On the weekend between my birthday and my mother’s, I felt a sudden pull toward this recipe, a longing for the flavors of my childhood. As I opened the book, I discovered something unexpected—her handwritten notes in the margins. Familiar loops and flourishes, small adjustments, little reminders, all in her hand. With each step, I could almost hear her voice guiding me, her notes offering a sense of familiarity. The scent of butter and rum filled the kitchen, wrapping me in a memory that felt both distant and close at once.
This recipe is based on Lulu’s, with a few small modifications to suit my own tastes. As the chicken roasted, the oven cast its gentle heat through the house, and the scent of ginger and herbs filled every corner. The final step—tossing macaroni in the chicken’s roasting juices—reinforced the homeyness of the dish in the way only simple farmhouse cooking can.
Enjoy some of my favorite dishes to make at home, including Chicken Dijonnaise, Mussel and Wild Fennel Gratin and Chocolate Tart. Makes a nice addition to my new Cookbook ‘French Cooking for Beginners’.
In the heart of French cuisine, there exists a profound respect for humble vegetables, transformed through the alchemy of slow cooking. The Gratin de Pommes de Terre et Fenouil is one such quiet triumph—a dish that brings together the sweet licorice notes of fennel with the grounding comfort of potatoes, all enrobed in a luxurious garlic cream, then baked to golden perfection.