Apple Muffins, Noodle Kugel, Apple Pancakes

DEAR SOS: The Old Town Bakery in Pasadena makes the most wonderful cinnamon-apple muffins. Could you persuade them to part with the recipe?

--TERRY

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DEAR TERRY: Old Town Bakery’s Sandy Teich broke down the recipe to a reasonable approximation of the muffins sold at the bakery. As you know, baked products alter slightly whenever quantity recipes are reduced or increased.

OLD TOWN BAKERY APPLE-CINNAMON MUFFINS

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 2/3 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup peeled, chopped Granny Smith apples, packed

Cinnamon-Sugar

In mixing bowl cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at time, beating until well combined. Add vanilla. Toss together flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in another bowl. Then add, alternately over low speed, with milk to butter-egg mixture, stirring only to blend. Fold in apples carefully.

Fill 12 paper-cup-lined muffin cups at least 2/3 full with batter. Sprinkle each muffin with 1 teaspoon Cinnamon-Sugar. Bake at 350 degrees 25 to 30 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Serve warm. Makes 12 large muffins.

Each muffin contains about:

354 calories; 286 mg sodium; 69 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.12 gram fiber.

Cinnamon-Sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

In bowl combine sugar and cinnamon. Toss to incorporated well. Makes 1/2 cup.

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DEAR SOS: At a recent dinner our hostess served a noodle kugel with a main course of baked salmon. The slightly sweet kugel with the fish was delightful, even though the noodle recipe could have been improved upon. Do you have a recipe for noodle kugel?

--MIRIAM

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DEAR MIRIAM: This is a typical noodle kugel to share with your friends.

NOODLE KUGEL

4 eggs

Sugar

2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 pound noodles, cooked

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In bowl beat eggs with 1/4 cup sugar. Stir in sour cream and butter. Add to cooked noodles. Toss to coat well. Turn into 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

In bowl mix bread crumbs with cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle over noodle mixture. Bake at 350 degrees 1 1/2 hours. Serve as accompaniment to meat or fish. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Each of 4 servings contains about:

754 calories; 544 mg sodium; 344 mg cholesterol; 54 grams fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 0.13 gram fiber.

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DEAR SOS: In the Oklahoma Military Academy mess hall in the early 1940s, Porter Officer, the head chef, produced a delicacy that I have never found in any cookbook, nor have I found anyone who knew anything about it. Perhaps you can replicate the egg, nestled in a hole cut out of the center of a slice of bread and baked in the oven.

--HOWARD

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DEAR HOWARD: Toad in a hole or egg in a peg are some names for this dish. You can finish the eggs on top of the stove or in the oven, if there are many eggs to serve.

EGGS IN A PEG

4 slices bread

2 tablespoons butter

4 eggs

2 slices American cheese cut in strips, optional

Salt, pepper

Cut round, silver-dollar-size hole in each bread slice. Melt butter in skillet. Brown bread on each side lightly. Break 1 egg into center of each piece of bread and fry gently, covered.

When eggs are partially cooked, place strip of cheese over them. Eggs may be placed in 350-degree oven 1 to 2 minutes until cheese melts. When cheese is melted slightly, season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 193 calories; 322 mg sodium; 229 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

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DEAR SOS: We miss having apple pancakes that were dinner-plate-size, almost a caramel, with a crispy crust covered with tart-sweet, cinnamon sticky apples. My mouth waters when I think of it almost 50 years later.

--ELINOR

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DEAR ELINOR: So does ours.

DUTCH APPLE PANCAKE

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 medium apple

1 cup buttermilk biscuit mix

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

Melt butter in 8-inch skillet. Blend in sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Peel and slice apple and place in pan. Saute in butter mixture.

In bowl combine biscuit mix, milk and egg. Pour over apples. Turn heat to low and cook 10 to 12 minutes until surface looks dull.

Place under broiler 1 to 2 minutes until browned on top. Turn upside down onto serving plate. Cut into wedges. Makes about 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

213 calories; 335 mg sodium; 60 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.12 gram fiber.