Home of one of my many dream jobs. 

It was one of several recipes that my sister uncovered in a misplaced recipe box. 

I could hardly wait to recreate it, and now that I have I can hardly wait to make it again.  I’m certain the family is completely on board with that.

I have an ongoing, long winded, yet-to-be-published blog post entitled My Dream Job. 

I add to it from time to time, but mostly use it for reflection. 

Below is an excerpt from that post.  Remember…..long winded. 

Feel free to scroll on by to the bottom of the page for this glorious Seafood Newburg recipe.

A stroll down memory lane…

By age 12 (way before child labor laws kicked in) I was ready to make real money.  It was summer.  I arrived at 6:30 am to The Woodbound Inn in Rindge, NH where I would begin every day by peeling 100 lbs. of potatoes.  When finished I would wash salad greens, pick parsley, inventory the walk-in freezer and clean anything that needed to be cleaned.  I eventually graduated to dish washer.  Boy that was a tough job on a busy hot Saturday night.  But I knew if I stuck with it, worked hard without complaint, and didn’t break too many dishes….I could graduate to the dream job.  Bus Girl.  At the coolest vacation spot imaginable.  What a fabulous place to work.

By age 15 I had graduated from bus girl to waitress (living the dream).  My sister had also joined the team.  We realized that we had a special ‘attention to detail’ gift.  Taking the time to ‘clean up’ our plates before they left the kitchen.  We added citrus slices, fresh picked parsley, or anything else we could find to ‘garnish’ the plates as we headed out the door into the dining room, as to not offend the chef.  We’d even pick wild blueberries and blackberries to offer our guests with breakfast.  Without discussion we both got this simple concept. “Go the extra mile.”  All credit to Mom.  Our common denominator.

Woodbound Inn

If you’ve seen the movie Dirty Dancing, envision that kind of resort on a smaller scale.  We had patrons that came back year after year and would stay for 2-3 weeks in the summer. We witnessed the growth of their families, who: always requested the same rooms in the Inn, the same tables in the dining room and could be found in the same front porch rockers most afternoons. 

Our job was to deliver the ‘Woodbound’ experience.  Whether it be during Wednesday Night Cookouts under the Pines (even in the middle of winter), delivering Boxed Lunches to the lakeside beach, serving Seafood Newburg from Friday Night’s Buffet or presenting Saturday Prime Rib Night (with Dott’s Yorkshire Pudding), Oooo and we always gave special attention to the Roast Turkey and Fried Shrimp on Sundays.  This is my chance to come clean.  I did once order an extra Fried Shrimp Dinner knowing full well that I was intending to consume it myself and did.  I later confessed.

After putting my time in at Woodbound and over the years those memories and favorite dishes became engrained.  Sarah finding this Seafood Newburg recipe was like a stroll down memory lane.

The Seafood

Seafood Newburg includes shrimp, scallops and lobster. I chose a lobster tail which I oven roasted with garlic & herb butter before adding the shrimp and scallops.

The Newburg Sauce

• While seafood is cooking, melt butter in skillet. Saute shallot until tender, then add cooked seafood and simmer for one minute. Add cream, sherry and tomato paste; whisk gently to combine. Bring to almost a boil, then reduce heat to low.
• Combine egg yolks with 1/2 cup of cream mixture to temper; then return skillet; whisk to combine. Season with nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir in cooked seafood.

Seafood Newburg is luxurious and indulgent and worthy of any special occasion or treat yourself because you’re worth it meal. The sauce is rich yet delicate. Enjoy!

All my best,
xo Libby

The post Seafood Newburg and a Stroll Down Memory Lane appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Swiss Sherry Chicken has become a sentimental favorite recipe in our house.  This recipe is adapted from a popular dish that’s been around for years.  Heavenly mushroom sherry sauce baked over Swiss cheese topped chicken breasts…sprinkled with buttery croutons. Trust me, it works. This is going to become my go-to meal to share with a friend in need of comfort food love.

This recipe begins with a nice thick Cream of Mushroom Soup.  Which is souper easy to make from scratch.  Chopped mushrooms, shallot and garlic sautéed in butter, dusted with flour and thyme then cooked until hot and bubbly; broth and cream whisked in until a nice thickened soup emerges.  Run on sentence I know, however illustrating that from scratch takes only a sentence to describe and not more than 15 minutes to deliver.

Two ingredients make this sauce unique.  Sour cream and sherry in equal doses take this unctuous mushroom soup/sauce to the sentimental level. I’m a girl. You probably knew that. So when someone makes a special dinner for me (us) it becomes sentimental.

Besides making the mushroom sauce from scratch, the  Homemade Croutons and Sautéed Mushrooms further elevate this Sherry Swiss Chicken.

Recipe note:  If you are facing time and/or energy constraints, add the sour cream and sherry to a can of cream of mushroom soup and get happy.  It may not be sentimental but it will still be delicious.

Sherry Swiss Chicken feels like a casserole.  Presents like comfort food.  And delivers flavors that are restaurant worthy.

Print

Swiss Sherry Chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 3 -4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the mushroom sauce…

• 8 ounces mushrooms divided
• 1 shallot minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 4 Tbl. butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup sherry
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• freshly cracked black pepper

For the Swiss sherry chicken…

• 1 1/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 ounces Swiss cheese sliced
• 1 1/2 cups toasted bread cubes
• 4 Tbl. melted better
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

For the mushroom sauce…

• Finely chop mushrooms, reserving 3-4 to be sliced and used later. Sauté chopped mushrooms, shallot and garlic in butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and thyme; stir constantly, cooking 2-3 minutes until thick and bubbly. Whisk in broth, cream and sherry; bring to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Season with freshly cracked black pepper.

For the Swiss sherry chicken…

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking dish with cooking spray.
• Pound chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap to an even thickness (about 1-inch). Depending on size, you can cut each breast in half. Place chicken in baking dish; top each piece with Swiss cheese. Pour mushroom sauce over chicken and cheese. Toss toasted croutons with melted butter and sprinkle over top.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• While chicken is baking, sauté reserved sliced mushrooms until golden brown. Serve chicken sprinkled with sautéed mushroom and chopped parsley.

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