Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

You Asked For It

Supermarket's recipe comes to home files

By ELLEN FOLKMAN
Published October 19, 2005

Kathy Keefe wanted the recipe for Publix's tarragon chicken salad, so Brenda Helton shares the recipe she got from a recipe card at Publix. Flora Ballew wanted a recipe for amaretto cake. Linda Carroll, Celeste Hegwein and Michele Ash share a recipe for amaretto cake made from a mix.

Celeste and Michele poke holes in the warm cake before glazing it.

And Cynthia Shea shares an rarity these days: made-from-scratch almond-amaretto cream cake.

For: Kathy Keefe of St. Petersburg

From: Brenda Helton of Seminole

Recipe: Rotisserie Chicken Tarragon Salad

1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

2 rotisserie chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise and tarragon. Add chicken, celery, salt and pepper. Stir to thoroughly combine mixture. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate to chill and allow flavors to blend.

To serve, place a lettuce leaf on each plate. Scoop salad onto lettuce and sprinkle with pecans.

For: Flora Ballew of Seminole

From: Linda Carroll of Largo, Celeste Hegwein of Clearwater and Michele Ash of Sun City Center

Recipe: Amaretto Cake

Cake:

1 package yellow butter cake mix

1 package (33/4 ounces) vanilla pudding

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup amaretto liqueur

1/2 cup water

Butter for greasing pan

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Glaze:

1/4 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup amaretto

1/2 cup water

Combine first six ingredients and blend slowly on low speed for 2 minutes. Grease Bundt cake pan heavily with butter and coat sides and bottom with pecans.

Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

To make glaze, combine all ingredients in small saucepan. Simmer 3 minutes over low heat.

Spoon warm glaze over hot cake when it comes from the oven. Let cake cool 15 minutes. Turn out and serve with dollops of whipped cream.

For: Flora Ballew of Seminole

From: Cynthia Shea of Spring Hill

Recipe: Almond-Amaretto Cream Cake

Cake:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 7-ounce package of almond paste

11/3 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling

3 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup amaretto, plus more for brushing finished cake

1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Amaretto whipped cream:

1 cup chilled whipping cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon amaretto

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan. Dust pan with flour, tap out excess. Using an electric mixer on high speed, cream butter and almond paste until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar and eggs, one at a time.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with amaretto and half-and-half, making sure to begin and end with flour mixture.

Sprinkle almonds and 1 tablespoon sugar inside the pan. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until the top is light golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Carefully cut around edges with a sharp knife to release it from the pan; turn out onto a serving plate. Brush with additional amaretto. Cool before serving.

To make whipped cream, beat cream on medium high speed in chilled bowl with chilled beaters until thick, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and amaretto, beating 2 minutes more or until soft peaks form.

Serve cake with a dollop of amaretto whipped cream. Serves 10.

Missy Martino is searching for the recipe for corn bread made at Fred Fleming's barbecue restaurant. She has tried many from the Internet, but none come close.

Maureen Ayral wants to keep in her son's good graces by finding the coffee cake recipe she has lost. She got it from the St. Petersburg Times years ago. It is made with frozen biscuits or muffins that are thawed and left to rise. Sour cream, vanilla pudding, cinnamon and butter are then added.

This coffee cake became a Christmas morning tradition and Maureen hopes someone has the recipe.

Marjorie Meyer has lost her recipe for fried green tomatoes in a batter. If you have a favorite, please share it.

- You Asked for It is a reader mail column. Send recipe requests to You Asked for It, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to youaskedforit@knology.net Please put "Recipe request" in the subject line. Recipes will be received by mail only. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

[Last modified October 18, 2005, 09:05:05]