Nick's American Cafe

Preheat oven to 450ºF.
Put Crisco, water, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
Add flour all at one time. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a smooth ball. Remove from heat.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until mixture is thick and smooth.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls 1-1/2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 450ºF for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and continue baking for 10 minutes. Cool.

For Chicken Salad Filling, combine all ingredients.
Cut off tops of puffs and pull out any soft moist dough. Spoon Chicken Salad Filling into puffs. Replace tops.

Wash mushrooms and trim stems slightly. Set aside.
Mix flour, salt, mustard, paprika and pepper in large plastic food storage bag. Set aside. Place buttermilk in small bowl. Dip a few mushrooms at a time in buttermilk. Place in bag with flour mixture. Shake to coat.
Heat 2 to 3 inches Crisco Oil in deep-fryer or heavy saucepan to 375ºF. Fry a few mushrooms at a time 2 to 3 minutes, or until deep golden brown, turning over several times. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with catsup, if desired.

Drain clams, reserving 1/4 cup juice.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Stir in clams and chopped onion. Combine clam juice and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until well blended.
Heat Crisco to 365ºF in a deep saucepan or deep fryer. Drop level tablespoons of clam mixture into hot Crisco. (Do not use fryer basket.) Fry several fritters at a time for 3-1/2 minutes or until browned. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with lemon wedges and Tartar Sauce.