Godspeed, My Son: Farewell Message for a Brave Journey

Nothing warms my heart more than people cooking for their loved ones—except when they use my recipes. Liberty, brave and adventurous, decided to try my roast chicken. I won’t lie: I was nervous. She’s a wizard with sugar and piping, but less confident with knives. Still, she managed a delicious family meal. The slightly charred chickens and a trip to the ER aren’t the point—I judge the whole evening, and I’m proud of her. Total domestic triumph. I’ll let her tell the story…

I was the one in charge of dinner. Me. I’m not a savory-cook—I make pretty desserts—so the idea of an entire roast chicken dinner was daunting. Serena reassured me I could do it (and complimented my fake eyelashes). Armed with her roast chicken recipe, I set out to recreate it. This time I resolved to buy neckless, footless chickens.

Roast Chicken

See Serena’s full roast chicken post for details.

I made him stick his hand in the cavity to clean it out. Very helpful.

I had a little too much background focus and not enough on the foreground.

Okay, a little burned—maybe a lot. The dessert was delicious and, more importantly, everyone enjoyed themselves.

“Scrape off the floor they’re so good” — Carrots, Turnips, Green Beans

See our “Girls’ Night” post for more on the sides.

I had pretty much given up at this point.

Preparing your bruschetta:

– Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices.

– Brush each slice with olive oil and let sit for 30 minutes.

– Place under the broiler for about 4 minutes (watch closely) roughly 15 minutes before serving.

Your brush breaks? No problem—you can still “feel” the food.

To assemble: top the toasted baguette with mozzarella and the roasted tomatoes, then sprinkle with fresh basil. Add a little more olive oil and salt to taste—always taste as you go to get the seasoning right.

My take-away: Serena is incredible. Cooking savory food is challenging but hugely rewarding and fun. The small disasters—helped by plenty of wine—made the night memorable. My version didn’t match Serena’s exactly, but it was good enough, and most importantly I learned from following her recipes. If I can do it, so can you.

Raspberry Macarons with Pastry Cream, Raspberry Coulis, and Candied Orange Ice Cream

Finally, a dessert that made all the effort worth it.

Preparing your macarons:

– Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

– Whisk powdered sugar and ground almonds together thoroughly.

– Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until very stiff. Gradually add the 4 tbsp sugar, then the food coloring.

– If using, fold in a small amount of raspberry jam (this adds flavor but may change appearance).

– Gently fold the whites into the dry mix until the mixture is glossy and flows in ribbons from the spatula—shiny, not lumpy. Undermixing gives lumpy macarons; overmixing makes them flat and brittle. When in doubt, undermix slightly.

– Pipe rounds about the size of a sand dollar onto the prepared sheet and bake following your usual macaron timing and temperature guidance.

Preparing your pastry cream:

– Heat the milk, vanilla, and the first portion of sugar in a saucepan until it just comes to a boil.

– In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with the second portion of sugar until smooth. Add custard powder and flour and mix well.

– Temper the egg mixture by slowly whisking in some hot milk, then return the combined mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until it boils and thickens.

– After boiling briefly, remove from heat and whisk in softened gelatin if using. Pour into a shallow pan, press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin, and cool.

– Once cool, stir in pastis if desired and fold in whipped cream for a lighter texture, or use the pastry cream straight for a richer flavor.

To prepare: combine raspberries and powdered sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the fruit breaks down and becomes saucy. Strain through a sieve and cool.

Assembly: I scooped the ice cream into martini glasses, plated pastry-cream-filled macarons on decorative paper with strawberries, and drizzled raspberry coulis for color. With many elements, keep plating simple if you’ve had a few glasses of wine.

DISASTER STRIKES!!

I assigned my mother to watch the bread. She burned it. When you recruit family, things can go sideways. Lucky and Louis rode off on a late-night mission to find replacement bread in our tiny French village. Against the odds, they succeeded—mission accomplished.

Emergency room

While browning chicken legs, I turned the heat up too high and hot grease spat directly into my eye. I finished serving dinner, then went to the ER. It hurt badly, but eyes heal quickly—so I only looked like a pirate for a day. All ended well.

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