The Culinary Works

If your family is anything like mine, celebrations always center around food. Mothers Day Brunch is a staple in our family and one of my favorites. It's early in the day so Mimosa or Bellini is always in order. Also, you can mix the menu to include breakfast favorites like Amaretto French Toast, Banana Pancakes, Frittata etc., with yummy lunch dishes, like Panini and something I love, Canape, which is simply an open faced sandwich. Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds is one of those items I always make. It's super easy, but don't tell mom!

First, you poach the chicken:

Mix 1 box of chicken stock with an equal amount of water in a pot. Add 1 celery stalk, 1/4 an onion and 1 chopped carrot. This will be your poaching liquid. Place 4-6 (depending on size) boneless skinless chicken breasts in the cool liquid and bring it to a simmer. NOT A BOIL, a boil will dry out the chicken, you just want it to simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Allow the chicken to cool on a plate. Once it's cool, dice it into roughly 1/2 inch peices, small enough and uniform enough so that when you place them on the bread slices, they fit and look pretty. Refridgerate the chicken until you are ready to mix it with the dressing.

Dressing:

• 1 cup Mayo
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 ½ tablespoons of curry powder
• ½ cup chopped and lightly toasted almonds
• ½ halved red seedless grapes
• 2 Tablespoons chopped scallion
• 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
• Season with Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix the diced chicken with the dressing and allow it to marry in the fridge for an hour or so. The flavors will blend and be lovely. The sour cream makes the sauce very rich and creamy, however, you could also substitute plain yogurt if you want it to be a bit lighter.

To Assemble:

Slice a baguette across to make rounds. I prefer that they are not toasted, I like the bread to be a little chewy, but you could lightly toast the bread in the oven if you like. I simply place a spoonful of the mixture on a bread round. Garnish it with some additional chopped parsley and/or scallion and place it on a platter for serving. Of course, I eat the first one as an important quality control measure!

If you have a lot going on, you could also line a bowl with lettuce leaves, spoon in the salad, garnish the top and place the bowl on a platter. Place the bread rounds around the bowl and place the platter on the table, allowing your guests to spoon it onto the bread themselves.

I hope you give it a try and to all you mothers out there, congratulations for all you do. Being a mother is one of life's most important jobs, it's tiring, challenging, never ending etc., but also one of the most satisfying jobs around. If you aren't a mother, find one to hug...and feed her some Curried Chicken Salad.