Shrimp-Cucumber Diadem

It's a refreshingly cool two-layer salad with a sparkling crown. Serve with marinated shrimps and hot rolls.

Makes 6 servings.

Shrimp Layer:
1 bag (1 1/2 pounds) frozen, deveined, shelled, raw shrimps
3 tablespoons bottle Italian-style salad dressing
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 envelopes instant chicken broth
or: 2 enveloped instant vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 teaspoon grated onion
Few drops liquid red pepper seasoning
1 large cucumber


Cucumber Layer:
1 package (3 ounces) lime-flavor gelatin
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup dairy sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
Tomato Toppers (recipe follows)

Procedure:
1. Make shrimp layer: Cook shrimps, following label directions; drain. Set aside about 12 for step 5. Place remaining in a medium-size bowl; add Italian dressing and parsley; toss lightly. Cover and chill until serving time.
2. Soften unflavored gelatin with chicken or vegetable broth in 1 cup of the water in a medium-size saucepan; heat, stirring constantly, just until gelatin dissolves. Stir in remaining 1 cup water, onion and red pepper seasoning. Let stand at room temperature for layering mold in step 5.
3. Score cucumber rind with a fork for about a quarter of its length,then slice scored part very thin and halve each slice. Set aside for making fancy topping in step 5. Pare remainder of the cucumber; chop-seeds and all- then measure. (There should be about 1 1/4 cups to use in cucumber layer in step 6.)
4. Start cucumber layer: Dissolve lime gelatin and salt in the 1 cup hot water in a medium-size bowl; stir in vinegar. Chill about 20 minutes, or until gelatin is as thick as unbeaten egg white.
5. Make fancy topping this way: Set a 6-cup tube mold in a larger bowl or pan partly filled with ice and water to speed setting. Pour 1/2 cup chicken-broth mixture from step 2 into mold; chill 5 minutes, or until sticky-soft. Stand halved cucumber slices, rind side down, in gelatin to form a pattern; carefully spoon 1 cup of remaining chicken-broth mixture over. Chill until sticky-firm. Press saved 12 shrimps into gelatin around edge of mold; pour in remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth mixture.Chill until sticky-firm.
6. Finish cucumber layer: Blend sour cream and mayonnaise or salad dressing into thickened lime gelatin from step 4; fold in chopped cucumber. Spoon over shrimp layer in mold. Remove mold from ice and water. Chill at least 3 hours, or until firm. (Overnight is even better.)
7. Just before serving, run a sharp-tip, thin-blade knife around top of mold, then dip mold very quickly in and out of a pan of hot water. Invert onto serving plate; carefully lift off mold. Garnish with Tomato Toppers. Serve with marinated shrimps in a separate bowl.

Note: This recipe can be doubled perfectly to make 12 party servings.Make it in 1 12-cup mold.

Tomato Toppers:
Remove stems from firm cherry tomatoes, allowing one for each serving. Using a sharp-tip, thin-blade knife, score blossom ends halfway down tomato, just through skin, making 5 or 6 cuts; place in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over; let stand 1 minute, then drain. Carefully peel back skin to make petals; top each tomato with a ripe-olive dot. Place on a wooden pick, then stick pick into a lemon wedge.