A Little Taste of Heaven (also known as France)

As the soothing melodies of Iron and Wine lull me into some sort of calm, relaxed trance, I feel the need to write. The weekend's happenings have been few and uninteresting...Last night, I cooked. I shall call the dish I created something along the lines of Supreme de Vielle Poule which, when translated, does not sound delicious...but it was, I assure you. It is based off of a tiny little recipe in The Joy of Cooking.

-Butcher a five-pound roasting chicken.

-Sear the pieces in butter and add a quarter-cup of dry, buttery white wine.

-Take the chicken out of the pot. Add apples, celery, onions, chicken stock, 2 tablespoons of flour, paprika, and fresh parsley to taste. Boil until apples are tender.

-Put the chicken back in the pot. Simmer for an hour.

-Remove the chicken from the pot. Strain the sauce, keeping the strained gravy part, not the chunks. Mix 1/3 cup of sour cream with the sauce over a double boiler. Add dry tarragon.

-Put the sauce and the chicken in a casserole pan. Cover the chicken with shredded Parmesan.
-Broil until the cheese is brownish.

Ta-Dah! Enjoy! Feel French all evening and impress your guests. They will be asking you "what IS that taste? It's so fresh. Is that mint? Cinnamon? Maybe...tarragon?" You will smile and nod and feel very, very accomplished. This is even better if someone watches you cook the dish, as it is just complicated enough to make you look like you know what you're doing.