The favorite recipes of celebrity cooks - Date With a Dish

Some celebrities who amaze us with their performances on stage and screen are also culinary artists who make wonderful magic in the kitchen. On the following pages, the recipes from a diverse group of entertainers prove that these high-profile personalities are by no means one-dimensional.

Brandy

The entertainer admits that she used to be "a really bad cook." But things changed when she became a vegan three years ago. She eats no dairy products, chicken, fish, pork, beef, fat or butter. If a recipe calls for those items, she uses an appropriate substitute. For instance, she makes tasty tacos with soy. One of her favorite recipes is "Merciful Chocolate" Chocolate Bundt Cake.

"Merciful Chocolate"
Chocolate Bundt Cake

2     cups fructose (sugar substitute)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose whole-wheat
      flour
3/4   cup organic cocoa, unsweetened
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1     teaspoon sea salt
2     eggs (egg replacer*)
1     cup almond or rice milk
1/2   cup olive oil
2     teaspoons vanilla extract (alcohol
      free)
1     cup boiling hot water

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a bundt
cake pan. Combine
all dry ingredients
in a large bowl.
Add eggs (egg replacer),
milk, olive
oil and vanilla extract;
beat on medium
speed with
electric mixer for 2
minutes. Stir in boiling
water (batter will
thin out). Pour into
cake pan. Bake for 35
to 40 minutes or until
wooden pick inserted
into the center comes
out clean. Cool completely
and remove
from cake pan to
cake plate. If the
cake has a little trouble
coming out, go around the
edges with a knife.

Yields 1 bundt cake

*EnerG Egg Replacer is a culinary egg substitute. All specialty items can be found at health food stores and specialty stores.

Mo' Nique

The comedian and actress loves to entertain her family and friends. She enjoys cooking whenever she can find the time. One of her favorite recipes is Mo'Nique's Baked Beans Surprise. "This recipe makes a great side dish with almost any meal," she says. "The best thing about this recipe is that it is so delicious and easy to make. Enjoy!"

Mo'Nique's Baked
Beans Surprise

1   pound ground turkey
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1   16-ounce can baked beans
1/4 cup maple-flavored syrup
1   tablespoon ketchup
1   tablespoon prepared yellow
    mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3   tablespoons light brown sugar
1   cup shredded cheese

Cook and stir ground turkey
until browned. Add onions and
green peppers, cook and stir until
vegetables are tender.
Drain ground turkey, onions
and green peppers. Mix together
all ingredients listed until well-combined
in casserole dish except
1/2 cup of the shredded cheese;
reserve 1/2 of the cheese. Cover
and bake at 350 degrees for 30
minutes. Remove and sprinkle top
of casserole with reserved cheese.
Return casserole to oven and bake
for 15 additional minutes. Remove
and serve immediately.

Yields 4 to 6 servings

Oleta Adams

"I first cooked this dish for my husband before we were wed [which probably convinced him on the idea of marriage!]. It has always been our favorite meal for the special `sit-in-the dining room' occasions because it looks so beautiful, tastes fantastic and is so easy to prepare. You'll still have time to primp while putting on that little black dress to wear shoeless at the dining room table, as it makes for a very romantic candlelight dinner! Enjoy."

Game Hens With
Flaming Cherry Sauce

2   Rock Cornish game hens (20
    oz. each)
    Seasoned salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon each seasoned salt,
    ground ginger and paprika
    Cherry Sauce
    Orange slices
2   tablespoons brandy (optional)

Thaw hens as
directed on package
(set giblets
aside for other
uses); rinse hens
and pat dry.
Sprinkle inside
cavities with seasoned
salt and
pepper. Place
hens slightly apart,
breast-side up, in
a roasting pan.
Combine butter
with the 1/2 teaspoon
seasoned
salt, ginger and
paprika; brush
over hens, using it
all. Bake hens,
uncovered, in a
350-degree oven
for about 1 hour
or until leg joints
move easily; during
the last half
hour, baste birds
several times with
pan drippings. Meanwhile, prepare
cherry sauce and keep warm over
low heat or in a chafing dish. When
hens are roasted, discard excess fat
from pan juices into cherry sauce.
Arrange hens on serving plates and
garnish with orange slices; keep
warm. To flame birds, warm
brandy in small container; ignite
(not under an exhaust fan or near
flammable items) and pour into
sauce. While still flaming, spoon
sauce over birds. Serve with colorful
vegetables.

Cherry Sauce: Drain 1 small
can (about 8 oz.) pitted, dark sweet
cherries, reserving 1/3 cup syrup.
Combine reserve syrup with 2/3
cup water, 1 chicken bouillon cube,
1 small onion (cut in wedges), 8
whole cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon
ground cinnamon in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil, stirring; then reduce
heat and simmer, uncovered
for 10 minutes; strain, discarding
cloves and onion.

Yields 2 servings