One night in Paris

In my mind I have a Parisian soul, an artist, dreamer and chef all rolled into a short blonde vessel.
I need to remind myself that I live in suburban South Africa and not Paris in its 1920s hey day ( Watch Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris to get my drift)
So I ponder to myself, what is it about Paris that ensnares the senses and captivates the mind? During my short visit to Paris recently I was enamoured more than ever, perhaps because I had classic french songs on a constant loop in my head, my own personal soundtrack. Think Edith Pilaf's La vie en rose and the ballad Du paris.
The food was magical as well as the architecture but I think the wonderment of Paris is the imagination and romance it stirs up in anyone visiting it.
This dish is my ode to Paris.

Parisian chicken, gratin dauphinoise  potatoes and and asparagus with

Hollandaise sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the gratin dauphinoise potatoes

4 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced & 4cm rounds cut out of them
1 cup of cream
1 clove of garlic
salt and pepper
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

Parisian chicken

4 chicken breasts
2 eggs
dash of water
1/2 cup of cake flour
1 tbsp of thyme chopped
knob of butter
1/2 cup of dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp of parsley, chopped

Aparagus and hollandaise

16 spears of aspargus
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp of lemon juice
100 grams of melted butter

Method:

For the potatoes:

1. Rub garlic clove into 4 10cm round tins. Divide potatoes evenly amongst 4 dishes. Pour over cream, parmesan and salt and pepper.
2. Cover each dish with foil and bake in a 150 degree celcious oven for 45 minutes.
3. Remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes until blistering and golden.
4. Keep them in a warm place while you crack on with the other things

For the Chicken

1. Take your chicken breasts, and bash out into about 1cm in thickness.
2. In two separate bowl, mix together eggs and water and in the other the cake flour and thyme.
3. Dip chicken breast into egg mix and then seasoned flour mix.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat butter and a dash of oil to a medium heat. Cook chicken breasts until crisp and golden.
5. Place cooked chicken breasts in a warm place.
6. In the same saucepan, add white wine and lemon juice stirring until slightly reduced and then add parsley.

For the Aparagus and hollandaise.

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and roast asparagus until cooked but still crisp.
2. Onto the hollandaise, whisk egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl over a double boiler and slowly add the melted butter whisking constantly until you have a beautiful sauce.

Assembly.

1.  Place the gratin dauphinoise potatoes on heated plates.
2. Then place the chicken and pour over the white wine sauce over it.
3. Get your asparagus and pour over your hollandaise.
4. Serve with a crisp sauvignon blanc
5. Bon Appetit!!