If you have a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking at home, I strongly, strongly, strongly, STRONGLY recommend you turn to p. 257 and fix yourself some poulet saute aux herbes de provence. (And if you don't have a copy of Mastering, well, for pete's sake, what's wrong with you? Go buy one.)

While Julia seems to think you can fit 2 1/2 -3 pounds of cut up chicken in a 10 inch skillet, I halved the recipe and found my 10 inch skillet just the right size for one split chicken breast. I can't imagine fitting enough chicken for four people in there. I also halved everything else and it was so, so, easy. Saute the chicken in butter, turning, for 7 or 8 minutes. Then season with herbs and cook for 15 minutes more, turning a few times and basting. (Basting, by the way, is fun.) Remove the chicken once it's cooked, smash in a few garlic cloves, and then deglaze the pan with some vermouth. Whisk together an egg yolk, some lemon juice, and some more vermouth, and then whisk in the pan sauce tablespoon by tablespoon. Stir in some softened butter, spoon over the chicken, and serve.

I may have actually wiped sauce off the platter with my finger. Jeff definitely gnawed all stray bits of chicken off the bones. We had oven roasted tomatoes alongside (slice some tomatoes in half, put cut side up in the smallest gratin dish that will hold them, sprinkle with parsley, garlic, salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 325 for an hour or more- courtesy Marcella Hazan, there). It seemed a shame to do anything to the gorgeous Early Girl tomatoes I got, but since we're having plain sliced tomatoes (a different variety of heirloom whose name I forgot, which I will probably drizzle with garlic infused vinegar also per Marcella Hazan- the woman has a way with tomatoes) later this week, I figured I'd shake things up. They were juicy and gooooood, so I'm glad I did.