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Cheese Board with Date Walnut Bread
Chicken Paillard with Roasted Green Beans and Red Onions
I took the photo at the top of this post on an early February walk with John at a nearby park. The image is shade-darkened and mist-blurred, but it still manages to capture the drama of this snowmelt-fortified waterfall. With options for indoor, away-from-home diversions still limited, getting outside for a walk is big entertainment these days, not to mention stress relief. Where have you been finding your moments of Zen?
Since Valentine’s Day was on a Sunday this year, we celebrated with brunch (at home, sorry no photos or write-up of our waffles and Mimosas, I just wanted to enjoy the morning with John). But the night before, it was a romantic dinner for two (at home), like most Saturdays. For the menu I went with a French theme, centered around a quick but special, one-dish main: Chicken Paillard.
A “paillard” is a boneless chicken breast with the skin on, an uncommon cut that really should be wildly popular. Without the bone, the breast cooks through in minutes, and because it lies flat on the cooking surface, every centimeter of the skin makes contact and gets golden brown and crispy. For this dish, while the chicken browns in bacon drippings on the stovetop, green beans and red onion slivers roast in the oven until crisp-tender and caramelized. To finish, a rich pan sauce, quickly whisked together from all the flavorful juices left behind from the chicken, with reduced white wine, Dijon mustard and a splash of heavy cream.
I opted not to serve bread or a starchy side with the main course, and went with a more substantial first course instead: a cheese board.
It takes both imagination and restraint to make a cheese board for just two people. Think of all those cheese boards you’ve seen on Pinterest and Instagram, the table-sized spreads photographed from above to show off the intricate patterns of cheeses, meats, crackers and condiments piled high. You want your cheese board to look enticing and abundant, and yet, how much cheese can two people eat, especially as a starter before a meal?
I chose my smallest board (7 by 12 inches), and two small wedges of cheese, a sharp Cheddar and a ripe Brie. I tucked in a few slices of sausage, some water crackers, and a bunch of red grapes for color and height at the center. But the real star of this board was the homemade Date Walnut Bread, which made a surprisingly good paring with the cheese, and was gorgeous in thin slices looking almost like mosaics with their pattern of dark dates and creamy walnuts. Full disclosure: even this was too much for the two of us, it would have been perfect for four. I returned the leftover crackers to their package and covered the rest in plastic wrap; with a tossed salad alongside it made a nice light supper the next night.
For my Valentine, I made one of his favorites for dessert: Boston Cream Pie. I found this to be a perfect fit for a French-themed menu – even though the recipe was invented in Boston, it was created by a French chef and it’s just so French in all of its elements, with the pastry cream inside and the chocolate ganache on top so reminiscent of an éclair. Instead of making one full-sized cake, this time I made minis – little 4-inch, single-serving-sized beauties. These also showed up on repeat the next night, and – OK – the next night, too. It was more dessert than we should have eaten in one week, but Boston Cream Pie doesn’t freeze well and it was just way too good to let it go to waste.
For my playlist this month, it’s more jazz. I don’t know where this came from but lately I’ve gone crazy for Cool/West Coast style jazz. My obsession really took off in December when I pulled together a collection of great Christmas jazz, and now I just can’t stop listening to it. This is the kind of music you’ll want to really listen to with all of your attention. So often when we’re listening to music we’re doing other things – having a conversation, working, working out – and the music is just background. This all-instrumental Cool jazz playlist would make great background music for a party or during dinner – it has that sophisticated, vintage-but-not-dated sound that makes you imagine you’re at a very classy cocktail party. But my favorite way to enjoy it is to eliminate distractions and immerse myself in it. So, since I started this post with a moment of Zen, how about ending that way too? Try taking a break from multitasking. Find a comfy chair, pop on a pair of noise cancelling headphones or earbuds, close your eyes, and just let it in. Listen on Spotify.
The Game Plan
- Make the Date Walnut Bread and the pastry cream for the Boston Cream Pie one day ahead.
- Early in the day, bake and fill the Boston Cream Pie (or mini pies), and chill until serving.
- Two hours before you want to serve the appetizer, take the Date Walnut Bread and the cheeses out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.
- About an hour before you want to serve the main course, start heating the oven, set the table, and begin prepping the chicken.
- For a complete game plan for this menu, including timing for all the steps, click on the image below.
