Wolfgang’s Chinese Chicken Salad

DEAR SOS: Your assistance would be greatly appreciated in obtaining the recipe for the dressing used in the Wolfgang Puck Chinese Chicken Salad.

FRANK McKEMY

Los Angeles

DEAR FRANK: How about the entire salad recipe, compliments of Wolfgang Puck? Puck calls the salad ObaChine Chicken Salad in honor of the restaurant, ObaChine, which he owns.

Wolfgang Puck’s ObaChine Chicken Salad

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 40 minutes

DRESSING

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup Chinese hot mustard

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon sesame paste

2 tablespoons chopped pickled ginger

1 tablespoon chile oil

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup peanut oil

* Combine soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, egg yolk, honey, sesame paste, ginger and chile oil in blender. Season with salt and pepper. Blend thoroughly. Slowly blend in peanut oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside. Makes about 2 cups.

SALAD

1 mango, peeled and cut into thin strips

5 cups nappa cabbage, cut into thin strips

2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 head radicchio, cut into thin strips

4 cups mixed greens or watercress

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, cooled and diced

Oil

1 (12-ounce) package square won ton wrappers

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

* In large salad bowl, mix mango, cabbage, carrots, radicchio, greens and chicken.

* Heat 1/2 inch oil in small skillet over medium-high heat. Cut won ton wrappers into 1/2-inch wide strips. Fry strips until golden brown, about 30 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels and let cool. (You need about 2 cups won ton strips.) Toss with salad.

* Toss Salad with 1 cup Dressing. Add more Dressing, if needed, a little at a time, so that salad is not overly sauced. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

8 servings. Each serving: 741 calories; 522 mg sodium; 92 mg cholesterol; 56 grams fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 42 grams protein; 3.75 grams fiber.

Note: Although many recipes call for uncooked eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found them to be a potential carrier of food-borne illness and recommends avoiding raw eggs.

‘Mallow Maple Fudge

DEAR SOS: I’ve been trying for a year to obtain a recipe for maple fudge that makes use of marshmallow cream, but I’ve been unsuccessful. I hope you can help.

MARY ANN RAMBEAU

West Covina

DEAR MARY ANN: We hope this recipe rings a bell.

Maple Walnut Fudge

Active Work Time: 25 minutes Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes plus 1 hour cooling time

Butter

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 teaspoon maple flavoring

3 cups sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream

* Place 1/3 cup butter, cocoa and vanilla in small bowl. Place 1/3 cup butter, walnuts and maple flavoring in separate small bowl. Set bowls aside.

* Combine sugar, evaporated milk, marshmallow cream and 1/4 cup butter in 2-quart saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil and stir until teaspoon of mixture dropped in cold water forms a soft ball, about 4 minutes.

* Pour half of cooked mixture into each reserved bowl. Blend mixtures until butter melts. Spoon mixtures alternately into greased and foil-lined 8-inch-square pan. Swirl gently with spatula. Cool at room temperature until set, about 1 hour. Cut into 9 or 12 squares. Store well-sealed in refrigerator.

9 to 12 squares. Each of 12 squares: 340 calories; 78 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.43 gram fiber.

Candy in a Cookie

DEAR SOS: I recently experienced a culinary delight--a cookie/confection--at a bake sale. It appeared to be a chocolate cookie pressed into a mini-cupcake pan and filled with a peanut butter-cup candy. I hope you can solve the mystery of how these are made. They will delight all your readers.

GERTRUDE WAGGONER

HAWTHORNE

DEAR GERTRUDE: It sounds like the popular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Cookie made with candy and a sugar cookie dough. Here’s a shortcut version using refrigerator sugar cookie dough, but you can use any favorite sugar cookie recipe.

Easy Peanut Butter Cups

Active work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 35 minutes

1 (13-ounce) package chocolate-covered miniature peanut butter cup candies

1 (20-ounce) log refrigerated plain or chocolate sugar cookie dough

* Remove foil and paper cups from candies. Cut cookie dough into 10 equal slices. Cut each slice in quarters. Roll slightly in hands and drop into miniature muffin pans.

* Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes. Immediately push peanut butter candies into center of cookies. Return to oven with heat off 5 minutes, leaving oven door open. Cool in pans.

40 cookies. Each cookie: 62 calories; 128 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.45 gram fiber.