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COOKBOOKS WITH PANACHE
Park Avenue Potluck
From the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center is introducing their first cookbook, Park
Avenue Potluck (Rizzoli, 2007, $35). Written by The
New York Times food editor Florence Fabricant, this cookbook
is a collection of more than 100 recipes from Society members
and their families and friends. The book features beautiful
photographs as well as tips for entertaining from some of
New York's savviest hostesses. A portion of
the proceeds from the sale of this book will provide funding
for The Society's patient care, research, and education
programs at the Center.
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Chicken Salad for the Ladies
By Chesie Breen
Serves 10-12
INGREDIENTS
4 pounds boneless and skinless
chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped scallions
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery
2 mangoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup Major Grey's mango chutney
1 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 2 lemons
3 cups whole milk yogurt
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup salted peanuts, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves
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Chicken Salad for the Ladies. |
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This is your basic chicken salad that I like to doll up with other ingredients. I've added nuts, chutney, and apricots over the years. It's a fresh alternative to curried chicken salad. I serve it when it's my turn to host a celebratory lunch for my tennis group at the end of the season.
I serve the salad from a large, shallow china bowl, often with a bright green vegetable salad, like a cold broccoli salad with bacon, alongside. I set the luncheon table with my wedding china, which is pink and apple green. And some of my silver serving pieces are family heirlooms in a dogwood pattern, so in the spring, I use dogwood branches for decoration. We're from Virginia, and it's our state flower.
A shortcut to this recipe is to purchase a rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breasts from a prepared food shop and use them instead of cooking the chicken from scratch. You can adjust the proportions of the dressing to taste, using more or less mayonnaise or yogurt. Similarly, you can suit yourself as to the amount of chutney.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a large roasting pan or jelly-roll pan
with foil, place the chicken breasts in the pan in a single layer, season with
salt and pepper, and cover with foil. Place in the oven and bake until the
chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken and allow
to cool.
Meanwhile, in a very large bowl, combine the scallions, celery, mangoes, chutney, mayonnaise,
lemon juice, yogurt, and soy sauce. Mix well. Combine the peanuts and cilantro
together in a small bowl and reserve this mixture.
When the
chicken is cool enough to handle, chop it with a knife in bite-size pieces.
Add it to the bowl and fold it in with the other ingredients.
To serve,
transfer the salad to a shallow bowl or a platter and garnish the top with
the peanut mixture.
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Pond Water
By Anne Grauso
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup limoncello liqueur
1/2 cup lime juice
5 sprigs fresh thyme
4 slices lime
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I love to serve my guests a fun cocktail at the start of a party. My husband, Mario, and I created this one during a long hot summer in Millbrook, New York, at our house, Frog Pond. My sisters also had a hand in it. But this time there were not “too many cooks, or bartenders!”
Since the vodka is the basis for this cocktail, do not skimp on quality. A premium vodka is what you should use. This cocktail would also please martini lovers—its sweet component does not take over. And when made with good gin instead of vodka, its herbaceous flavor is delightfully intensified. |
Pond Water. |
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Place the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan, bring to a simmer, and cook
just until the sugar dissolves. Alternatively, combine the sugar and water
in a glass measuring cup. Microwave for 1 minute, just until the sugar dissolves.
This is simple syrup. Set it aside.
In a large
cocktail shaker or a 1-quart canning jar, mix the vodka, limoncello, and lime
juice. Pour in the sugar syrup, fill the jar with ice, and shake.
Rub the
rims of 4 martini glasses or wine goblets with one of the thyme sprigs. Strain
the cocktails into the glasses and serve each garnished with a sprig of thyme
and a lime slice.
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| Excerpted from Park Avenue Potluck (Rizzoli). |
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