Chicken Galli-Curci
Many years ago, I ran the kitchen at LʼOrangerie, an old French restaurant on the ground floor of a vacant hotel in downtown San Francisco - which has since been
renovated. The Maître dʼ at the time, Hans Brandt, was a charming old-world gentleman born in Berlin in 1920. Brandt fled his hometown in 1938, travelling to Shanghai with
$5 in his pocket, eventually landing a job as a desk clerk at the renowned Cathay Hotel. After the war, he migrated to San Francisco, working at the Mural Room of the St.
Francis Hotel, a socialite hangout in the 1940s and 1950s.
He became maitre d' at Trader Vic's in the 1960s and 1970s when it was the place to be seen in San Francisco. As the arbiter of who got to sit in Trader Vic's clubby
Captain's Cabin, Hans wielded enormous power, and an acknowledgment from him meant that a social climber had arrived at the top. He also remembered not only the names
of everyone who was anyone, but also what they liked to eat and how they wanted it cooked. He would stroll by a table and casually ask, "The usual?"
One aspiring socialite favored a salad of greens and water chestnuts. It became known as the money salad, after a doyenne remarked to Mr. Brandt that if this other
woman had ordered it, "it must be made of chopped money."
Kathryn Hepburn, Placido Domingo and Leontyne Price were some of the celebrities who dined at Trader Vic's after a performance, largely because of Mr. Brandt.
Enormously cultured from his youth in Berlin, he could chat with them about the history of the play or opera they were performing.
Mr. Brandt was known to be extremely meticulous, when training staff on the fi ne points of service. He believed that every night at a restaurant was like a performance
and that when the curtain went up, there could be no mistakes.
On his rare nights off, Mr. Brandt could be found at the Opera House or the theater. After retiring, he would usher at Davies Symphony Hall just to be able to attend
every concert. People who knew him from Trader Vic's would stop by to talk about the old days, and he remembered everyone's name and family history.
The late crowd at LʼOrangerie on Friday and Saturday evenings, arrived following an opera or Symphony performance. The late night menu featured a dish consisting
of diced poached chicken breast in a cream sauce, served within a border of creamed spinach, topped with a slice of baked sweet potato. The dish was one of Hansʼ
specialties, attributed to the legendary Italian diva, Amelita Galli-Curci (1882-1963), one of the most popular operatic singers of the early 20th-century.
Hans Brandt, who battled Parkinson's disease for years, died on January 20, 2001, at the age of 81.
Chicken Galli-Curci
For the chicken
1 quart water and 1 pint dry white wine, simmered with some chopped celery, carrot & onion, 1 lemon halved and squeezed, 2 bay leaves, 1 bunch parsley stems, 1 tsp white
peppercorns, 1 T Kosher salt
4, 6 ounce chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
For the sauce
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup flour
1 quart chicken stock, hot
1 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
Optional: a small jar of “More Than Bouillon, chicken base
For service
1 small box frozen chopped spinach, thawed overnight
1 large sweet potato, baked at 400-degrees for one hour, or until tender
To prepare the chicken
Simmer the chicken breasts in the court bouillon for 20 minutes. Turn off the fire, leave the chicken in the liquid, and allow to cool. (Discard the court bouillon later.)
To prepare the sauce
Blend the butter and fl our in a heavy-gauge sauce pot, and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, while stirring constantly. Add the stock, blend thoroughly, and
simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cream, blend, season to taste with S&P, and simmer another 10 minutes. (Add the bouillon cube if extra flavor is needed.) Strain, and set
aside.
To assemble the dish
Squeeze the spinach dry, and place in a saucepot with a small amount of the sauce. Season to taste with S&P. Set aside, keeping warm.
Remove the chicken breasts from the court bouillon, and dry on paper towels. Cut into ¼-inch dice, and place into a sauce pot. Add some of the sauce, blend, and heat.
Peel the baked sweet potato, and cut 4, ¼-inch-thick slices. Warm in the oven.
Arrange a border of creamed spinach around the inside edge of the plate. Ladle about 6-ounces of creamed chicken inside the spinach border, and top with a slice of
sweet potato.