18 SEPTEMBER 2019
E
D
IT
O
R
’S
L
E
T
T
E
R
Get the ChickenFlorentine Butter
Chicken
TOTAL 20 MIN; SERVES 2Cultured butter lends a rich
flavor to the lemony pan sauce,
and it browns gradually as the
chicken cooks through. Use a
large metal spoon with a long
handle to carefully spoon the hot
butter over the chicken.1 large egg, beaten(^1) / 4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (7-oz.) boneless, skinless
chicken breasts, lightly
pounded to
(^3) / (^4) -inch-thickness
1 tsp. kosher salt
(^1) / 4 tsp. coarsely ground black
pepper
(^1) / 2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (5 oz.)
cold salted cultured butter
(such as Vermont
Creamery), cut into pieces,
divided
3 Tbsp. olive oil
(^1) / 4 cup fresh lemon juice
(from 2 lemons)
- Place beaten egg in a shallow
bowl or pie plate. Spread flour in
a separate shallow bowl or pie
plate. Season chicken with salt
and pepper. Working with 1
breast at a time, dip chicken in
egg, letting any excess drip back
into bowl, then dredge in flour,
shaking off excess. - Melt^1 / 4 cup butter with oil in a
10-inch stainless steel skillet
over medium-high, and cook,
swirling occasionally, until milk
solids begin to sink to bottom of
skillet and start to brown, 4 to 5
minutes. Add chicken, rounded
sides down, and cook, swirling
skillet occasionally, until lightly
golden, about 3 minutes. Care-
fully turn chicken over, and add
remaining 6 tablespoons butter.
Tilt skillet toward you so butter
pools, and cook, basting chicken
often, until chicken is just
cooked through and golden
brown, 4 to 5 minutes. - Remove from heat, and care-
fully pour in lemon juice (butter
will start to bubble). Serve
immediately.
HUNTER LEWIS
@NOTESFROMACOOK
[email protected]
LAST YEAR I sat down for lunch at one of the long, butcher paper–lined
tables of Trattoria Sostanza in Florence on the recommendation of a trusted
friend and restaurateur. On the wall between photographs of pro cyclists
was a framed headshot of Rob Lowe touting the restaurant’s “best chicken
in Italy!” But after a morning of walking the city’s cobblestone streets, I was
craving a glass of Chianti and bistecca alla Fiorentina, like the one being
grilled in the open kitchen by a cook fanning the coals of a primitive stove.
The waiter arrived. “Yes, the bistecca,” he said. “And the chicken! Our
specialty.” Well, okay. Tumblers of thin red wine arrived with the rare steak.
Then the gentleman proudly presented two bronzed chicken breasts siz-
zling in a small dish of brown butter. He squeezed a lemon wedge over as
the butter foamed and divided the chicken between two plates, anointing
each with the pan sauce. The spoon-tender chicken had become one with
the butter. Heaven. Turns out Rob Lowe and the 150-year-old restaurant
know a thing or two about chicken.
It’s a minor thing, really, my chicken breast snobbery, but that lunch at
Trattoria Sostanza, a bedrock of Florentine culture, reminded me of the
number one rule of travel: In order to truly engage, go with the flow.
A deep engagement with local culture is also at the heart of each restau-
rant on our first-ever World’s Best Restaurants list, a collaboration between
Food & Wine and sister brand Travel + Leisure, for which Australia-based
critic Besha Rodell flew around the world to pick the 30 best places to eat
on the planet—each one a singular, delicious reflection of its city’s culture
(see p. 21). We hope this issue inspires your next big trip and prompts you
to seek out mementos along the way, like this recipe for Florentine Butter
Chicken (at right). For me, it serves as a reminder to go with the flow
wherever I travel next.FO
OD
ST
YL
IN
G:^
CH
EL
SE
A^ Z
IMM
ER
;^ P
RO
P^ S
TY
LIN
G:^
TH
OM
DR
IVE
R
photography by GREG DUPREE