Tasty Recipes from Recipe Wizards

Debbie Kobler from Santa Rosa, Calif., was looking for the recipe for one of her favorite desserts from her childhood. She said her great-aunt used to make it for her and called it a Hula Moon Pie. She remembered that the pie had a graham-cracker crust and a cheesecake-like filling made with crushed pineapple and vanilla pudding.

Kay Bromley of Berlin, Md., sent in a recipe that has a different name but sounds almost exactly like what Kobler tried to locate. The only difference is that Bromley’s recipe calls for a shortbread crust instead of a graham-cracker one.

This is a very easy, no-bake pie that you can make in less than 5 minutes. However, remember that you must allow enough time for the pie to set in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours, before serving. I tested the recipe using a store-bought graham-cracker crust and found it to be quite delicious and refreshing.

TWO-MINUTE HAWAIIAN PIE

Makes: 6 to 8 servings

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in syrup or juice, undrained

1 (5.1 ounces) package instant vanilla pudding or pie filling

1 (8 ounces) container sour cream

1 can (8 ounces) sliced pineapples, drained and halved

8 maraschino cherries, drained

2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut

1 9-inch prepared shortbread crust (graham cracker crust may be substituted)

In a large bowl, combine undrained crushed pineapple, the pudding mix and the sour cream; mix until well blended. Spoon into pie crust; decorate with sliced pineapple and cherries then sprinkle with the coconut. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 288 calories, 11 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 48 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 1 gram fiber, 15 milligrams cholesterol, 397 milligrams sodium

Note: Nutritional analyses conducted by registered dietitian Jodie Shields.

REQUESTS

-Rosemary Malloy from Little Egg Harbor, N.J., is looking for a recipe for a mocha chocolate cake like the one her mother made many years ago. It contained sour milk and, what she said is most important: cocoa and coffee boiled together. It was also made with butter, not oil.

-Darlene Lanford from New Market, Tenn., is looking for a recipe for plum nut bread pudding.

(If you are looking for a recipe or can answer a request, write to Julie Rothman, Recipe Finder, The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278, or e-mail recipefinder@baltsun.com.)

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 8

Note: Chef Louise Maestretti uses vanilla pudding in this version of Pavlova, but you can use pastry cream or whipped cream to fill the meringues.

INGREDIENTS

4 egg whites

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw pistachios

one 3.4-ounce box instant vanilla pudding, prepared (may be flavored with liqueur)

Assortment of fresh fruits

INSTRUCTIONS

Whip egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar and whip until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Gently fold in pistachios.

Spoon 8 scoops of the meringue onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make a small well in the center of each scoop. Bake at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes. Don’t allow the Pavlovas to take on color. They should be lightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Fill each Pavlova with 1/4 cup of prepared vanilla pudding. Top with your choice of fresh fruit.

Per serving using raspberries and blueberries: 222 cal.; 6 g pro.; 40 g carb.; 5 g fat (1 sat., 3 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 5 mg chol.; 235 mg sod.; 2 g fiber; 34 g sugar; 21 percent calories from fat.

No-wheat recipes

I am 88 and just in the last few years have become allergic to wheat. I am sure there are others like me. I’d like to have recipes for baked goods that do not contain wheat. Thank you.

– Lillian Recktenwald, Murphys

Chicken salad goes Greek

I have lost my favorite recipe for Greek chicken salad and hope someone can help. The ingredients I remember are: cooked chicken breast cut into chunks, aioli, olive oil, feta cheese and black olives. I’m sure there are more ingredients. Can someone help? Thank you.

– Barbara Bell, Des Moines, Iowa

Disneyland’s corn chowder

We recently returned from Disneyland, where we had lunch at the Storyteller Café at the Grand Californian Hotel. We enjoyed the most amazing charred Nebraska corn chowder we’ve ever had. It was a cream-based soup with corn, potato, bacon and cilantro. It was so wonderful, I’d like to re-create it at home. If anyone could provide this recipe or one like it, it would be appreciated.

– Holly Bellamy, Rocklin

Double-layer pumpkin pie

Prep time: 20 minutes

Chill time: at least 4 hours

Serves 8

Tina Wilson of Citrus Heights doesn’t usually like pumpkin pie, but she enjoys the harvest pie served at Coco’s restaurant. It has two layers, one like pumpkin pie, the other like pumpkin mousse.

This recipe comes from Sue Bear of Citrus Heights, who suggests adding some pumpkin (from a second can) to the first cream cheese layer to make it more like a mousse.

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon milk or half and half

1 tablespoon sugar

1½ cups thawed Cool Whip

1 Keebler Ready Graham Cracker Crust

1 cup cold milk

2 boxes (4-serving size each) instant vanilla pudding

1 16-ounce can pumpkin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

INSTRUCTIONS

Beat cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk (or half and half) and sugar in a large bowl with a wire whisk until smooth. Gently stir in Cool Whip. (Add a couple of spoonfuls of pumpkin from a second can to this mixture if you’d like a more mousselike layer.) Spread on bottom of pie crust.

Pour 1 cup of milk into bowl. Add 2 boxes of pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk for one to two minutes. Mixture will be thick. Stir in one 16-ounce can of pumpkin. Add all the spices with a wire whisk. Mix well. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until set. Garnish as desired. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Per serving: 319 cal.; 4 g pro.; 40 g carb.; 15 g fat (8 sat., 5 monounsat., 2 polyunsat.); 20 mg chol.; 380 mg sod.; 3 g fiber; 29 g sugar; 44 percent calories from fat.

Sweet potato biscuits

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 14 minutes

Makes 10 to 12

Malda Martinez of Granite Bay enjoys the Louisiana sweet potato biscuits served at Fresh Choice. She was hoping for that recipe or one similar. Although Fresh Choice was unable to share its recipe, we did feature a sweet potato biscuit recipe in an August Mailbox.

Bill Primrose of Caldwell, Idaho, shares this biscuit recipe that is credited to Meghan Pembleton, special for the Arizona Republic, Nov. 21, 2007.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold butter, cut in small pieces

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes (plain or mashed with butter, milk and/or seasoning)

2 to 4 tablespoons low-fat milk (or other type)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Use a pastry blender or 2 knives to make slicing motions through the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 3 minutes. With a fork, stir in sweet potatoes. Add just enough milk to make a ball of dough. Turn dough onto a flour-covered cutting board. Roll about ¾ inch thick.

With a 2 ½-inch round cutter (or a wine glass), cut as many biscuits as you can. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet, gather up the dough and repeat until dough is used up.

Bake for 14 minutes. Let cool in pan for 1 minute, then move to wire racks to cool completely.

Per serving, approximately: 125 cal.; 2 g pro.; 16 g carb.; 6 g fat; 16g chol.; 275 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 43 percent calories from fat.