Café manager and sleuth Val Deniston can’t pass up a cool catering gig on board a yacht—to make a ten-course meal, recreating the last dinner served on the Titanic.
The menu in the Titanic’s first-class dining room was inspired by French cuisine. While no recipe for the Sauté of Chicken Lyonnaise served on the Titanic’s last night has survived, this is a simple, quick, delicious version with few ingredients. The vinegar and onion sauce in this recipe is popular in Lyons, the gastronomical capital of France, renowned for its poultry.
CHICKEN LYONNAISE
3 tablespoons olive oil (or 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter)
1 ½ pounds chicken tenders
3 large shallots, chopped small, or a medium onion, finely diced
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
(optional)
Lightly salt and pepper the chicken pieces if desired.
Heat the oil (or oil and butter) at medium high in a skillet large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.
Sauté the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes until lightly brown. Turn the pieces over and sauté them on the other side for 3-4 minutes, until the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken and loosely cover it with foil.
Add the shallots or onions to the pan and sauté them until lightly browned. Stir the vinegar into the skillet little by little and boil the liquid down until it’s no longer watery.
Stir in the crème fraîche or cream. Cook until the mixture is blended and has turned light brown, about 5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and heat the pieces in the sauce, rotating them to make sure all sides are in the sauce.
Serves 4.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Maya Corrigan lives near Washington, D.C., within easy driving distance of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the setting for this series. She has taught courses in writing, detective fiction, and American literature at Georgetown University and NOVA community college. A winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, she has published short stories and essays on drama under her full name of Mary Ann Corrigan.
Readers can visit her website at: mayacorrigan.com
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