Favorite Chicken Curry Salad

DEAR SOS: Butterfield’s in Hollywood serves a wonderful chicken curry salad. I’d love to prepare it for company but need your help in obtaining the recipe. Would you?

--STELLA

DEAR STELLA: I’m so glad you asked. Butterfield’s Chicken Curry Salad is up there with some of the best, if not the best.

BUTTERFIELD’S CHICKEN CURRY SALAD

2 quarts water

1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar

3 whole chicken breasts, skin removed

1 large green pepper, diced

1 large Pippin apple, diced

3 large stalks celery, diced

5 green onions, green part only, sliced

1 cup mango chutney

1 cup plain yogurt

6 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably homemade

1 tablespoon curry powder, preferably Madras, or to taste

1/4 cup cup raisins

1/2 cup untoasted sliced almonds

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Mixed baby lettuces

Combine water and vinegar in large saucepan. Add chicken, bring to boil, then simmer over medium heat 10 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from water and cool, then cut into cubes or pieces.

Mix together green pepper, apple, celery, green onions and all but 2 tablespoons chutney in large bowl. Add chicken, yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, raisins and almonds. Mix to coat chicken well. Add pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour.

Serve over mixed baby lettuces and garnish each serving with 1 teaspoon of remaining chutney. Makes 6 servings.

DEAR SOS: I believe the recipe Mrs. S.S. is looking for is this one from a 1956 Betty Crocker cookbook.

Betty Crocker did manufacture a lemon pudding cake and chocolate pudding cake mix some years ago, but this is the do-it-yourself version.

--SANDY

DEAR SANDY: You and the many readers came up with the same lemon cake pudding recipe in answer to Mrs. S.S.’s request. It could be the recipe she wants. Let’s find out. Meanwhile, thanks for taking the time to help.

BETTY CROCKER LEMON CAKE PUDDING

1/4 cup sifted flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 egg yolks, well beaten

1 cup milk

2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Whipped cream, optional

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Stir in lemon zest, juice, egg yolks and milk. Fold in egg whites. Pour into 1-quart baking dish or 6 custard cups.

Set baking dish in pan of hot water 1 inch deep. Bake at 350 degrees 50 minutes. Serve warm or cold with or without whipped cream. Makes 6 servings.

DEAR SOS: Do you have a good green tomato pickle recipe now that the tomato season is here?

--READER

DEAR READER: Yes, we have a Green Tomato Pickles recipe. In the Midwest, we understand, the last of the crop of green tomatoes left on the vine was picked before the frost to make pickles, chow chow and green tomato pie.

Back-yard gardeners in Southern California can simply pick the tomatoes from the vine before they ripen.

GREEN TOMATO PICKLES

2 quarts water

1 quart vinegar

1 cup salt

Dill heads or dill weed

Small green tomatoes

Celery sticks

Green pepper strips

Garlic cloves

Combine water, vinegar, salt and 6 or 8 dill heads or 3 or 4 teaspoons dill weed. Boil 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash tomatoes and pack into hot sterilized jars. Place celery stick, 3 or 4 green pepper strips and garlic clove in each jar.

Pour hot brine over pickles in jars. Adjust caps. Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Pickles will be ready to use in 4 to 6 weeks. Makes brine for about 6 quarts.