You Asked For It: A heavenly dessert

By ANNE LONG
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 1, 2002

Viviane Saenen writes that rijstpap, the dessert recipe that Barbara Hollander asked for, is a Belgian dessert.

Viviane, who moved to our area from Belgium, notes that 'the angels in heaven are eating this with golden spoons, sitting on their cloud. It is that divine and heavenly." Roza Max also shares the recipe, with measurements that will be easier for our readers to use.

From Belgium to Greece, Madeline Pynn sends her recipe for galatoboureko, farina pastries. Sheets of phyllo are layered with farina custard mixture. Before the galatoboureko is baked, it is cut through the top layer of pastry into two-inch squares.

After it is baked, it is cooled to lukewarm and cut through to the bottom; lukewarm honey syrup is poured over all. Phyllo pastry can be made, but it can also be found in the grocery freezer. Be sure to keep the phyllo covered while preparing the dessert because the pastry dries out quickly.

Eadie Nieman's pumpkin bread recipe is made with white and brown sugars and plenty of spices. Golden raisins and chopped walnuts add extra flavor and texture. Add cream sherry and you have three loaves of tasty pumpkin bread. Eadie sends her recipe in response to Justine McCoy's request for a recipe using sherry and sherry-soaked raisins.

For: Barbara Hollander of New Port Richey.

From: Roza Max of Tarpon Springs.

Recipe: Rijstpap, a Flemish rice pudding.

Rijstpap

• 1/2 cup rice
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads
• Brown sugar

Place the rice in a pan with the milk, salt, granulated sugar and saffron; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat, cover and simmer very slowly for 30 minutes until rice is tender. Place the rice pudding in individual serving dishes, cool completely and sprinkle with brown sugar. Makes 4 servings.

For: Leona Sanborn of Palm Harbor.

From: Madeline Pynn of Largo.

Recipe: Galatoboureko, Greek farina pastries.

Galatoboureko

• 4 cups milk
• 1 cup farina or cream of wheat
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 24 sheets of phyllo (12 by 15 inches)
• 3/4 cup butter, melted (1-1/2 sticks)
• Honey Syrup (recipe follows)

Heat milk; slowly add farina, stirring constantly. Add salt and boil, continuing to stir, for 5 minutes. Beat eggs until light and gradually beat in sugar. Fold egg mixture into farina mixture; continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes more. Add 6 tablespoons butter and stir until absorbed. Remove from heat; add vanilla and cinnamon; cool, stirring occasionally. Prepare pastry at this time if you are making it from scratch.

Brush a 12 by 15-inch baking pan with melted butter and lay in 12 sheets of phyllo, brushing each with melted butter. Spread farina mixture over pastry and cover with remaining phyllo, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Pour any remaining butter over top. Trim any uneven edges of pastry with scissors and cut through the top layer of pastry in 2-inch squares. Bake in preheated 350 degree for 45 minutes. When galatoboureko is lukewarm, cut through custard layer and bottom pastry, following the cuts made before baking. Pour lukewarm Honey Syrup over galatoboureko and cool before serving.

Honey Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup honey

Combine water, sugar and honey and boil for 10 minutes. Cool slightly.

Note: Madeline adds that the recipe seems like a lot of work, but it goes together quickly and the end results are worth it.

For: Justine McCoy of Crystal Beach.

From: Eadie Nieman of Gulfport.

Recipe: Pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin bread

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-1/4 cups light brown sugar
• 1 26-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil (Eadie prefers Crisco)
• 4-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons each: ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup cream sherry
• 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Place raisins in sherry and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, pumpkin, eggs and oil. Beat with electric mixer for 1 minute.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.

With a large spatula combine the wet and dry ingredients and beat well until smooth. Stir in sherry, raisins and chopped walnuts. Spoon the batter into three greased 8 by 4-inch loaf pans, filling each no more than three-quarters full. Place in center of oven and bake at 350 degrees for 65 to 75 minutes, until cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes in the pans before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and let set at room temperature overnight.

The loaves can be kept at room temperature for as long as 4 days or they may be frozen. Makes 3 loaves.

For: Virginia Miller of Dunnellon.

From: Josephine Syrene of St. Petersburg.

Recipe: Lime marmalade.

Lime marmalade

• 2-1/2 cups quartered and thinly sliced limes
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced lemons
• 9 cups water
• 6-1/4 cups sugar

Place the limes, lemons and water in a large pan. Bring to a boil and simmer about 20 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Strain and measure the liquid. Add water to make nine cups and return the liquid and fruit to the pan. Bring to a boil and stir in the sugar. Boil the marmalade, stirring frequently, until the jelling point of 220 degrees on a candy thermometer is reached. Remove from the heat and stir until the marmalade begins to thicken (this will keep the lime and lemon slices properly suspended in the marmalade). Immediately pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Adjust caps. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Makes seven 8-ounce jars.

Recipe requests

Sherito Buckner of Largo is looking for a chicken steak almond recipe that she found in the Ladies' Home Journal in about 1970. Two whole, boneless skinless chicken breasts, a 10-ounce sirloin steak, pea pods, green onions, almonds and thinly sliced celery were among the ingredients.

Bonnie Agan of St. Petersburg writes that the St. Petersburg Times once printed a recipe for lemon picnic cake, but her copy disintegrated from age and overuse. Bonnie adds "Help! Please and thank you" and hopes for a replacement.

Years ago, Jo Clary of Tampa made a stuffed flank steak from a Better Homes & Gardens recipe. The meat was stuffed with bread, ham and other ingredients and rolled up. Then bacon was placed around the roll and it was cut into rounds. Jo thinks these rounds were broiled. Jo has contacted the magazine, but it does not have the recipe in its archives.

- If you have a cooking question or the answer to someone else's question, write to: You Asked for It, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number with your letter. Letters without this information will be discarded.

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