Chicken salad for a warm summer night

Chicken salad can be prepared in as many different ways as there are cooks. Any variety of fruits and vegetables may be added according to your taste.

Some of the more popular ingredients include chopped celery, seedless green grapes, Mandarin oranges, slices of pineapple, and walnut halves, but let your own imagination be your guide.

In the following recipe from Connie Pollard, caterer and dessert chef at Lenora's restaurant in Cambridge, Mass., tart slices of Granny Smith apple are added to the salad, along with a homemade curried mayonnaise. The salad was prepared for the annual picnic of the Women's Culinary Guild of Boston. Curried Chicken Salad 4 cups cooked, cooled chicken meat, cut into chunks 1/2 to 1 cup curried mayonnaise, recipe follows 1 tart apple, cored and diced 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced across the grain 1/2 cup raisins Salt, pepper, and lemon or lime juice

Mix above ingredients together, using enough mayonnaise to moisten salad. Adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and citrus juice. Chill until serving time. Serve on lettuce leaves. Makes 6 servings. Curried Mayonnaise 1 cup corn oil, or tasteless salad oil 1 teaspoon curry powder 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice In small skillet heat 1/4 cup oil and add curry powder, stirring constantly for one minute. Set aside to cool slightly. Into processor bowl or blender jar put egg, salt, mustard, lemon or lime juice, and curry-oil mixture. Start processor or blender, and through top pour oil in a thin, steady stream. Makes 1 cup.