Review of last recipe (photo above) - Although it's pretty easy to prepare (using a sheet of frozen puff pastry) and was tasty enough, I wouldn't make this again.  Another combination of vegetables and protein might be better.

TODAY'S RECIPE - CHICKEN KIEV

Serves 6.

2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 whole chicken breasts (about 12 oz each), boned, halved and skinned
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp flour
1 - 1 1/4 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
vegetable oil for pan frying (recipe calls for deep frying, which I'm not going to do)

Stir parsley, chives, salt and pepper into butter in medium sized bowl.  Shape into a 3" x 2" rectangle on wax paper and chill for 20 minutes.

Place chicken breasts between sheets of wax paper and pound with mallet to 1/4" thick.  Remove wax paper.

Cut chilled herb butter into six equal pieces.  Place each "finger" an inch in from lower edge of each chicken breast, and fold lower edge over "finger".   Fold in sides and roll up to enclose filling completely.

Beat eggs, water and oil in plate.  Place flour and crumbs in two separate plates.  Roll each chicken bundle in flour, dip in egg mixture and roll in crumbs to coat evenly.  Place in a pan and chill for one hour to set coating.

Pour vegetable oil in pan to shallow fry chicken.  Fry for 5 minutes or so on each side.  Drain on paper toweling and place in 300 degree oven until cooked through.  (In the actual recipe, one would deep fry in 2" oil heated to 360 degrees, then drain on paper toweling and keep warm in oven of 200 degrees.).  Not quite sure how much time will be needed in the oven.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - Really delicious and the addition of the garlic really enhanced the flavor.  The downside .. it's a lot of work.  And, frankly, the bearnaise sauce (though one of my favorite things in life) really isn't needed.  The chicken is really good on its own.

TODAY'S RECIPE - PEASANT UPTOWN'S SHRIMP PASTRY LOG
I googled Peasant Uptown and found out it was a restaurant in Atlanta GA, that is now closed.  There is a fb page for past employees; trying to get a reunion together.

4 servings

3 tbsp butter
4 canned artichoke hearts, drained and halved
8 oz fresh mushrooms, halved
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp garlic salt

1 10" x 15" sheet of puff pastry
10 oz sliced swiss cheese
12 jumbo shrimp, cooked and shelled
1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp parsley

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add artichoke heats, mushrooms, parsley and garlic salt and saute until mushrooms are tender; about 2 minutes.  Let mixture cool; drain well.

Grease rimmed large baking sheet.  Place puff pastry on baking sheet.  Overlap cheese slices lengthwise along right half of dough, leaving 1" border at long edge and 1/2" border at each end.  Arrange artichoke hearts on cheese, spacing evenly.  Spoon mushrooms over.  Arrange row of shrimp atop mushrooms.  Brush borders with some of the beaten egg.  Fold left half of dough over filing, pressing edges firmly with fork to seal (can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead to this point, covered with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerated).

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Brush pastry with egg; sprinkle with parsley.  Bake 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking until golden; about 15-20 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - Absolutely delicious!  I wasn't pleased with the number of steps, so I just let the carrots cook abit, added the leeks, then removed them to the dish.  Added the scallops and oysters until they were cooked, and placed them atop the vegetables.  Made the sauce (and actually used ultra pasteurized; forgot not to), and didn't even add the saffron (because I forgot I didn't have any), and it was fabulous anyway... and it looks lovely on Nana Lucy's china!!

TODAY'S RECIPE - CHICKEN JACQUELINE
Bon Appetit circa December 1983...

Serves 6

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp dry white wine

6 chicken breast halves; skinned, boned and pounded 1/8" thick
1 garlic clove; minced
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 oz monterey jack cheese; cut into 6 sticks about 3" x 1/2" x 3/8"
3 oz swiss cheese; cut into 6 sticks as above
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter; cut into 6 sticks about 3" long, frozen
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs; lightly beaten
1/2 cup fine cracker meal

oil for frying
bearnaise sauce (your own rendition)

Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and wine and saute until mushrooms are tender and juices have evaporated; about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Season chicken breasts with garlic, salt and pepper.  Spoon mushroom mixture onto center of each chicken breast, dividing evenly.  Top mushrooms with 1 stick each of monterey jack cheese, swiss cheese and frozen butter.  fold chicken breasts in half to enclose filling, pressing edges together to seal.  Roll in flour, dip in egg to coat well, then roll in cracker meal, covering completely.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes.

Heat oil to 400 degrees.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Deep fry (I will pan fry) chicken until light golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.  Transfer onto baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Serve immediately, accompanied by bearnaise sauce.

Nutritional Information:  a zillion calories

Review of last recipe (photo above) - I almost tossed the recipe thinking that it probably wouldn't be that great (and used only chicken breasts for that reason; figured I could use them for something in the end with less overall waste).  And, I was right.  It's ok if you're not any type of cook and want to make something easy in a crockpot, but it's just not that tasty.  I'll probably scrape off the sauce and make a chicken salad out of it.

TODAY'S RECIPE - POACHED OYSTERS AND SCALLOPS from Glorious Food
This caterer has been in existence in NYC since 1971, and the recipe was clipped out of The Boston Globe Magazine on October 16, 1983 (and the paper is yellowed).  It sounds delicious!

Serves 6 as a first course

2 cups heavy cream (do not use ultra-pasteurized)
1 cup very finely cut matchsticks of carrot
1 cup very finely cut matchsticks of leek
12 large oysters, shucked with their juices
12 sea scallops
dash of cayenne
1/4 tsp saffron
1 tbsp french mustard with seeds

Preheat over to 250 degrees.  In a deep saucepan, boil the cream over medium heat to reduce it by half.  Set it aside.

Have ready a bowl with a strainer set over it.  Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and drop in the carrots.  Cook them for 1 minute, or until the raw texture is gone, then pour them at once into the strainer set over the bowl.  Lift off the strainer, pass the carrots under cold water, and transfer them to a large heat-proof platter; cover it with foil to keep it warm.

Return the cooking liquid to the saucepan and bring it to a boil again.  Add the leeks, cook them for 1/2-1 minute, or until they are just done, and treat them the same way as the carrots, placing them on the platter and covering the platter. 

Add the oysters and their liquid to the cooking water and return the mixture to the saucepan.  Cook the oysters for 1 minute, lift them out with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the platter.

Add the scallops to the cooking liquid, cook them for 1-2 minutes, or until they are opaque in color (never allowing the liquid to bubble hard).  Lift the scallops from the pan and transfer them to the platter.

Put the platter into the oven for 5 minutes so the various ingredients will warm through.  Meanwhile, bring the cooking liquid to a rolling boil and let it bubble vigorously until it is reduced by half, then strain it into a clean pan.  Strain in the reduced cream, add the cayenne and saffron, and whisk the mixture to incorporate them.

Divide the oysters, scallops, and vegetables among 6 dinner or soup plates.  Tip any juices from the platter into the sauce and return the sauce to a boil.  Whisk in the mustard, taste the sauce for seasoning, and spoon some of the sauce over the fish and vegetables on each plate.

Serve immediately.

Review of last recipe - Delicious ... one would not expect otherwise from Julia.  I used half and half, and thought it was sufficiently rich.  A hint on shucking oysters ... place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes.  It makes them easier to shuck.

I've been off the blog for about 10 weeks because I wanted to stay focused on not eating blog food (which is wonderful food, but at times, can be fattening).  I wanted to lose a couple of extra pounds for the great celebration of my step-daughter's wedding in Napa.  Can you blame me?

Also, since it is summer, and I hate heating up the kitchen on hot days, I will be skipping the dessert section of my file (since most need to be baked), and alternate between Poultry/Meat and Fish/Seafood.  Desserts will return in the fall.

TODAY'S RECIPE - CHICKEN IN ONION + ORANGE SAUCE
Serves 4

3 lb. chicken
1 cup orange juice
1 pkg dried onion salad dressing/dip mix
1 tbsp cornstarch

Pour orange juice into crock pot and stir in package of onion dip.  Place chicken in pot, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

Remove chicken and place on platter.  Pour liquid into saucepan.  Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into heated sauce.  Serve sauce with chicken.