ArcaMax

We’ll Always Have England

They were like kids in the back seat of the car on a summer vacation. I almost expected to hear “How many more driveways ‘til we get there?”

Some days the drives were quite long; up to 4 hours. The “kids” in the backseat were my in-laws, Jack and Sally. It was a trip I will never forget, and for all the right reasons.

My husband and I used to travel to Great Britain quite regularly for business; usually twice a year and once even three times. Each time we stayed at least two weeks, visiting our clients in several cities and conducting sales training seminars for their staffs and clients.

On this particular trip we invited Jack and Sally along. Sally had been to London once but Jack had never been out of the US except for his military duty on a war ship off of the coast of China during WWII. This trip was a big deal to them. It was pretty much routine for us except that they were along.

We tried to do some special things for them on the trip but mostly they just tagged along as we did our business. They made themselves busy during the day and most afternoons we had to drive to the next city and check into the next hotel. On the weekends we could venture out a bit more. In-between city visits there were a few times we had a day or two off so we could spend more time together.

My routine was to get up early and deal with my business back in the states. I had to answer faxes that had come through in order to run our company. (There was no email at that point in history.) Then I scoured my tour books and local brochures to come up with suggestions for how they could spend their day. They were very good at taking some of the suggestions and venturing out of the hotel. Other times they just read while we got our work done.

One of the days we were there was Jack’s birthday. We took them to a special restaurant and he got the autograph of the chef. Another evening we went to a play and ate dinner after. That meant dinner after midnight for two folks in their 70s. Highly unusual. They did just fine and stayed perky throughout the evening.

We visited cities and hamlets. You name it we either toured it or drove through it.

One weekend we found ourselves on the south coast. My husband and I decided to treat them to something we thought they would find special. And special it turned out to be. We decided to find our way down to the beach so they could look back at the White Cliffs of Dover. Those cliffs mean so much to those involved in WWII and are now listed as a national landmark and icon of Britain. It took me quite some time to figure out how to navigate a route that would take us down to the beach. It wasn’t clear on the map, that’s for sure. We found parking and got out of the car. This was the only time the entire trip that Sally and Jack ventured off when we were with them. They always hung close to us, but not on this day. Without saying a word they joined hands and strolled off down the beach. They didn’t say “goodbye”, didn’t say “we’ll be back in a minute”. They just went off on their own for some quiet time together. It was one of the few times I saw them holding hands. It was a rare and special moment to watch them strolling along a quiet and peaceful beach, holding hands, looking up at the cliffs and just standing together, as a couple, on the beach. I never asked them what they spoke of while they walked or what thoughts filled their heads. It was more of a meditative moment for them, and one of those times couples share without intrusion. I’ll never forget seeing their silhouette in the distance as the sun waned.

On another occasion we met up in London with one of our dear friends and clients named Julian. Julian made a special trip into the city to take Jack and Sally on a very special adventure while Chris and I conducted our business of the day.

Julian had connections. Julian has connections to seemingly everything special. Julian had arranged for Jack and Sally to tour Parliament. This was no public tour. This was a private tour of the inner “sanctums” of Parliament and also to meet up with a Member of Parliament who was Julian’s friend. Talk about jealous. That could have been my middle name that day.

Julian arranged even more. He arranged for them to have lunch in the private dining room at Parliament. I’ll never forget his generosity and I’ll never lose touch of the chattering voices coming from Jack and Sally after their special day. Funny, too, was Sally’s tipsy behavior when she returned. Not much of a drinker, Sally had a bit of special sherry while there and was as chatty as ever for a good chunk of the afternoon. It was really cute. It was a memory to be captured and held close for a lifetime.

As we ventured along we gathered memorabilia. We kept that autographed menu. We kept the theatre ticket stubs. We kept brochures and stubs from museums, landmarks and anything else we thought would capture the memories. When we returned home my husband and I had all of those bits put into a collage and framed. That picture hangs in Jack and Sally’s house.

Sadly, my husband and I will be traveling to Ohio in the not too distant future to pick up that framed collage. Sally passed away this past December 23rd after a short illness. She was 88 years old. (Jack had passed away a few years before).

I have to profess that I had the best in-laws any woman could ask for. They were bright and generous folks. They gave me an example of a loving couple to emulate as I pass into the decades of marriage I hope to have ahead of me. They were loved in their community and by their family. They were funny. They stayed bright and downright hip in their elder years. Sally was emailing and reading on her Kindle even in her last days.

I had the privilege of taking a picture of Jack and Sally on their 50th wedding anniversary. It’s definitely my favorite picture of them. The trip to England was their 50th wedding anniversary gift from us. I’ll also forever hold dear my mind’s picture of them strolling the beach under the White Cliffs of Dover.

With Jack and Sally we’ll always have England.

French Bistro Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

This is the most-often requested recipe in my house. Whenever my husband is feeling happy, sad or anything in-between he’ll ask that I make “Wolfgang Chicken”. This recipe is a Zola take on a traditional bistro chicken recipe that Wolfgang Puck developed. He called it Fricasse de poulet au vinaigre et champignons sauvages. Don’t let that scare you away. This dish is killer amazing!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp of gravy flour (gravy flour is just finer)
Sea salt and pepper
1 Tbl olive oil
12 Tbl of butter or ghee (divided)
2 medium shallots, minced
2 Tbl of fresh tarragon, minced
1/4 cup of vinegar. I use red wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of chicken stock or broth
1 lb of sliced mushrooms. You can get fancy or go plain. Bella mushrooms are easy and inexpensive. Or you can go up from there and use shitakes, chantrelles and other fancy, wild mushrooms. You can even just use regular button mushrooms. Totally your choice.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle the boneless chicken breasts with sea salt and pepper. Then dust lightly with flour. You are just getting a very light coating on the top side.

In a large sauté pan add the oil and one tablespoon of the butter. Heat and then add the chicken. Brown on the top on medium high. When this is done take the chicken out and put it in an oven proof pan. Put it in the oven to roast at 375 degrees for up to 30 minutes or until no pink remains. If your chicken breast pieces are smaller you might be able to cut this cooking time to closer to 20 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking you’ll make the sauce. To the same sauté pan (don’t wash it) add in the shallots and tarragon. Saute on medium for one to two minutes. Stir often. Then add the vinegar to deglaze the pan. Reduce the vinegar on medium high until only approximately three tablespoons remain. Then add the white wine and chicken broth. Cook on a bubble at medium until the chicken is finished in the oven. You’ll be reducing the sauce by about a third and thickening it up some.

While the sauce is cooking in another pan add another two tablespoons of butter and the mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms are cooked through. Let them sit to wait for the other items to be completed. Keep warm.

When the chicken comes out of the oven set it aside. Add the rest of the butter to the sauce. Turn the sauce OFF. Just break up the butter and let it melt. Slowly whisk it to blend it in. You don’t want to boil the sauce again. As the butter melts it gives the sauce a wonderful, French flavor. If you boil the sauce you’ll risk breaking up the butter and it will taste on the oily side. This is a very rich, buttery sauce as you can see.

When the butter is melted (this only takes a minute) add the warm, cooked mushrooms. Stir.

To plate it, put the chicken on the plate and spoon the mushroom sauce over. Serve with veggies. The French would choose green beans or asparagus.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola