David Berkley dressing

I would like to have the recipe for the wonderful dressing served on the broccoli salad that was served at the now-closed David Berkley's in the Pavilions shopping center in Sacramento.

I have tried several other dressings and none come close to this one.

Thanks for any help.

– Peggy Rackelmann, Sacramento

New Helvetia biscuits

Before Mulvaney's moved in, that old firehouse on 19th Street in Sacramento was a wonderful bakery-cafe called New Helvetia. It was run by a great baker who had cute kids always popping around the corners.

The biscuits were to die for. I have never found any to compare. Does anyone have their recipe? Thanks.

– Candy Furlong, Sacramento

Ray's rib rub

Several years ago, The Bee featured an article on barbecuing baby back ribs. The story included a recipe for Ray's rub that I found to be really great.

Our family always liked baby back ribs using Ray's rub. Does anyone have the recipe for Ray's rub? My son, who lives in Denver, was asking me about it, and I told him as soon as I found the recipe, I would send it to him.

Thank you.

– Richard Fish, Fair Oaks

Marinated coleslaw

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Chill time: 4 hours

Serves 4

Katherine Setliff of Riverbank was hoping someone had the Mexican slaw recipe served at her favorite restaurant, the now-closed El Faro restaurant in Modesto.

Wilma Downing of Modesto shares her recipe that she says is quite similar to El Faro's.

INGREDIENTS:

1 small head green cabbage, shredded

1 small onion, diced

1 carrot, shredded (optional)

1 green bell pepper, diced

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup canola oil

1 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon celery seed

Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine vegetables in bowl. Mix sugar and mustard in saucepan. Add oil, vinegar and celery seed and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir, cover and refrigerate at least four hours before serving.

Per serving: 427 cal.; 3 g pro.; 41 g carb.; 28 g fat (2 sat., 18 monounsat., 8 polyunsat.); 0 mg chol.; 48 mg sod.; 5 g fiber; 59 percent calories from fat.

Chilies rellenos

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serves 3 to 4

Bob Edwards of Fair Oaks was wondering who made the best chilies rellenos in the Sacramento area.

Tom Hoeffel of Fair Oaks swears by the chilies rellenos at La Rosa Blanca at 2813 Fulton Ave. in Sacramento.

When Trine Nelson of Fair Oaks saw Edwards' question, she responded with "my husband." She said her family has been enjoying his labor of love for years. Here is his recipe, which comes from "Sunset Cook Book of Favorite Recipes," circa 1975.

INGREDIENTS

Chiles

Two 4-ounce cans California green chilies

1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, cut into sticks about 1/2-inch wide, 1/2-inch thick and 1 inch shorter than chilies, reserveing some to shred for garnish

Flour batter

3 eggs, separated

1 tablespoon water

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Vegetable oil, for frying

Tomato sauce

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

One 15-ounce can Spanish-style tomato sauce

1/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crumbled oregano

Garnish

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese or sliced green onion tops

INSTRUCTIONS

For the chilies: Drain chilies, rinse and cut a slit down the side of each. Gently remove seeds and pith inside.

Stuff chilies with cheese sticks. Place flour in a shallow pan. Roll each chili in flour to coat all over. Gently shake off excess.

Prepare batter just before you want to fry the chilies.

For the batter: Separate eggs. Beat whites until soft peaks form. Beat yolks with 1 tablespoon water, 3 tablespoons flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt until thick and creamy. Fold into whites.

Heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Dip stuffed chilies into the fluffy batter. Place on a saucer and slide into the hot oil. When the bottoms are golden brown, gently turn using a spatula and fork and cook other side, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

For the tomato sauce: Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until golden. Stir in tomato sauce, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes. (Makes 2 1/2 cups.)

To finish dish, top chilies with heated sauce and garnish with shredded cheese and/or sliced green onion tops.

Per serving based on 4 servings: 394 cal.; 21 g pro.; 20 g carb.; 26 g fat (14 sat., 3 monounsat., 3 polyunsat., 6 other); 198 mg chol.; 1,275 mg sod.; 2 g fiber; 59 percent calories from fat.

KFC fried chicken clone recipe clarification

The Mailbox recently featured a recipe from one of Todd Wilbur's "10 Top Secret Recipes" cookbooks for a KFC fried chicken clone. Wilbur says to fry the chicken in a pressure cooker. There are safety concerns about using this method of frying chicken as well as the possibility of damage to your cooker. So we recommend using a pressure fryer instead of a pressure cooker and follow the manufacturer's instructions in the owner's manual. Two companies that make pressure fryers are Fagor and Magefesa.

– Teri Watson

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