Keri's Birthday dinner...I think it was pretty successful

Keri is one of my dearest and closest friends, and her birthday was the perfect time for me to show her my love through food.  I personally believe that every celebratory event cannot be truly successful without great food.  I know that people and conversation are equally important in creating memories, but my gift is making happy tummies, and I'm always ready and hopeful of making that happen :-)

When I asked Keri if she had any requests for her birthday, this is what she said:  pasta with white sauce, chicken, artichokes, asparagus and mushrooms.  Great, there are 100 ways to do this, what will make this one special?  So off my imagination goes....Here is what I came up with;  you will want to plan ahead, as this requires the chicken to brine for 8 hours or overnight, but it's worth it.

Herbes de Provence

Let's call it "Pasta A'La Keri"
Linguine with grilled chicken in a white wine cream sauce.

 Ingredients:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 Tbs Herbs De Provence 

2 tsp Salt

Cream Sauce (can be made ahead and refrigerated):
4 cups of heavy cream
4 cups of your favorite chardonnay (don't cheap out here, the flavor is important)
2 shallots (small dice)
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
1 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice (preferably fresh, as it has a more subtle flavor than bottled)

1 bundle fresh asparagus (trimmed)

1 Tbs Olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 pkg of baby Bella mushrooms (sliced, and of course you can substitute any mushroom of your choice)

1 Tbs butter

1 lb fresh pasta (I used Butonni fresh linguine that can be found in the refrigerator section of your local grocery)

1 can of artichoke hearts (preferably in water and drained)

Procedure:
Place your chicken breasts in a large zip loc bag.  Add enough water to cover them along with your herbs De Provence and salt.  Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

For the cream sauce: Place the Tbs of butter in a medium sized skillet or saucepan and place over medium heat.  Once the butter has melted, add your shallots and garlic.  Saute until the onions are transparent.  Add the wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce the wine until it there is about a 1/2 cup of liquid left in the pan.  Add your cream and bring slowly to a simmer.  Let reduce until the sauce clings to the back of your spoon.  Should be the consistency of gravy, but not as thick as an Alfredo sauce.  Add the lemon juice and salt and set aside.

Remove the chicken and pat dry.  There should be some of the herbs still clinging to the meat, do not wipe them all away.  Prepare your asparagus by trimming, washing and coating with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Grill chicken and asparagus over a medium heat grill until cooked through.

Fill a large pan with water and bring to a boil.  Add your pasta and cook as directed.

Saute the mushrooms in a small saute pan with butter and salt until the mushrooms are soft and slightly browned.

Here comes the magic:

Plate your meal by making a nest of pasta, lay your chicken breast off to the side and garnish with the asparagus, mushrooms and artichokes.  Top with sauce and enjoy!

This is where we should have
been eating this meal