This was definitely a different recipe. I put my mom in charge of picking a recipe and she opted for this entree. First of all there are no measurements. You kind of have to go with it until you "feel" like you've added enough. Second, this one was found in an old book that was put together by hand. You know those church type of recipe books that everyone contributes to? It's like that, only all the recipes are handwritten and it's put together by hand. SO COOL! It's the St. Paul's Methodist Church Cook Book. Compiled by The Woman's Society of Christian Services of St. Paul's Methodist Church Monroe, Louisiana 1953. Illustrations by Ruth Henry. There was so much love and work put in this book, I wonder how many they actually made. See picture of inside cover after the recipe below. My Mom's neighbor growing up, Clara Mason, passed the cookbook down to her in 1999.
My interpretation of the recipe:
Chicken Champs Elyseé
L. Slade Brown
Place bread in bottom of dish and cover with cooked chicken and crisp bacon and cooked broccoli. Make a cream sauce & to every cup of sauce add 1 T. dry sherry or sauterne. Pour over chicken and broccoli. Grate cheese and sprinkle on top and put in moderate oven until brown.
* We used a deep 9x13 baking dish
* We used 5 slices of Mrs. Baird's large white sandwich bread.
* We boiled a pound and a half of mixed chicken (about 2 cups chopped)
* We cooked 6 slices of bacon until crispy, and chopped it up
* We used about 2 cups of chopped steamed broccoli
* We made a basic white cream gravy, about 3 cups
* We used just regular white wine
* We used about 8oz of shredded colby jack cheese
* We baked it at 350° for about 25 minutes and then turned the broiler on just for a few minutes to brown the cheese on top.
* If we make it again, we would probably tear the bread into pieces so that it's easier to spoon out and more like the other layers on top of it.
Here's the inside cover
* Fun Fact: Lutcher (L.) Slade Brown was a Broadway Producer known for Bye Bye Birdie *
I hope you enjoy and give this recipe a second chance in your kitchen too.
