The Best of Lucks

We all know them. They’re the people at office parties or holiday potlucks who always seem to bring the best dish. They’re lavished with praise; they’re showered with demands for their recipes.

Now you can be one of them. We’ve selected the best of the best--six potluck dishes from a field of more than 200 sent by readers.

The folks whose recipes we chose know the secret to good potlucks: dishes that come together fairly quickly, can be toted about easily and aren’t such showstoppers that they can’t share the stage with other food.

Our final favorites, all prepared in The Times Test Kitchen: Posole, a hearty Mexican soup that, though requiring a bit of cooking, is impressive at the table with its many garnishes; Chiles Rellenos, a snap to make and always a favorite to eat; Broccoli Salad, a make-ahead dream of a dish that fills that vegetable void; Savory Goat Cheese Cake, an appetizer made beautiful with red and green pesto; Microwave Peanut Brittle, candy so easy that you should be ready to hand out recipes; and The Chocolate Cake, a rich variation of a popular bundt cake recipe.

Most of these recipes--and the others that were submitted--are classic potluck: They’ve been circulating among friends and family like library books. And what good potluck recipe gatherers know is that you needn’t be a great cook to make great potluck; you pretty much need just a tried-and-true recipe.

For monthly potlucks at the hospital where she is a nurse, Karen Cook is asked to bring the cake. Not just any cake.

“It’s funny because the cake needs to have a name. But everybody just calls it ‘THE Chocolate Cake,’ ” Cook says. Sharon Herdina, a special education teacher from La Verne, gets demands for her Microwave Peanut Brittle, a recipe she’s been shipping to relatives at the holidays for years.

Potluck dishes often have variations; we received several forms of six or eight recipes that are well-knowns on the potluck circuit. Lisa O’Kane, a Toluca Lake homemaker and professional country singer, got her Broccoli Salad recipe from a friend in a bingo playing group; she leaves out the Cheddar cheese that her friend adds.

Caitriona Finn, a nurse from Huntington Beach, found her Posole recipe in a fund-raiser cookbook, but she’s made the dish her own by serving it each Christmas Eve with garnishes such as onions, grated cheese and chopped cilantro. It wouldn’t

There are the potluck people who write their own recipes. Judith Rubins, a Beverly Hills psychotherapist, says she was experimenting with goat cheese ideas when she came up with a cheesecake of goat, ricotta and cream cheeses layered with pesto and sun-dried tomato pesto.

Still, it’s a bit curious how potluck recipes make the rounds. Little did we realize--until after we picked a Chiles Rellenos recipe as a favorite--that it had run once in the pages of the Times. Sheilah Palacios of San Gabriel clipped it in 1978.

“It’s been a great staple,” says Palacios, a high school librarian. “People always ask for the recipe.”

Published along with that recipe, titled Helen’s Chiles Rellenos, were similar dishes from readers named Joan, Janet and Duke. So give an extra personal touch to your potluck dish if you’d like by adding your name.

Of course, with any luck, people will remember it even if you don’t.

Posole

Active Work Time: 45 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Caitriona Finn of Huntington Beach serves this at a family gathering every Christmas Eve following church services.

POSOLE

4 to 5 pounds pork shoulder roast, fat trimmed

1 (29-ounce) can whole tomatoes, including juice

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon salt

Water

4 (15-ounce) cans white hominy, drained

* Place meat, tomatoes, onion, garlic and salt in large pot. Use wooden spoon to break tomatoes into small pieces. Add enough water to cover meat by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender, 2 to 3 hours.

* Remove meat from pot and cut into small pieces. Return to soup. Add hominy and cook 1 hour. Skim fat before serving, or refrigerate overnight; fat will congeal on surface and be easier to skim.

* Serve in bowls or ladle from a large pot.

GARNISHES

Oil, for frying

Corn tortillas, sliced into 1-inch-wide strips

Shredded red cabbage

Chopped red onion

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Lime wedges

Chopped cilantro

Salsa

Dried red pepper flakes

* Heat 1 inch oil in deep skillet over high heat. When hot, add tortilla strips; don’t overcrowd. Fry until crisp and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

* Place tortilla strips, cabbage, onion, cheese, lime wedges, cilantro, salsa and red pepper flakes in small serving bowls and offer alongside Posole.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings, Posole only: 477 calories; 970 mg sodium; 93 mg cholesterol; 31 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 23 grams protein; 1.15 grams fiber.

Helen’s Chiles Rellenos

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes

From Sheilah Palacios of San Gabriel.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 (7-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained

1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 pound Jack cheese, shredded

3 eggs

2 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup biscuit mix

* Melt butter in 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange chiles in layer in bottom of pan. Cover with Cheddar and Jack cheeses.

* Blend eggs, milk, salt and biscuit mix in mixing bowl. Pour over cheese in baking dish.

* Bake at 350 degrees until golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly and cut into squares. Serve warm.

12 servings. Each serving: 291 calories; 598 mg sodium; 113 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams protein; 0 fiber.

Broccoli Salad

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes plus 2 hours chilling

From Lisa O’Kane of Toluca Lake. You can use regular or golden raisins.

DRESSING

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

* Mix together mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours for flavors to meld.

ASSEMBLY

1 1/2 to 2 pounds broccoli florets

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup salted sunflower seeds

1 small red onion, chopped

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

* In large serving bowl, combine broccoli, raisins, sunflower seeds, onion and bacon.

* Just before serving, add Dressing to broccoli mixture and stir well.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings: 230 calories; 296 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 1.03 grams fiber.

Savory Goat Cheese Cake With Two Pestos

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour plus 8 hours chilling

You can make your own pesto if you’d like, but a good shortcut, says Judith Rubins of Beverly Hills, is to purchase prepared pesto.

CHEESECAKE

11 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup ricotta cheese (6 ounces)

8 ounces goat cheese, room temperature

3 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

Butter, for greasing

* Mix cream cheese, ricotta and goat cheese until well-blended. Add eggs and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Blend in sour cream. Pour into buttered 7-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees until top is slightly puffed, 45 to 55 minutes. Center will be slightly loose. Remove pan to cooling rack. Cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

ASSEMBLY

1 (7-ounce) container sun-dried tomato pesto (3/4 cup)

1 (7-ounce) container traditional pesto (3/4 cup)

Belgian endive or kale, optional garnish

Crackers, optional

* Remove Cheesecake from refrigerator and carefully remove sides and bottom of pan. Slice through center of cake, making 2 layers. Place bottom layer on plate you will take to potluck. Spread sun-dried tomato pesto across top of bottom layer. Carefully replace top layer. Spread traditional pesto on top of cake. Serve immediately or cover entire plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 30 minutes; let stand 30 minutes after removing from refrigerator to bring to room temperature. For a colorful presentation, surround cake with Belgian endive or kale and crackers.

24 servings. Each serving: 181 calories; 151 mg sodium; 49 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.12 gram fiber.

The Chocolate Cake

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This cake, sent by Karen Cook of Santa Maria, can be dusted with powdered sugar or topped with a chocolate or white chocolate glaze. Add nuts, too, if you’d like.

1 (1-pound 2.25-ounce) box devil’s food cake mix

1 (4-ounce) package instant chocolate pudding

5 eggs

1 (16-ounce) carton sour cream

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups chocolate chips

Butter for greasing

Powdered sugar, optional

* In large bowl, mix together cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream, butter and almond extract. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased 12-cup bundt pan.

* Bake at 350 degrees until top is springy to touch, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Remove cake to serving plate.

12 to 14 servings. Each of 14 servings: 517 calories; 551 mg sodium; 126 mg cholesterol; 32 grams fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0 fiber.

Microwave Peanut Brittle

Active Work Time: 5 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 10 minutes plus 30 minutes cooling

From Sharon Herdina of La Verne. Cooking times will vary depending on your microwave. After the first 4 minutes of cooking, keep an eye on the brittle and judge it by its color, not microwave time.

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup salted cocktail peanuts

1 tablespoon butter, plus more for greasing

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

* Stir together sugar and corn syrup in 2-quart glass casserole. Microwave on high 4 minutes until boiling. Stir well. Add peanuts and microwave on high until golden, 3 to 4 more minutes. Don’t overcook; watch the color. Add butter and vanilla, blending well. Microwave on high 30 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds. Peanuts will be lightly browned and syrup very hot. Add baking soda and stir until light and foamy.

* Quickly pour mixture onto buttered baking sheet, spreading somewhat with rubber spatula. Cool completely, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Brittle will harden fast. When cool, break into pieces and store in air-tight container.

8 servings. Each serving: 270 calories; 117 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.96 gram fiber.