"What Would Julia Think?" @ Denise's

What Would Julia Think? –
French Cooking in Your Crock Pot

Hors d’ Oeuvres

Tomatoes and goat cheese w/cranberry balsamic
syrup - Brenan
Brie w/pecan and cranberries - Marcie

Entrée

Coq au Vain - Denise

Sides

Roasted Beet Salad w/Goat Cheese and Walnuts –
Kelli
Roasted Root Vegetables – Danielle
Butternut Squash Gratin - Jamie

Dessert

Bistro Crème Caramel - Janet
Chocolate Pain Perdu - Megan




Tomatoes and Goat Cheese with Cranberry Balsamic Syrup
Serves 6

3 Tablespoons balsamic Vinegar
4 medium vine-ripe tomatoes

1 (6-ounce) log of goat cheese
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup dried cranberries
1-tablespoon sesame oil

Serve with French bread

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Swirl the balsamic vinegar on the bottom of the stoneware. Cut the
tomatoes into thick slices, and top with rounds of goat cheese. Put them into the cooker (you
need to stagger-stack to get them all in). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, add the cranberries,
and drizzle the sesame oil over everything. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the goat
cheese is melty and tomatoes start to pucker. Serve an as appetizer with some bread to soak up
the juice.

Brie with Pecans and Cranberries
Serves 8

1 (8 ounce) round Brie
½ cup candied pecans
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Put the Brie in the stoneware, and cover with the pecans and cranberries. Cook on high for 2
hours, or until the cheese is melted and gooey. Serve with crackers and sliced green apples.

Roasted Beet Salad w/Goat Cheese and Walnuts

6-8 medium and or golden beets, scrubbed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Remove all but 1 inch on the beet tops. Leave the roots intact. Place the beets in a large slow
cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until the beets are tender when pierced
with a knife.

Let the beets cool slightly. With a small knife, peel off the skins. Chill to use in the salad.

Salad
Serves 4 to 6
2 tablespoons chopped shallots or scallions
6 cups baby greens
Roasted beets from above, peeled and cut into ½ inch wedges
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 cup walnut pieces, toasted

Citronette
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
Optional: 1 to 2 Tb minced green herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon, basil or a pinch of dried herbs)

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Coker and shake until well blended.

Just before serving, toss half of the dressing with the greens and arrange them on salad plates,
toss the remaining dressing with the beets. Spoon the beets over the greens. Crumble cheese
around beets. Scatter the walnuts and serve.

Roasted Root Vegetables

1 ½ pounds new potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ pounds turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 shallots
10 garlic cloves, peeled
4 tablespoons unsalted butted
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large slow cooker, combine all the ingredients except for the parsley, seasoning with salt
and pepper to taste.

Stir well. Cover and cool on high for 3 ½ to 4 hours, or until all the vegetables are tender, serve
hot, and sprinkled with the parsley.

Butternut Squash Gratin
Serves 6 to 8

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the cooker
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ cup chicken broth

Butter the insert of a large slow cooker. Scatter about one third of the potatoes and squash in
the cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the cheese and dot
with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the broth.
Repeat with 2 more layers, reserving the final 1/3 cup cheese. Cover and cook on low
for 6 hours, or until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife. Sprinkle with the
reserved cheese. Cover and cook for 10 minutes more. Serve hot.

Coq Au Vain

Browning the bacon, chicken and vegetables briefly before adding them to the crock-pot creates
deep rich flavors in both the chicken and sauce. After the brief sauté, the crock-pot does all the
work. Serve with a crusty baguette or couscous. Ingredients with an asterisk (*) are available in
the Whole Foods Market Family of Brands [1].
Ingredients:
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I am using breasts)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 slices bacon, roughly chopped*
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil, divided*
1 package white or baby bella mushrooms, quartered
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth*
1 1/2 cup red wine
2 large sprigs thyme

Method:
Arrange chicken on a large sheet of waxed paper. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Lightly coat chicken all over with flour and set aside.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until golden and just crisp, 3
minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside. Discard drippings and wipe out skillet. Melt
2 tablespoons butter (or heat oil, if using) in same skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken
and cook until lightly browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large
plate as done and set-aside.
Melt remaining 1-tablespoon butter or oil in same skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until edges
begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, onions, garlic and salt and cook until vegetables
just begin to soften. Transfer vegetables and broth to crock-pot. Arrange chicken on top.
Sprinkle bacon over chicken. Add wine and thyme sprigs. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7
hours. Season with salt and pepper, and then serve.

Bistro Crème Carmel
Serves 8

1-cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 12-ounce can evaporated whole milk
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
4 large eggs
1-teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, swirling the pan
occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer the mixture without stirring until it begins to
turn brown. Gently swirl the pan until the syrup is evenly caramelized.
Protect your hand with an oven mitt and pour the hot syrup into a 6-cup soufflé dish,
turning the dish to coat the bottom evenly. Let cool until the caramel is just set.
Wisk together the evaporated and condensed milks in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs
and vanilla until blended. Pour the mixture into the soufflé dish.
Place a rack in the insert of a large slow cooker (or make a ring with aluminum foil for the
insert). Place the dish on the rack. Pour hot water around the dish to a depth of 1 inch. Cover
and cook on high for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Carefully remove the dish from the slow cooker. Let cool slightly, then cover and
refrigerate until chilled, several hours or overnight.
To serve, run a knife around the inside of the dish. Invert a serving plate on top of the
dish and quickly turn the dish over. Carefully remove the dish, allowing the caramel to drizzle
over the custard. Cut into wedges and serve.

Chocolate Pain Perdu
Serves 8

Unsalted butter
1 baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
2 cups whole milk
10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
½ cup sugar
1-cup heavy cream
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream (optional)

Butter the bottom and 2 inch up the sides of the insert of a large slow cooker. Scatter the bread
in the cooker.

Heat the milk in a small pan over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges.
Remover it from the heat. Set aside ¼ cup of the chopped chocolate. Add the remaining
chocolate to the hot milk and stir until foamy. Beat in the chocolate milk, cream, and vanilla.

Pour the milk mixture over the bread in the cooker. Scatter the reserved ½ cup chocolate pieces
on top. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or until softly set in the center.

Let cool slightly. Scoop the pudding from the dish and serve with whipped cream (optional).