June 11, 2004
Lemon Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes
Thursday night for dinner I made Lemon Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes, Apricot-Glazed Roasted Asparagus and for dessert, Croissant Bread Pudding with Blueberry Lemon Coulis.
The chicken was marinated in lemon juice and broiled. It was so-so. I would have liked more flavor, and I think grilling them would have been better than broiling. The potatoes included diced tomatoes and lemon (yes, a diced lemon), onion, garlic and some herbs all tossed together and roasted. The potatoes were a little undercooked but I liked the flavor. I think this will make a good side-dish on its own. The asparagus was was terrific, and very easy -- definitely one we'll be doing again. I'm not usually a fan of bread pudding, but I thought the dessert was worth a try since it used croissants. I used frozen blueberries and the Sara Lee frozen croissants the recipe suggest, and it came out well, although it didn't look that pretty. I think I'm going to try this in individual-serving ramekins, and maybe a little drizzle of creme anglaise would make a nice counterpoint to the coulis.
Croissant Bread Pudding With Blueberry Lemon Coulis
Yield: 12 servings.
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. sugar
6 eggs
1 t. vanilla
½ t. cinnamon (optional)
6 to 8 all-butter croissants (see note)
Blueberry lemon coulis:
1 qt. fresh blueberries, washed and dried, or 4 cups frozen, thawed
1 c. sugar
2 T. lemon juice
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Butter 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Tear croissants into bite-size pieces. Place in pan. Combine remaining ingredients except coulis. Pour over croissants, pressing until they are submerged. Let sit until liquid is absorbed. Bake 45 minutes.
2. In food processor fitted with metal blade, puree the berry lemon coulis ingredients. Place in a nonreactive saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Strain.
3. Pudding is done when knife inserted in center of croissant pan comes out with just a little mixture adhering to it and top is browned and puffed. Let cool. Cut into squares. Serve with berry coulis.
Recipe note: Adapted from Rebecca chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson. We used 2 (6-ounce) boxes frozen petite French croissants by Sara Lee. No need to defrost before using.