Baking Pan

After looking through recipes for easy dishes to serve out-of-town company, I have planned an uncomplicated menu that will give me plenty of time for catching up. A white bean soup with kale and chorizo, an all-in-one main course that can be prepared a day ahead, will anchor the meal, and will be accompanied by an arugula salad and a basket of warm bread. For dessert I have decided to make an old favorite - a plum clafoutis. Clafoutis is one of the simplest yet most delicious French desserts a home cook can prepare.

It's time to gear up for the annual parade of parties, presents and celebrations that won't end till the ball drops in Times Square on New Year's Eve.Naturally, your first question is: What can be made that's easy, delicious and portable for all the outings sure to crowd your calendar?The answer: bar cookies.The best ones layer chewy, crunchy, smooth textures with a sweet, buttery counterpoint. They please young and old. And they travel like platinum frequent fliers, oblivious to wear and tear.

In the Dec. 4 Recipe Finder, the size of the baking pan, the cooking time and the baking temperature for the sour cream banana cake were incorrect. The cake should be baked in a greased 9-by-8-inch cake pan at 325-degrees for 45 minutes and then at 340-degrees for 15 to 20 more minutes. (The instructions for the sour cream banana bundt cake were correct). The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 12/18/96

In a world where holidays mean baking goodies for kids away at college and Uncle Albert in Toledo, you want to take advantage of every shortcut possible. So why not make those cookies and candies square from the outset to fit your shipping box?There are some sly advantages to packing these indulgent square cookies and candies into rectangular boxes: You'll get more in -- the better for the recipient. Maybe that's why Food Arts magazine named bars and squares its 1994 cookies of the year.Ginger shortbreadMakes 24 bars2 1/4 cups unbleached flour1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed1 tablespoon ground ginger1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces, slightly softened1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized gingerHeat oven to 350 degrees.

Two hours earlier, the pair of stripers had been chasing baitfish across the 15-foot flats at the mouth of the Severn River, feeding heavily. But now the matched pair of 23-inchers lay on a countertop in the kitchen, surrounded by the trappings that mark a successful day of fishing.Salt. White pepper. Flour. Lemon. Butter. An egg. Dry mustard. Paprika. A clove of garlic. Six baking potatoes. Three yellow squash. Mayonnaise and a pound of fresh lump backfin crabmeat.Two hours earlier, the rockfish, in their own right efficient, ruthless predators, had been feeding on the large numbers of 2- to 4-inch menhaden making their way toward the open bay -- until each tried to ingest the white banjo-eye bucktails and chartreuse twister tails trolled 5 feet below the surface.

Q: I am trying to have a healthier diet. I recently saw on a cooking show an instructor line a baking pan with wax paper. Can this help eliminate the calories from greasing with butter and then flouring?A: It's most likely the baking pan was being lined with parchment paper, which is now used more frequently than waxed paper to prevent sticking in baking. This treatment can reduce the fat and flour calories that are used to prevent baked goods from sticking. However, you still need to use some Bakers Joy or vegetable spray coating to prevent sticking.

Q: At this time of year I make a very special effort and serve my own huge freshly baked sticky buns. This means that I get up in the wee hours to let them rise before breakfast. Is there a way that I can make this easier?A: Yes, you can simplify this time-consuming process. The final sticky bun rising can be done in the refrigerator overnight. Prepare the buns as you would for the final rising the night before and let them rise for about one hour. Place them in the refrigerator (in their baking pan)

Q: I have trouble dividing cake batter in order to make a layer cake. Eyeballing it just doesn't work very well for me. Do you have any suggestions for any easy way to divide it?A: The most accurate way to equally divide batter is to use a kitchen scale and weigh the portions. Make sure that the pans weigh the same if you weigh the batter in the baking pan. Or weigh the batter in batches in the same receptacle and then pour into the baking pans.If you don't have a scale, another idea is to measure the depth of each with a long toothpick or skewer.

Dolores Riccio has fashioned meals for the health-consciou who want good-tasting food, but whose time is limited. The veteran author's creations can be seen in her latest book, "Superfoods: 300 Recipes for Foods That Heal Body and Mind" (Warner Books).Arranged in alphabetical order from apples to yogurt, Ms. Riccio incorporates a description of the food's healthful properties, such as vitamins and disease-fighting qualities, along with her .. recipes."Pasta is an all-time favorite complex food that, when used correctly, can relieve what may be our No. 1 health problem: stress," writes Ms. Riccio, a resident of Warwick, R.I. The mother of two grown children is the author of eight books, including four cookbooks.

The aroma of hot, fresh cake, the crunch of baked nuts and sugar, the tang of berries and fruit -- on a lazy Sunday morning, is there anything more appealing than a freshly baked coffeecake for breakfast? Simple and portable, coffeecakes are also perfect for any time that people gather over coffee or tea.Compared to traditional recipes, the nutritional content of these coffeecakes has been significantly enhanced. All contain fruit. Most of the recipes call for some whole-wheat pastry flour or wheat germ, which add fiber and nutrients without making the cakes heavy.

Some people take pistachios for granted. We love them sprinkled liberally over ice cream. Shaved over salads. Toasted and chopped for a halibut crust. Packed for some crunch punch in cookies. Sunken like treasure in soups. Dusted with tangy spice rubs. Even straight-up with a drink at the game - they can give peanuts an inferiority complex. Pistachios are native to the Middle East and are likely the oldest cultivated nut tree in history. Archaeological evidence shows traces of pistachios as far back as 7000 B.C. The first commercial pistachio crop was grown in California in 1976 and it produced 1.5 million pounds of nuts.

Ann Sillitto of Winchester, Va., was looking for a recipe for Molasses Fruit Bars with raisins. She says that they are a favorite of her 91-year-old mother and she wanted to make them as a treat for her. I found an easy recipe for the bars on a recipe-sharing Web site called Recipelink.com. It was adapted from the Brer Rabbit Book of Molasses, first printed in 1956. The recipe does not specify a pan size. I tested it using an 8-by-8 inch baking pan. It was ready in 25 minutes. Naturally, the cooking time will vary according to pan size.

After looking through recipes for easy dishes to serve out-of-town company, I have planned an uncomplicated menu that will give me plenty of time for catching up. A white bean soup with kale and chorizo, an all-in-one main course that can be prepared a day ahead, will anchor the meal, and will be accompanied by an arugula salad and a basket of warm bread. For dessert I have decided to make an old favorite - a plum clafoutis. Clafoutis is one of the simplest yet most delicious French desserts a home cook can prepare.

I have a poundcake recipe that is baked in a large bundt pan. I would like to make smaller ones in mini-bundt pans. Is there a rule of thumb for this conversion? Timing and volume are the two main concerns when changing a baking pan from the one called for in a recipe. There isn't a rigid formula for the timing when changing the size of your bundt pan, so you'll have to check the doneness within a time range. We found Sarah Phillips' pan-conversion chart (which compares baking-pan size and volume)

While visiting good friends who have a cottage on Cape Cod, I noticed the ease with which they served breakfasts each day. Our first early-morning meal took place on a small backyard deck, where we found a table set with casual blue and white linens and blue-and-white striped dishes. A large, shallow bowl was mounded with an array of sliced fruit, a rich, dark loaf cake rested on a platter, whipped cream cheese piled into a ramekin was at its side and a Thermos-style coffee pot was filled with steaming brew.

From where we live in western Massachusetts, there are all sorts of outdoor cultural events nearby to enjoy during warm weather. The Boston Symphony Orchestra moves its home to Tanglewood in the Berkshires for the summer, and a few miles away there's Jacob's Pillow for those who love contemporary dance. In the farthest corner of our state, Williamstown plays host to a nationally acclaimed summer theater. All our friends take advantage of these neighboring attractions and typically take potluck picnic meals to enjoy before the performances.

Once again this summer my husband and I found ourselves living and working in Paris for several weeks. We rented the same apartment with its tiny but efficient kitchen, and as soon as we had unpacked our bags, I was out the door with my bright red shopping cart. I couldn't wait to fill it with crisp, slender baguettes from the bakery, with beautiful fruits and vegetables from the neighborhood produce store, with favorite cheeses from the fromagerie and, of course, with sweet indulgences from the patisserie.

We live in a small Massachusetts town where our social life is fairly predictable, but once in a while, an event, like the one scheduled for this weekend, jolts us from our complacency. Our good friend John Katzenbach has had his recent book, Hart's War, turned into a film starring none other than Bruce Willis. To celebrate the opening of the film in our area, John's wife has arranged a private showing for some of their friends at a local cinema. She has planned a casual supper afterward at their house.

Mildred Kriwko of Lake Zurich, Ill., wrote that she has had no success in finding a recipe for pork chops using brown sugar and Coca-Cola. Her response came from Nedra Shelly of Silver Spring, who noted: "This recipe comes from the Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook. I have made it many times. It's easy and it's always a big hit. I also like to include onion rings. You can also make this in a crockpot." Recipe requests Albert W. Norman of Gore Springs, Miss., is seeking a cornmeal-dumpling recipe.

FOR PAMELA KLINK, victory was very sweet. Klink, 33, of Columbia placed first in a cooking competition sponsored by Hershey and Cooking Light magazine. She won the grand prize of $5,000. Second prize was $1,000 and third was $500. As a finalist, Klink also was treated to a three-day weekend at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, with receptions, dinners and spa treatment. The competition was divided into professional and amateur divisions. Klink, a pastry chef at Belmont Conference Center in Elkridge, competed in the professional division.