Recipe

Dorothy Ruth of Baltimore sent out a call for help that has now been answered. "Help!" she wrote, "I need a recipe for rum buns made with yeast dough. My sister is bugging me to make them."Sandra K. Hayslett of Olney responded with a recipe and a message. "In the 1960s and 1970s, my husband and I used to visit the Flagship Restaurant in Washington, D.C., an excellent seafood restaurant. As a specialty, a luscious, warm rum bun drizzled with a warm rum-flavored icing was served alongside the meal.

Josie Kaestner from Monkton was hoping to find a recipe for oats used as savory side dish. She said she once had such a recipe but has lost it. For health reasons, she said is trying to get more oats in her diet and would like to add some variety to her usual oatmeal for breakfast routine. Nancy Duvall from Glenwood shared a recipe from the Quaker Oats Wholegrain Cookbook printed in 1981. She said this makes a flavorful side dish, either seasoned just with herbs or combined with sauteed vegetables.

Sous Vide Salmon 2 5-ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillets Olive oil Sea salt Fresh ground pepper 2 fresh thyme sprigs Season the salmon with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place a fresh thyme sprig on each fillet. Place the fish inside a gallon-sized zipper freezer bag. (Non-freezer plastic bags will be too thin.) Space the fillets at least 1 inch apart and press as much air as possible out of the bag. Submerge all but the top of the still-unsealed bag in a heavy pot of cool water.

Bettie Vogt of Bend, Ore., was looking for a lemon pie recipe to replace one that has been a family favorite for more than 30 years. Her original recipe from the Eagle brand milk company called for the use of raw eggs yolks, but she is no longer comfortable serving a pie that contains raw eggs. I found a luscious recipe for a lemon cream pie on the Eagle Brand website (www.eaglebrand.com) that is made without raw egg yolks. The yolks in this recipe are fully cooked, and the cooled pie is topped with whipped cream.

Ann Henry of Ellicott City sent us this "no fail" recipe for Mary Martara of Baltimore. Mary said she had always wanted to prepare a standing rib roast recipe but "shyed away because it is so very expensive." Be sure to follow Ann's recipe exactly. "You will have a tender, juicy roast with well-done slices on the outside and medium and rare slices on the inside," Ann says.Perfect Standing Rib Roast1 standing rib roast, 4 to 6 poundsSalt and pepperAllow roast to come to room temperature, three to four hours before serving.

* Yankee fans can get Steve Sax's favorite rice recipes, including Zucchini Rice, Lemon Rice Stuffed Sole and Big League Black Bean Soup, by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Rice, Department BP, P.O. Box 740121, Houston, Texas 77274.* Mullet lovers, the Florida Department of Natural Resources has published a recipe pamphlet for you. It gives storage and cooking tips. To get a copy, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Florida Mullet, Dept. of Natural Resources, 1214 N. University Drive, Plantation, Fla. 33322.

The annual Pillsbury Bake-Off concluded today in Orlando, Fla.  The $1 million winner was annonced live on "The Martha Stewart Show. " Here is Christina Verrelli winning recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream. Among the 100 finalists were two Baltimore area residents. Susann Studz competed in the Entertaining Appetizers category with Sushi-Style Crescent Crab Rolls , and Laura Majchrzak competed in the Sweet Treats category with her original Carrot Cake Tart recipe.

Jo Ann M. Nuetzel, one of Recipe Finder's regular contributors, found these simple plantain recipes for Ruth Schultz. Thanks again, Jo Ann!Plantains are ripe when the skin is black.Curried PlantainsPlantainsFlourCurry powderCinnamonButterPeel, slice and roll plantains in flour that's had a little curry powder and or cinnamon added; saute in butter ununtil golden.Fried PlantainsPlantainsBisquickOil for deep fryingDip ripe chunks of plantain in Bisquick batter and deep fry in oil ununtil golden brown.

SOMETIMES WHEN you tinker with a recipe, you improve it. Other times your tinkering totally fouls things up. I have done both. The other night, my wife and I monkeyed around with a recipe from a master, Wolfgang Puck, the celebrated Los Angeles chef. We liked our version of the ginger vinaigrette served on grilled salmon and salad greens better than Wolfgang's. After polishing off the salmon and patting myself on the back, I tried to figure why this revision worked, and in the process came up with a few steps to altered-recipe success.

Traditionally I get badgered at this time of year by people who ask me to make good on some promise I made weeks earlier.Among the most persistent badgerers are family members who want me to (a) write them a letter, (b) buy them overpriced toys or (c) clean my closet. To them I say, "I'm working on it."But to the other pesterers, namely my dear readers, who want (a) the recipe for the hominy casserole that goes well with roast turkey, and (b) the annual reprint of the recipe for the world's greatest eggnog, I say, "You win."

It's cookout season, which means plenty of temptations to indulge. But eatingwell.com s ays that there are ways to make picnic and cookout foods healthier. This weeks healthy recipe, broccoli salad, comes from their list. Eatingwell.com said it is creamy without all the fat. If you have examples of healthy recipes please send them to andrea.walker@baltsun.com and I will include on this blog.   Broccoli Salad INGREDIENTS 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream 2 teaspoons cider vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 4 cups finely chopped broccoli crowns 1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped 3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled 3 tablespoons dried cranberries Freshly ground pepper , to taste PREPARATION Whisk garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar and sugar in a large bowl.

Sharon Brazell from Severna Park was hoping someone would have the recipe for the hush puppies that were served at the Peter Pan Inn in Urbana. The restaurant, which closed in 1986, was famous for its plentiful family-style meals and beautiful setting. Brazell said her family, like many in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, would make the drive to the country restaurant near Frederick for special occasions to enjoy the food and setting, which included peacocks parading in the gardens.

Just because you're trying to eat healthy doesn't mean totally abandoning your sweet tooth. Healthy eating guru Joy Bauer i ncludes many healthy deserts in her healthy recipe library. This week we feature her soft-baked, chocolate-cherry oatmeal cookies as our healthy recipe. If you have a recipe you would like to share email me at andrea.walker@baltsun.com and I will include it on this blog. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups oats, rolled, quick cooking, or old-fashioned rolled oats 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup dried cherries, or dried cranberries 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 tablespoon canola oil 2 egg whites lightly beaten 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat one or two baking sheets with oil spray In a medium bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Karen Russell from Bryan, Texas, was looking for a recipe for cream of crab soup similar to the one she had at a restaurant in Chestertown when visiting the area a few years ago. Cream of crab is a popular menu item at restaurants all around the Chesapeake Bay region and is as ubiquitous here as clam chowder is along the coast of New England. Recipes for the soup are plentiful, but the best versions are the simple, straightforward ones that allow the sweet and succulent meat from local blue crabs to shine.

Marjorie Cicala from Middle River was looking for baked Sesame Chicken recipe that was demonstrated by a poultry distribution company at the Maryland State Fair in the 1960s and that she and her brothers and sister all loved. She said that the recipe for the delicious baked chicken with sesame seeds that her mother had written down was stolen from her purse at a school event some time ago. While no readers responded to Cicala's original query, I thought this was worth a little investigating.

  Smoothies are an easy and healthy breakfast option. Just throw a few ingredients into your blender and in five minutes you're ready to eat. Just about every fast food restaurant has caught on to the smoothie fad and added them to  menus. If you take that route make sure you check the nutrition content. Not all smoothies are made the same. Some includes sugar-laden yogurts and sometimes even ice cream. The better option may be just to make your own smoothies at home.

Gloria Vermillion of North Canton, Ohio, requested a recipe for a bean salad. She wrote: "My husband and I enjoy the bean salad at Fisher Foods Inc. in North Canton. Could someone have the recipe?" Bonnie Hull of Williamsport, Md., responded with a recipe. "I believe this is the classic of bean salads," she wrote. Mixed-Bean Salad Makes 8 servings 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2/3 cup cider vinegar 3/4 cup sugar, or less, to taste 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper one 14- to 16-ounce can cut green beans, drained one 14- to 16-ounce can yellow waxed beans, drained one 14- to 16-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed to remove color 1 medium onion, chopped Mix oil and vinegar with sugar, salt and pepper.

Pat Peters of Salem, Ore., wrote: "At the Guest House in Salem, they serve a sauerkraut soup that is really good. My husband and I really enjoy it; however, no one knows just when it will be made. Would love the recipe." Sandy Schwilk of Ewing, N.J., responded. She wrote, "Try this recipe for sauerkraut soup. I make this at home during the fall and winter, served with butter and dark bread. Also, by request, I make this for an `Oktoberfest' at my hunting and fishing club for 40-50 people, by multiplying the recipe four or five times."

Aylene Gard from Columbia was looking for the recipe that she misplaced for her husband's favorite rhubarb custard pie. Jerry Fore from Towson sent in a pie recipe he says is guaranteed to please rhubarb lovers. The recipe came from his mother and is a family favorite. He says the filling can be covered with a lattice, extra pieces of pie dough, or just left plain as his mother usually did. Rhubarb or "pie plant" can be found from late winter through spring with its peak season from April to June.