Recipes of the Lost City: Longchamps' Chicken Manhattan House

A little labor intensive, this one. It is named after Manhattan House, at 65th Street and Third Avenue, the home of one branch of the Longchamps chain. You'll need a bunch of 8-inch pans. And about a day to kill, since you have to make the brown sauce first, which will take a few hours. And the chicken stock, which takes a few more hours. (I eliminated the recipe for the chicken stock; it's your basic stock; you can use your own recipe or any cookbook recipe you like.) Seems like a lot of work, but it sure sounds like the result will be fantastically yummy.

Chicken Manhattan House

2 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each
2 cups milk
4 T. flour
1 T butter, melted
3 eggs
Salt
1/4 cup butter
Flour for dipping
1/4 pound fresh mushrooms
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 scallions chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup basic brown sauce*
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine

Cut each chicken into 4 parts. Mix milk, flour, butter, eggs and dash of salt; beat well. Pour this pastry mixture into 4 heated 8-inch pans. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes or until brown. Flour and salt the chicken and brown on both sides. Add mushrooms, garlic, shallots, onion and scallions and cook until brown. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, brown sauce, stock and wine. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Place a leg and a chicken breast in each pastry shell. Top with sauce.

*Basic Brown Sauce

2 pounds veal bones
Few chicken bones, neck and feet
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 leek, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 bay leaf
3 black peppercorns
2 cloves
Pinch rosemary
1 clove garlic
1/4 pound butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sherry
3 large tomotoes, chopped
1 T. catsup
1 T. chili sauce
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
3 quarts chicken or beef stock
Salt

Put veal and chicken bones, chicken parts, carrot, onion, leek, celery, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, rosemary, garlic and butter in a pan. Put in a 350 degree F. oven to brown for 20 minutes. Add flour and stir over low heat until flour has browned. Add sherry, tomatoes, catsup, chili sauce, Worcestershire and stock. Simmer for 3 1/2 hours. Strain. Season to taste.

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