Baking Powder

Rough and craggy on the outside, tender on the inside, Irish soda bread is the perfect treat for celebrating St. Patrick's Day. The bread -- so named for the baking soda that makes it rise -- became popular in Ireland in the 19th century, before yeast was in wide use there, Alan Davidson writes in The Oxford Companion to Food. The crosses cut in the top both helped the bread bake faster, and, lore had it, warded off the devil. (A tic-tac-toe pattern works well, too.) Shirley Coleman, a chef instructor at Baltimore International College, showed us an easy version made with raisins, called a "spotted dog" in Ireland.

Every Southern girl learns how to make baking-powder biscuits. You never question it. You just do it and accept the responsibility as part of your heritage. I was lucky. I learned to make biscuits from the best biscuit baker in Fayetteville, N.C. -- my grandma. She made them without fail every single day for Granddaddy's supper. My family and my cousin Mack's family lived just down the street from our grandparents. Mack and I figured out, at a very young age, that if we showed up at Grandma's just before supper, she would give each of us a hot biscuit right out of the oven.

To search for recipes by key word or date of publication, visit baltimoresun.com / taste HERB TIPS BUYING In warmer months, gardeners need only walk outdoors with a pair of scissors to gather rosemary sprigs right off the plant. Supermarket shoppers should use the same standards in looking for rosemary as they would in buying a Christmas tree: Look for silver-green needles that are healthy and fresh. Avoid any yellowing or brittle sprigs. STORING Refrigerate up to one week in a plastic bag. PREPARATION Whole sprigs of rosemary can be dropped into stews, arranged around roasts or stuffed into the cavity of various poultry, especially turkey.

Hyacinth Logan of Princeton, N.J., was looking for a recipe for a sweet-potato cake. Shirley Eldringhoff of Bel Air sent in a recipe she found in the newspaper many years ago that is still a family favorite. She says that she prefers to cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave oven because they seem to have more body. I decided to bake them in the conventional oven at 350 degrees for a little over an hour. The skins peeled off easily once the potatoes were cooked and cool enough to handle, and then I pureed the potatoes in my food processor.

Kim Jackson of Red Springs, N.C., was looking for a recipe for a cake made with Granny Smith apples and nuts. Marilyn Le Cerff of Hamilton Square, N.J., shared a recipe for a delicious apple cake that she says she acquired from her college friend, Barbara Janquitto, when they were students together in the '70s. Her friend advised not to peel the apples and to keep the nuts chopped large for a more robust flavor. The batter is very thick, almost like a dough. At Le Cerff's suggestion, instead of folding the apples and nuts into the batter I put about two-thirds of the plain batter into the pan, added a layer of the apples and nuts, then topped it with the remaining batter.

The crisp nights of fall have arrived, and that signals apple time. These pancakes make a comforting supper. Pass additional sour cream and applesauce as accompaniments. SAVORY APPLE-CHEDDAR PANCAKES Serves 4 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or more, as needed) 1 medium Golden Delicious apple, peeled and finely chopped 2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/3 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup skim milk 1/2 cup light sour cream 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup shredded light cheddar cheese 1/4 cup chopped scallions Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, nonstick skillet set over medium high.

Author David "Mas" Masumoto, a short, square 52-year-old with a quick smile and work-hardened hands, is probably the most famous fruit farmer in America. His peaches, which are almost entirely sold to restaurants and a few select markets, are featured by name on some of the finest menus in the country -- Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., the French Laundry in Napa Valley, Calif., and Per Se in Manhattan. The peaches, grown in California's Central Valley, have been selected for the "Ark of Taste" of fruits and vegetables recognized by the international organization Slow Food.

Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts By Maida Heatter Chocolate Sensations By Reader's Digest Reader's Digest Association / 2005 / $26.95 The layout of Chocolate Sensations makes the recipes look easy. Each is contained to one page and is accompanied by a photo of the finished dessert. The steps are numbered, which makes it easy to keep your place while cooking. The introduction includes information on the history of chocolate and substitutions. For example, in a pinch, you can use 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter for 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate.

This recipe is from the B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Co., located in California's Sonoma County. CALIFORNIA CITRUS OLIVE OIL CAKE MAKES 16 SERVINGS 3 eggs 1 1 / 2 cups sugar 1 1 / 2 teaspoons each, grated: lemon zest, orange zest 2 / 3 cup each: extra-virgin olive oil, milk 1 1 / 2 cups flour 2 1 / 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar Fresh strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, optional Heat oven to 350 degrees....

Quick breads are the answer for the cook who wants to bake an old-fashioned treat, but doesn't have the time to wait for dough to rise or the patience for fancy decorations. It isn't surprising that America, which gave the world McDonald's, was the country where quick breads began. Cooks in the 18th century discovered that pearlash (made from wood ash) could act as a leavening agent. Today, baking soda or baking powder makes quick breads rise as they bake. Chef Shirley Coleman, pastry instructor at the Baltimore International College, demonstrated a simple method for mixing muffin batter, relying simply on a spoon or spatula and the cook's strong arm. The main thing to keep in mind, she says, is not to overmix; muffin batter is supposed to be lumpy when it's poured in the pan. liz.atwood@baltsun.