You Asked For It

By ANNE LONG

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 25, 2000

Paul Newman sells them on ratatouille

Grace Billings requested Paul Newman's recipe for ratatouille, and Kim Hofstra and Lillian Conley share the recipe as it appeared on his 1987 calendar. A comment in the article says, "If anyone can persuade Americans to eat eggplant, Paul Newman may be the one. The purple-skinned vegetable is a basic ingredient in his recipe for ratatouille, a French vegetable stew."

Greek rice pudding and creme brulee are the two recipes asked for by Pauline Eskes. Helen McKay sends the classic one and also one she has devised that is lower in fat and sugar content. Helen says it is quick and easy and an excellent way to use leftover rice.

The creme brulee recipe that Joan Horden sends is said to be the Le Cirque recipe that was Jackie Kennedy's favorite dessert to serve at the White House.

For: Grace Billings of Spring Hill.

From: Kim Hofstra of Largo and Lillian Conley of Gulfport.

Recipe: Ratatouille from Paul Newman's 1987 calendar.

Ratatouille

2 yellow squash (about 1/2 pound total)

4 small zucchini (about 1 pound total)

2 medium green peppers

1 eggplant (about 11/4 pounds)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup oil (approximately)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 32-ounce jar Newman's Own Marinara Sauce with Mushrooms

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup stuffed olives, sliced

Trim stems from yellow squash and zucchini and cut into wedges about 1/2-inch thick and about 11/2-inches long. Stem and seed green peppers and cut them into strips. Remove stem from eggplant and cut the vegetable into 1-inch cubes or wedges.

Heat oil and saute garlic and onion until glazed. Toss prepared eggplant with flour; add to pan and saute 10 minutes. Add prepared squash and zucchini and cook 10 minutes longer, stirring often. Add green pepper strips and cook 10 minutes more, stirring often. Add marinara sauce and wine and cook about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sauce has slightly reduced. Add sliced olives.

Serve hot or at room temperature. If it is refrigerated for later use, allow to come to room temperature before serving. Serves 10-12.

For: Pauline Eskes of Clearwater.

From: Helen McKay of Pinellas Park.

Recipe: Greek rice pudding from a January 1999 You Asked for It column.

Greek Rice Pudding

1 gallon milk

1 teaspoon salt

10 ounces uncooked rice

11/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Raisins and ground cinnamon (optional)

In a large heavy pot, boil rice and salt in milk for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Add sugar; mix well; stir a small amount into the beaten eggs, then add eggs to pot, stirring until the pudding thickens slightly. Add vanilla. Mix well.

Add raisins and cinnamon if desired. Chill.

Recipe: Reduced fat and sugar rice pudding.

Reduced Fat and Sugar Rice Pudding

2 cups cold skim milk

1 package sugar-free vanilla instant pudding mix

Dash ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg

1 cup cooked, drained and cooled rice (good way to use leftovers)

Raisins

Fat-free coffee creamer, if desired

Mix cold milk with instant pudding mix, cinnamon and nutmeg; beat as package instructions direct. Add rice; mix well.

Put about 8 raisins in bottoms of each of 4 custard cups. Pour in rice pudding mixture. Chill until serving time. Serve with fat-free coffee creamer if desired.

For: Pauline Eskes of Clearwater.

From: Joan Horden, also of Clearwater.

Recipe: Le Cirque's creme brulee, Jackie Kennedy's favorite dessert to serve at the White House.

Le Cirque's Creme Brulee

4 cups heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Pinch of salt

8 egg yolks

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

16 teaspoons turbinado sugar for glazing

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, cook the cream with the vanilla bean and salt over moderate heat until surface shimmers.

In large heat-proof bowl, blend the egg yolks and granulated sugar with a wooden spoon. Slowly add the hot cream mixture, stirring gently. Strain custard; skim off any bubbles.

Arrange 8 shallow 41/2-inch wide ramekins in a roasting pan. Slowly pour custard into ramekins, almost to top. Set the roasting pan in the center of oven and pour enough water into pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan loosely with foil; bake for about an hour, or until custards are firm at the top but wobbly in the center.

Transfer ramekins to wire rack; cool. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

Preheat broiler. Set ramekins on a baking sheet; blot surfaces. Using a small sieve, sift 2 teaspoons of the turbinado sugar over each custard. Broil the custards as close to the heat as possible, until sugar is caramelized (30 seconds to 2 minutes). Let cool slightly and serve at once. Makes 8 servings.

Recipe requests

Roger Campbell of New Port Richey recently saw a recipe for apple pan dowdy, which reminded him of an old song. Roger hopes you have a shoo fly pie recipe in your file that you will share.

Jean Hoagland of St. Petersburg is in need of two recipes, for French onion soup and for an old-fashioned date nut loaf. Jean remembers that a cup of hot water is poured over the dates to soak before combining with the rest of the ingredients.

Citrus chiffon pie is a dessert that Catherine Tuglus of St. Petersburg used to make for her family when she was a teenager. It was a family favorite, and Catherine made it often, but the recipe has been lost. Can you help?

Do you have a recipe for cole slaw made with vinegar, oil and ramen noodles with the flavor packet? Jean Powell of St. Petersburg has enjoyed it at several covered dish affairs but has not been able to find the cook.

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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