Here is the last story in this series. All the recipes have been transcribed from “Fowls in Southern Style,” The China Press (Shanghai), September 11, 1936. Spelling and measurements follow the original; wording of the directions has been lightly regularized for readability. The newspaper column closes with its priciest recipe: a whole frying chicken, a half pound of mushrooms, two cups of cream. Nothing here is thrifty. This is a dish for a household that employs a cook. The same dish can concentrate wealth or spread it, depending on who owns the recipe, the building, and the name on the sign. The cooks behind these recipes had the skill. Ownership went elsewhere. Two questions to close this series. Which of these recipes could a family use to both feed themselves and earn? And what would it take now for the people who cook a community’s food to own the places where it sells?
Fried Chicken Baked in Cream Recipe
Ingredients
1 frying chicken
Flour, salt
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup lard
½ pound mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups cream
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Wash and disjoint the chicken and dredge each piece with flour and salt. Brown in the hot lard, then drain on absorbent paper. Peel and slice the mushrooms, then saute them lightly in the melted butter. Combine the chicken and mushrooms in a deep baking dish. Add the salt and pepper to the cream and pour it over the combination. Bake in a moderate oven for an hour, or until the cream has thickened and the chicken is tender.
The China Press, September 11, 1936.