You asked for it

Pine-nut cookies are taste of Italy

Linda Mitchell asked for the recipe for pine nut cookies that includes almond paste among the ingredients. The recipe Dolores Delomini shares comes from her husband's mother. Dolores says the cookies are relatively easy to make.

Almond paste is found in the grocery aisle with the baking ingredients.

Cheryl Mintz sends a cookie recipe from Newsday. Notes for success mention that size does count.

"A level teaspoon of batter from a measuring spoon is about the diameter of a nickel -- a far cry from the flatware-measured half-dollar I started out with on my first try," writes the article's author.

This recipe requires that the cookies stand for three hours before baking, so plan your schedule. Cheryl says they taste just like the cookies from a good Italian pastry shop.

Katherine Wilkinson's once perfect pie crust recipe began to fail, so she turned to our readers for assistance. Donna Sweikow of Clearwater finds it is important to make sure all ingredients are cold before beginning preparation. Cindy Law found the "perfect pie crust" recipe on the label of either Wesson or Mazola oil and has used it successfully.

Mary Jane Callihan has used the same recipe for many years and recommends it also.

Nesselrode pie became popular in New York restaurants in the 1950s.

The recipe sent by Katherine Nunn and Patricia Puka came from The Gourmet Cookbook, published in 1956. Macaroon crumbs, chopped raisins, ground almonds and brandy or rum are some of the ingredients.

For: Linda Mitchell of Hernando.

From: Dolores Delomini of New Port Richey.

Recipe: Pinnoli Cookies, a family recipe.

Pinnoli Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup unsifted all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 8-ounce package almond paste

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Pine nuts

Additional confectioners' sugar

Sift sugars with flour and salt. In a medium bowl, break up almond paste and add egg whites; beat until blended. Stir in flour mixture and blend well.

Drop cookie dough by teaspoon 2 inches apart on cookie sheets which have been lightly greased. Press cookies to 11/2-inch diameter and press pine nuts into them.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly browned.

Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar while warm, not hot. Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.

From: Cheryl Mintz of Spring Hill.

Recipe: Pignoli Cookies, from Newsday.

Pignoli Cookies

1 cup whole almonds

1 cup granulated sugar

2 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

8 ounces pine nuts

If almonds have skins, place them in boiling water for 1 minute and drain. Remove skins by holding an almond between your thumb and forefinger and pinching; the skin should come off.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the almonds in a single layer in a jelly roll pan and place in oven tor 5 to 10 minutes to dry them completely. (Skip this step if almonds are blanched.) While still warm, grind the almonds as fine as possible in a blender or food processor. The almonds should look powdery.

Combine almonds and sugar in medium bowl. Add the unbeaten egg whites and almond extract and beat thoroughly. Drop by teaspoonsful onto generously buttered and floured cookie sheets, leaving 1 inch between cookies. Smooth tops and shape into rounds. (It helps if you wet your fingertip.)

Press approximately 1/2 teaspoon of pine nuts into each cookie and let stand three hours.

For: Katherine Wilkinson of St. Petersburg.

From: Cindy Law of Seminole, Mary Jane Callihan of St. Petersburg and Doris Mason of Kenneth City.

Recipe: Perfect Pie Crust.

Perfect Pie Crust

For a double crust pie:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or less)

1/4 cup COLD whole milk (skim or low-fat milk will not work)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Mix flour and salt. Pour oil and milk into a measuring cup. (Mary Jane says not to stir and Cindy says to stir lightly with a fork.) Pour all at once into flour mixture. Stir until mixed. Press into a smooth ball; cut into halves. Flatten a half slightly and roll out between two pieces of waxed paper.

For a single crust: 11/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt (or less), 3 tablespoons cold whole milk and 1/3 cup vegetable oil. Proceed as above.

For: Rose Celeste of Seminole.

From: Katherine Nunn of Palm Harbor and Patricia Puka of Tarpon Springs.

Recipe: Nesselrode Pie New York, from The Gourmet Cookbook, 1956.

Nesselrode Pie New York

1 baked pie shell with a fluted rim

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups milk, divided

3 eggs, separated

1 cup macaroon crumbs

1/3 cup chopped raisins

2 tablespoons ground almonds

1 tablespoon brandy or rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Chocolate shavings for garnish

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup milk

In the top of a double boiler scald 11/4 cups milk. Add lightly beaten egg yolks, stirring constantly. Add the softened gelatin and cook the mixture over hot water, stirring constantly, until it coats a wooden spoon. Add macaroon crumbs, chopped raisins, ground almonds, brandy or rum, vanilla and salt. Chill the mixture until it begins to set.

Beat egg whites with the sugar until they are stiff and fold them into the gelatin mixture. Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell and chill the pie until the filling is firm.

Garnish with chocolate shavings and serve cold.

Recipe requests

Geri Lesch of New Port Richey remembers fondly a light dessert her mother made in the 1940s and 1950s.

It was made in a loaf pan on a graham cracker crust. It may have had unflavored gelatin or cream cheese in it and Geri thinks "snow" was in the title.

Does this ring a bell?

Nancy Eggert of Dunedin has another request from the past. She writes that about 35 years ago, Dogs and Suds made fantastic root beer floats.

Nancy wants to make her own, but needs a source for root beer syrup. Do you know where she can obtain the syrup?

You Asked for It is a reader mail column. 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. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

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