Welcome to the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. If you are a Catholic, you understand. If not, that’s okay too. It’s also the second Sunday of August. Each year on this particular Sunday we take a moment to salute the Spirit of 1945 and those of the Greatest Generation.
The Greatest Generation aren’t those born during the 40s. They are those who came of age in the 1940s. The Greatest Generation is defined as people born between 1901 and 1927. We tend to see them through Rose-colored glasses, bigger than life in many ways. There were hardships, as every generation has its struggles. Hardships forge us. It is how we answer those hardships that define us as a generation.
Theirs was a generation that understood the necessity of sacrifice. They understood the meaning of commitment, the call to faith and family. These were strong individuals with a keen sense of right from wrong. Were they perfect? Hardly. No generation is perfect. We learn from those who have come before us, and do our best to avoid their pitfalls and shortcomings. While it seems that the generations which followed the Greatest Generation has managed to make great strides in Civil Rights and technological advancements, the tradeoff has been costly. We no longer put God above all else. More and more young people are opting out of the “marriage” trap and see children as a burden on our independence. No longer is a man as good as his word or a handshake is all it takes to seal the deal.
The older I get, the more I am committed to live my life differently, imitating many of the characteristics and traits of the generation that I admire most. I really think we need to stop this insane notion of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Most of all, we need to stop the tantrums. Stop acting as though everything and everyone offends you somehow. Grow a pair. When commercials for jeans and donuts make us loose our mind, it seems to me we didn’t have all that far to go.
That’s my rant for the day. When doing some research on dishes to honor the Greatest Generation, I turned to my 1947 cookbook. It seems when the war was finally over, we were fascinated by all things we thought of as French. Béarnaise Sauce was something the housewife was learning to create, and she poured it over everything from Meat Loaf to mashed potatoes. I must admit, on skillet chicken and boiled potatoes, a Béarnaise Sauce is quit delicious, although hardly a proper pairing.
Chicken Fillets and New Potatoes Béarnaise
New Potatoes
2 lbs small Red Potatoes
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Scrub potatoes, gently place into the boiling water. Coon until tender, about 20 minutes.
Drain potatoes well. Slice in half, keep warm until ready to serve.
Chicken Fillets
2 boneless Chicken Breasts
4 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
Olive Oil for frying
Lay breasts out, slice lengthwise to create 4 thin breast fillets. Set aside.
Melt butter in a shallow dish. Place breadcrumbs in a pie tin. Dip each fillet first into the butter, allowing excess to drip back into the dish. Dredge butter chicken in breadcrumbs, set aside.
Over medium heat warm enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a heavy skillet. Fry chicken fillets in the oil until cooked through and golden, about 3 minutes or so per side. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Modern Béarnaise Sauce
6 tablespoons Butter
1 Shallot
2 tablespoon Tarragon
1 cup Milk
Béarnaise Sauce Mix
Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat. While the putter melts, peel and finely mince the shallot. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the shallot and tarragon.
Add the milk to the melted butter. Whisk in the sauce packet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
OR
Traditional Béarnaise Sauce
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
1 small Shallot, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh Tarragon Leaves, chopped and divided
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) Clarified Butter
2 Egg Yolks
Kosher Salt to taste
Splash of lemon juice, optional
Place the vinegar, shallots, black pepper and 1 tablespoon of tarragon leaves into a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat and allow mixture to simmer until there are only a few tablespoons of liquid left in the pan, approximately 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
While the tarragon mixture cools, make the clarified butter.. Cut butter into 1 tablespoon slices. Gently place in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter melt undisturbed. Allow melted butter to simmer as the water content begins to evaporate and the butter-fat rises to the surface. Using a spoon, carefully remove the butter fat from the butter oil. If a little of the creamy fat manages to get down into the oil, that’s okay. Keep the butter hot.
Fill a small saucepan with about an inch or two of water, and set over medium-high heat to boil. Place the cooled shallot-tarragon mixture into a metal bowl that will fit snuggly over the boiling water. Make sure the water does not touch the bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of warm water into the tarragon mixture. Add egg yolks and whisk to combine.
Turn the heat under the saucepan of water down to its lowest setting. Place the bowl with the egg yolks over the pan. Continue to whisk the yolks until they thicken, approximately 5 to 8 minutes. The yolks should double in volume.
Once the yolks have thickened, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking slowly to combine and emulsify. Remove the bowl from the pan occasionally to keep the egg yolks from overcooking. Do not stop whisking or the sauce may separate.
Once all the butter has been added, remove from heat. Add a splash of lemon juice and the remaining tarragon leaves. If the sauce appears too thick, it can be thinned with a splash of water.
To Serve:
Arrange chicken fillets on a large serving platter. Surround chicken with new potatoes. Drizzle Béarnaise Sauce over the chicken as well as the potatoes.
Serve with Pan Seared Asparagus.
Smoky Pan Seared Asparagus
1 lb Asparagus
1 tablespoon Basil 0live Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 Lemon, juices freshly squeezed
Salt to taste
Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
Rinse the asparagus and trim off the ends, leaving spears about 8 inches long.
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and butter to sizzling. Turn down the heat to medium and add the asparagus.
Using a broad spatula, turn the spears over from time to time until they are browned more or less evenly, about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. The spears will remain mainly green, with patches of crispy brown. Check for doneness by tasting a spear. It should be tender but slightly al dente.
Sprinkle the asparagus with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and transfer to a serving platter or individual plates.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May Your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in You.
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