Try a Slice of Delicious Jalapeno Bread, Piping Hot From the Oven

Dear SOS: I hope you can help us with obtaining the recipe for jalapeno bread served at Santacafe in Santa Fe, N.M. We were told the seasoning ingredients, but not the bread. The young man who served us said the bread was made with brioche dough.

--JOYCE

Dear Joyce: You hit the jackpot. What a terrific bread that is. We loved it warm from the oven, but don’t cut it until it’s cooled enough to slice easily with a serrated knife. Otherwise you’ll squish the bread.

SANTACAFE JALAPENO BRIOCHE

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon water

6 eggs

3/4 cup diced green chiles

1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces

Combine flour, sugar, yeast, salt and peppers. Mix well. Stir in milk and water. Beat eggs and add slowly, stirring. Add drained chiles. Slowly stir in butter. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.

Place dough in 2 generously oiled 9-inch loaf pans. Bake at 375 degrees 40 to 50 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire rack before cutting. Makes 2 loaves.

Dear SOS: I had a most wonderful recipe for cassoulet that used chicken, sausage and bread crumbs, which appeared some years back in the magazine section of The Times. It was a family favorite and the recipe is lost.

--MRS. D.K.

Dear Mrs. D.K.: We’re talking about a sturdy meal for growing kids and he-men. The cassoulet freezes well in case you want to pack enough for a future meal.

CALIFORNIA CASSOULET

1 pound dry large white beans

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 smoked ham hock

1 large onion

6 whole cloves

2 carrots, sliced

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 pound salt pork

8 to 10 chicken thighs

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound garlic sausage

1 cup dry bread crumbs

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Soak beans overnight in water to cover generously. Add salt, pepper, ham hock, whole onion studded with cloves, carrots and thyme, stirring to blend. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours. Add more water during cooking period if needed. Place salt pork in small pan, cover with boiling water and cook 10 minutes. Remove from pan, dice and add to beans.

Saute chicken in skillet in oil until well browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add chopped onions and garlic to drippings in skillet and cook until tender. Remove ham hock from beans, discard skin and bones and cut meat into 1-inch chunks. Cut sausage into 1-inch pieces. Stir onion and garlic mixture into beans.

Layer beans, meats and chicken in 6-quart casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees 3 hours, adding water if necessary during cooking period. Mix bread crumbs with butter and sprinkle over beans. Bake uncovered, 30 minutes longer. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Dear SOS: I have recently lost my recipe for Lindy’s cheesecake. I’ve searched everywhere and hope you can track it down.

--THELMA

Dear Thelma: We have a version of it, which we call Lindy’s-Type Cheesecake, for want of a 100% authentication.

LINDY’S-TYPE CHEESECAKE

1 cup sifted flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

Cheese Filling

Combine flour, sugar, lemon peel and vanilla in bowl. Make well in center and add egg yolk and butter. Work with tips of fingers until dough forms ball and cleans sides of bowl.

Wrap dough in wax pepper and chill about 1 hour. Roll 1/3 of dough between 2 pieces of floured wax paper to fit bottom of 9-inch spring form pan. Remove sides from pan. Place dough on bottom of pan and trim dough by running rolling pin over edge. Bake at 400 degrees 8 to 10 minutes or until barely golden. Cool.

Grease sides of spring form pan and fasten to base. Roll remaining dough into 15x4-inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise. Carefully line sides of pan with dough strips, patching, if necessary and pressing seams together.

Pour Cheese Filling into crust-lined pan and bake at 500 degrees 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 degrees and bake 1 hour longer. Let cool in draft-free area. Remove sides of pan and chill 12 to 24 hours. Makes 1 (9-inch) cheesecake.

Cheese Filling

5 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

5 medium eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup whipping cream

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Combine sugar, flour, salt and orange and lemon peels. Stir into cream cheese until blended and mixture is smooth. Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at time, blending well after each addition. Blend in cream.

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.