Mustard Sauce

Bistro dining is very much in style. Poulet a la Diable (chicken in mustard sauce) is a French bistro favorite. It's an easy, quick chicken dish with a strong, Dijon mustard sauce. For quick sauteed garlic potatoes, I start with canned potatoes and crisp them in a skillet with oil and garlic. A tangy watercress salad completes this French dinner. Poulet a la Diable 1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken 2 minutes, turn and brown 2 minutes.

Crab cakes can be one of the most delicious seafood preparations around. Unfortunately, too many cooks adulterate the sweet crabmeat with bread crumbs and other fillers. We have concocted our crab cakes so that the fresh flavor of the crab really stars. There's only enough binding to allow the delicate seafood to be molded into patties, which are then brushed with beaten egg and bread crumbs before being sauteed to a golden crispness. To accentuate the lush flavor of the crab, we've also developed a recipe for a piquant mustard sauce, which is a wonderful contrast to the crab cakes.

Yo, Chefs! I recently attended a banquet at the Adam's Mark Hotel on City Avenue. We were served stuffed chicken breast with cheddar cheese and broccoli. Since the affair, I have tried to duplicate this great meal, with very little luck. I would really appreciate it if I could get the recipe. Jocelyn T. Gilliard Philadelphia DEAR JOCELYN, Executive Chef Vince Alberici says his stuffed chicken is a very popular entree at large banquet dinners. Here's how he prepares it. THE ADAM'S MARK'S STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH MUSTARD SAUCE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS 4 six-ounce boneless chicken breasts 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced shallots 6 ounces broccoli florets, minced in a food processor or by hand 6 ounces grated cheddar cheese 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon bread crumbs 1 cup sesame seeds 1 quart canola oil (for frying)

Certain months mean certain foods. Period. Our cravings will settle for nothing less. In March, it's the first asparagus. By June, it's strawberries. In August, we want juicy, tree-ripened peaches. But with the first cooler breezes of October, our taste buds turn to . . .bratwurst. Oktoberfest celebrations are under way at every turn, just dripping with sauerkraut, sausages and beer. What we need is a midweek solution to satisfy our October appetites. The vast array of German sausages is no longer just the property of big cities with large ethnic populations.

Restaurants in big, barnlike spaces are not where I normally expect to find calm and comfort after a hectic day at the office. So why, on a recent evening, did we open the door to Gloria's, a cavernous new Art Museum-area restaurant, once a carriage house, and almost instantly feel soothed? It could be because the night was cool and the thermostat at Gloria's was set at cozy-warm. And that the white table linens seemed so fresh and neat that they suggested genuine caring.

From the authors of Fish on the Grill (Contemporary Books), a popular cookbook of two summers ago, comes this season's logical sequel: Shellfish on the Grill (Contemporary Books, $7.95). For this sea adventure, food writers Phyllis Magida and Barbara Grunes again have joined in preparing a straightforward, sensible and easy-to-follow guide to preparing everything from barnacles (a growing West Coast trend) to squid. Magida and Grunes have included recipes for the imitation crab and lobster products that are becoming increasingly available in supermarkets.

You may wake up some morning, maneuver into the kitchen, survey the inside of the fridge, and exclaim, "Oh, no! Not toast and eggs again!" But take heart. Every country has its standard up-and-at-'em fare. And somewhere in Stockholm this morning, someone probably wandered into the kitchen and, through the haze of the day's stirring consciousness, mumbled in perfect Swedish: "Oh, no! Not herring again!" And longed, maybe, for a good bowl of boxed cereal. This grass-is-greener mentality isn't altogether reasonable.

If April is the cruelest month, then what you want on a raw and ragged April evening is comfort - comfort food, that is. It was in fact on a recent blustery Tuesday evening, with an overcast sky, that my friend Renee and I went to Marathon on the Square, which retooled its menu last fall to feature huge helpings of chicken pot pie, hot turkey sandwiches and meatloaf, at reduced prices. When MOTS replaced the former resident of that space, DOTS (Diner on the Square), in 1998, I didn't really want to like it. After all, MOTS is part of a mini local chain, the Marathon Restaurant Group - six eateries in all. (The newest opened just this month at 2001 Market St.)

If you're looking for a hot time, the place to go is Magnolia Cafe. This Center City Cajun bistro is hot on at least three fronts: food, music and crowd. Actually, the food seems to have mellowed out, which is good. There was a time, early on, when the food was so hot, it presented problems even to diners whose mouths were as flame-resistant as a kiln. The moderation is much appreciated. The music is loud, festive and heady, with the wail of the clarinet often at war with the rattle of the crowd.

Butter and cream are undeniable staples of Irish home cooking. So are eggs, potatoes, lamb, cabbage and every part of the pig. Fat and calories weren't given much thought. This was food that sustained hard-working farm families. As St. Patrick's Day approaches, you have a choice: You can try the lighter menu created by the editors of Eating Well magazine - amazingly enough, without a speck of butter. The dishes are Lamb Chops with Beer and Mustard Sauce; a lower-fat version of the mashed potato dish Champ; and Irish Soda Bread.

Bistro dining is very much in style. Poulet a la Diable (chicken in mustard sauce) is a French bistro favorite. It's an easy, quick chicken dish with a strong, Dijon mustard sauce. For quick sauteed garlic potatoes, I start with canned potatoes and crisp them in a skillet with oil and garlic. A tangy watercress salad completes this French dinner. Poulet a la Diable 1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken 2 minutes, turn and brown 2 minutes.

You may wake up some morning, maneuver into the kitchen, survey the inside of the fridge, and exclaim, "Oh, no! Not toast and eggs again!" But take heart. Every country has its standard up-and-at-'em fare. And somewhere in Stockholm this morning, someone probably wandered into the kitchen and, through the haze of the day's stirring consciousness, mumbled in perfect Swedish: "Oh, no! Not herring again!" And longed, maybe, for a good bowl of boxed cereal. This grass-is-greener mentality isn't altogether reasonable.

If April is the cruelest month, then what you want on a raw and ragged April evening is comfort - comfort food, that is. It was in fact on a recent blustery Tuesday evening, with an overcast sky, that my friend Renee and I went to Marathon on the Square, which retooled its menu last fall to feature huge helpings of chicken pot pie, hot turkey sandwiches and meatloaf, at reduced prices. When MOTS replaced the former resident of that space, DOTS (Diner on the Square), in 1998, I didn't really want to like it. After all, MOTS is part of a mini local chain, the Marathon Restaurant Group - six eateries in all. (The newest opened just this month at 2001 Market St.)

Fishmarket 122 S. 18th St. 215-569-4447 Something's gone wrong with seafood restaurants. What used to be the cheapest kind of dining out has become the most expensive, with dinner for two in some places running near $200 with drinks. If you refuse to pay that kind of money, you're pretty much stuck with those franchise joints along the highway where everything is frozen until it's cooked to death. Well, there's hope for the quality-minded fish lover and it's called Fishmarket, a tidy little place on 18th Street near Sansom with dinner entrees running $17-$24.

Certain months mean certain foods. Period. Our cravings will settle for nothing less. In March, it's the first asparagus. By June, it's strawberries. In August, we want juicy, tree-ripened peaches. But with the first cooler breezes of October, our taste buds turn to . . .bratwurst. Oktoberfest celebrations are under way at every turn, just dripping with sauerkraut, sausages and beer. What we need is a midweek solution to satisfy our October appetites. The vast array of German sausages is no longer just the property of big cities with large ethnic populations.

Restaurants in big, barnlike spaces are not where I normally expect to find calm and comfort after a hectic day at the office. So why, on a recent evening, did we open the door to Gloria's, a cavernous new Art Museum-area restaurant, once a carriage house, and almost instantly feel soothed? It could be because the night was cool and the thermostat at Gloria's was set at cozy-warm. And that the white table linens seemed so fresh and neat that they suggested genuine caring.

Mom was a lot of things, but a good cook was not one of them. Dinner at our house was usually simple and usually barely edible. So it was always with joy that I heard my father say, "Let's go out to eat tonight. " Going out to eat almost always meant going to The Greenbriar, the roadhouse across the street from Garden State Park in Cherry Hill that was owned by Dad's friend, Terry Chigounas. Chigounas always met us with a loud laugh, sat us in a prime booth, came over to tell a joke, and let Dad generally feel like a pasha.

Yo, Chefs! I recently attended a banquet at the Adam's Mark Hotel on City Avenue. We were served stuffed chicken breast with cheddar cheese and broccoli. Since the affair, I have tried to duplicate this great meal, with very little luck. I would really appreciate it if I could get the recipe. Jocelyn T. Gilliard Philadelphia DEAR JOCELYN, Executive Chef Vince Alberici says his stuffed chicken is a very popular entree at large banquet dinners. Here's how he prepares it. THE ADAM'S MARK'S STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH MUSTARD SAUCE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS 4 six-ounce boneless chicken breasts 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced shallots 6 ounces broccoli florets, minced in a food processor or by hand 6 ounces grated cheddar cheese 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon bread crumbs 1 cup sesame seeds 1 quart canola oil (for frying)

Butter and cream are undeniable staples of Irish home cooking. So are eggs, potatoes, lamb, cabbage and every part of the pig. Fat and calories weren't given much thought. This was food that sustained hard-working farm families. As St. Patrick's Day approaches, you have a choice: You can try the lighter menu created by the editors of Eating Well magazine - amazingly enough, without a speck of butter. The dishes are Lamb Chops with Beer and Mustard Sauce; a lower-fat version of the mashed potato dish Champ; and Irish Soda Bread.

Sprawled shirtless against a round, stone pillar, Jose Goncalves has the best view in Luanda. From his open-walled aerie on the top floor of an unfinished skyscraper - a dilapidated, concrete skeleton rising 18 stories above the highest hill in the city - Goncalves can see the whole of the awful city stretching in chaos along the Atlantic breakers. "I am a cooker," he says, jumping up to fetch his only T-shirt from the small room where he lives alone, a tin shed that was intended to house the building's water tank.