Cooking

Place flour in a zip-top plastic bag; add scallops. Seal and shake to coat. Remove scallops from bag, shaking off excess flour; set aside.

Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add shallots and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add scallops, wine, and next 4 ingredients (wine through bay leaf). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Uncover and bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute. Discard bay leaf. Divide scallop mixture evenly among 4 individual gratin dishes. Top each with 1 tablespoon cheese; broil 30 seconds or until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Note: Substitute 3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth for wine, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, and dust with flour; set aside.

Combine the sour cream and next 6 ingredients (sour cream through chocolate pudding mix) in a large bowl, and beat mixture at medium speed of a mixer for 3 minutes. Add the chocolate chips, and beat the mixture for 30 seconds.

Spoon the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake cake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and cool completely. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar.

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat; cool completely.

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Pour brine into a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning the bag occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Bring 2 cups cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until cider has thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside.

Remove chicken from bag; discard brine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place the onion halves, parsley, and garlic into cavity. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Tie legs. Place chicken on rack of a broiler pan. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 175°. Remove from oven (do not turn oven off). Carefully remove and discard skin. Baste chicken with half of reduced cider; return to 400° oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; baste with remaining cider reduction. Transfer chicken to a platter.

Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into a small bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Serve jus over chicken.