I haven’t cooked much lately because I was shooting my first feature film in Rochester, NY and surrounding areas. So once I got home, what better to cook first than a couple new dishes I was introduced to while shooting on location in upstate New York?
Chicken French
Essentially chicken cutlets dredged in seasoned flour, eggs, and then pan-fried before being topped with a sauce made from white wine and LOTS of lemon juice. Originally an Italian preparation described as Francese and brought to New York by Italian immigrants using veal, it became famous in the Rochester area when veal turned taboo and one restauranteur subbed chicken. We now have Chicken French, Artichokes French, and pretty much Anything Else French, following similar recipes. This is Rochester’s dish; it’s been argued that the name should be changed to Chicken Rochester.
Salt Potatoes
Salt was a booming industry along the Erie Canal in the 1800s and potatoes were cheap, so simply boiling them in salty water (brine) became very common among the miners, especially around Syracuse. The technique is still alive today in Upstate- new potatoes are boiled in heavily salted water, cooled slightly to allow the salt to form a perfect crust, and then drizzled with/or dipped in butter. The famous local grocery chain, Wegmans, sells 5 lb bags of potatoes with salt included. That bag was my carry on.
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