Chocolate Sundae Pudding

DEAR SOS: Is it possible to obtain the recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding served at the Sunday brunch at Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas? It’s yummy.

LOIS MASL

Santa Clarita

DEAR LOIS: Chef Joel Bell writes, “I went to New Orleans to get this recipe, then worked on it for a couple of years to get it just perfect.” He’s also included a few variations. Lucky you.

Sagebrush Cantina Bread Pudding

Active Work Times: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

BREAD PUDDING

1 loaf stale French bread, sourdough or white

5 cups milk

4 eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons clarified butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup raisins

1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

* Tear bread into pieces and put in bowl. Pour milk over bread and let stand until milk is absorbed and bread is softened. Stir in eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add pecans, raisins and coconut. Mix well.

* Grease 13x9-inch baking dish with butter. Spread bread mixture evenly in dish and pat down lightly.

* Bake at 350 degrees about 50 minutes. Pour Amaretto Sauce over pudding immediately upon removing from oven. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

Note: If no stale bread is available, place bread on baking sheet in oven at 250 to 275 degrees and bake until bread is dry.

AMARETTO SAUCE

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1/8 cup Amaretto, or almond-flavored liqueur

Melt butter in saucepan. Slowly add sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Stir in Amaretto. Serve with bread pudding.

8 servings. Each serving with sauce:

917 calories; 651 mg sodium; 176 mg cholesterol; 38 grams fat; 135 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams protein; 0.63 gram fiber.

VARIATIONS:

Pina Colada Bread Pudding: Substitute 1 cup pineapple tidbits and 1 cup sliced toasted almonds for pecans and raisins. Substitute rum for Amaretto in the Amaretto Sauce.

Chocolate Bread Pudding: Substitute 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped walnuts for raisins, coconut and pecans. Serve with Amaretto Sauce.

Fruit Bread Pudding: Substitute 1 cup sliced peaches, 1 cup pineapple tidbits and 1 cup sliced toasted almonds for pecans, raisins and coconut. Serve with Amaretto Sauce.

Meuniere Problem

DEAR SOS: I’m looking for a fish recipe that has lemon, Worcestershire sauce, butter and paprika. I can’t seem to come up with the right proportions. Can you help?

BARBARA STINE

BOSTON

DEAR BARBARA: It sounds like a variation of Sauce Meuniere, a simple sauce used in restaurant cooking. Here’s a version you might try.

Sole Meuniere

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes

1 1/2 pounds sole filets

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons butter

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Paprika

* Cut sole into serving pieces. Mix flour, salt and pepper.

* Heat 3 tablespoons butter in skillet. Dip fish in flour mixture, then cook in butter until golden, turning to brown on both sides.

* Remove fish to a heated platter. Add remaining butter to skillet and heat until frothy. Add Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Pour over fish. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika.

6 servings. Each serving: 209 calories; 574 mg sodium; 68 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.