10-minute French cooking possible with Chicken Marengo, Dessert Crepes

Sauteed Dessert Crepes topped with fresh strawberries can be a sweet follow-up to the Chicken Marengo. Both can be made in 10 minutes. Associated Press

French cooking in 10 minutes is not a hopeless dream. The concept itself is the title of a revered 1930s cookbook and its realization is still quite practical.

The reminder comes in this month’s issue of Gourmet magazine, devoted to Paris and good Parisian food.

The magazine’s Gourmet Every Day feature, which suggests dishes to make when time is limited, introduces a selection of recipes adapted from "French Cooking in Ten Minutes" by Paris-born Edouard de Pomiane.

"Genuinely funny and utterly pragmatic," Gourmet editor Zanne Stewart writes, "‘French Cooking in Ten Minutes’ is, for the most part, as useful today as when it was written, in 1930."

Try Chicken Marengo as a main course, and consider Sauteed Dessert Crepes as a sweet follow-up.

Note: The quantities given serve two people.

Chicken Marengo

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (10 ounces total)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 bacon slices, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced

Pound thickest parts of chicken with your fist to flatten slightly, then pat dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute onion and bacon over high heat, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.

While onion and bacon cook, stir together wine and tomato paste.

Push onion and bacon to edge of skillet and add chicken, skinned sides down. Saute chicken until undersides are golden, about 2 minutes. Turn chicken over and add mushrooms and wine mixture. Cook, uncovered, over moderately high heat until chicken is just cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Makes 2 servings.

Sauteed Dessert Crepes

• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 11/2 teaspoons cognac
• Salt
• 1 (2 tablespoons) piece of unsalted butter (cut from a stick, with wrapper still attached)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Optional garnish: a few fresh strawberries

Whisk together egg and flour in a bowl. Whisk in milk, then cognac and a pinch of salt.

Heat dry skillet over moderately high heat until hot. Peel wrapper back slightly from butter and rub enough over bottom of skillet to lightly coat.

Pour about 1 1/2 tablespoons batter into skillet, tilting to coat bottom. (If batter sets before pan is coated, reduce heat slightly for next crepe.) Cook until just set, 6 to 10 seconds, then jerk skillet to loosen crepe, and flip crepe with a spatula. Cook until just cooked through, about 20 seconds. Transfer crepe to a plate and fold into quarters.

Make 5 more crepes in same manner with about half of remaining butter and all of remaining batter.

Heat remaining butter (about 1 tablespoon) in skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then quickly arrange folded crepes, overlapping in a circle, in skillet. Saute crepes until golden, about 30 seconds, then invert onto a plate.

Serve crepes sprinkled with sugar. Garnish with strawberries, if desired.

Makes 2 servings.

"French Cooking in Ten Minutes" by de Pomiane has been reprinted and is available in a $10 paperback, published by North Point Press.

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