Chicken Salad, Haystacks, Pepper Bread

DEAR SOS: The Cathay Palisades restaurant in Pacific Palisades serves a honey-and-lemon-based Chinese chicken salad dressing that is very good. Do you suppose you could get the recipe?

--MRS. H. C.

DEAR MRS. H. C.: Here’s the recipe from partner-manager David Leung, who agrees: “The most important element in this dish is the dressing.” The amount of ingredients, however, can be adjusted to reflect personal taste. You can even eliminate the chicken for a vegetarian salad, according to Leung.

CATHAY PALISADES CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

1 head romaine lettuce

2 chicken breast halves, boned

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Salt

6 won ton sheets

Oil for deep-frying

2 tablespoons grated preserved red ginger

1/2 cup ground peanuts, about

1 to 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Dressing

Shred lettuce, shaking off excess moisture. Rub chicken breasts with cornstarch mixed with salt to taste. Place in steamer over simmering water and steam until chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes. Cool, then shred. Chill.

Cut won ton skins into strips. Heat oil and drop strips into hot oil and fry until crispy and lightly browned. Combine lettuce, chicken, ginger, and as much ground peanuts and sesame seeds as desired.

Toss with half of Dressing. Heap on serving platter and surround or top with won ton strips. Pass remaining Dressing. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

278 calories; 537 mg sodium; 29 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 0.85 gram fiber.

Dressing

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Combine sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce and honey. Mix well. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

DEAR SOS: Some time back, a bakery no longer in operation gave out recipes for haystacks. Can you produce such a recipe?

--JULIA

DEAR JULIA: Griswold’s in Claremont shared the excellent recipe. We hope you’ll like it as much as we do.

GRISWOLD’S HAYSTACKS

13 egg whites, lightly beaten

2 cups sugar

6 1/2 cups flake coconut

1 1/2 cups chopped dates

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine egg whites and sugar. Cook in top of double boiler over simmering water until mixture reaches 120 degrees or feels hot to touch. Stir constantly. Combine coconut, dates, walnuts, salt and vanilla in mixing bowl. Add hot sugar mixture and blend well.

Using small ice cream scoop, form into balls and place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool and remove from pan. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Each serving contains about:

154 calories; 86 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.6 gram fiber.

DEAR SOS: I’m not sure, but I believe I had a recipe for Red Pepper Bread that I clipped from your column. It was delicious but I misplaced it. Can you help?

--BARBARA

DEAR BARBARA: You’re right. We printed a recipe for Red Pepper Bread from Lake Placid Manor in Lake Placid, N.Y., a couple of years ago.

RED PEPPER BREAD

1 cup minced sweet red peppers

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon dry yeast

2 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup tomato juice, lukewarm

1/4 cup molasses

1 tablespoon dry tarragon leaves

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup semolina flour

5 cups bread flour, about

1/2 tablespoon salt

Saute red peppers in butter until tender. Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup water and stir to dissolve. Combine peppers, remaining 2 1/4 cups water, tomato juice and molasses. Stir in yeast mixture, tarragon, whole-wheat and semolina flour. Let sponge rise about 20 minutes or until bubbly and active.

Gradually add bread flour and salt. Knead 10 minutes, cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch down and shape into loaves. Let rise until almost doubled. Place in greased 9- or 8-inch loaf pans. Bake at 375 degrees 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 2 loaves.

Each loaf contains about:

367 calories; 385 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 71 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 0.63 gram fiber.