Geri's Chicken Parm

Of of the many delightful things Andrew has brought into my life, our friends Bernie and Geri have to be among the top. They were Andrew's neighbors during his childhood in New York, watched him grow up from 18 months old, and have been practically family ever since. They are full of New York experiences and have the colorful stories to go with them. So during these visits to the beach, we spend less time at the beach and more time on Bernie and Geri's screened porch, listening to mullets jump in the lake and talking about friends and family.

Before I even met Bernie and Geri, Andrew was swooning over Geri's chicken parmesan. She makes it in an old electric griddle that has no doubt enjoyed many a chicken parm before she was making it for me and Andrew. And this chicken parm is indeed swoon-worthy. The cutlets are so thin and uniform, the breading crispy but in no way distracting from the chicken, the mozzarella fresh and whole, and the sauce homemade by Bernie himself.

While I could never presume to provide a recipe that duplicates the chicken parm goodness that I now associate with my dear friends and Hilton Head Island, I can provide gorgeous photos of the process itself, including Geri's countertop griddle. Whatever your chicken parmesan recipe may be, try it one day in a griddle with a lid and make your own sauce.

Geri's Chicken Parm

4 or 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 eggs

Breadcrumbs (Geri uses Progresso)

8 ounces mozzarella

Tomato sauce

Spaghetti, cooked al dente right before serving

Prepare cutlets by making two horizontal cuts in each chicken breast. So you should end up with about three cutlets per chicken breast. Place cutlets in a plastic bag and pound with a meat pulverizer until thin. (We weren't around for the chicken preparation...as far as I know, they showed up magically in the freezer, perfectly cutlet-ed and ready to cook. But Bernie tells me this is how he does it.)

Beat eggs and add a little water. Pour about 1 cup of breadcrumbs onto a plate. Dip each cutlet into the egg wash and then into breadcrumbs for a light coating. No need to have any more breading than that. 

Head a grill pan or griddle to about 400 F (medium high) and cover with about 2 teaspoons olive oil. When oil is melted, you're ready to go!

Cover oiled grill pan with cutlets, cooking for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and crispy.

Once all the cutlets are golden brown, transfer them to a plate and start with a new batch.

Freeze any extra cutlets for quick preparation later. Or give them to someone who really needs chicken parm in their lives. (We now several cutlets in our home freezer.)

Cover top of cutlets with sliced fresh mozzarella. Make sure each cutlet has a good chunk of mozz on top.

Thinly spread tomato sauce on top of cutlets, again making sure that each piece has a good amount.

(Oh heavenly goodness.)

Now you're ready to bake! If cooking these in a regular pan, bake around 350 for 15-20 minutes. When the cheese bubbles and gets toasty and golden, you're done.

The smell will be ridiculous.

Serve with spaghetti, extra sauce, and a light green salad. If possible, chicken parm is even better the next day, made into a toasted sandwich. 

Sara Foster's Salt and Pepper Cornbread

I've eaten cornbread all my life but have rarely stopped to think about its significance on the dinner table. It wasn't until I moved to Germany during my junior year in college and discovered that students from other areas of the country baked cornbread like a sweet cake and ate it with honey. No, that's not my experience. Our cornbread was baked in a cast iron skillet and served savory with chicken and pot roast. It was sometimes slathered with salted butter but more often crumbled into bowls of chili and winter soup.

There are three things that I think make a superior cornbread: first, that cast iron skillet. The heaviness of the skillet gives the cornbread a delicious golden bottom and crunch. Second, bacon grease. Ever since I started keeping a jar of bacon grease in the refrigerator, I've used it mainly for pans of cornbread. Bacon grease melts beautifully as you prepare the hot skillet, and during cooking, it settles richly into the cornbread itself. Third, good quality corn meal. I am sometimes dismayed at the lack of cornmeal quality on grocery store shelves, and I try to buy mine from local country stores that feature coarse, stone ground meal. I baked with a good Arkansas cornmeal for a couple of years until I moved to North Carolina and found that the local cornmeal here is as good as anywhere.

Sara Foster's cornbread recipe is one that I've tried only once but one that I'll keep in my repertoire for years. I love the way this cornbread has a balanced flavor of peppery and sweet, and I love that Ms. Foster does not skimp on ingredients. After all, a thick, high wedge of cornbread is much more satisfying than a short little sliver.

Sara Foster's Salt and Pepper Cornbread

Adapted from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen

Dry mix

2 tablespoons bacon grease

1 1/2 cups good, stone-ground cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Wet mix

2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, beaten slightly

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 425 F. As the oven is heating, add bacon grease to skillet and set it in the oven to melt.

Whisk together all dry ingredients until well combined. Add the wet ingredients together until smooth then add to dry mix. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, combine dry and wet ingredients until just incorporated. Do not overmix.

Remove hot skillet from stove and pour in cornbread mixture. Sprinkle top with salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Bake about 25 minutes, until the top is golden and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Serve warm with chili, soup, chicken, or pretty much anything you are having for supper. My mom has her cornbread with buttermilk but I haven't gotten that far yet.