Softened and served dish on cue (9)
I believe the answer is:
cushioned
'softened' is the definition.
('cushion' can be a synonym of 'soften')
'served dish on cue' is the wordplay.
'served' is an anagram indicator.
'dish'+'on'+'cue'='dishoncue'
'dishoncue' anagrammed gives 'CUSHIONED'.
'and' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for cushioned that I've seen before include "Softened the effect of" , "given protection" , "protected from impact" .)