Jolly Roger’s Orange Bread Melts in Mouth

DEAR SOS: The Jolly Roger restaurant in Honolulu serves homemade orange bread that is fabulous. Heated plain, toasted with butter or served as French toast with warm coconut syrup, this bread melts in your mouth.

--C.M.

DEAR C.M. And that’s a tasty mouthful.

JOLLY ROGER ORANGE BREAD

4 1/2 cups flour

2 1/4 tablespoons baking powder

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Zest of 2 small oranges

1/2 teaspoon soda

3/4 cup oil

1/4 cup white corn syrup

4 eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons orange extract

Few drops yellow food color

Few drops orange food color

Juice of 2 oranges

Evaporated milk

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large mixing bowl. Mix well. Combine orange zest and soda in small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Add to flour mixture. Mix well.

Combine oil, corn syrup, eggs, orange extract, yellow and orange food color in another large bowl. Combine orange juice with evaporated milk to make 2 1/2 cups and add to orange mixture. Mix well until blended.

Slowly add liquid mixture to flour mixture. Mix well until blended. Pour into 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour, or until wood pick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 2 loaves.

DEAR SOS: I have enjoyed orange beef at several Chinese restaurants, but cannot find the recipe in any of my cookbooks. Can you help?

--ROGER

DEAR ROGER: Here’s one from the Plum Tree Inn in Chinatown. It’s a terrific dish, and you can vary the recipe by using pork or chicken now and then. The dried orange peel can be purchased at at Chinese grocery store.

PLUM TREE ORANGE BEEF

1 pound top sirloin steak

1/4 teaspoon salt

Oil

Flour Mixture

5 small hot dried chiles

5 pieces dried orange peel

4 slices ginger root

4 green onions, chopped

Sauce

Cut beef across grain into strips 3/4-inch wide and 1 1/2 inches long. Rub beef with salt. Blend 3 tablespoons oil with Flour Mixture. Coat beef strips.

Heat 6 cups oil in large wok or skillet to 320 degrees. Drop beef, piece by piece into oil. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove beef from skillet and drain excess oil.

Add 2 tablespoons oil. Heat, then add chiles, orange peel, ginger root and green onions. Saute 30 seconds. Add Sauce, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and boils. Return beef to skillet. Stir-fry until beef is coated evenly with sauce. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Flour Mixture

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup water

1 egg

Combine cornstarch, flour, water and egg. Mix well. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Sauce

6 tablespoons vinegar

6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine vinegar, sugar, chicken broth and cornstarch. Makes about 1 cup.

DEAR SOS: I’ve lost my recipe for Custard Lulu, published in your column some years ago. An elegant dessert, better and easier than flan. Please help.

--ROBERTA

DEAR ROBERTA: Ah, yes, we remember it well.

CUSTARD LULU

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

6 tablespoons bottled caramel fudge topping

Beat eggs with sugar 5 minutes. Add milk, nutmeg and vanilla. Place 1 tablespoon caramel fudge topping in bottom of each of 6 custard cups.

Fill prepared cups with custard mixture and place cups in pan of hot water. Bake at 400 degrees 30 minutes until firm or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 6 servings.

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.