COOK'S CORNER CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD THE STANLEY'S WAY.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

Mark Einbund of Woodland Hills is looking for the recipe for the Chinese chicken salad dressing from Stanley's restaurant. He's in luck, because we duplicated it some years back and featured it in our Restaurant Replicas column.

Because chefs change, we're not sure if the dressing is exactly the same now as when we sampled it originally. But we did retest the dressing recipe - and the amounts of lemon juice and seasoned rice vinegar (3/4 cup EACH) and oil (1/4 cup total) are correct. It's delicious. Our copycat version of the salad with the dressing follows.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

(A replica from Stanley's Restaurant & Bar, Sherman Oaks)

12 cups bite-size pieces lettuce (a combination of iceberg and romaine)

2 cups thinly shredded red cabbage

3 cups thinly shredded poached chicken breast

1 cup finely chopped green onions (including tops)

1 (11-ounce) can Mandarin oranges, well drained

2 cups crisp deep-fried rice sticks, drained

Sesame Dressing

4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Just before serving, in a large mixing bowl combine lettuce, red cabbage, chicken, green onions, oranges and rice sticks. Toss with desired amount of Sesame Dressing; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Makes 4 large lunch or dinner-size servings.

SESAME DRESSING: In a medium mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 3/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, dash pepper and 3 to 4 drops light soy sauce; whisk in 2 tablespoons sesame oil and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Keep refrigerated. Makes about 2 cups dressing.

WARM CHOCOLATE CAKE

The following recipes are for Lonella Bohannan, who requested a recipe for the Chocolate Lava Cake like that served at the Soup Plantation in Northridge. Although I haven't sampled that particular version, I often make the two versions on the theme that I've included below. Both are excellent, and perhaps one is similar to what Bohannan is looking for. The first is a replica from the closed Maui Beach Cafe in Westwood. The other is a copycat version of the dessert served at Vert in the Hollywood & Highland complex. Either of these chocolate creations is bound to wow friends and family.

DARK CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

(A replica from Maui Beach Cafe, Westwood)

1 stick (4 ounces) butter (no substitute), cut up

6 ounces bittersweet OR semisweet chocolate

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 

3 whole large eggs

3 large egg yolks

Vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce for garnish

In a 2-quart glass bowl, combine butter and chocolate. Heat in microwave oven on high power 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until mixture is melted and smooth when stirred. Whisk in granulated and brown sugars and cornstarch until well blended. Whisk in whole eggs and egg yolks until smooth.

Butter 5 (3- to 3 1/2-inch) individual souffle dishes or spray with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Divide chocolate batter evenly among 5 dishes. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 20 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE; cake should be runny in center. Carefully remove from oven. Let stand 3 to 4 minutes before turning out each one upside down on an individual dessert plate. (Use sharp knife to loosen edges.)

Serve warm, garnished with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with hot fudge sauce. Serve immediately. Makes 5 servings.

WARM CHOCOLATE CAKE

(A replica from Vert, Hollywood)

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs OR 2 extra large eggs

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 scoops coffee OR espresso ice cream

In a 1-quart glass measuring cup or bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Heat in microwave oven on high (100 percent) power 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirred. Whisk in sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in flour and vanilla until smooth.

Turn into 4 (4 1/2-inch) buttered individual souffle dishes or ovenproof bowls, dividing evenly. Bake, on a baking sheet, in a preheated 400-degree oven 10 to 11 minutes - center should not be set. Remove from oven. Serve in dishes baked in, each topped with a scoop of ice cream (or serve ice cream in separate dishes on the side, if desired). Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Can you help

If you have recipes that can help this reader, please send them along to us at the address below to share in a future column.

I would like the recipe for Chicken Adobo (that I lost) that came from Sunset magazine. It was a bit spicy and cooked completely on top of the stove. I'm also looking for a recipe for a seafood cioppino from a Boston restaurant that appeared in Bon Appetit magazine a decade or so ago. Can anyone help?

- Raye Charton

Simi Valley