Recipes Inspired by the Mothers of Celebrity Chefs and Cookbook Authors

Chef Philippe Feret talks about Mother's Day and his Mother:

"Mother's Day in France is actually the last Sunday of the month of May, so I usually have about two weeks to think about how fortunate I have been to have both my mother and my grandmother in my life.

Their support and inspiration for me and for my cuisine provides the core of what I do in my kitchen today. There was a period of time when we had to live with my grandmother and she took care of me while my mother worked long hours in our baker/pastry shop in Normandy. The following recipes are typical of the ones that my mother and grandmother used to prepare for us, so for a special Mother's Day menu I suggest our family favorites."

Serves 6 - 8 people


Method and Ingredients:

1). Marinate 3 chickens, 3 pounds each, soaked overnight in refrigerator in the following:

Marinade:
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons salt
• one half Tbsp ground white pepper
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 4 bay leaves
• add water to cover

Stuffing:
• Chicken livers and gizzards, not the heart, diced small
• 1 medium onion
• 1 McIntosh apple, peeled and diced
• 8 pieces day old bread, cubed
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, or 1 Tbsp dried
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped or 1 Tbsp dried
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4). Drain chicken, discard liquid. Pat it dry. Season chicken cavities with a pinch of salt. Do not oversalt becaue they were already soaking in salted water. Stuff chicken with stuffing. Truss the chickens.

5). Warm a roasting pan in 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. Roast for one hour turning chickens every 15 minutes, one quarter turn each time. Finish chicken with breast side up. During the first one-half hour of cooking, the oven remains at 450 degrees F, and for the second one-half hour turn it down to 400 degrees Farenheit.

Serve with mashed potatoes and/or mixed root vegetables.