Culinary SOS . . . Flying With Chicken Wings : Glaze Is Great on Any Kind of Poultry, Including Turkey and Duck

Dear SOS: Recently, while in Palm Desert, I had occasion to eat at the Red Onion restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed their glazed chicken wings, which were served as an appetizer. I would appreciate their recipe.

--ELIZABETH

Dear Elizabeth: You hit the jackpot. And a happy, finger-lickin’-good summertime to you. At the Red Onion, the room-temperature glaze is brushed onto chicken wings after they have been smoked and is served as a dipping sauce on the side. However, we enjoyed them with the sauce baked onto the chicken wings. Use whichever method you prefer. And you needn’t limit the sauce to chicken wings. It is great on any poultry, including turkey and duck.

RED ONION GLAZED

CHICKEN WINGS

2 cups rice wine vinegar

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup chili sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons liquid smoke

2 dozen chicken wings, or more

Combine rice vinegar, brown sugar and granulated sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil. Continue to boil about 30 minutes until syrup is reduced by 1/3 to consistency of pancake syrup. Add chili sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add hot pepper sauce and liquid smoke. Glaze may be stored at cool, dry room temperature or in refrigerator in covered container at this point. Place chicken wings in baking pan. Pour sauce over wings and bake at 350 degrees 1 hour or until chicken wings are tender. Makes 8 appetizer servings.

Note: For Red Onion method, bake chicken wings first, then brush with glaze. Serve remaining glaze as dipping sauce.

Dear SOS: I would love to make the waffle-type ice cream cones. Do you have a recipe?

--SARA

Dear Sara: No, but the “Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker (Bobbs-Merrill) does. These can be made on an oblong gaufrette iron, or round Swedish krumkake (also Italian pizzelle iron), which, a reader tells us, is available through the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalogue. The waffle cone is curled into a cone shape while still warm.

ICE CREAM CONES OR GAUFRETTES

2 egg whites

3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sifted flour

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

Preheat krumkake or gaufrette iron over medium heat of burner. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Fold in flour. Fold in cool, melted butter.

Place 1 tablespoon batter into preheated iron. Cook 1 1/2 minutes, then turn iron and bake on other side, until waffle is pale golden in color. Remove and curl into cone shape. Cool until firm. Makes 7 large or 12 small cones.

Dear SOS: I have misplaced my recipe for Leon’s Salad published a few years ago in The Times. It was a family favorite. Can you help?

--VALERIE

Dear Valerie: The salad has been a great favorite with readers during the years. The recipe appears in “The Los Angeles Times California Cookbook,” (Abrams: $25; New American Library: $9.95).

LEON SALAD

1 head iceberg lettuce, finely chopped

1 head romaine, finely chopped

1/4 pound Italian salami, cut julienne

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

Leon Dressing

Combine iceberg lettuce, romaine, salami, cheese and beans in bowl. Toss with Leon Dressing and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Leon Dressing

1/4 cup oil

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Dear SOS: I have been searching for many years for a shortcake recipe like the one my grandmother used to make. The cake was not like a biscuit, but more like a light yellow-colored cake with a slightly course texture.

--CAROL

Dear Carol: It could have been spongecake. Here’s a recipe for the cups.

SPONGECAKE CUPS

4 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup sifted cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place mixing bowl in large bowl of hot water during beating process. Beat eggs and salt until light and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended.

Sift together flour and baking powder and fold into egg mixture. Add vanilla. Spoon spongecake batter into paper-lined English muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.

Only recipes of general interest will be printed. We are unable to answer all requests. Please include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants. Send your letter with self-addressed, stamped envelope to Culinary SOS, Food Section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.