03-09-10

Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons (recipe via Darrel)

What you’ll need:

- 4 supremes (boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

- 1/2 cup lemon juice

- 1/8 teaspoon salt - Big pinch white pepper

- 5 tablespoons butter

- 1 tablespoon minced shallot (preferred) or green onion

- 1/4 pound thinly sliced fresh white mushrooms

- 1/4 cup chicken stock

- 1/4 cup Madeira

- 1 cup whipping cream

-1 tablespoon chopped French Tarragon

What you’ll need to do:

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

- Remove the bit of tendon found in the part of the breast that lies along the breastbone.

- Between two sheets of waxed paper, press the chicken breasts with the flat side of a large butcher knife or pound with them with a wooden kitchen mallet until they are of uniform thickness. Don’t skip this part or the chicken will cook unevenly.-

- Roll the chicken breasts in the lemon juice (seals the meat keeping it moist and keeps the sauce from separating).

- Heat the butter in a heavy, oven-proof casserole, about 10 inches in diameter until it is foaming.

- Stir in the minced shallots or green onion and saute a moment without browning. Then stir in the mushrooms and saute lightly for a minute or two without browning. Sprinkle in the salt and white pepper.

- Quickly roll the chicken in the butter mixture and lay them in a single layer in the casserole, place a piece of buttered wax paper over the chicken, cover casserole and place in hot oven.

- After 6 minutes, press top of chicken with your finger. If still soft, return to oven for a moment or two. When the meat is springy to the touch and uniformly white it is done. Really, don’t over-cook it!

- Remove the chicken to a warm platter (leave the mushrooms in the pot) and cover while making the sauce (2 to 3 minutes).

- To make the sauce: pour the stock and wine in the casserole with the cooking butter and mushrooms.

- Boil down quickly over high heat until liquid is syrupy.

- Stir in the cream and boil down again over high heat until the sauce has thickened slightly, stirring constantly. When thickened, stir in the Tarragon Off heat.

- Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Enjoy!