I was back home in Athens, Georgia, this past weekend at my high school reunion, and it was a fun, fun, fun time. It is crazy to me how this large group of people can reconnect in one sentence. There were so many friends that I am still in contact with, but also people I sort of, kind of remembered and, of course, the old boyfriends. Sigh. And I am so lucky that my husband loves the event and actually refers to my former classmates as “our” classmates, as in, “Was she in our class?”
As I was saying goodbyes from the big party on Saturday night, Jessica Sheffield stopped me to give me a hug and tell me that she still to this day makes my mother’s recipe for baked Parmesan chicken. I looked at her and said, “You mean the one with all the melted butter?” Indeed it was, and the flavor profile of that dish rushed into my head. I remember it well and also recall another friend Facebooking me last year that she had just made it. It’s not a very modern dish, but it is easy and really good. I am sure that there are variations of it in many places, but I’m going to give you the one I have. Serve it with rice of some kind and a green vegetable and you have a nice, easy supper for family or friends. You can also make it in quantity on a large baking sheet pan in the oven for parties.
Sauce primer
While I was looking in my binder of chicken recipes I found one written in my mother’s hand for something I think sounds divine. It’s perfect as we go into oyster season. You’ll see that it calls for sauce supreme. Here is my mini cooking class on that. In French cooking there are what are referred to as mother sauces. These are the basis for just about any sauce you need. The five mother sauces are: bechamel, veloute, tomato, espagnole and hollandaise. A bechamel is used frequently and is made with a roux and milk, while a veloute is a roux and chicken stock. Sauce supreme is a veloute enriched with heavy cream and other things. OK, so this chicken and oyster pie is so very easy I hope you’ll try it.
CRUMB CHICKEN
Serves 8
2 fryers, cut up
2 cups bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup butter, melted
CHICKEN AND OYSTER PIE
1 pint oysters, drained (save the liquid)
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
2 cups thick Sauce Supreme
Grated rind of 1 lemon
SAUCE SUPREME
Makes 2 cups
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (use ½ cup oyster liquor in place of ½ cup chicken stock)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and white pepper
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