Bisque for a Party

DEAR SOS: We just returned from a weekend trip to Cambria, Calif., where we had the most wonderful seafood bisque at Robins restaurant. What are the chances of a recipe?

--SETS

DEAR SETS: Good. And so is the bisque. Keep it in mind for an open house or a New Year’s Eve supper served with a colorful salad and dinner rolls.

ROBINS SALMON BISQUE

1/2 cup butter

1 cup thinly sliced leeks

1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

1/2 tablespoon crushed garlic

1 (23-ounce) can clam juice

2 cups crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups fresh salmon cut in 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups half and half

1/8 cup flour

Fresh dill sprigs

Melt butter in large skillet. Add leeks, mushrooms and garlic and saute until well glazed. Add clam juice, tomatoes, parsley, dill, salt and pepper. Cook until heated through. Add salmon and cook 5 to 10 minutes.

In small bowl, beat half and half and flour until smooth. Add to soup. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes longer, or until liquid is shiny. Garnish with sprig of fresh dill.

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

240 calories; 482 mg sodium; 64 mg cholesterol; 20 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.60 gram fiber.

Pudding Sans Fruit DEAR SOS: I used to have a recipe for chocolate chip bread pudding using cinnamon and milk, but no raisins or other fruit. Do you have such a recipe?

--PATTY

DEAR PATTY: Is this it?

CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD PUDDING

1 quart milk

2 cups sugar

7 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 cups 1-inch cubed stale brioche or croissant (2 to 3 long croissants)

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 cup cold water

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Warm milk in 2-quart saucepan. Add 1 cup sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth. Pour milk mixture over bread in bowl and allow to stand 1 hour.

Combine remaining cup sugar and corn syrup in separate 2-quart saucepan. Add about 1/4 cup water and stir until sugar is moistened and resembles slush. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid clears. Stop stirring and brush down sides of pan with clean pastry brush dipped in cold water. Be sure that all sugar crystals are washed from sides.

Raise heat to high and cook, without stirring, until sugar is light amber in color. Pour immediately into 8-inch square pan and whirl to coat bottom of pan. Cool 15 minutes.

Combine soaked bread, chocolate chips and walnuts and spoon into prepared pan. Place pan in roaster and pour boiling water into roaster until water comes halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees until firm but not dry, about 55 minutes, stirring lightly after 20 minutes to keep custard from separating from bread.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

687 calories; 491 mg sodium; 198 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 95 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 0.15 gram fiber.

Send requests to Culinary SOS, Food Section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. Include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants. We are unable to answer recipe requests by mail.

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