The menu for Sunday dinner. Tender red lettuce with mandarin oranges, sliced green onions and poppy seed dressing. Chicken Charleston, made with chicken breast, onions, a touch of garlic, curry, cream and brandy over basmati rice, and a side of steamed broccoli with toasted almonds. For dessert, baby cakes with fudge sauce and caramel gelato.

This very old recipe for the wonderfully delicious Chicken Charleston that I made today, is an adaption of one by the late Ronald Johnson, author of The American Table. It might sound a little heavy but it’s not at all. The chicken with its rich, golden sauce will make you feel so nourished and satisfied that you will leave the table thinking that all is right with the world.

The mandarin orange salad recipe is included below, although it is so simple, you won’t need a recipe. It just adds that extra touch that is needed to balance out the curry in the chicken and sauce.

Serve the Chicken Charleston over your favorite cooked rice, and for the perfect side dish, steam some broccoli, and add butter and almonds.

Oh, my goodness gracious. Don’t forget this decadent chocolate dessert recipe below. I can’t wait for you to try this. Too easy with a mix. Shhhh! Nobody will know.

Enjoy!

Chicken Charleston

4 boneless-skinless chicken breast (or, you can use 1 cut-up chicken)
4 tablespoons butter
4 cups finely chopped sweet onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons curry
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup rum or brandy

Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the chicken lightly. Lift the pieces onto a plate. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook over medium heat until straw colored. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the chicken pieces back in the pan and into the onion. Cover, and cook slowly on top of the stove for 15 minutes.
Remove the cover, turn the chicken, and cook slowly, uncovered for 10-15 minutes for chicken breasts, 20 minutes or more for chicken pieces. Add water if it gets too dry. Remove from the pan when its juices run golden when pierced with a fork, and keep warm.
Sprinkle curry powder over the onion and cook a few minutes, stirring, then add the cream and rum or brandy. Boil down, stirring, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Taste for seasoning. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve with fluffy rice. Before serving, slice green onion tops or chop fresh parsley and sprinkle over the sauce.* This is a full recipe for sauce. If you are not a heavy sauce eater, then by all means just cut the sauce recipe in half. Serves 4.

Mandarin Orange Salad

1 small head of baby red lettuce, washed and torn or cut into serving size pieces
1 (14.5 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
sliced green onions to taste
Poppy seed dressing of your choice

Mix all ingredients together except poppy seed dressing. Add dressing to taste. If not making the broccoli side dish, add a half cup of toasted almonds to the salad.

Baby Cakes with Fudge Sauce & Caramel Gelato

 I admit that when I’m in a hurry, I don’t always make home-made. This is one of those times that I took a box of brand name mix called, “Chocolate Lover’s Cupcakes”, and made it even more “decadent “by adding fudge sauce and caramel gelato. Yikes. It’s a wonder I can walk after all this taste testing today.

So here you go. One 19.4 ounce box of a famous brand chocolate cupcake mix that has icing in the box. Follow the recipe for the cupcakes, but instead of the oil, add one stick of softened butter. You can continue on and make cupcakes, which are delicious, or you can use a small porcelain dish with scallops or a Brûlée dish instead and make baby cakes. Just make sure the dishes are about the same size as the cupcake pan. It will take about the same amount of time to bake the baby cakes as it will the cupcakes.

When finished baking, cool and follow instructions for frosting the “baby cakes” as you would frost the cupcakes. Add the cakes to the serving dishes, garnish with hot fudge sauce and caramel gelato. Serve right away. Makes 12 cakes.