Deluxe Chicken Salad (Julia Child)

I found this recipe for Deluxe Chicken Salad in Julia Child's The Way to Cook, published in 1989, which is aimed at a "new generation of cooks who have not grown up in the old traditions, yet who need a basic knowledge of good food so that they may enjoy fresh, healthy home cooking." Here, as compared to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, you find fewer aspics and less butter. Most of the recipes in The Way to Cook are "low in fat or even fat-free," which is a wild departure from her earlier French recipes for which she is famous.

While she acknowledges that times have changed and people have become more health-conscious since the '60s when her first book was published, she also adds that "too many people nowadays are deathly afraid of their food." She argues that such worry creates an "unhappy and suspicious stomach" which surely causes harm to the digestive system and body as a whole. She recommends, instead of total abstinence, creating an imaginary shelf labeled INDULGENCES, for ingredients such as butter, heavy cream, sausages and pates. "Never lose sign of a beautifully conceived meal," she says.

As long as I'm getting adequate exercise, eating sensible portions, and cooking from good, wholesome ingredients, I consider eating to be a natural and health-giving part of life, and also one of its greatest pleasures. So cook on, my friends, and don't be one of those people who worry so much about calorie-counting and the evils of butter to enjoy a thoughtful, delicious meal.

I made this chicken salad for my book club. To cook the chicken, I used Julia Child's master recipe for Sauteed Chicken (p. 137 The Way to Cook). Lacking a food processor, I used store-bought low-fat mayonnaise instead of the preferred homemade mayo, and also subbed almonds for walnuts. This chicken salad is great on croissants, or with a few dashes of cayenne pepper for a little kick. Enjoy!

Deluxe Chicken or Turkey Salad

6 cups cooked skinless and boneless chicken or turkey that has been cut into good-size bites, such as rectangles about 1 by 1 1/2 inches and 1/4 inch thick

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 to 2 tbs light virgin olive oil

2 to 3 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp finely cut fresh tarragon leaves, or 1/4 tsp fragrant dried tarragon

1 cup diced tender celery stalks

1/2 cup minced scallions or mild onion

1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

3/4 cup or more mayonnaise, preferably homemade

1 medium head romaine, washed and dried

Instructions

1. Toss the chicken or turkey in a big mixing bowl with the salt, pepper, and enough oil to enrobe the meat very lightly. Then toss with the lemon juice, and finally with the herbs, celery, onions, and optional walnuts. Taste analytically, and correct seasoning. Let steep 10 minutes, tossing several times. *May be completed a day in advance to this point; cover and refrigerate.*

2.  Drain any accumulated liquid out of the salad, correct seasoning again, and fold in just enough mayonnaise to enrobe the ingredients.

Serving suggestion: Shred the lettuce and arrange in a bowl or on a platter and mount the salad over it; spread a light coating of mayonnaise on top.