-LaVonne White, Madison, Ala.

A: Just in time for summertime gatherings, your request spurred me to thumb through my gran's battered oak recipe box to find her potato salad recipe, which I remembered having many of the ingredients you mention.

Boiled dressing was the starting point for many of her summertime dishes, including chicken or tuna salad (omitting the mustard), and it gives a depth you won't achieve by using mayonnaise alone.

She used a full 1/2 cup of sugar in the dressing, but I find that a bit too much, so I suggest using 1/3 cup and adding more to taste. The evaporated milk is something she insisted on, saying plain milk would curdle, though in a pinch I might fall back on plain yogurt or sour cream.

As to origin, I've always thought the sweet and sour combination reflected her Pennsylvania Dutch-German roots, but perhaps the recipe has Southern antecedents.

Making this potato salad is a lot of work, but I made a triple batch, took it to a large picnic, and was gratified to see it disappear quickly even though there were two other potato salads on the buffet table. Many asked for the recipe. My gran would have gotten a kick out of that!

SWEET AND CREAMY POTATO SALAD

BOILED DRESSING

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

POTATO SALAD

8 medium potatoes (about 2 pounds)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

6 hard-cooked eggs, diced

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet relish, or to taste

1/3 teaspoon celery seed

Whisk the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, salt and cayenne in a saucepan. Gradually stir in the vinegar. Cook over low heat, whisking often, until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, then the evaporated milk and mustard. Refrigerate while potatoes are cooking.

Cook potatoes in their jackets in boiling salted water (1 teaspoon salt per pint of water) until barely tender, about 20 minutes. Cool, peel and dice into -3/4-inch cubes.

Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and toss with the onion, celery, bell pepper, salt and pepper and hard-cooked eggs.

Whisk the mayonnaise into the cooled boiled dressing, then stir in relish and celery seed. Pour over the potatoes and mix together gently. Cover and chill at least 4 hours to allow flavors to blend. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 56.2 calories (36 percent from fat), 22.6 g fat (7.1 g saturated, 6.9 g monounsaturated), 305.4 mg cholesterol, 16.2 g protein, 76 g carbohydrates, 6.9 g fiber, 695.3 mg sodium.

From Linda Cicero's Cook's Corner

Q: There used to be a restaurant called The Studio in Coconut Grove, Fla., off Coral Way. They made a great Caesar salad as well as a chocolate mousse. Do you know anyone who would have those recipes? They were my favorites and I have never found anything that compares. They also created a wonderful chocolate cake (seven-layer) using the mousse in-between the layers.

-Molly

A: People used to line up around the block to get into The Studio. Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe for the salad, though we often get requests for it. But happily, Gottfried (known as Freddi) Jossi shared the mousse recipe with Cook's Corner years before he died at age 78 in 2005. Jossi was a classically trained Swiss chef who came to the United States in the 1950s.

THE STUDIO'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

4 egg whites

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 cups cold milk

3 ounces dry sherry or raspberry liqueur

1 (4-serving) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 (4-serving) instant vanilla pudding mix

Beat the egg whites until very stiff; set aside. In another bowl, beat the cream until very stiff; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix milk and sherry. Slowly add the dry chocolate pudding mix, beating until smooth. Beat in the vanilla pudding mix the same way. Let stand 5 minutes.

Fold the egg whites, then the whipped cream into the pudding mixture, being sure not to over-mix. Chill until serving time. Makes 10 servings.

Per serving: 130 calories (44 percent from fat), 6 g fat (4 g saturated), 23 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 220 mg sodium.

Q: Here's a stumper for you: When I was married in 1950, my favorite wedding present was an Osterizer. It was, I believe, the first blender, and was all the rage at the time. It came with a book of recipes. The one I want is for an avocado soup that was served cold. Believe it or not, I still use that blender, but the book has gone missing over the years.

-Kate P., Miami Springs, Fla.

A: Believe it or not, I wish I had that Osterizer with its cool Art Deco design. I do have a recipe booklet, dated 1949, with a recipe for a simple and delicious avocado soup. Frankly, I don't know why it calls for the gelatin (I would omit it) unless there was some perceived health benefit. The booklet is full of recipes for "healthizer" drinks and tips for fortifying soups or milk with liquefied vegetables. The avocado soup recipe is labeled an "excellent alkalizer."

OSTERIZER AVOCADO SOUP

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

2 cups diced avocado

1 cup unsweetened grapefruit or orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt to taste

Soak gelatin in 2 tablespoons cold water for 5 minutes to soften. Blend with the other ingredients. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Place in blender and process until smooth. Serve cold. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 171 calories (57 percent from fat), 11.7 g fat (2.3 g saturated, 6.4 g monounsaturated), 0 cholesterol, 4.1 g protein, 15.8 g carbohydrates, 6.6 g fiber, 5.4 mg sodium.

SLEUTH'S CORNER

Q: I made a soup back when the weather was cold and froze it, and recently pulled it out for my family to eat. They loved it and now I can't find the recipe. I think I clipped it from a newspaper or magazine in the fall or winter of 2008. The main ingredients were broth, chickpeas, pasta and spinach, and it was finished with blue cheese. Does anyone recognize this recipe?

-Ellen Moran

(Contact the writer: lcicero(AT)MiamiHerald.com)