Luncheon Menu for a Hot Summer Day

It’s my turn to entertain my bridge group next Monday. This group has been together for 30 years and we are just beginning to age a little. We’ve been through the years when our children were running around and driving us up a wall—and we couldn’t get a hand played without an interruption. We’ve gone through the years when they were teenagers and we were worried about where they were. Then we went through the graduation parties, the weddings and the proud displaying of pictures of our first darling grandchildren. Now some of those grandchildren are starting to grow up.

We’ve also gotten to be a lot of women who cook and cook well. Our basic lunch is supposed to be soup, salad, bread and dessert, but it’s surprising how many variations there are on this basic plan and it seems we’ve used all of them at some time in the last thirty years. What, then, am I going to serve that is a little different? I decided to go back to the “olden days” since, as I stated above, we are starting to get a little “olden” ourselves.

Here is a really old-fashioned ladies’ luncheon menu that should be just right for a group of eight old friends playing cards on a hot summer day.

Vichyssoise
Chicken Salad Supreme
Danish Cinnamon Twists
Lemon Cake Roll

Vichyssoise
This is really delicious but it is very important that you really deep-chill it and serve it ice cold.

4 Tbsp. butter
6 onions, sliced
4 leeks (no green), sliced
6 cups chicken broth
5 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 quart milk (can use 1 or 2% )
1 pint half and half
1 pint heavy cream

Beat butter in large saucepan; add onions and leeks, cover and simmer until soft. Do not brown. Pour in chicken broth and add potatoes; cover and simmer 45 minutes. Sieve through food mill or strainer. Return to saucepan, add milk and half and half; bring to a boil. Strain again; cool and add heavy cream. Refrigerate overnight. Makes 4 quarts. Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche and a sprinkling of snipped chives.

Chicken Salad Supreme
It’s important that you present this salad as directed, since this luncheon is rather colorless if you don’t include the fruit for the presentation.


6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 4 oz each)
Chicken broth to barely cover chicken
1 stalk celery, with leaves
2 or 3 parsley sprigs
½ medium onion
½ tsp. salt

Place breasts in a large skillet and cover with broth. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a gentle boil, cover and lower heat. Simmer for 10-20 minutes or until barely tender. Remove to platter, drain and cool. Refrigerate. Strain broth into bowl, cool and refrigerate. It will congeal and makes a delicious cold consommé or stock for sauces.

Chicken (as above), cut in ¾-inch cubes
1 cup Mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 tsp. honey
1 4-ounce can water chestnuts, sliced
¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans
Leaf lettuce
Strawberries
8 melon rings, ½-inch thick
1 heads Bibb lettuce or red leaf lettuce
Frosted grapes (optional)

Toss chicken with ¾ cup dressing; let stand 1 hour. Combine remaining ¼ cup dressing with sour cream and honey; add to chicken and mix well. Mix in water chestnuts and pecans. Make individual plates lined with Bibb and leaf lettuces. Place melon rings on lettuce; fill centers with chicken salad. Garnish with whole strawberries and frosted grapes, if desired.

Danish Cinnamon Twists

1 pkg. active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
4 egg yolks
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1 cup sugar
1 egg white, slightly beaten
Cinnamon sugar


Sprinkle yeast on warm water; set aside. Put flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add butter; cut in until consistency of cornmeal. Beat yolks until thick and add to flour mixture with sour cream, vanilla, orange rind, and yeast; mix well. Cover and place in refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours; dough may stand overnight. Sprinkle pastry board with 2 Tbsp sugar, place dough on sugar and roll to a 12-inch square. Fold dough in thirds to a rectangle, 12” x 4” then fold in opposite direction to make a 4-inch square. There will be 9 layers of dough. Roll out to a 12-inch rectangle again, sprinkle with 2 Tbsp sugar and repeat 2 more times. If dough becomes too warm, refrigerate for 15 minutes, then continue. For last rolling, make rectangle 9” x 16”, brush with egg white and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Cut dough from 9-inch side into three 3-inch strips, then cut each length into sixteen 1-inch strips; the dough will have a layered look. Twist each strip 3 times and place on well-buttered baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake in 375 deg. oven 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove at once, as sugar sticks, and dust while hot with cinnamon sugar. Makes 48 twists.