Eggplant Torte, Cake, Beer Bread

DEAR SOS: We had a birthday lunch at Geoffrey’s in Malibu and were served an eggplant torte as an appetizer. It was delicious. I’m sure it would also make a great entree.

--NEIL AND DOT

DEAR NEIL AND DOT: You’re right. Executive chef Gil Roy Bruce produced this recipe as an appetizer, lunch or supper entree.

GEOFFREY’S EGGPLANT TORTE 2 large eggplants, sliced 1/4-inch thick 3 bunches spinach 1 tablespoon butter 1 large onion, sliced 2 large tomatoes, sliced 1/8-inch thick Pesto Tomato-Leek Sauce Chopped parsley

Grill eggplant just enough to barely brown. Set aside to cool.

Trim, rinse and parboil spinach leaves in small amount of simmering water just until tender. Drain well, chop coarsely and set aside.

Heat butter in skillet and saute onion until tender. Set aside.

Layer eggplant slices over bottom and sides of oiled 12-inch springform pan, allowing eggplant slices to hang over rim. Layer half of tomato slices, spinach, sauteed onions and Pesto. Continue to layer ingredients in reverse order, ending with tomatoes on top. Fold hanging eggplant slices over tomato layer. Add additional eggplant slices to totally cover top. Cover torte in foil and bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes. Cool completely several hours or overnight in refrigerator.

When ready to serve, cut individual slices. Then reheat until hot. Spoon Tomato-Leek Sauce on each plate to form thin layer. Place 1 wedge of eggplant torte in center of plate. Garnish with chopped parsley. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 348 calories; 337 mg sodium; 41 mg cholesterol; 25 grams fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 2.97 grams fiber.

Pesto 1/2 cup basil leaves 1/2 cup parsley leaves 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 to 2 cloves garlic 1/3 cup olive oil Salt

Combine basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese, garlic and oil in food processor. Process until pasty. Season to taste with salt. Makes 1/2 cup.

Tomato-Leek Sauce 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 large leek, thinly sliced 6 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1 sprig basil, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano 1 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup whipping cream Salt White pepper

Heat butter in skillet and saute garlic and leek until tender. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano and wine. Cook over medium-low heat 45 minutes. Let mixture cool slightly then process in food processor to puree (or puree with hand blender).

Return sauce to pan and add whipping cream. Simmer 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Makes 3 cups.

Note: Any tomato sauce, marinara sauce or non-meat Italian style tomato sauce may be substituted.

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DEAR SOS: I have lost my family’s favorite dessert recipe and naturally I forgot the exact name. Does “Better Than Robert Redford” sound familiar?

--ALICE

DEAR ALICE: Certainly. The recipe is called “The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford Cake.” And some readers really mean it.

THE NEXT BEST THING TO ROBERT REDFORD CAKE 1 cup flour 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup finely chopped pecans 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 1 (9-ounce) carton frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed 1 (6 3/4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix 1 (6 3/4-ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix 3 cups cold milk Grated chocolate candy bar, optional

Prepare bottom crust by mixing together flour, butter and pecans in bowl until mixture is crumb-like. Press mixture into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden. Cool.

Beat cream cheese in bowl with sugar until smooth. Fold in half of whipped topping. Spread mixture over cooled crust.

Combine vanilla and chocolate pudding mixes in separate bowl. Beat in milk until smooth and thickened. Spread over cream cheese layer. Spread remaining whipped topping over top. Sprinkle with grated chocolate candy bar. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Makes 16 servings.

Each serving, without grated chocolate bar sprinkling, contains about: 358 calories; 246 mg sodium; 34 mg cholesterol; 20 grams fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.12 gram fiber.

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DEAR SOS: I’d love to have a recipe for beer bread.

--SHERRY

DEAR SHERRY: Cheers. You’ll need to use self-rising flour, or this recipe won’t work.

BEER BREAD 3 cups self-rising flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1 (12-ounce) can beer 1/2 cup butter, melted

Mix flour and sugar in bowl with wooden spoon. Blend in beer 1/3 at time. Turn batter into 3 (6x3-inch) loaf pans. Drizzle butter over tops. Bake at 350 degrees 50 minutes. Makes 3 loaves, approximately 3 servings each.

Each serving contains about: 281 calories; 107 mg sodium; 28 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.14 gram fiber.