Moo's Chicken Mousse

1 env. unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup chicken, cooked and finely ground
1 cup whipping cream

Soften gelatin in 3/4 cup broth. In sauce pan, combine egg yolks, remaining broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture thickens slightly. Do not let it boil. Add softened gelatin and cool slightly. Add celery seed and mayonnaise. Chill slightly. Fold in chicken and whipping cream. Pour into a jello mold.

Moo's Exotic Chicken Salad

This is a very good salad that's easy to make and hard to resist. Moo wrote up this recipe to enable you to make as large a salad as you need to feed your family and guests.

Cooked chicken, diced
Celery, sliced
Water chestnuts, sliced
Seedless grapes, sliced in half
Slivered almonds
Mayonnaise
Curry powder
Soy sauce

Combine 2 parts diced, cooked chicken with 1 part sliced celery, 1 part sliced water chestnuts, 1 part seedless grapes (sliced in half) and 1 part slivered almonds. Mix in mayonnaise to create the consistency you prefer. Season with curry powder and soy sauce to taste. Mix well, mound on lettuce and surround with lichee fruit.

Moo's Cold Shrimp-Stuffed Avocado

There are about 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground here in Maine, and I guess I'm sorta dreaming of the summer sun. Also my brother reports that it's 70 degrees in Southern California. So here's a little summer treat for him. In fact, you can enjoy this summer palate pleaser anytime.

3 large avocados
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pound cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped (But put 6 whole shrimp aside)
1 jalapeno chili, finely chopped
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 dozen pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
Mayonnaise
Salt & pepper to taste
3 T coriander, minced

Carefully cut avocado in half. Remove pit and scoop out the avocado flesh. Keep the shell halves intact because you'll be refilling them and using them like little bowls. Put avocado in in a bowl, sprinkle with lemon juice (this will help keep avocado from turning brown). Mash avocado, then add chopped shrimp, jalapeno, egg, and olives. Mix. Add mayonnaise to the consistency and taste of your choice. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the 6 avocado shells equally. Sprinkle top with coriander and top each with a whole shrimp.

Moo's Curried Shrimp in Coconut Rolls

This one's fun. Great for picnics.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T curry powder
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
20 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 hot dog rolls
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup unsweetened, finely chopped coconut

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, curry, ginger, mint and garlic in bowl and toss with shrimp. Marinate for 8 hours, turning several times for good coverage. Drain and put on skewers. Separate the rolls into two halves. Cream butter and add coconut. Mix well and spread on the face of the bun. Grill shrimp. Do not overcook. Toast rolls and arrange cooked shrimp on top.

Moo's Cold Poached Salmon w/ Cucumber Salad

Nothing says summer party favorite like cold salmon. Moo had several recipes, and this is a favorite...a real palate pleaser.

4 salmon steaks, about 3/4" thick

Stock for Poaching
1 cup water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small onion, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced
2-3 parsley sprigs
1 small bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. peppercorns

Green Sauce
2 egg yolks
1 T prepared mustard
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parsley, minced
1/3 cup watercress, minced
1/3 cup spinach, minced
1 tsp. sage, crumbled

Cucumber Salad
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced thin
1 T fresh dill weed
Mix oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add cucumber slices and dill weed. Toss.

Prepare Green Sauce: With a small whisk, beat egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper until well blended. Slowly beat in oil, drop by drop at first and then in a thin stream until mixture forms mayonnaise. Fold in parsley, watercress, spinach and sage. Refrigerate overnight.

Poach Salmon: In skillet, bring stock ingredients to a boil. Add salmon steaks, cover and simmer until fish flakes easily (about 10 minutes). Do not overcook. Cool salmon in stock at room temperature. Carefully transfer steaks to serving platter with slotted spatula. Spoon on some green sauce (serve remainder on the side). Garnish and serve with cucumber salad.

Shrimp Bisque a la Dovell

Hot or cold, this soup kicks. It's one of my brother's favorite palate pleasers.

1 pound cooked shrimp
1 small carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 T butter
Pinch of thyme
¼ cup brandy
½ cup sherry
1 cup chicken broth
2 cans frozen shrimp bisque

In a saucepan, sauté carrot and onion in butter. Add a little thyme. When golden brown, add shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes. Add brandy and flame. When the fire is out, set aside. Thaw frozen shrimp bisque in a large saucepan, and add sherry and chicken broth. Put thawed bisque mixture in blender along with 1 cup sour cream and a little red food coloring. The soup should be a light pink. Put the cooled shrimp mixture in the food processor. Combine the two mixtures and serve hot or cold.

Cucumber Dill Vichyssoise

This is a refreshing, flavorful soup. And because there are such interesting flavors going on here, it's best to make this a day ahead to give the flavors a chance to mingle and merge. A summer palate pleaser.

¼ cup butter
2/3 cup leeks (white part only), chopped
1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
¾ pound potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups chicken broth
2 ½ cups cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 cup half and half cream
Salt & white pepper to taste
3 T fresh dill
2 t. “Hot & Spicy” seasoning

Melt butter in saucepan. Add leeks, bay leaf and onion. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Discard bay leaf. Add potatoes and chicken broth, simmer about 20 minutes. Mix chopped cucumber into soup. Puree in blender or processor in batches. Add cream, dill weed, salt, pepper, and “Hot & Spicy.” Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve chilled. If it gets too thick overnight, you can thin to preferred consistency with a little additional chicken broth.

Moo's California Ceviche

2 pounds fresh lean fish fillets
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 medium size onions, finely chopped
3 fresh green chilies, roast, peel and chop (or 1 can Mexican-style green chilies)
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 t. dry oregano
1/2 t. marjoram leaves
1 t. celery seeds

Dice the fish, taking care to discard all bones and skin. Pour lime juice over fish, cover and refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally to ensure good coverage. Drain fish well, then add onions, chilies, tomatoes, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, celery seed and herbs. Mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to about 6 hours for freshest flavor.

Blue Cheese and Pear Mousse

Okay, at first glance this may not seem too exciting, but let me give you a little context. Moo would often make a quick salad for dinner consisting of cold, canned pear halves covered with a little blue cheese dressing and a little crumbled blue cheese sprinkled on top. It's a terrific combination. Also Moo was an active cook during the hayday of gelatin mold salads. My sister, brother and I grew up on those things. And while I was never a big fan of the molded salad in general, I do have some favorites. This is one. Personaly I think the gelatin mold is about due to make a great reappearance on the cooking scene...everything old is new again. This one is worth trying...a real palate pleaser. Enjoy!

Lightly oil and chill a 5 cup ring or mold
1 envelope gelatin
1 1 lb. can of pears
6 oz. Blue cheese, room temperature
3 oz. Cream cheese, room temperature
Pinch of salt
Reserved gelatin
½ cup sugar
1 cup cream, whipped

Soften the gelatin for 5 minutes in the liquid from the pears. Then dissolve it over simmering water. Set aside for the moment. Drain pears, pat dry, dice and set aside.
In a bowl, beat blue and cream cheese, salt, and gelatin. Whip until light. Gradually add the sugar so you can control sweetness to your taste. Continue beating until the sugar is dissolved. Chill until it just begins to set. Whip cream, then fold into cheese mixture. Mix thoroughly. Arrange diced pears in the bottom of the chilled mold. Then transfer the cheese mixture to mold, covering pears. Chill thoroughly.

Moo's Indian Deviled Eggs

Between the curry and lemon pickle, I think you have to call these Indian deviled eggs, although Moo always called them Thai hard boiled eggs. However you wish to classify this dish, it sure is good. If you want something different with an Asian-Indian twist, I highly recommend these. They are a little messy for appetizers unless you use just a little bit of sauce or put the sauce on the side as a dip. Your guests will have a hard time resisting. The lemon pickle gives these deviled eggs a bit of a snap.

6 hard-boiled eggs
2 Tbls. coconut milk
1 tsp. coconut cream
1 tsp. coriander, chopped
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. lemon pickle, finely chopped

Sauce
1 cup coconut milk
3 Tbls. flake coconut
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 canned green chili
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of chili powder
Salt to taste

When eggs cool, peel and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and put in a bowl. Set egg white halves aside. Mash yolks; moisten with coconut milk and add coconut cream, chopped coriander, curry powder and chopped lemon pickle. Generously fill egg whites with the yolk mixture. To make the sauce, combine ingredients in blender and puree. Pour sauce over filled, hard-boiled eggs.

Dovell's Favorite Pink Velvet Soup

What a delightful cold soup for summer. Moo's beet borsch has always been my favorite; this one was my father's. It's fresh, it tastes good, it's like a delicious alternative to beet borsch. Yes, it's a palate pleaser.

1 onion, thinly sliced
1 8 oz. can diced beets
¼ cup catsup
1 T concentrated beef stock (such as Bovril) Vegetarians can easily substitute vegetable stock
1 cup sour cream
1 3 oz. package cream cheese

Mix ingredients in processor or blender. Blend thoroughly and chill. Serve in chilled bowls. Garnish with coriander or parsley, your choice.

Moo's Cold Cucumber Soup

This soup is easy to prepare and makes for a cool, summer treat. But because the flavors need to mature, you do have to plan ahead and keep overnight before serving. For a change of flavor (to spice things up a bit) you can add cilantro and when serving put a dot of Asian Chili Paste with Garlic or Black Bean with Garlic Sauce on top.

1 1/2 quarts broth, either chicken or vegetable
1 1/2 cups potato, pared, diced
2 cups cucumber, pared, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup fresh leeks (white part only), chopped fine
Cucumber and fresh dill for garnish

Boil potato in about half the chicken broth--until soft. Sauté cucumber slices and chopped leeks in butter until soft but not brown. Add potato and broth as well as the remaining broth to the cucumbers and leeks and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Pour cooled ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside, cover and chill overnight. To serve, pour into chilled bowls and garnish with thin slices of cucumber and chopped dill.

Moo's Green Noodle Salad

This is Moo’s favorite salad. She didn’t write down quantities for most of the ingredients. Once you have the basic ingredients of noodles and cheese, everything else is added to taste and personal preference. You can't screw this one up. And if something else sounds good to you...add it. The dish is that flexible. How can it not, then, be a palate pleaser?

2 cups green (spinach) noodles
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Pitted Greek olives
Anchovies
Croutons
Italian frying peppers
Monterey Jack, grated
Scallions, chopped
Celery, chopped
Italian sausage, cooked and sliced
Tomatoes, diced
Basil
Coriander
Pastrami, chopped
Creamy Italian dressing