Review of last recipe (lopsided photo above) - Well, in the immortal words of my husband, "write this one down".  What does he think I've been doing on this blog?!?  Anyway, it was easy and quite delicious!  A keeper!!

TODAY'S RECIPE - SCALLOPS AU BUERRE GARLIC
Serves 1

2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 medium shallot, diced
4 oz bay scallops
1/2 small onion, chopped (about 2 tbsp)
1 tsp oil
1/3 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp thyme
4 blanched pea pods

In a small bowl, blend butter, parsley and garlic.  Set aside. 

In a small saucepan, bring wine and shallot to a boil.  Add scallops; return to boil.  Immediately remove scallops with slotted spoon.  Boil poaching liquid until reduced to about 2 tbsp.  Whisk in butter mixture; set aside and keep warm.

Meanwhile in small skillet, saute onion in oil about 1 minute.  Add tomato, bay leaf and thyme.  Saute briefly; only long enough to heat through and blend flavors.  Then discard bay leaf. 

Spoon onto serving plate and arrange pea pods on top in a spoke-fashion.  Spoon scallops between pods and pour reduced liquid over all. 

Nutritional Information:  375 calories, 79 G protein, 12 G CHO, 28 G fat, 132 mg cholesterol, 580 mg sodium

Review of last recipe (photo above) - Not in any way as good as I would have expected with all that butter, and it's also just plain ugly.   It probably was my own fault, as I forgot that I needed to buy shortening (something I rarely have on hand), and instead of substituting yet more butter, I used vegetable oil.  It made the mixing part easier (my hand mixer did not want to plow through the butter and brown sugar), but the end result was a somewhat oily cake, and the frosting was just too sweet for me.  I had to throw it out, which never makes me happy.  The only good thing is that I won't  be consuming those extra calories.

TODAY'S RECIPE - CHICKEN SCALLOPS IN MUSTARD CREAM
From Jean Anderson Cooks ... I googled Jean Anderson, and found out she is a quite accomplished cookbook author (BA from Cornell, MA from Columbia), worked with James Beard Foundation, editor of Ladies Home Journal etc etc etc.  Impressive.

Serves 4

2 large (1 lb each) chicken breasts, boned, skinned and split
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crumbled leaf thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
1/3 cup flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp mild French mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream

Pound each chicken breast lightly with a rolling pin to flatten somewhat.  Sprinkle both sides with salt, thyme and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour.

Heat the butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat until it bubbles up, then subsides.  Add the chicken breasts and brown for 3-4 minutes on each side. 

Remove the chicken to a heated platter and keep warm.

Pour wine into the skillet and heat and stir for 1-2 minutes, scraping up browned bits on the bottom of the skillet.  Add the mustard, then the cream and boil hard for 2-3 minutes until reduced by about half; the sauce should be about the consistency of sour cream. 

Pour over the chicken breasts and serve.

Nutritional Information:  Calories 502, protein 41 G, fat 31 G, CHO 11 grams, Na 424 mg

Review of last recipe (photo above) - Yikes!  What is it?!?  Normally, I plate the blogged recipe by itself, but in this case, I forgot, and it looks abit scary along side my broccoli and noodles.  It was good, but nothing I'd make again.

TODAY'S RECIPE - BROWN SUGAR POUND CAKE
This recipe is part of a cookbook entitled, The Washington Cookbook, which was published at the end of 1982.  The recipes in that cookbook were obtained from embassies, politicians and their wives, present and former First Ladies, as well as the White House chef.  Sounds like one delicious cake!

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours
Serves 24

3 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 lb + 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
5 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk, room temperature
Butter Pecan Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour a 10" bundt pan.

Sift flour and baking powder onto wax paper.

Beat butter, shortening and brown sugar in a large  bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, until mixture is fluffy.

Add flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, alternating with milk, just until blended.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until top springs back when lightly pressed with fingertip.

Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes.  Loosen around edge and tube with  knife, invert cake on wire rack, shake gently, remove pan and cool cake completely.

Prepare Butter Pecan Frosting.

Spread frosting over top of cake, allowing it to drip down sides and center.

Butter Pecan Frosting:  Brown 1 cup chopped pecans in 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in heavy saucepan.  Let cool.  Stir in 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar.  Stir in enough milk so frosting is creamy.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - Not much to look at, but photographing a slice on a plate wasn't any better.  The cake, however, was a hit with the husband.  The glaze didn't actually sit atop the cake, so maybe it wasn't thick enough, but it was delicious nonetheless!

TODAY'S RECIPE - CHICKEN MARIA THERESA (ala Ken Stewart)
I worked with Ken in Boston, and he was creative and talented in so many areas.  I assume he was talking about this recipe at work and I wrote it down there (because the other side of the paper is an advertisement for Omega ZIII tabs, a product we sold), but don't ever remember making it.

Serves 2.

2 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup mushrooms
1/4 lb. scallops
sweet Italian red peppers
mozzarella cheese

Saute chicken breasts in butter for 2-3 minutes.  Add wine, salt and pepper.

Add mushrooms and cook until chicken is about 10 minutes from being cooked.  Then add scallops and cook for 3-5 minutes more.  Pile them on top of the chicken and cover with mozzarella .

When the cheese has melted, serve with sweet Italian red peppers.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - It was really good, though the texture of the scallop mousse was strange (maybe overcooked?), but I wouldn't make it again because it was just too time consuming (and my husband wasn't a fan).  I can see how 25+ years ago time wouldn't have been an issue, but I tend to like easier preparations now.

TODAY'S RECIPE - BROWN SUGAR CAKE WITH BUTTERSCOTCH GLAZE
Because the weather is cooling off, it's time to return to dessert making!  Yea!!

Oven - 350 degrees

Brown Sugar Cake
2 cups brown sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp ground cardamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup chopped nuts, optional (Although I like nuts, I don't always like them in desserts, so omitted them.)

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.  Add buttermilk, eggs and melted butter and beat well.  Add nuts, if using.  Bake in a greased and floured Festive Pan (don't know what that is; will use a bundt pan) at 325 degrees for 50 minutes or until the cake tests done.  Cool in pan 10-15 minutes, then turn out on wire rack or serving plate to complete cooling.  Top with butterscotch glaze.

Butterscotch Glaze
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla or rum extract

In a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and milk.  Bring to a full boil.  Add confectioners' sugar and extract.  Beat until smooth.  Additional milk may be added to obtain desired consistency.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - Don't know why I thought this was going to taste good ... whether it was 30 years ago or this week.  Bland, and the ingredients were just weird together.

TODAY'S RECIPE - SCALLOP-FILLED SALMON MEDALLIONS WITH LETTUCE SAUCE

Serves 6

1/2lb fresh scallops, well chilled
1 egg white
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of each .. ground red pepper and grated nutmeg
1/2 cup whipping cream, well chilled

6 fresh 5" x 7" salmon fillets; 1/2" thick, skinned

1 cup dry white wine (vermouth, for me)
1/2 cup water
1 shallot, minced
1 bay leaf
3 peppercorns
1/4 tsp dried tarragon

2 tbsp (1/4 stick) butter
1 head butter or boston lettuce (about 11 oz); rinsed, dried and cut julienne

1 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper

Puree scallops, egg white, lemon juice, salt, red pepper and nutmeg in food processor until smooth; stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the work bowl.  Transfer to bowl set in ice.  Stir in chilled cream 1 drop at a time, making sure the liquid is absorbed before adding more,  Cover mixture and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Spread salmon fillets evenly with scallop mixture, leaving 1" border.  Starting at narrow end, roll fillets up and fasten with toothpicks. (Can be prepared several hours ahead to this point; cover and refrigerate.)

Combine wine, water, shallot,bay leaf, peppercorns and tarragon in large skillet.  Add salmon rolls and bring just to simmer.  Cover and cook; adjusting heat so liquid is barely shaking, until scallop mixture is just set when tested with fork; about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy skillet over low heat.  Add lettuce, cover and cook until wilted; about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Puree in processor until smooth.

Remove salmon from skillet using slotted spatula and set aside.

Strain salmon cooking liquid.  Return to skillet, and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup.  Add cream and continue boiling until sauce is thickened.  Stir in lettuce puree.  Season with salt and pepper.

Slice salmon rolls into 1/2" thick rounds.  Divide sauce among 6 heated plates.  Arrange salmon medallions atop sauce and serve immediately.

Review of last recipe (photo above) - This is a good recipe to have on hand to remind myself that by blanching the garlic, it subdues the sharpness of it.  I ended up cooking up some wheat linguine to serve with this.  Yum!

TODAY'S RECIPE - CHICKEN MANTASOA

Serves 4.

1/4 peanut oil
1/2 cup peanuts
1 tsp finely chopped ginger root
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut up
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 medium tomatoes; peeled, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, pureed
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

In a large shallow baking dish, combine 1/4 cup peanut oil with peanuts, chopped ginger and lime juice.

Rinse chicken pieces and drain on paper towels.

Lay each piece into the seasoned oil in baking dish, turning over to coat lightly.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until cooked.,

Meanwhile, heat chicken broth in a medium saucepan to boiling.  Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream.  Return to low heat and simmer while chicken bakes.  It will thicken slightly as it reduces in volume.

When chicken is cooked, drain off fat in baking dish.  Add chopped tomatoes to reduced cream and broth.  Add garlic, 1 tbsp peanut oil, parsley, scallions and 1/2 cup peanuts.  Simmer 5 minutes more.  Spoon sauce over drained chicken in pan and continue baking for 15 minutes.

Serve with hot cooked rice and a green vegetable.