Courtyard Focaccia

DEAR SOS: I had a better-than-average sandwich at Nona’s Courtyard Cafe in Ventura, and the focaccia bread was most interesting: good textured and flavorful. Could you obtain the recipe?--MRS. C.D.J.

DEAR MRS. C.D.J.: Nona’s food and beverage director, Jonathan Enabnit, supplied the recipe, which was printed in “Cooking in Ventura” by Gail Hobb.

NONA’S COURTYARD CAFE FOCACCIA

1/2 ounce dry yeast

1 cup warm water (100 degrees)

3 cups flour

Olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup cold water

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme or rosemary

Mix yeast with warm water. Add flour, 1 tablespoon olive oil, honey, salt, Parmesan cheese and cold water. Mix well.

Combine 1/3 cup olive oil and crushed garlic in small bowl.

Grease sheet pan with olive oil. Roll out dough with rolling pin to large circle on lightly floured surface and transfer to sheet pan.

Puncture dough with fingers or fork and coat top of dough with garlic-olive oil mixture. Sprinkle with thyme or rosemary.

Let dough rise about 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees 25 minutes, or until evenly browned. Cool 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

270 calories; 279 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.14 grams fiber.

Pudding Melt Down

DEAR SOS: I would love to have a recipe like the one my mother must have used years ago for a chocolate rice pudding that she topped with a hard sauce of butter and brown sugar, which melted down over the warm pudding.--

RUTH

DEAR RUTH: Your description makes my mouth water.

CHOCOLATE RICE PUDDING WITH HARD SAUCE

CHOCOLATE PUDDING

2 cups milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rice

Cook milk, sugar, butter, chocolate, vanilla extract and salt in saucepan over medium heat, stirring, just until tiny bubbles appear around edges. Stir in rice. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring often, about 1 hour. Serve hot with Hard Sauce or whipped cream.

HARD SAUCE

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon grated orange peel

2 or 3 tablespoons rum, optional

Beat softened butter until creamy. Add sugar gradually and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add orange peel and rum, 2 teaspoons at time, until sauce is well flavored. Refrigerate until serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

449 calories; 377 mg sodium; 68 mg cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.09 grams fiber.

* Send requests to Culinary SOS, Food Section, The Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. Include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants. We are unable to answer recipe requests by mail.

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