Sleuth’s Corner

Q. My grandmother used to make what she called overnight salad. It was fruit salad made with pineapple and baby oranges, but it had something that made it creamy. We hated having to wait for it to be ready. Does anyone have this recipe?

Sue

Dessert

Turkish Coffee Ice Cream

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

3 tablespoons instant-coffee powder

1 tablespoon finely ground coffee beans

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Pinch of salt

3 cups plain, non-dairy milk (such as soy, almond or coconut)

Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium saucepan, whisking to mix thoroughly. Gradually whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom of the pot to ensure there are no lumps before turning on the heat to medium. Cook, whisking every few minutes, until the mixture comes to a rapid boil, and immediately remove from the stove.

Cool to room temperature, and refrigerate to chill completely, at least three hours. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer into an airtight container and stash in the freezer for at least 3 hours before scooping and serving. Makes about 1 quart, 8 servings.

Per servings: 109 calories (8 percent from fat), 0.9 g fat (0 saturated, 0.2 g monounsaturated), 0 cholesterol, 3.3 g protein, 22.6 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 41 mg sodium.

Dessert

Crazy Crust Apple Pie

Crust

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

2/3 cup shortening or margarine

Filling

1 can (about 20 ounces) apple pie filling

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon, or to taste, cinnamon

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Measure all crust ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat 2 minutes. Pour batter into 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.

Combine the pie filling and lemon juice and pour into the center of the batter. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Do not stir. Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Per servings: 293 calories (53 percent from fat), 17.7 g fat (4.4 g saturated, 7.7 g monounsaturated), 23 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g protein, 32.4 g carbohydrates, 1.2 g fiber, 220 mg sodium.

Main Dish

Isis Wilson’s Cuban Pot Roast

Half a 1/2-inch-thick center slice of cooked, smoked ham

Rump roast (5 1/2 to 6 pounds)

2 large onions, thinly sliced, divided

Juice of 3 limes

2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided

3 bay leaves, divided

2 cloves garlic, divided

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup dry white wine

Juice of 3 or 4 oranges, divided

1 tablespoon salt

Ground pepper

Cut ham into 1-inch squares. With a small, pointed knife, cut holes 2 to 3 inches deep around the surface of the beef roast. Push one ham square all the way into each hole.

Place half the slices from one onion along the bottom of a large glass bowl. In a separate bowl, make a marinade by combining the lime juice, 1 teaspoon of the oregano, 2 crumbled bay leaves and 1 garlic clove, chopped. Mix well.

Place roast in bowl on top of onions. Pour marinade over roast. Place remaining slices from the first onion on top of the roast. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 48 hours. Turn meat twice each day, basting with marinade, and rearranging onion slices.

Remove roast from bowl, discard marinade and dry meat with paper towels.

Brown roast on all sides in hot oil in a large pot. Remove roast from pot. Put remaining onion slices and garlic, smashed, in pot and sauté until onion is translucent. Return roast to pot. Add wine, half the orange juice, salt and pepper to taste, remaining oregano and bay leaf, crumbled.

Simmer roast over low heat, covered, for 3 hours or until meat is tender, turning roast occasionally and basting. At half-hour intervals, pour small amounts of reserved orange juice over the meat until all the juice is used up.

To serve, cut roast in fairly thick pieces. Strain the cooking liquid and pour over slices. The roast is normally accompanied with black beans, rice and fried green plantains. Makes 8 servings.

Per servings: 467 calories (46 percent from fat), 23.6 g fat (8.4 g saturated, 11.3 g monounsaturated), 126 mg cholesterol, 49 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 08 g fiber, 1,170 mg sodium.