This dinner was at the Governors Palace in Santa Fe, NM. Originally constructed in the early 17th century as Spain's seat of government for what is today the American Southwest, the Palace of the Governors chronicles the history of Santa Fe, as well as New Mexico and the region. This adobe structure, now the state's history museum, was designated a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1960 and an American Treasure in 1999.
Included at the dinner were the Presidents of all our Art Schools, our staff, the Governor and Mrs. Bruce King of New Mexico and Mrs. Montoya, wife of the Senator from New Mexico at that time. Also included at the dinner were local dignitaries and friends.
There was music, wine and a wonderful dinner served, as I remember, at a very large table set for 20 plus guests.
My dinner companion was an oil heiress; this was the best description I can come up with as her name I probably forgot at the time. She seemed distracted, and was treated by friends as a person with a problem. The problem may have been drug or alcohol related or some other mental problem but when you have heaps of money, you become interesting as opposed to crazy. She was accompanied by a gentleman who was out of “Central Casting” as a Latin Lover type (this may be a generous view) but he kept her happy and it seemed that was enough to solve everyone else’s concerns. This has little to do with the story but it sets the scene.
She sat on my left and the main dish was chicken Kiev, a tasty deep fried chicken breast stuffed with herb butter. When one cuts into the succulent morsel and cold air hits the hot butter strange things can happen. When our heiress cut into hers, a stream of butter took off and went straight up from the chicken and made a lovely arc in the air and landed on my left thigh! The very hot butter caused me to scream and jump up in the air, scaring our heiress to death but it all subsided and I was able to sit down, mop my pants (it missed my crotch thank God) and she apologized and I apologized and we all went on an finished dinner while I also surreptitiously rubbed my very sore thigh.
I seldom admit to wearing anything made of double knit fabric, but in the 70’s it was normal. I was wearing a pair of tan, double knit pants I used when I traveled, and while double knot did not wrinkle much, and washed easily, it did not do well with grease stains. I had no choice but to dump those pants in the hotel trash later that evening, and sadly said goodbye to them. I replaced them the next chance I got, and expensed the pants on my expense account, as a necessary business expense.
From Easy French Food:
According to French history, this dish was invented by the the Frenchman Nicolas Appert (1749-1841), a masterful food manufacturer, who is also, and perhaps much more significantly, credited with developing the technique for canning foods.
He called his dish les côtelettes de volaille and it was also known as chicken supreme. The name chicken Kiev didn't appear until New York restaurants wanting to woo a Russian clientele began using it to designate this butter stuffed chicken breast.
Herb Butter
In the freezer section of the grocery store here in France, we can buy a roll of butter that has been mixed with herbs and garlic. It is great stuff to have on hand for frying steaks, topping vegetables or rice, or even as a spread for breads. If you can find a similar product, it should work fine in this chicken Kiev recipe.
If you make your own herb butter, which is absolutely delicious, you may like to make extra to have on hand for other uses. It should be fine for at least a week if kept in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.
Deep Fat Frying
I have a genetic thing against deep fat frying, but I went ahead and tested this chicken Kiev recipe using this method and it came out just great. My family was smacking their lips and begging for more. However, given my disposition, I tried it in the oven as well, and while there was a little less smacking and longing glances in the direction of the kitchen, it was quite delicious.
You may be concerned, like I was, that the butter is going to leek out of the chicken as it fries. Not to worry. The flour, eggs, and bread crumbs form a good seal on the whole thing and nothing leeks. Do follow the directions though and allow the breaded rolls to chill in the refrigerator for a while before frying.
________________________________________
Poulet à la Kiev
Prep time: 30 min - Cook time: 20 min
For the herb butter:
• 8 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon
For the chicken:
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup fine bread crumbs (you may need more)
• Canola oil for frying
1. Begin by preparing the herb butter. Mix all of the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. Some of the lemon juice may remain separate from the butter. Mound the butter on a piece of plastic wrap and mold into a log. Cover completely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard.
2. Meanwhile flatten the chicken breasts by wrapping them in plastic wrap and hammering them with a meat hammer or a rolling pin until they are about 1/3 inch thick. Don't mangle them - just get them on the slender side.
3. Prepare three shallow bowls for dipping: one with flour, one with the beaten egg, and one with the bread crumbs.
4. Remove the hardened butter from the refrigerator and slice into eight equal portions (each piece should be a little less long than the chicken breast is wide). Place a piece of butter towards one end of each chicken breast and then roll the meat up tightly round the butter. Tuck in the edges and any stray bits as you roll. Press firmly together.
5. Dredge each chicken roll thoroughly in flour, then egg, and finally in bread crumbs. Be sure everything is well coated. Place the chicken rolls on a plate and refrigerate for 1/2 hour before frying.
6. When you are ready to fry, add oil to a depth of about 1 inch to a sturdy deep pan. Heat the oil to 375°F. Carefully add the chicken rolls one at a time. Fry for about 15 minutes (exact cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken rolls) turning as needed with metal cooking tongs to completely brown the chicken on all sides and cook throughout.
7. Drain rolls on absorbent paper and serve immediately. Watch out when you cut into these as the butter is likely to squirt out.
Makes 4 servings.
No comments:
Post a Comment