Bistro Gardens’ Chocolate Souffle Is Long-Playing Hit

DEAR SOS: Please send me the recipe for chocolate souffle from the Bistro Gardens in Beverly Hills.

--CARLOS

DEAR CARLOS: The recipe has been a Food Section favorite for a long time. So here it is once more for those who missed it.

The Bistro chefs have an interesting way of handling the batter, which is prepared ahead, poured into individual souffle dishes and refrigerated. When an order arrives, the souffle dish is popped in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. It’s served piping hot dusted with powdered sugar and crowned with dollops of whipped cream.

BISTRO CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

5 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

4 drops vanilla

1 cup flour

2 cups milk

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

8 egg whites

Powdered sugar

Sweetened whipped cream

Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour until paste is formed.

Meanwhile, bring milk to boil. Add egg mixture all at once to milk, bring again to boil and with heavy wire whisk quickly and vigorously beat until paste is well incorporated into milk and is smooth.

Continue to stir with wooden spoon until mixture is thick as light choux paste or pastry cream. Add melted chocolate and stir until blended. Cool.

Beat 3 egg whites with 1/3 remaining sugar until light and frothy. Add 3 more egg whites and 1/2 remaining sugar. Continue beating until sugar is incorporated. Add remaining 2 egg whites and remaining sugar and beat until whites are stiff and shiny but not dry. Egg whites should not slide if bowl is tipped.

Fold egg whites into souffle batter. Pipe or spoon into 12 greased and sugar coated 2-inch souffle dishes or custard cups or 2 (5-inch) souffle dishes and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes for individual souffles or 1 hour or longer for large souffles. Dust with powdered sugar and served topped with sweetened whipped cream. Makes 12 servings.

DEAR SOS: One of your readers had requested a recipe for salmon broccoli casserole using celery soup. You offered a recipe for Clifton’s chicken broccoli casserole. I thought that perhaps the following recipe would come closer to what the reader wanted.

--MARIANNE

DEAR MARIANNE: Let’s find out.

BROCCOLI-SALMON CASSEROLE

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of shrimp or celery soup

1/2 cup milk

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can salmon, drained, liquid reserved

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

3 cups cooked rice

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper

1 (2.8-ounce) can French fried onions, crushed

Saute onion in butter until tender. Add soup, milk and salmon liquid. Heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in broccoli, rice, salmon, lemon juice, salt and seasoned pepper.

Turn into greased 2-quart casserole. Top with French fried onions and bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

DEAR SOS: Now that school is in full swing again, how about a granola bar recipe like the ones you find in stores? Homemade ones should be a lot more economical and nutritious.

--MONICA

DEAR MONICA: True enough. Here’s a bar from our file, using crispy bran squares with raisins, coconut, sunflower nuts and sesame seeds.

GRANOLA BARS

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups bite-size crispy bran squares, crushed to 1/2 cup

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup flake coconut

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons shelled sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in honey, egg and vanilla.

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, soda and cereal. Add to creamed mixture. Stir in raisins, coconut and 1/4 cup sunflower nuts.

Spread evenly in greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds and remaining 3 tablespoons sunflower nuts evenly over top.

Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean and top is lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Makes 24 bars.