that would be my husband --- his task? To stir for a very, very long time. If you do not have a spouse, I would suggest recruiting a neighbor. :)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Sift together the flour, salt, cayenne and nutmeg.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring the water and butter to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the dry ingredients all at once. Beat with a wooden spoon (I used a regular spoon) for about 1 minute until the mixture is well combined and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. 
4. Place the pan over low heat and cook for 2 minutes, beating constantly.
5. Remove from the heat and add the eggs very gradually (about 1 tablespoon at a time). Beat thoroughly after each addition. The dough should become smooth, shiny and should pull away and fall slowly when dropped from a spoon. You may not need all of the egg.
6. Add the cubed cheese and parsley, mix well.
7. Using two large tablespoons, drop mounds of dough onto the baking sheet to form an adjoined 10-inch circle. Bake 25-30 minutes until well browned. Cool slightly and serve warm.

Example of the step-by-step instructions.

A picture of the final result.

Linking to: Cookbook Sundays, Homemaker Monday