CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS IN CREAMY SAINT MARCELLIN SAUCE

Now that we have seen our very first snow falls, I only crave for rich comfort/soul food! I love cheese, mushrooms and chicken meat, so this opulent recipe has caught up my attention!

Saint Marcellin is a very popular soft cheese from France which is sold in pots (sometimes reusable small clay pots) so much it is runny. In the past, it was made with goat’s milk, but nowadays it is produced with cow’s milk. Saint Marcellin is a cheese with character that has a pleasant creamy texture, a nutty flavor and is slightly acid in taste. Due to it’s lemony note, Saint Marcellin goes perfectly well with a herb such as tarragon that offers bittersweet and zesty aromas of fennel, licorice and anise.

This recipe was originally released in the November 2005 issue of “Cuisine Et Vins De France” and created by Pascal Mosnier. As I always have to change or adapt things, I have added my own touch to this excellent dish and decided to freely modify it according to my own likings...

Serves 2

Ingredients:
30g Unsalted butter
1 Shallot, chopped
300g Champignons de Paris (Parisian button mushrooms), cut in two and sliced
2 Chicken breasts, not too thinly sliced
250ml Double cream
2 Saint Marcellin cheeses (100g each), cut in slices
3-4 Tbs Fresh tarragon leaves (Mexican tarragon), chopped or entire
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat a frying pan, add the butter and chicken. Sizzle over high temperature while continuesly stirring.
2. Add the mushrooms, continue sizzling and stirring until they are golden.
3. Add the shallots and cook until they are translucid.
4. Then, incorporate the cream and cheese. Stir and let simmer gently over low temperature for about 10 minutes.
5. At the very end, add the tarragon leaves, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve, sprinkled with more tarragon leaves.

Remarks:
If you don’t have any fresh tarragon, then use the dried herb, but don’t sprikle any on top of the dish. The herb should only be used inside the sauce. And, of course, don't forget that dried tarragon is a lot stronger than when it's fresh so use about 1 1/2 Tsp.
The dish is ready once the cheese sauce has thickened.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with pastas (ex. tagliatele), spetzle or white rice.

(Chicken with St. Marcellin -Pic by www.cuisineetvinsdefrance.com)
(France -pic by Xavier D'Abrigeon www.trekearth.com)
(Saint Marcellin -Pic by www.fromagefrancais.com)
(Grenoble, Isère -Pic by http://photoenligne2.free.fr/Isere/Grenoble/Grenoble.html)