By John Kirkendall
Once the relatives, grandchildren and well-wishers have disappeared, it is a great time to have friends over to celebrate the end of the season. It is time to get out the chafing dish and prepare a time-honored recipe to be enjoyed at the dining room table, on the lap or around the fire place. This will be a simple, but delicious offering your friends will savor. After the muss, rush, and fuss of the holidays, your friends will appreciate an easy afternoon to relax and commiserate.
And this is a good time to talk about what you did and didn’t receive for Christmas. This is the brunch to let it all hang out. In general, this is a time to glue together important relationships and laugh and enjoy people’s company – the people that are important to you.
And, is there anything more inviting than creamed chicken served over crispy oven-baked puff pastry? The only utensil needed to serve is a fork. A large scale napkin will save your carpeting and flooring, and a large container of sangria will solve the problem of how to stock the bar. Iced tea is always a welcome addition as well. Don’t forget the lemon wedges and a small bowl of superfine sugar for those so inclined.
The first rule for a good bar is sparkling glassware. The second is crystal clear ice. And, finally, be sure you know the inclinations of those you invite. If sangria doesn’t quite hack it, have something in the wings they will appreciate. A decent white and red wine should do it. This is a brunch, after all, and you need not feel obliged to offer a full service bar. You will know your crowd. You will do what is right.
Serve chicken a la king over baked pastry shells baked right from the freezer, following package directions. The chicken preparation, done before your guests, will be a special treat and is easy as can be.
To go about it, gather the following and have them in small containers and platters on your chafing dish table:
• 1/4 cup butter.
• 1/4 cup flour.
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion.
• 4 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms.
• 1 teaspoon salt.
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.
• 2 cups milk.
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken.
• 1 boiled egg cut both widthwise and lengthwise in an egg slicer.
• 1/4 cup chopped drained pimiento (2 ounce jar).
• One pastry shell for each person.
• A suitable and interesting serving dish for each person..
• A parsley sprig per person is a nice touch..
Preparation:
Melt butter in your chafing dish. Cook onion and mushrooms over medium low heat until onion is tender, five minutes. Add flour and salt, stirring until mixture is smooth and the wallpaper paste taste is cooked out. Gradually stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce. Continue cooking and stirring for about 3 minutes or until mixture is thick and begins to bubble; stir in chicken, boiled egg and drained chopped pimiento. Heat through and serve atop shells. Tuck in the parsley sprig and voila!
Crudités on the coffee table are all that is needed to make this luncheon complete.
Chicken a la king recipe serves 4. You can expand this according to the number on your invitation list.
Judge John Kirkendall is a retired Washtenaw County Probate judge. He presently serves on the Elder Law Advisory Board of the Stetson University College of Law. He has taught cooking classes for more than 25 years at various cooking schools in the Ann Arbor area and has himself attended classes at Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris, as well as schools in New York, New Orleans and San Francisco. He is past president of the National College of Probate Judges. He can be reached at Judgejnk@yahoo.com.
