Tip the Hat to Brown Derby Cobb Salad

Dear SOS: I had a Cobb Salad at a restaurant and would like to know the ingredients. It was most delicious. My recollections are that this salad was served at the Brown Derby restaurant many years ago.

--MAVIS

Dear Mavis: The salad was a creation of the original Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant and is served today as it was then at the re-created Brown Derby in Pasadena. It’s a stunning salad with a mosaic of ingredients tossed together at the table. It is also a great main dish for luncheon or a warm weather supper.

COBB SALAD

1/2 head iceberg lettuce

1/2 bunch watercress

1 small bunch curly endive

1/2 head romaine

2 tablespoons minced chives

2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

1 whole chicken breast, cooked, boned, skinned and diced

6 strips bacon, cooked and diced

1 avocado, peeled and diced

3 hard-cooked eggs, diced

1/2 cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled

Special French Dressing

Chop lettuce, watercress, endive and romaine into very fine pieces using knife or food processor. Mix together in 1 large wide bowl or individual wide shallow bowls.

Add chives. Arrange tomatoes, chicken, bacon, avocado and eggs in narrow strips or wedges across top of greens. Sprinkle with cheese. Chill. At serving time, toss with 1/2 cup Special French Dressing. Pass remaining dressing. Makes 6 servings.

Special French Dressing

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine water, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, mustard, garlic and oils. Chill. Shake well before using. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Dear SOS: While visiting Illinois this summer, I attended an event where Funnel Cakes were sold. They were delicious. Do you or any of your readers have the recipe? I would appreciate it.

--MARY JO

Dear Mary Jo: Yes, we do have the recipe for the old Pennsylvania Dutch doughnuts, which are piped through a funnel to create the tubular coils.

FUNNEL CAKES

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

2 to 2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Oil for deep-frying

Syrup or molasses, optional

Cooked sausages, optional

Beat eggs in mixing bowl, then mix in milk. Sift together 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to liquid and mix thoroughly. Test mixture to see if it flows easily through funnel with 1/2-inch-diameter opening. If too thin, add more flour.

Pour oil in heavy iron skillet or pan to depth of about 2 inches. Heat oil until very hot but not smoking. Ladle 1/2 cup batter into funnel, keeping spout closed with forefinger. Dribble batter directly into hot oil, moving funnel in circle to build snail-like coil of 3 or 4 rings about 6 inches in diameter. Fry about 2 minutes on each side, turning once with slotted spatula.

When cakes are brown, arrange side by side on wax paper-lined baking sheets and keep warm in very low oven. Repeat procedures until batter is used. Serve cakes warm with syrup or molasses and sausages. Makes 6 to 8 cakes.