Chicken Florentine, Sugar Cookies, 24-Hour Salad

DEAR SOS: Please try to obtain the recipe for Florentine chicken served at the Blue Bayou Restaurant at Disneyland. It’s a winner.

--ANDREA

DEAR ANDREA: Here’s the recipe. The Florentine sauce, by the way, can also be added to poached eggs, fish, steamed spinach or whatever suits your taste.

BLUE BAYOU CHICKEN FLORENTINE

1 pound spinach, cleaned and chopped, or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed

1/3 pound shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 pound bacon, cooked and chopped

4 boneless chicken breast halves

Seasoned salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Florentine Sauce

Hot, cooked rice, optional

In mixing bowl, combine spinach, cheese and bacon. Set aside.

Pound chicken breasts lightly to flatten. Season to taste with seasoned salt. Top each with 1/4 spinach mixture. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish.

Brush with melted butter. Season to taste with seasoned salt. Bake at 375 degrees 20 to 25 minutes. Top with Florentine Sauce. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving with sauce contains about:

777 calories; 812 mg sodium; 245 mg cholesterol; 58 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 50 grams protein; 0.69 grams fiber.

Florentine Sauce

2 teaspoons flour

3 teaspoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons minced onion

3 medium mushrooms, sliced

2/3 cup white wine

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon diced pimiento

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon chopped chives

Juice 1/2 lemon

Salt

White pepper

Blend flour in small bowl with 2 teaspoons butter. Set aside.

In skillet saute onion and mushrooms in remaining 1 teaspoon butter. Do not brown onion. Add wine and reduce until liquid is absorbed. Add broth, bouillon cubes, whipping cream, pimiento, parsley, chives and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Bring to simmer.

Add flour-butter mixture, little at time, stirring constantly, until thickened slightly. Continue simmering 8 to 10 minutes over low heat to desired thickness. Makes 1 cup.

DEAR SOS: A few years back The Times published a recipe for the “world’s best” sugar cookies. While moving a few times, I misplaced the great recipe, and my grandchildren are driving me crazy for more cookies.

--ROBERT

DEAR ROBERT: Alas, we too have misplaced the recipe. Until found, would this good recipe do?

MOTHER’S SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup butter or margarine

Sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs, beaten

3 2/3 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

In bowl cream butter and 2 cups sugar with baking soda, salt and vanilla. Add beaten eggs and beat until smooth. Sift together flour and baking powder and add to creamed mixture, mixing until smooth.

Chill dough until firm enough to roll out on floured pastry cloth. Sprinkle with sugar to taste. Then cut into fancy cookie shapes with cookie cutters. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 450 degrees 8 minutes, or until cookies are golden. Makes 10 dozen medium-size cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

41 calories; 34 mg sodium; 9 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 grams protein; 0 grams fiber.

DEAR SOS: Some time ago you printed a recipe for 24-hour salad. Unfortunately, that recipe (plus some other valued recipes) were ruined through water damage. Can you help?

--JOAN

DEAR JOAN: This old-time recipe had a great run with the advent of the refrigerator, from the early 1900s through the ‘60s, when it was a popular club luncheon salad. We love resurrecting this old classic. Thanks for asking.

24-HOUR SALAD

4 cups shredded salad greens

1 1/2 cups ham strips

1 1/2 cups cheese strips

1 1/2 cups cooked peas

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 medium red onion, sliced and separated into rings

1 cup diagonally sliced celery

1 small cucumber, sliced

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon sugar

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Layer salad greens, ham, cheese, peas, mushrooms, red onion, celery and cucumber in large salad bowl. Blend mayonnaise, curry and sugar in small bowl. Spread over salad to seal. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, add bacon and toss. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

314 calories; 769 mg sodium; 48 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 1.26 grams fiber.

Only recipes of general interest will be printed. Send recipe request to Culinary SOS, Food Section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants. We are unable to answer recipe requests by mail.