The Inn at Merridun
Bed and Breakfast Inn

Union, South Carolina

Specialty Recipe

Chicken and Spinach Cakes

These will remind you of crab cakes (no crab, of course); this recipe is well worth the effort. Smaller cake would make a wonderful appetizer for a party and larger one for a luncheon entree. Peggy

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 pound shallots, thinly sliced, divided

1/4 pound bacon, coarsely chopped

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

One 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry

6 Tablespoons heavy cream

1-1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs, divided

1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the sliced shallots and cook over moderate heat until light golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.

Place bacon in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer bacon to a large bowl. Add chicken (in 2 batches) to the food processor and pulse until minced. Add to the bowl with the bacon. Next add thawed spinach, heavy cream, 1/3 cup bread crumbs, cooked shallots, 1 teaspoon black pepper, salt and cayenne. Mix to thoroughly blend the ingredients. Form 1/4 cup if mixture into little round cakes. (May freeze at this point for future use.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow bowl, mix 1 cup bread crumbs with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Coat the cakes with the bread crumbs.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat. Add 8 of the cakes and fry, turning once until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken cakes. Bake the cakes for about 10 to 12 minutes until firm and done. Serve warm.

Serves: 12

• This recipe and many others can be found in the Culinary Memories of Merridun, A Collection of Our Most Requested Recipes by Peggy Waller from The Inn at Merridun, Union, South Carolina.
• You found this recipe on 1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook. (www.virtualcities.com)

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