Growing up in Dallas, Texas, meant that our sacred place was none other than Neiman Marcus at Willow Bend. It is at this store that I fell in love with fashion and experiential retail. Luckily for me, I went to a middle school nearby, which always gave my mother and I an excuse to stop by the Mariposa cafe after my classes for a little bite and some window shopping. These memories mean the world to me and I can still taste the flavorful chicken broth and warm pop-overs that would begin any Neiman Marcus lunch.
When I cook for my family now, I long to share this nostalgia from my childhood and although I haven’t perfected it to a T, the smells in the kitchen always brings me back to those charmed afternoons with my mother.
Neiman Marcus Chicken Broth
Ingredients
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5lbs mixed chicken parts
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2 cups coarsely chopped celery
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1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
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2 cups onion wedges
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3 garlic cloves
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5 black peppercorns
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1 dried bay leaf
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3 fresh thyme sprigs
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1 bunch fresh italian (flat-leaf) parsley, stems only
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2 chicken bouillon cubes, crumbled
Directions
Rinse chicken pieces under cold running water and place in a heavy bottomed stock pot. Add all ingredients into the pot. Add about 1 gallon of cold water or enough to cover the ingredients by about 2 inches. Bring to boil, turn down the heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 3-4 hours. Skim surface occasionally to remove fat and impurities (I had to do this often with the extra oil that the chicken was producing). Partially cover the pot with a lid, but do not let the stock cook above a slow simmer; this ensures a clean stock. Pass the stock through a fine mesh strainer and into a clean saucepan and skim again. To serve, ladle the broth into warm soup bowls.
Pop Overs
Ingredients
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3.5 cups milk
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4 cups all - purpose flour
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1.5 teaspoons salt
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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6 large eggs, at room temperature
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Popover Tin
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Mixer
Directions
Place the milk in a bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until warm to the touch. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. Crack the eggs into the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes until foamy and pale in color. Turn down the mixer to low and add warm milk. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Turn the machine off and let the batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450F while it is resting.
Spray a popover tin generously with nonstick spray. Fill the popover cups almost to the top with the batter and place the tin on a cookie sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 min. Turn down oven temp to 375F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, until the popovers are a deep golden brown on the outside and airy on the inside. Turn out the popovers and serve hot with strawberry butter.