Recipe Finder

Wendy Robin from Cockeysville was looking for a recipe for a dessert her mother used to make in the '50s and '60s. As she recalls, ladyfingers were used to line the bottom and the sides of a springform pan and there was some sort of a chocolate, mousselike filling. It was served chilled. Alice Murphy from Providence, R.I., sent in a recipe from the August 1999 issue of Bon Appetit for a Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cake that she thought was probably just what Robin was looking for. Murphy says she substitutes cream cheese for the butter because she thinks it gives the filling a richer flavor and improved texture, and she also brushes the ladyfingers with Kahlua before she uses them to line the pan. I followed her suggestions when I tested the recipe, and the result was a decadently rich showstopper of a dessert.

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.

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.

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.

Barbara Kempisty of Baltimore was looking for a recipe for biscuits that can be made completely in the microwave. She wanted to be able to prepare the dough in advance and take it to an elderly aunt who is in assisted living and does not have a kitchen but does have access to a microwave. Hope Weiner of Rapid City, S.D., sent in a recipe for whole-wheat microwave biscuits. These biscuits are made with a combination of whole-wheat and white flour. The dough can be made in advance, and the biscuits can be made in the microwave.

Richard Pometto from Bowie is looking for a recipe that would produce a Newburg sauce comparable to Knorr's packaged variety. He said that he frequently used the packaged sauce as a base for a seafood dish but that it is no longer sold in this country. As I began to research the recipe, I discovered that he was far from alone in his quest for a replacement for the packaged Knorr Newburg sauce. Peggy Brown from Monroe, Mich., said she too searched for a good Newburg sauce recipe since the packets were discontinued and found a recipe that she thinks comes pretty close to the Knorr version.

Ramona Cooper from Baltimore was looking for a recipe for making a cookie similar to the "Dad's old fashioned oatmeal cookie" that used to be available in Baltimore many years ago. It turns out that Dad's Original Scotch Oatmeal cookies have been around since the turn of the century and, while no longer available in Baltimore, they are still being made by Dad's Cookie Co. in St. Louis. The cookies are available at the company's retail outlet in St. Louis or by mail order through their website.

Wendy Kovin of Baltimore was looking for a recipe for a dessert she called "Spanish Cream" that her great grandmother used to make. She says it is a very old recipe and many of her family members remember the dish with great fondness, but none of them have been able to find the recipe. Peggy Utermole , also from Baltimore, sent in a recipe for Spanish Cream that came from her mother, Margaret Pine . She said that her mother served it frequently when she was growing up and that she makes it for her own daughter, who lists it as one of her favorite desserts.

Jackie Cassel from Baltimore was seeking a recipe she had misplaced for a very simple corn pudding that she said appeared in a Dundalk community magazine about 10 years ago. Alberta McLaughlin , also from Baltimore, sent in a recipe from the Dundalk Centennial Cookbook 1895-1995 that was submitted by Ella Mae Helmick . She said that there were several corn pudding recipes in the book but that this seemed to be the simplest. And simple it is. In fact, it took longer for my oven to preheat then it did for me to put this casserole together.

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.

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.

Ann Carter from Charleston, S.C., wrote in on behalf of her grandmother, who has lost a beloved recipe for what she called Panama Cake. Her grandmother said she received the recipe from a fellow military family in the 1970s. She remembers that the cake was made with flour, sugar, shortening, raisins, nuts and spices, but did not call for any eggs. David Hulteng from Crownsville saw Carter's request and thought that a recipe he had for Poorman's Cake sounded very much like what she was looking for. He said that he has had the recipe since the 1970s and has made it many times, receiving "rave reviews.

Wanda Reynolds from Baltimore was looking for a recipe for baked shad. She remembered seeing a recipe for making the fish some years ago in a local newspaper. She thought the recipe called for a long baking time that helped soften the bones. Pamela Green from Arnold sent in a recipe that she says she found in either The Washington Post or the Capital in Annapolis in the 1980s that calls for wrapping the fish in foil and baking it for six hours at a very low temperature.