Skater Lunch Box #8
I think I've been reading The Mid-Century Menu a little too much.
This is mushroom rice pilaf, something called "Supremes of Chicken Veronique," and maple carrots, which I made over the weekend because I found recipes in one of my old cookbooks and had the stuff on hand.
The book is Barbara Swain's Cookery for 1 or 2, published in 1978. To be fair, a lot of the recipes are pretty normal (like the mushroom rice pilaf) and are just conveniently sized down for the small household. But the chicken...
I'd seen variants on this recipe in several of the older cookbooks I have geared to the single and/or childless household. It was apparently a thing ca. 1970s to drown chicken breasts in a grape cream sauce.
Yes. I said it. Grape cream sauce. For real, drop dead, no kidding. Grape. Cream. Sauce. And it is meant to be served hot, hence the microwavable "Skater" box. Hot. Grape. Cream. Sauce.
Although I don't have a flatbed scanner and will thus make you put up with my photography, I think you should see the recipe.
I will say that their method of cooking the chicken results in a beautifully moist chicken breast. And the cream sauce is simple and tasty (so long as you go with 1/4 cup, rather than 1/2 cup, of cream). Everything is fine right up until you add grapes. This is what they said it would look like:
Well, people, I am telling you those grapes have not been tossed into cream and heated through. Those were just tossed onto the cream sauce before they took the photo. Because I am telling you, without question, that those grapes haven't had the color cooked out of them.
To be honest, the flavor wasn't bad, either. It was more of a mouth feel and texture thing. But I ate it. Twice! So not altogether horrible. I think I'd suggest using cooked apples or something, though, if you want a hot, fruity cream sauce on your chicken.
Or just go with mushrooms. It's safer and more expected.
Fortunately, this resulted in me having some moist, lovely leftover chicken to be used in other lunches this week, because I had the good sense not to pour the cream all over all the chicken. See you tomorrow.
The book is Barbara Swain's Cookery for 1 or 2, published in 1978. To be fair, a lot of the recipes are pretty normal (like the mushroom rice pilaf) and are just conveniently sized down for the small household. But the chicken...
I'd seen variants on this recipe in several of the older cookbooks I have geared to the single and/or childless household. It was apparently a thing ca. 1970s to drown chicken breasts in a grape cream sauce.
Yes. I said it. Grape cream sauce. For real, drop dead, no kidding. Grape. Cream. Sauce. And it is meant to be served hot, hence the microwavable "Skater" box. Hot. Grape. Cream. Sauce.
Although I don't have a flatbed scanner and will thus make you put up with my photography, I think you should see the recipe.
To be honest, the flavor wasn't bad, either. It was more of a mouth feel and texture thing. But I ate it. Twice! So not altogether horrible. I think I'd suggest using cooked apples or something, though, if you want a hot, fruity cream sauce on your chicken.
Or just go with mushrooms. It's safer and more expected.
Fortunately, this resulted in me having some moist, lovely leftover chicken to be used in other lunches this week, because I had the good sense not to pour the cream all over all the chicken. See you tomorrow.
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