Request For Dressing Recipe Results In Quick Response

Dear Readers: Thanks to those of you who responded so quickly to the request in my Nov. 19 column for a French dressing recipe. Providing recipes were Helen, Marilyn, Cordelia, Janet, Delores, Molly, Jean, Mary, Linda, Tina, Mary, Berniece, Claryce, Marion, Myrtle and Harold. Here’s the original recipe from an insert in the MCP pectin box.

Creamy French Dressing That Will Not Separate

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup sugar

1 package MCP Pectin

1 (10-ounce) can tomato soup

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon minced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 cups salad oil

Combine all dry ingredients and sift 3 times. Add soup and cider vinegar. Add onion, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Add the oil 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, or put into 2-quart jar and shake vigorously after each addition. Store in refrigerator.

Yield: 3 cups, or 18 (3-tablespoon) servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 206 calories, 11 grams carbohydrate, 19 grams fat (83 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 364 milligrams sodium.

Dear Merri Lou: When I was a child, my mother always made apple tapioca in the fall. It was delicious, especially warm. I have been searching for a recipe for years. I hope you can help. Thanks, - Barb, via e-mail

Dear Barb: Apples are always a delight for cooking. Here are two recipes, one of which I hope is similar to your childhood memories. Deep Dish Apple Tapioca is darker colored because of the molasses and is a nice apple-and-spice dessert. Apple Tapioca (my own creation) is regular tapioca topped with cooked apples and nonfat whipped topping.

Deep Dish Apple Tapioca

From the Searchable Online Archive of Recipes on the World Wide Web (soar.berkeley.edu/recipes/).

1/3 cup quick-cooking tapioca

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup molasses

2-1/2 cups hot water

3 tart apples, thinly sliced

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine tapioca, salt, molasses and water. Cook over medium heat 10-15 minutes until mixture starts to bubble, stirring frequently.

Place apples in well-oiled baking dish (a pie plate may be too small, a 13- by 9-inch dish too big). Add raisins. Combine sugar and spices and sprinkle over mixture. Dot with butter. Cover with tapioca mixture. Bake in oven 1 hour or until apples are tender. Serve hot.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 280 calories, 2 grams protein, 4 grams fat (13 percent fat calories), 10 milligrams cholesterol, 147 milligrams sodium.

Apple Tapioca

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 cups nonfat milk

1 egg, well beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tart apples

1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Nonfat whipped topping, optional

Prepare tapioca as directed on package. (Mix sugar, tapioca, milk and egg in saucepan; let stand 5 minutes. Stirring constantly, cook on medium heat until mixture comes to full boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Or combine tapioca ingredients, minus vanilla, and microwave on HIGH 10 to 14 minutes until mixture comes to full boil, stirring every 2 minutes. Add vanilla.)

Core and chop apples into bite-size pieces. Combine with water and cook either in microwave (HIGH, 5-7 minutes until tender) or on stove top (medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until tender). Drain. Combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix with apple pieces. Spoon tapioca into serving bowls. Top with apple pieces. Add dollop of nonfat whipped topping, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 278 calories, 8 grams protein, 59 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fat (6 percent fat calories), 56 milligrams cholesterol, 103 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: Have a food question? Looking for a recipe? Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian in Spokane, would like to hear from you. Write to Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, or e-mail to merrid@spokesman.com. As many letters as possible will be answered in this column. Sorry, no individual replies.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Merri Lou Dobler The Spokesman-Review