This week I finally took a stab at “Chicken À La Maryland,” a dish famously served (or intended to be served) aboard the Titanic.
For months, since I first made “Maryland Fried Chicken,” I’ve been aware of this other incarnation known as “Chicken Maryland” or “Chicken À La Maryland.” I got the impression that this was more known in England than in the United States, let alone Maryland. I could never quite pin down what it was supposed to be, and I still can’t.
B&O Railroad Menu
Various recipes and mentions list the dish as something similar to Maryland Fried Chicken, but served with banana and/or corn fritters. Bananas are associated with Maryland, I’m told, because of Baltimore’s history as a port town that imported a lot of bananas. According to “America Cooks: Practical Recipes from 48 States”, published in 1940: “’À La Maryland’ now signifies ‘served with a sauce of butter and cream.’”
So that’s pretty vague…
Recently I was reading “Dining on the B & O” by Thomas J. Greco and Karl D. Spence and I saw a recipe for ‘Chicken Maryland.’
“This is the one I should make,” I thought, drawing a parallel between the grandiosity and luxury of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad dining car service with the atmosphere of the ill-fated Titanic.
Titanic First Class Menu
During its existence from 1881 through 1971, “the [B & O] Dining Car and Commissary Department rarely turned a profit, but the railroad believed that if it provided superior dining and impeccable courtesy, it would attract passengers, shippers and investors,” as stated in “Dining on the B & O.”
Just looking at the ornate 1927 B & O “Centenary” china, you can almost hear the clattering of plates, and imagine the militantly attentive waitstaff standing expectantly in crisply starched white uniforms. Most passengers would hardly even deign to imagine the cramped but meticulously organized kitchen, everything in its (small) place, engineered for efficiency. Nor did many of the passengers likely consider the professionalism and talent of the chefs in the kitchen – in our modern era of celebrity chefs it is something to consider the iron chef challenge of producing gourmet meals out of a train car, multiple meals a day, day after day.
B & O “Centenary” china
According to “Dining on the B & O”, many of the railroad’s recipes were originally sourced from Charles Fellows’ 1904 book “The Culinary Handbook.”
The Handbook’s author had a disdain for the affectation of “a la” and thus the recipe is listed here as “Chicken Maryland.” Ultimately, the recipe is derived from that book as well as multiple versions of the B&O’s culinary references and chefs’ notes.
B&O didn’t serve their chicken à la Maryland with bananas, and neither did I. I opted for corn fritters, for which the recipe is included in the book, also sourced from Fellows.
Based on the different B & O “General Notice” manuals, the chicken in this dish may have been fried or baked at various times during the height of its existence. I opted to bake it since I’ve done the whole frying thing on here before.
The bechamel called for ¼ cup of “Mushroom Essence or purée”. I love Better than Bouillon Mushroom Base and that would have been great here but my store doesn’t carry it. Instead I opted to use “mushroom powder,” a frequent ingredient in 19th century recipes. This required the mini-chopper; a mortar and pestle would not suffice. As per the bechamel recipe, I strained out the mushroom chunks, but you can bet that they made it back in to the leftovers. I’m not a monster.
In 2014 I actually took a vacation by Amtrak. It was a dismal failure. Endless delays ate into our vacation time. Decrepit stations provided a bleak waiting place for the late trains. On the last day, heading home towards Washington, DC, we finally caved in to boredom and ordered a breakfast sandwich. The ‘dining car’ employee reached down under a counter and grabbed the wrapped Jimmy Dean egg muffins and microwaved them on demand. The aspiring classes have moved on to other modes of travel, and the fancy foods went along with them.
Recipe:
Chicken À La Maryland
1 chicken 4-5 lbs
1 egg, beaten
salt & pepper to taste
bread crumbs as needed
¼ cup melted butter
8 pieces uncooked bacon
If possible, brine chicken several hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 400°. Split chicken into breasts, leg & thigh, wings. Season pieces with salt and pepper. Dip in beaten eggs then in breadcrumbs and arrange in lightly greased skillet in which bacon has been laid. Brush with melted butter. Bake until internal temperature reaches 180° (about 35 minutes), drizzling frequently with pan drippings.
Serve over corn fritter with béchamel sauce poured over or on the side.
Béchamel
1 cup Stock (vegetable, chicken, or mushroom)
¼ cup ground dried mushroom (optional)
1 cup milk or half-and-half
2 tb Butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1/8 tsp mace
salt & white pepper, to taste
Simmer stock, reducing slightly. Stir in dried mushrooms, then add milk. Season with mace, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add flour which has been thoroughly mixed with the butter. Stir until thickened; strain (if desired).
Corn Fritters
1 can sweet corn, well drained
1.5 tb butter
2 eggs, beaten
3 tb milk
3/8 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
lard or oil for frying
Combine all ingredients except frying oil, stirring until mixed. Heat oil in pan and cook like small pancakes, gently turning with a spatula halfway through. May cover pan with lid to ensure fritter is cooked through.
Recipes adapted from “Dining on the B & O”
